DISCLAIMER: Characters of Veronica Mars, the canon events of their storylines, and recognizable dialogue belong to Rob Thomas.
A/N:
I'm finally finding time to write again. While I've been away from my WIPs: new job offer out of the blue, moving to a new city, living in a hotel suite (not quite as fancy as the Neptune Grand ;) but paid by new employer) until moving into the new home. It's been a strange limbo-like time of transition.
Thanks for the follows/favs/reviews – when I get notifications, it makes me want to make time to write. So thanks for that!
This chapter primarily corresponds to #2.13 "Ain't No Magic Mountain High Enough" and #2.14 "Versatile Toppings," but since I've shifted some of the timeline and shuffled the order of events, there are bits of other episodes here (including #2.3 "Cheatty Cheatty Bang Bang" and #2.17 "Plan B").
Events occur between mid-January and mid-March 2006 of the Season 2 timeline.
Previously in this fic: With a little help from Veronica & Co., Eli recorded Thumper's confession as he was being beat out of the PCH Bike Club. Eli stayed at Veronica's apartment that weekend, resting and letting his wounds heal. After their long "fake breakup," they were happy to have some alone time (since Keith was away).
Chapter 17
When Eli and I got back from the beach, I saw Dad's car in the parking lot. So did Backup. I was in no mood to be dragged up the stairs by an overly happy puppy. So I asked Eli to handle the leash on the way up to the apartment.
Once we were inside and Dad had a chance to properly greet Backup, he gave me a look that said he wanted to have a chat – or rather a father-daughter discussion.
Finally, I said, "Something you want to say, Dad?"
"As a matter of fact, there is."
Eli watched the exchange and then asked, "Would you like me to leave so you two can talk?"
"No," my father said. "You should stay."
Well, that sounded ominous.
Dad poured iced tea into three glasses and then indicated that we should sit down in the living room for this chat, which was beginning to look more like a serious meeting. Hopefully, it wouldn't turn into a patented Mars interrogation.
Eli and I sat next to each other on the couch. Dad took the chair.
"Got home a while ago. By the look of things, Eli's been staying here while I've been away."
Neither of us responded to his comment. We waited to see where he was headed with this.
"I gave Letty a call because I wasn't sure if she knew where he was – since you had let her believe the breakup was real. Apparently, she did know you were here. She didn't seem too concerned that he had spent the past couple nights here. I didn't want to assume that him sleeping here meant that you two had … slept together. But she mentioned that this was not the first weekend you had spent together. Something about going to your cousin's bed and breakfast after the Homecoming dance." He paused while studying the ice melting in his glass. "This is your opportunity to come clean … before I have to ask the question."
Before speaking, Eli took my hand, cleared his throat, and waited for my father to look up so he could look him in the eye. "If you're asking if I've had sex with your daughter, the answer is yes. And yes, we did spend a night at the B&B the weekend of Homecoming. But this is the first time I have stayed here … without you knowing about it. There was that night after Aaron Echolls was arrested."
"Are you—"
"Being careful?" Eli interrupted my dad's thought.
Clearly making an effort to keep his tone and facial expression calm, Dad said, "I assumed that you would be. No, I was going to ask if you're in love with my daughter."
Without hesitation, Eli replied, "Yes, sir. I am."
I watched the two of them study one another for a moment. Then, Dad spoke.
"I just ask …" My father's voice trailed off. Beginning again, he said, "Don't hurt her. And no sneaking around. Hurt her or lie to me … and we will have a problem."
"Understood, Sheriff."
It seemed that the conversation was over because my dad got up from the chair.
"Dad, we should tell you what happened this weekend."
Without turning around, he said, "Honey, I really don't want a play-by-play."
"Not what I intended. Besides, although we did sleep together – slept next to one another – we did not have sex this weekend. Nothing to tell. About that anyway."
Sitting back down, he glanced at Eli's face, seeming to notice the cuts and bruises for the first time. "Alright. You got my attention. I'm listening."
We filled him in on Friday's meeting and the result.
Eli was out. We had recorded Thumper's confession. We were officially "back together."
"I think you know you should have waited until I was here to help you. Or talk you out of it." Dad paused before continuing to address Eli. "I think you also know that you're lucky to be alive."
As Eli nodded, I responded, "Even the ER doc said that he was lucky the injuries weren't worse. Obviously, we didn't say exactly how he got the injuries."
