DISCLAIMER: Characters of Veronica Mars, the canon events of their storylines, and recognizable dialogue belong to Rob Thomas.

A/N:

This chapter contains bits of #2.5 "Blast From the Past"

Chapter 9

The first week driving myself to school was exhausting. I put off doing several things, including telling my dad about the pictures of Thumper outside the club. But on Thursday, Weevil pressed the issue, saying that he planned to drop by our apartment that night. I could either tell Dad myself or Weevil would do it for me.

That evening, Dad made beef stew. As he was setting the table, he began to tell me that he had been contacted by the FBI. Apparently, they were looking at additional missing persons cases and wanted to verify that they had everything we had found during our investigation.

"The FBI asked us to look back over our evidence and notes to see if we come up with anything that might be helpful to them. They have decided to dig into the operation of the club and anyone associated with it over the past several years."

"That's quite a coincidence." Taking a few seconds to consider my words, I looked away from my Dad before beginning to tell him about the pictures of Thumper. "Weevil reminded me of something the other day … something I had intended to show you before the bus crash. I was able to clean up the surveillance photos I took from across the street." Seeing his expression, I added, "I didn't keep this from you intentionally, Dad. Until he mentioned them and I located them on my laptop, I didn't remember … until I saw them."

"I'll get back to the photos in a minute. But … the memory loss … how much of that have you been noticing?"

"Some. Not a lot. I talked to the doctor about it."

"But not your own father?"

"The doctor seemed to think that being at home … things would come back to me. And they are. I recognize these photos. I can tell you when I took them, when I cleaned them up, how I identified the other people in them."

Before he could respond, there was a knock at the door. As he went to answer it, I could tell that Dad was clearly not happy with me.

Seeing Weevil walk in, I said, "I just started telling him about the photos. I'm gonna go get my computer."

The three of us sat down in the living room and I positioned my laptop so they could see the screen.

I explained that I was trying out some new software from Mac and took another look at the photos. After seeing Thumper's face, I asked Leo to take a look at them. With his help, I was able to identify all the faces.

It came as no surprise that my father reacted to the information in much the same way that Leo had. He heard me out as I explained that Weevil was not connected to this and that he had been concerned about Thumper for a while now.

Dad said he recognized two of the Fitzpatricks – the same two that Weevil had recognized – and then asked who else he was looking at.

"That one is a distant cousin of the Fitzpatricks. Moved to Neptune earlier in the year. The remaining two are members of the McGuire family."

"Identifying faces in our photos would certainly be information the FBI would want. They could've found this on their own." Glancing over at Weevil, Dad said, "But still, we have it now and I feel duty bound …"

"… to give it to them," Weevil finished his thought and nodded in understanding.

Dad walked over to the stove and checked on the stew. Then, he got out three bowls, saying, "Eli, why don't you get the drinks. Veronica, why don't you put on that CD I just bought."

As we ate, we listened to Michael McDonald cover some of Motown's greatest hits, including this classic Marvin Gaye / Tammi Terrell duet:

"Like an eagle protects his nest, for you I'll do my best –

Stand by you like a tree, dare anybody to try and move me.

Darling, in you I found strength where I was torn down.

Don't know what's in store, but together we can open any door …

You're all I need to get by."

As the meaning of the lyrics sunk in, Weevil and I made eye contact across the dinner table. After everything the two of us had been through – individually and together – we knew how rare it was to have people you could count on.

All three of us were deep in thought; there was much to think about. I wondered who would start the dinner conversation. I didn't have to wonder for long.

Dad turned to Weevil and asked, "Mind if I ask you something?" He was proceeding with caution.

My boyfriend looked my dad in the eye, but said nothing. He just waited for the question.

"What are you doing about this? And how are you going to keep any blowback from landing on my daughter?" After a second's pause, he added, "And of course, on yourself."

Dropping his head, Weevil did not answer him right away. I reached over and took his hand. He turned his head toward me and then looked over at Dad. "I had hoped to have this taken care of before it came to your attention. I didn't want you worrying about Veronica … being with me, dating me. Felix and I have been trying to figure out what Thumper's involved in, but other than knowing he's connected to the Fitzpatricks somehow …"

Dad nodded in understanding. "You don't have anything solid. Even with the photos Veronica took."

I just sat and watched the exchange between the gang leader and the former sheriff.

