Three Angry Veronica
It was a normal day in Starling city.
Nyssa and Sara had just visited Veronica and spent the weekend with her, informing her that Raz was planning on coming in a couple of weeks, before going back home to Nanda Parbat and Veronica was perfectly happy, feeling like she had everything she wanted in her life. Her father, Keith, was even planning on visiting her in a few weeks and together they'd go to Nanda Parbat so he could meet her other father and her sister. Keith and Veronica had had a long talk and Keith wanted to meet the man who had fathered Veronica and had welcomed her in his life this late in her life.
Veronica and Oliver had worked all day together, in perfect harmony as always at Queen Consolidated, they had breakfast with Moira, lunch with Roy and Thea, dinner with Laurel and Tommy, stopped a couple of bad guys as Arrow and Karma and then went home to find that, once again, Moira had waited up for them. She knew that they could handle themselves but she couldn't help but feel worried every time they were out. After that, they both went to bed, made love and cuddled before falling asleep while wishing for everyday to be similar to this one.
The next morning, everything started just as perfectly as the previous day had. Veronica and Oliver went to the office where they had a Board meeting to attend. The meeting was just over and everyone was very satisfied with the outcome of it when Veronica's assistant rushed in and insisted that Veronica needed to answer her cell phone, that her friend Wallace really needed to speak with her and that he said it was urgent. Surprised and curious at the worry on their CEO's face, the board members stayed behind, pretending to gather some papers that were spread on the table, to find out what it was all about.
"Wallace, what's going on? Now's not exactly the best time." Veronica asked him as soon as he answered.
"Veronica, it's Keith. He's in a coma. He was hit by a car a few hours ago while working on uncovering the corruption at the sheriff's department. Sacks and Norris were with him. Sacks is dead and Norris is mostly fine since he was out of the car, getting them all coffees. He's the one who told me what they were doing exactly but he hasn't told anyone else. He just has a broken foot because the truck that hit their car tried to go back for him but he was faster and managed to get out of the way, mostly. You need to come V. Lamb is trying to tell everyone that the three of them were dirty and that they were simply run over by the people they screwed over. I'm sorry V." Wallace told her in a rushed voice.
"Where is he? In Neptune's hospital?" She asked him in a blank voice.
"Yes, and he's not alone. Either Norris, me or Weevil are always with him. We don't let in people we don't trust completely. My mom and Cliff are the only ones we let in so far." Wallace replied.
"I'll be there as soon as I can." She told him before she hung up.
"Who's at the hospital Veronica?" Oliver asked her, not liking to see the distress on her face.
"My father, he's in a coma." She told him before she told him everything that Wallace had told her.
"The two of you should go, the company will be fine until you get back." A member of the board assured them immediately.
"We'll have our phones and internet." Oliver nodded before he led Veronica back to their offices to get their things and called John to drive them back home.
On the way back to the Queen's house, Veronica was very quiet and Oliver knew how angry she must feel right now. He quickly texted Mac, Laurel, Tommy, Thea and his mother to warn them of what was going on.
"What's on your mind my Love?" he asked her in a small voice.
"I'm angry obviously and I don't know if I should go back to Neptune as Veronica Mars, Karma or Raz Al Ghul's daughter, Heir to the demon. I want them all to pay and I feel like I'm even angrier than I should be. I have three identities now and all three of them are super angry and want revenge and justice in different ways. I don't know which one to be and how to act." She confessed.
"Do you want me to warn your father, ask him to send a few men over to help? You know he will." He suggested.
"Thanks." She nodded, knowing that in Neptune, anything could happen.
Taking his phone out, Oliver dialed the only number they had to reach the League and left a message for Raz, explaining the situation and telling him where they would be for the next few days, maybe even longer.
Once they arrived at the house, planning on packing quickly and leaving just as quickly, Moira and Thea had just arrived and were waiting for them, hoping to show Veronica some support and to help any way they could.
"Do you want me to come along?" Thea asked her heart sister.