After that, the three of us went down to the parking lot so Eli could show Dad his new wheels.
Neptune Trading Post had been bringing in a steady stream of income for both Mac and Eli. Neither of their names was publicly available, and their business venture had continued uninterrupted during these past months. His income had been automatically deposited into his bank account. He spent a sizable chunk of his earnings on a 1966 Ford Mustang that needed a significant amount of work.
Eli rebuilt the engine and did some other work on it, but with everything going on, he didn't have much in the way of free time. So he paid an uncle who lived near Bri and Ben to finish the restoration. His uncle had done a beautiful job on the bodywork and paint job. It was ready a couple weeks ago and had been in storage up there, out of sight.
As my dad looked over the classic car, Eli explained that there was still some tweaking that he wanted to do himself. After he listed off all the parts that had been replaced, my dad gave him a scrutinizing look.
"Yes, all legal," Eli said.
"Do I get to test drive it?" my dad asked.
I watched as my boyfriend handed my father the keys. As Dad walked around to the driver's side, he commented on the personalized license plate: 2SAM570.
"When I started working at Angel's shop, he gave me one of his old tool boxes – a SAM-570," Eli explained.
Patting him on the back, Dad said, "It's perfect … for you and the car you bought with money you earned." As we climbed into the car, Dad asked, "You plan on replacing your motorcycle?"
"At some point. Not in a hurry. Any money I make from here on out is for starting my business after graduation."
Dad started the car and pulled out onto the road. There was a long stretch of silence before he spoke.
"While I can't condone some of what you've done over the years … you've definitely put a lot of effort into changing the direction of your life. That would be obvious to anyone who's paying attention. Your efforts are paying off. And I'm proud of you."
From the backseat, I watched as Eli reacted to my father's words. He had been staring out the front of the car as Dad spoke. After Dad finished, he turned to look out the passenger side window for a moment before responding. He was so choked up he could barely get out the words: "Thank you."
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On Monday morning, Eli picked me up at my apartment. Our arrival at school – together and in his new car – did not go unnoticed.
After he parked the Mustang, he walked around to open my door. Although he didn't need to, he took my hand to help me out of the car. First, he kissed the back of my hand. Then, after closing the car door, he pressed me up against the car and gave me a slow, tender kiss. On our way into the building, he held my hand and carried my books.
His actions were more effective than renting a billboard. News of our reconciliation spread like wildfire. As did the news that the PCHers had a new leader.
[
A few times during the day, PCHers got in his face. He didn't back down from them – not even Thumper. He made a point of telling the other guys that they had made their choice and that he hoped they could live with it – live being the operative word. They may have kicked Eli out, but they were still his boys and he was concerned for their welfare – especially now that they were in business with the Fitzpatricks.
When Thumper implied that he was going to do damage to the newly restored Mustang, Eli calmly said, "You should rethink that. You only think you know what I'm capable of. Push me … and you won't even see the payback comin'."
[
Just before lunch, I dropped by to talk to Miss James. I finally told her what had been going on – well, most of what had been going on – and asked her not to tell anyone that the breakup was fake.
"The bruise on your arm … that was Thumper?"
"Yes."
"Are you in any danger?"
"No more than any other day. Eli and Dad both know everything. And I'm being a little more cautious than normal."
"Will Mac still be tutoring Eli during his study hall?"
"I think they're still deciding. It seems to be working out. If it ain't broke—"
"Don't fix it. Alright. Well, my door's always open."
"Thank you, Miss James."
[
Having convinced my newly-ex-gang-member boyfriend to handle the situation within the bounds of the law – okay … near the bounds of the law – Eli and I made an afterschool visit to Sheriff Lamb. We played the recording of Thumper's confession. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that the power-hungry asshat refused to do anything with it. Perhaps, I should have served it to him on a silver platter.
During the drive home, I could see Eli's mental gears turning. I cautioned him about going after Thumper on his own. He told me I had nothing to worry about. That did not alleviate my concern.
Felix was his best friend; Lilly had been mine. When your best friend is murdered, it does something to you. You would do just about anything to make sure that the person responsible got what they deserved. I wanted to believe that Eli could keep his emotions from controlling his actions. However, I figured that Eli would agree to do things "by the book" for only so long before aggravation would overtake him. Then, he would feel forced to handle it "by any means necessary."