After a few minutes of silence, Dad turned to me to ask, "Have you been working on this for him?"

Weevil and I answered simultaneously, "No."

Then, Weevil added, "I specifically asked her to not look into it. Don't want Thumper to have a reason to target her." Glancing at me, he added, "I don't want her anywhere near this or him."

"Good. We're on the same page," Dad said as he made eye contact with Weevil.

Then, they both turned their faces in my direction.

Rolling my eyes to try to lighten the mood, I said, "Sheesh! I get it. Stay away from danger or else."

"Mind if I ask another question?" Dad waited for Weevil to respond, which he did with a nod. "Do you have an exit strategy?"

"I'm working on it."

When Dad started to clear the table, I returned my laptop to my bedroom. I could hear that they were talking, but not what they were saying.

As I walked back into the living room, Weevil said he needed to get going. I stepped just outside the door to give him a kiss goodnight. He seemed pleasantly surprised that my dad didn't forbid me to see him.

After I went back inside, Dad said he remembered he needed to check on something at the office.

That left me home alone with Backup. He curled up at my feet while I worked at my desk. I was putting the finishing touches on the files Dad would be giving to the FBI – labeling photos, cleaning up my notes, making copies of everything.

[

[

On Friday, Duncan came over to me at lunch to say that he had asked Logan about the phone number, but other than verifying that it was indeed one of their numbers, he had no other info to add.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Weevil was watching us. Thumper leaned over to say something to him, causing him to scowl.

A few minutes before lunch ended, I picked up my things and walked over to the PCHers table. Most of the guys wouldn't look at me. Thumper glared in my direction. Felix acted cold.

When I sat down next to Weevil, I could tell he was upset about something. I wasn't sure if it was what Thumper had said or if it was me helping Duncan.

"Do you have a minute?"

"Not right now, V."

"Well, I'm working later. When would be good for you?"

He didn't reply, but a moment later, he got up to step away from the table. Everyone could still see us, but at least, we wouldn't be overheard.

"Duncan just let me know that Logan didn't have any useful information for us." I watched as Weevil nodded in understanding. "He decided he's gonna talk to his dad this weekend about being questioned by Lamb. I guess that means finding time to tell Dad about Curly and the connection to Aaron."

He nodded again. "First shift back at The Hut tonight?"

"After school. Til closing."

"See you then."

I should have figured that he would follow me home, but I hadn't really thought about it.

[

For a Friday, Java the Hut was not that busy. The manager had told me to take it easy my first day back. She had scheduled an extra person, just in case. It might have been better if I had been super busy.

Logan came in about an hour after I got there. Not only did he hang around to watch my every movement, he flirted with me. Shamelessly. He mentioned that he had heard some of the PCHers talking about me. Specifically, about me and Weevil.

"Considering what they said, sounds like there's trouble in paradise." He waited for me to respond. When I didn't, he stood quite close to me as he said, "Well, the offer from last spring is still good. To take you out. Let me know when you want to accept."

Stepping away from him, I said, "Never gonna happen, Logan."

Finally, he left. The rest of my shift went by quickly. Although I was tired, I didn't feel completely terrible.

When I got out to the parking lot, Weevil was leaning against my car. He pulled me toward him and gave me a possessive kiss.

I could tell by the look in his eyes that something was up.

"Have a nice chat with Logan?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"Thumper mentioned that he was here for a while earlier. Said you two looked pretty cozy."

"He was just … being Logan."

"He's been after you since last year. The kiss at the Camelot. Asking you out even after you told him you were seeing someone."

"He overheard a couple of your guys talking about us and assumed that we were having problems."

"And decided he would—"

"Don't worry about him."

"The way he looks at you makes me want to rip his eyes out."

After another kiss – a longer kiss – he followed me home.

[

[

The next morning over breakfast, I told Dad about Duncan being questioned by Sherriff Lamb and coming to me for help. I told him what I found out about Curly. And about the voicemail that Weevil had gotten. He didn't have to ask me to leave it alone, but he did.

Shortly after that, I called Duncan to tell him I talked to Dad and that if he needed any further help on this, he should call my dad directly. Apparently, Jake Kane had hit the ceiling when he found out that Duncan had been questioned by Lamb. Duncan said that his dad planned to have a chat with the Sheriff, which would probably put an end to it, but he was still rattled by the fact that his name had been on the guy's palm.