"I'd love your company and your support Thea but I don't want you stepping foot in this town if you have a choice. It's poisoned. Who knows what would happen to you there... I'll be happier knowing you're here in town, working at the club." Veronica shook her head with a small smile.
"If you want us to come, all you'll have to do is ask, alright?" Moira told Veronica and Oliver who nodded.
"Thank you Moira, I appreciate it but you should concentrate on your campaign. It's important too. Right now the city needs you more than I do." Veronica replied while she hugged her boyfriend's mother, taking the closure she needed and knew her mother would never give her.
"I'm always here, Veronica. That's what family is for." The mayoral candidate smiled kindly.
.
Less than 2 hours after finding out what was going on, Oliver and Veronica were taking the company jet to go to Neptune, with John accompanying them. They had planned to stay in Keith's home, hoping it would help them find clues as to what her father was doing with Sacks and who had motives to hurt them.
"How do you want to handle this once we arrive?" Oliver asked her on the way.
"Veronica wants to see her father, Karma wants to start investigating immediately and... Raz's daughter... wants to kill everyone she suspects of being involved. Which is something considering I've never killed anyone in my life." She confessed honestly.
"Well, why don't we do what Veronica wants first, then we'll let Karma investigate with Arrow and only after that we'll deal with whoever is responsible, would that be okay with all three Veronicas?" he asked her with a small smile at the way she had explained things.
"I think so." She smiled back at him, loving that he understood her and knew her so well and that he had come with her.
.
When they arrived at the hospital, Wallace was at some meeting in school and Weevil was sitting with her father while his daughter was looking at a picture book. They greeted each other and Weevil left the room with his daughter, making Veronica promise to call if she needed help finding the people responsible for this and making them pay. Keith Mars had always been fair with him and his boys and they all wanted to help in some way. None of them believed what the sheriff was trying to sell.
While Veronica and Oliver were at the hospital, visiting Keith, John went to check if Mars Investigation had been broken in or not. He'd check it out with the key Veronica had given him and go right back to the hospital. They'd look more into it later but they wanted to be able to prepare themselves if it had been broken in.
"He looks so small in this bed..." She shook her head.
"He's still in his coma Miss Mars. We don't know if or when he'll wake up. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this Miss but his condition his extremely serious. He's lucky to have even made it this far." A nurse said before she explained to Veronica everything that was wrong with her father.
"Maybe we can take him to the Lazarus pit." Oliver told Veronica once the nurse had left the room.
"He can't be moved right now, it would kill him instantly. We have to wait. We can't bring the pit to him because Raz told me that the water from the pit looses its properties soon after being taken out of it and we can't transport him there... There's nothing we can do for him." She replied.
They stayed a couple of hours before they left John to watch over Keith and drove to his house where they found the door opened but not broken in. They were about to barge in, ready to fight whoever was inside when Nyssa stepped out of the shadows.
"Calm down Little one. You didn't think that we'd let you face this alone, did you sister?" Nyssa asked with a smile before Veronica, suddenly relieved, rushed in her arms and hugged her.
"You came! I'm so glad you're here..." Veronica whispered while her sister hugged her back, knowing her sister needed comfort.
"Of course we came. We broke in to wait inside, we didn't want to raise suspicions with the neighbors." Nyssa replied.
"We? You mean Sara came with you?" Oliver asked.
"No, Sara went to Starling city to keep your city safe with your friend Mac while you were away." Nyssa replied before another voice said:
"She was speaking about me. My daughter asked for help, I had to come. Especially since someone went after her father. They might as well have attacked the League." Raz Al Ghul himself was standing in the door way and Veronica couldn't help herself, she left her sister's arms to hug her father, who hugged her back.
Not willing to get people's attention, they all went inside and closed the door behind them. That's when Veronica noticed about 15 League members in her father's little house. They were standing quietly in the shadows and she couldn't see their faces. She didn't know if they were some of the ones she had talked to during her first visit their but she didn't care. She was glad that they had come to help her.