I really hoped we could find another solution before he did something he couldn't take back. Something he might regret. Something he couldn't undo. Something for which he would be held legally responsible. Something that could change the course of his life.
Maybe, I'd rather not know.
Did I really just think that?
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While Eli was concerned about making the grades he needed for graduation, I was concerned about the other students who were in contention for the Kane Scholarship. Although Mac was brilliant, she didn't obsess about her GPA. I'm not sure what her class rank was, but she was far enough down the list that I did not view her as competition. I'm also not sure how she had planned to pay for college, but now she had no need to worry about that.
Back at Christmas, the Sinclairs had been generous – one might say overly generous – with their gifts to Mac. In addition to clothing and gadgets, they took her along on their family ski trip to Europe. She had come back with beautiful pictures of the Chamonix Valley, as well as a day they spent in Geneva.
She and the Sinclairs had bonded even further during the vacation. A few weeks into the new year, they began asking her lots of questions about her plans for college and if she expected to get much in the way of scholarship money. Not long after that, they told her not to worry about the cost, that she should just decide what school she wanted to attend and they would cover everything. Mac would receive the savings that had been intended to pay for Madison to go to college.
But that wasn't the half of it. Apparently, the Sinclairs had met with their attorney and then with the Mackenzies.
"Veronica, it's crazy. They added me to the will. And I now have a trust fund," Mac said in disbelief. "How did this become my life?"
"When Mrs. Sinclair gave birth to you?"
"Well, yes. But no. If Madison were still alive, she would be in their will. She would be the one with the trust fund. They would be paying for her to go to college."
"Yes, it is tragic that our classmates died on that bus, but you should no more feel guilty about your relationship with your birth parents and their decision to make you their beneficiary than I should feel guilty for surviving the crash."
"I know you're right, but it's still hard to wrap my head around. I mean, they said I can have access to some of the money immediately. Then, the rest when I turn twenty-one. What in the world am I going to do with that kind of money? I make more than enough through the Trading Post to pay for anything I need – plus more than a few of the things I want."
"You don't have to do anything with the money right now. You could just let it sit. Or you could invest it."
"It's one thing to make decisions about investments in FBLA. It's another thing entirely when it's real money in the real world."
"Yeah. But it could also be more fun. Think of all the good you could do."
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My dad was a huge fan of Terrence Cook and obviously would welcome any opportunity to spend time with him. But I'm certain that he would have preferred that it happen under different circumstances. Terrence showed up at the office asking for a consultation after he was questioned by the Sheriff, who had received an anonymous call pointing Lamb toward Cook as a suspect in the bus crash investigation. During their meeting, he told Dad that Ms. Dumass overheard some things when a couple of the Fitzpatricks showed up at his house to collect the money he owed to Leonard Lobo. That certainly provided the Sheriff with a more likely motive than Cook's support of Woody Goodman's plan for incorporation.
As they continued to talk over a couple of beers, Cook added that Ms. Dumass approached him one day at Shark Stadium and threatened him with the info she had. Woody overheard the conversation and called him into his office and offered to make Terrence's problem go away, saying that he considered it an investment.
"I assumed he meant that he would pay off my debt. Maybe bribe her to keep quiet."
"Do you think Woody would cause the bus crash just to silence her?"
"I want to say no, but I don't know him well enough to know what he's capable of."
Dad did take his case, but only after Terrence came clean about everything. I did some work on it too, including trying to establish where he was at 7:03 pm, the time of the crash. His phone records showed a call to Crazy Hank, who details his car. That's how he realized that he must have been at Seven Rivers Casino.
Proving his innocence was not going to be a simple task. He had a seemingly endless stash of skeletons in his closet.
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There were many annual events at Neptune High that I could live without. My loathing of such things had only increased during Senior Year. Winter Carnival was no exception.
Duncan got to miss it because Meg had given birth to their baby girl, Lilly Manning Kane. I was happy for them. And a little jealous that they had a valid excuse to avoid the Carnival.
Wallace and Jackie were trying to enjoy the day together, but people kept hassling her about her dad. At first, Wallace seemed to like playing defender, but after a few hours, it got old. And he got frustrated.
Mac and Cassidy were walking around hand-in-hand, giving the outward appearance of a happy couple. However, I knew that Cassidy was on the verge of a meltdown over what had happened with his dad, not to mention that things were a bit tense between him and Mac because she thought they should take their physical relationship to the next level. Cassidy's awkwardness did not go unnoticed by his older brother Dick, who took great pleasure in harassing him.