Shortly after that, I called Weevil to tell him that Dad was in the loop on the Duncan/Curly thing. He asked when Dad would be talking to the FBI. I told him I honestly didn't know.

[

[

The next week was busy and tiring. At lunch my first full day back at school, I had finally met Jackie. I was trying not to be … well, me, but there was something about her that was just a bit off. And after a few days of hanging out with us, she didn't seem to like how close Wallace and I were. She wasn't the only one.

Even though Weevil and I had talked about it numerous times, he still didn't like the amount of the time I spent with Wallace – our private in-jokes and our obvious affection for one another. As a result, the guys hassled him a bit about Wallace making time with me. All of that – plus Duncan and Logan – put Weevil on edge and caused jealousy to rear its ugly head.

[

[

We were starting to read Pride and Prejudice in English class. Jackie complained about having to read it again. I mentioned that I had rented the BBC version with Colin Firth and told them they were welcome to watch it with me.

The next couple afternoons, the three of us sat in my living room watching all six hours of it and debating the attributes of Mr. Darcy.

Although I did my best to be polite, she was constantly namedropping and flaunting all the cool things she had done. I guess I could see why Wallace liked her, but I wasn't sure they were a good match.

When we finished, Jackie asked if we could put on a show that she had started watching regularly. Someone at school had told her about this community access show "Answers from Angels." Michelle, one of the girls that was on the show that day was friends with Rhonda, who had died in the bus crash. Madame Sophie told her that Rhonda wasn't angry at her.

I didn't really think much of it until the next day when I overheard her telling someone about it. Michelle added a key piece of information: she'd been upset since the bus crash, thinking that Rhonda would be angry with her for not picking up when she called from the bus. Rather than answering the last call her friend made, she had let it go to voicemail.

At lunch, I went over to talk to Michelle. I started by asking her what it was like to be on the show, but I really just wanted to know if she still had the message. She did. After she let me listen to it, I put my hands down in my lap so that I could forward the message to myself.

When I played it for Dad, he heard the same thing I heard. My memory had been correct: there was an explosion before the bus hit the guardrail.

During that same conversation, I asked Dad how things were progressing with the Manning case. He said he was helping Meg make arrangements to go live with a relative. Meg had given him a notebook where her parents had her sister Grace write admonishments over and over. Things like: "I was bad" and "I deserve to be punished." Unfortunately, Child Protective Services needed more before they could remove Grace and Lizzie from the home. I was glad that Dad was continuing to work on it.

I mentioned that Duncan had told me that Meg thinks her parents might know she's pregnant. She noticed that someone has been following her. She thinks her parents may have hired them. Dad said he'd look into it.

[

[

In the weeks leading up to the Homecoming dance, while I was occupied with school and working one day a week at The Hut, Dad was busy helping Meg prepare to disappear. She had begun warming up to me, apparently no longer considering me a threat, but rather, part of the solution to her problems. Little by little, she brought her things to me at school. When I got home, I added them to the suitcases and boxes she would be taking with her.

Less than a week before the dance, Dad caught the person who had been following Meg. He had not been hired by the Mannings. It was a guy named Lucky who Meg's parents had frequently had over to dinner. He had apparently developed a crush on Meg.

He was a few years older than us, so he knew many of the students at Neptune High. Also, he worked at the school as a janitor. Seeing her with Duncan bothered him quite a bit. So, he had begun to follow her, in a sick attempt at having more time with her.

The Mannings did not want to file a restraining order against Lucky, but instead asked Dad to talk to him. When my dad tried to convince him to leave Meg alone, Lucky started talking crazy. He told Dad that he had made a grand gesture to impress Meg, to win her affections away from Duncan. But he didn't get specific.

A couple days later at school, Lucky approached Meg and threatened to do something to her and Duncan if she didn't leave him. Sheriff Lamb and Deputy Sacks came to the school to arrest him. Dad told them about the vague things Lucky had previously told him, but they weren't able to get anything else out of him. As soon as they got him to the station, he asked for a lawyer and clammed up.

[

[

That Friday was the Homecoming dance. Surprisingly, I was able to talk Weevil into taking me to the dance. He was in favor of seeing me all dressed up, but I knew it was gonna cause waves with the guys.

His grandma had come over when he came to pick me up. She and my dad took more photos than necessary before finally letting us leave.