That was not the only harassment going on. Before I took my turn in the slushie booth, I was keeping an eye on Eli's six-year-old niece Ophelia until he got finished with work. While we were walking around, Thumper decided to take the opportunity to mess with her, grabbing her balloon and knocking her over. Then, he got in my face and threatened me – which I'm betting he would not have done if Eli was there beside me.
Then, the day got really interesting. A group of streakers ran through the midway of the Carnival about the same time that the cash box went missing.
I had to run down a few false leads before solving the mystery. But solve it, I did. The best part was gathering the suspects into one room – Agatha Christie style – in order to get to the bottom of it.
Part of the cash and a bag of ephedrine was found in Thumper's shop locker. The remaining money was stashed in Miss Hauser's classroom. She had been skimming off the top before the cash box went missing.
I'm not sure what Clemmons was going to do about his greedy health teacher, but Thumper was arrested. I heard that a lawyer known to represent the Fitzpatricks got him released almost immediately.
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It took me until the morning after Winter Carnival to fit all the pieces together. I was more impressed than upset.
"So how did you do it?" I turned to ask Eli as he drove us to school.
After he explained the Thomas Crown tactics he had employed to accomplish the feat, he told me, "When I was planting the stuff, I looked in a few of their lockers to see what I might find."
He went quiet for a moment, so I prompted him, "What did you find?"
"Something interesting." He went on to explain about the paddle and what was on it.
"Assuming you're right and we run the license plates, what do you plan to do with the information?"
"Nothing for right now. But in the future, it could provide some serious leverage."
By then, we were almost at school. He remained silent until he pulled into a parking space. Turning toward me, he took my hand and peppered it with kisses. "Is it your undying love for me or just good old-fashioned lust that kept you from turning me in?"
"No reason it can't be both."
[
That day after school, we made a stop at the office to research the letters and numbers that had been so painstakingly burned into the wooden paddle that Eli found. While I was working at my desk, he began rubbing my shoulders and then placed kisses up and down my neck. With his lips near my ear, he asked, "Any idea when your dad will be out of town? Do we need to plan a trip to see Bri and Ben?"
"Mmm. Definitely, need some alone time."
On the way home that evening, he stopped in a secluded spot. We hadn't had much time to be together like this since we "got back together." So what started out as kissing and caressing quickly escalated to impassioned groping.
With his lips and tongue attending to my most tender areas of skin, I managed to say, "You should either take me home or … mmm … what was it you said to me that day at Rest Stop 15? Something about not starting something you don't plan on finishing."
His voice was deep and rough as he said, "I would be happy to christen the backseat of my new car."
I bit my bottom lip before saying in my Betty voice, "I would be happy to participate in celebrating this beautifully restored vehicle."
"Damn, woman. Like you're not already hot enough … then things like that come out of your mouth." His eyes studied my face and then continued, "Last chance. Tell me now. Am I taking you home or …?"
Rather than a verbal answer, I pulled him in for a kiss before he could finish his question.
An hour (and two orgasms) later, his windows were thoroughly steamed and I was thoroughly sated. He seemed ready for another round, but unfortunately, it was getting late and I needed to get home.
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At the beginning of the school year, "normal" was my watchword. Definitely gonna need a new watchword.
Although the past six months had been anything but normal, things were beginning to return to whatever word you would use to describe last summer – that peaceful time between Aaron's arrest and the bus crash. Who would have thought that I would refer to any period of time in Neptune as peaceful? And yet it had been. By comparison, at least.
My favorite things about those months had been spending whatever free time I had with Eli, hanging out with Mac and Wallace without planning espionage, Dad and I sharing "family fun nights" with the Fennels, and of course, the weekly dinners with the extended Navarro family. I had grown to love his family. I had missed them terribly during the fake breakup.
Now that we were back together and he was no longer a PCHer, I had begun to attend those family dinners and backyard parties again. Although I think some people suspected that our breakup had not been real, we maintained the story that we had broken up a week after Felix was killed. His family seemed happy to believe our telling of events – that Eli had been angry after Felix's death and took it out on me, that I had turned to other friends for support and comfort, that misunderstandings led to an argument that resulted in us breaking up. Oddly, very few of them seemed to have a problem with me. They accepted Eli's word that although he had been jealous seeing me spend time with Wallace, Duncan, and Logan, I had not cheated on him. So, Eli's family was actually upset with him for how he had acted toward me.