When we got to the school, Felix was waiting in the parking lot. As I got out of my car, he complimented me on my dress and then asked if he could have a few minutes alone with Weevil.

"Of course," I answered. Then, I looked at my date and told him I'd wait just inside the entrance for him.

A few minutes later, Weevil joined me and we walked into the dance together.

We did a little socializing, including a brief chat with Duncan and Meg. After that, Weevil took my hand and led me to the dance floor. During back-to-back slow songs, he held me close. It felt more wonderful than words.

With my mouth near his ear, I said softly, "Didn't think I'd ever get you to go to a dance. If I'd have known that almost dying would get you to put on a suit, I'd have done it sooner."

"Don't even joke about that."

"Joking about it is the only thing keeping me sane at this point." I leaned back in order to look into his eyes. "But seriously, you look incredibly handsome."

"And you look even more beautiful than normal."

"Definitely better than that death-warmed-over look I was sporting in the hospital."

"Again with the joking." As the song was ending, he held me just a little tighter. "As beautiful as you look in that dress … I'd much rather see you out of it."

My racing heart was my only response to his admission.

He took my hand and led me to an empty corner. I could tell by the look in his eyes that there was something he wanted to say. It took him a couple minutes to find the words. And even then, I had to read between the lines.

"The understanding with your father … the agreement I made with him. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But lately … um, what I'm saying is … when you decide you're ready … for us to … just say when."

Although he didn't come right out and say it, I understood what he was telling me.

Before I could reply to his rambling, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Duncan. I told Weevil I'd be back in a few minutes and I joined them in the parking lot. I had Weevil park the car as far from the entrance as possible, hoping that Meg's departure would draw less attention that way.

With Dad's help, Duncan had hired a driver/bodyguard to get Meg safely to her aunt's house in Seattle. He would have taken her himself, but if he went missing at the same time, the Mannings would immediately say he was involved. They would point the finger at him anyway, but it would be harder to prove.

The boxes and suitcases had already been moved from my car into the other vehicle. As Meg said goodbye to me and thanked me for my help, she returned my car keys.

The driver gave me some papers to pass on to my dad. Then, Meg gave Duncan one last kiss before leaving.

As we walked around the corner of the building and watched the car pull out of the parking lot, I saw Duncan begin to cry. I reached out for his hand.

I wanted to say that everything was going to be okay now. But I wasn't sure how to say it in a way that would not sound hollow. I just leaned my shoulder against his arm and continued to hold his hand. "We should get back inside … so everyone can verify that they saw you here all night."

"Yeah," he said numbly. Then, looking me in the eyes, he said, "Thanks, Veronica. I don't know what I would have done without your help the past several weeks. It means a lot to me – and to Meg – that you were willing to help us. I don't know how I can ever repay you." For the first time in a long time, he gave me a hug.

As I stepped out of his arms, I joked, "My dad will be sending you a bill."

"I already paid him. I'm talking about you."

It wasn't until I saw Weevil walking over to us that I noticed a couple motorcycles on the far end of the parking lot. If I had to guess, Thumper had just called Weevil to tell him I was out here hugging my ex-boyfriend.

As he stepped toward us, Weevil said, "I am so fuckin' tired of sharing you." He had shouted loud enough for his voice to be heard by anyone who was outside – a few people in the parking lot, a small gathering near the school entrance, and obviously, Duncan.

It wasn't so much Weevil's tone that shook the core of my being. It was the meaning behind the words.

With a glance at me, Duncan wordlessly headed for the front door of the school.

I turned to face Weevil. Slowly, I took two steps to close the gap between us. Placing my hands on his chest, I looked in his eyes and whispered, "Everything okay now?"

"Need some time alone with you, nena."

"Yeah. Me too."

This tender moment was followed by one of his possessive kisses.

"Time to go, V."

"I should say goodnight to—"

"Text them," he said firmly as he grabbed my hand and led me to the car.

[

My dad was out when we got back to the apartment. That gave us some time alone, but we were prepared to be interrupted at some point.

Weevil pulled a CD off my shelf and put it in the player in the living room. We slow danced to several songs in a row – honestly, I lost count.

We were sitting on the couch when Dad came home.

As he came through the door and saw us there, Dad said, "Didn't expect you to be home so soon."

"School dances aren't really my thing," Weevil said.

"I'm surprised I got him to go at all."

"Sweetie, can I talk to you a minute?"

I was expecting a lecture, but when Dad and I went back into my room, he explained that he would be out of town for a couple days. "I'm just here long enough to pack and then I need to go back to the office for a little while." Handing me a piece of paper, he asked, "Can you take care of my travel arrangements? I want to leave first thing in the morning."

Picking up my laptop, I walked back out to the living room. Sitting next to Weevil, I started to book Dad's flight.

"Working on a Friday night? During a date?" He was clearly annoyed.

Feeling the need to apologize, I said, "Sorry. I need to take care of this for Dad."

He leaned over toward me. I could tell that he was looking at the screen. There was an unspoken question nearly audible in the silence.

A few minutes later, Dad came out of his room. "I shouldn't be more than an hour. Need to get some sleep tonight."

"I'll have your flight and car taken care of before you get back."

"Thanks, honey. Goodnight, Eli."

Weevil nodded. "Sheriff." A moment after the door had closed behind Dad, he asked me, "He leaves in the morning?"

"And if all goes according to plan, gets back Sunday night."

He watched as I finished Dad's reservations. After I returned my laptop to my bedroom, I sat beside him on the couch. He began to stroke my neck with his fingertips.

His voice was soft and full of suggestion as he said, "About that time alone …"

When he didn't continue his thought, I said, "I think we're alone now."

"Yeah, but he'll be back soon. Besides, I had something else in mind."

"Do tell."

He sprinkled kisses on my shoulder as he planted his hands firmly on me. Pulling me into his lap, his mouth found my ear. "I could give Bri a call."

"A day at the beach sounds lovely."

"I'll check if we can stay for dinner this time."

His hands and lips were busy. I was breathing heavily, my thoughts on anything but food plans for tomorrow. He groaned as I shifted in his lap.

We had yet to finish the "when" conversation. If my dad weren't due back in the near future, we could have just skipped over the discussion. As Elvis put it so succinctly, "A little less conversation. A little more action, please."

With both my hands on his face, I brought my lips to his. Then, pressing my forehead to his, I said, "Or you could check if they have a room available."

His entire body went still. I leaned a few inches away, allowing him to look into my eyes.

"What are you saying, V?"

"When."

He just stared at me for a long moment before taking out his phone. He was typing a text message as he said, "It's too late to call, but in case I sleep late … she'll see this first thing in the morning."

Before he closed his phone, he saw a text message from Thumper and decided he should call him back. If things weren't so tense right now, it might have been amusing to watch the act Weevil put on during the phone call. A couple of times, I could hear laughter on the other end or the tone of Thumper's reply. Mostly, I had to mentally fill in the gaps based on Weevil's side of the conversation.

"No, man. Won't be around the rest of the weekend … After going to that fucking dance with V, I need to get out of Neptune … gonna spend tomorrow with a girl I know … yeah, I'll be back Sunday." He insinuated that he was spending the night with someone other than me. "What the princess don't know won't hurt her." Thumper must have asked him a question. "Not sure yet. Kinda tired of all this relationship crap, you know? But it is nice to have her fine white ass to hold onto."

The whole time he was on the phone with Thumper, his free hand was stroking my arm tenderly.

The phone call was followed by several minutes of impassioned kissing. Then, he abruptly lifted me out of his lap, stood up, and reached for my hand. I was confused as he led me toward the front door. He must have seen that on my face.

"I think I should go. Everything in me wants to stay right now. And that's exactly why I should leave. Before your dad gets back."

We both laughed – nervous and excited at the same time. I knew he was right. If he stayed, neither of us would want to wait until tomorrow.

The goodnight kiss he gave me did not reflect the hormonal rush inside our bodies. The kiss was tentative and tender, powerful in its innocence.

When he was gone, I left Dad a note with his travel info. Then, I changed out of my dress and climbed into bed. My body had settled down, but my mind was busy.

The goodnight kiss.

The minutes before the kiss.

The things we had said.

The things left unsaid, but clearly understood.

My to-do list for tomorrow morning.

My wish list for tomorrow night.

A/N:

"All I Need to Get By" – Michael McDonald Motown Two (2004); cover of 1968 Gaye/Terrell duet.

Rough draft of next chapter is written. Should be up within a month.

Thanks for reading! Until next time …

~Jen

4 May 2018

P.S. May the 4th be with you!