The first few times I was there, I could feel everyone watching us – mostly watching how he treated me. I noticed older women nod approvingly when he did things like pull out my chair, open a door, or place his hand on my lower back. The older men smiled when Eli would pull me into his lap or I brought him a drink when I went to get one for myself. The young adults in the family seemed most interested when we were dancing together or playing a game with the kids.
A few of the older women commented to me that I was good for him, that they liked the change they saw in him. I told them that they should give credit where credit was due. After all, Eli had made the changes himself.
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The weekend before Valentine's Day, Dad had arranged a romantic getaway for him and Alicia. She asked me to stay at the house to help Wallace with his brother Darrell. But I think it was really her way of making sure he and Jackie were not alone at the house while she was away. As a bonus, Dad could be assured that I wouldn't be spending the weekend alone with Eli.
The following Saturday, the four of us – Wallace, Jackie, Eli, and I – went to Bri and Ben's for the day. We spent the afternoon on the beach and then changed clothes to have dinner in the dining room. It was better than going to an expensive restaurant. The food was amazing, and we had the dining room to ourselves – two tables for two on opposite sides of the room.
During the drive back, Wallace and Jackie could barely keep their hands off one another in the backseat. After dropping them off at their houses, Eli drove to my apartment building.
Before walking me to my door, we sat on the patio overlooking the ocean. The moment felt peaceful. The cynic in me would say it was the calm before the storm.
The next few months were going to be crazy busy. Maintaining my GPA to get the Kane scholarship. Choosing which college I would attend. Eli making plans to open his own shop. The traditional Senior Year events like Prom. And I was certain there would be more than a few cases along the way.
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In late February, I got my P.I. license – scoring almost as high on the test as my dad had. Over the next few weeks, I handled cases for some of my classmates and helped out the Sheriff's Department by solving a couple crimes. It made me wonder what it would be like to live in a town where law enforcement officials actually did their job.
Ryan hired me to find out who was blackmailing gay students at Neptune High. He had been one of the victims of the "pizza boy mugger" and thought that the names of the gay students had gotten out because he had a list in his wallet at the time he was mugged.
With a little help from Carmen and Corny, I caught Arturo in the act, got his confession on tape, and delivered him to Deputy Sacks. The thing is … solving that did not solve the blackmail case.
It turns out that the blackmailer was Kylie, one of the gay students. It was her way of raising money to get out of Neptune. Why not just get a job like the rest of us?
[
Cassidy hired me to tail Kendall, his stepmom. He suspected that she was having an affair and hoped I would catch her violating her prenuptial agreement.
Once again, I solved two for the price of one. I not only caught her cheating – with Logan of all people – but I also found evidence that Richard Casablancas was guilty of real state fraud.
Although Cassidy paid me for my services, I don't know how happy he was with the result. Essentially, I blew up his family and his father's business. The day after I showed Cassidy the surveillance photos, I heard a rumor that his father fled the country. Guess I'll stop braiding that friendship bracelet.
[
Dad was still investigating the bus crash and working on clearing Terrence's name. At times the evidence seemed to point toward him, but neither Dad nor I believed that he would blow up a bus full of kids.
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Although life had been insane for the past several months, the debris was beginning to settle, the many scattered pieces were falling back into place. My TBI symptoms were among the things that were resolving. School did not cause as much mental and physical fatigue as it had immediately after the bus crash. My doctors were happy with the progress … which made me happy.
My body was healing after the trauma of the accident.
My heart was mending after the loss of another friend.
My soul was rejoicing after Eli and I had weathered yet another Neptune storm.
In the stillness of this present moment, I realized that for months now I had been holding my breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It looked like clear skies and smooth sailing ahead. For the immediate future anyway.
I would gladly take what I could get. For as long as it lasted.
A/N:
Five more chapters remaining in this fic – rough draft of those chapters written, hope to edit and post monthly. Then, on to Part 3 (of 5) in this series.
I've done some brainstorming/outlining on We Used to Trade Favors – but not written out yet. Still thinking about how to extend Just One Night – I have a few ideas but haven't settled on one. I've had a few requests to continue Making Friends and Influencing New Principals – I'll put it in the queue behind the others. ;) Stay tuned!
Thanks for reading! Until next time …
~Jen
20 December 2018