Veronica didn't expect to feel this relieved to have her father and sister with her. She knew that she wasn't alone because Oliver and John were with her, because Mac kept on asking for updates and because all she had to do was ask to have Moira and Thea fly into town but this was her blood family. The League of Assassins. They were there for her, to back her up, to help her.
Quickly, Oliver explained to them what they knew so far.
"So, what is your plan, Veronica?" Raz asked her
"I was planning on going through the house and his office to look for clues about who could have done this to him. Norris is going to come over in about 30 minutes to tell us what he knows but he only just recently joined my father and Sacks on their investigation so he might not know much. He didn't want to say anything on the phone in case it had been bugged and I understood. In this town, you never know." She replied.
"Or he might hold back information to protect his boss if he's working for the sheriff and he's the one behind this." Nyssa suggested.
"No, that's not his style. He has a strong mind and knows what's right. He won't betray my father." She shook her head.
"Good then. He's the one you told us about, right? The one you said could be interested in the League?" Raz asked her.
"Yes. If he hasn't changed Nanda Parbat would be heaven for him." She nodded.
"Then we won't hide our presence and maybe, once this is all over, we'll even offer him to join us." He decided.
"I... Would it be possible for a few of them to go and protect my father? John could be useful while searching through my father's things..." Veronica asked her father.
"They're your men Veronica. At least for now. You can give them any order you like." Raz smiled.
Thankful for this power, Veronica noticed that Sarab, the one who used to be Maseo, was among the men her father had brought and so she asked him to chose two men and to go take over to keep her father safe so that John could come back to help them here. Sarab nodded and Oliver called John to warn him. Before he left, Veronica showed Sarab pictures of Norris, Weevil, Wallace, his mother and Cliff, insisting that they were the only people that were allowed to visit her father outside of hospital staff.
"I'll go and protect him myself as soon as I've met this Norris. We won't leave his side until he wakes up, Veronica." Raz promised her.
"Thank you, father. I'm very happy that you've come." She smiled while Nyssa looked at an old framed picture of a 6 years old Veronica playing on the beach with a little smile.
"As soon as he is stable enough, we'll take him to the pit to heal him. In his condition, the pit would only take his life and replace it with one of a demon. We'd have to do a soul restoration later." Raz explained to his daughter.
"He can't be moved anyway. Moving him would kill him right away." She nodded.
A few minutes after Sarab left with his men, Norris knocked on the door and was greeted by Nyssa who let him in.
"Veronica, I'm so sorry... We had no way of knowing someone was unto us... Maybe it's because I joined them, maybe it raised some attention... Someone might have noticed that I was suddenly spending time with them." Norris told Veronica, speaking quickly and not reacting to the League members behind her, acting as though it was normal.
"You have nothing to feel bad about Norris. My father knew what he was getting into, he still did it because it was what was right for the town. You remember Oliver? I think you met him at the High School reunion. This is my sister Nyssa and this... This is my biological father, long story, Raz Al Ghul. Head to the demon, leader of the League of assassins." Veronica replied, introducing the young deputy to her father.
"The League's real? I heard rumors about it once or twice but I thought it was just a tale... It's an honor to meet you sir." Norris said, obviously impressed and happy to be able to meet the legendary man.
"When this is all over, if you prove worthy like Veronica thinks, we'll offer you a place in our league. Veronica mentioned that it might be something you'd be interested in." Raz nodded.
Norris nodded and they all sat down before the young man told them everything he knew of Keith's investigation, which wasn't much since it was only his third meeting with the two men and so far he only helped them get files and placed trackers under several patrol cars. He didn't know where Keith hid his files, but he knew that he had several copies hidden everywhere.
Veronica suddenly turned to one League member and asked him:
"Can you go to my father's bedroom please? Look for a box with Playboy written on it. It would look old and about to break." The man nodded and left quickly to do as she asked, then she turned to another one and told him:
"Go in my bedroom and look for a bright pink plastic box with girl stuff written on it." He nodded as well and left to look for it.
"What are you thinking?" Oliver asked her.
"The first box, the playboy one, is where my father used to hide the case files he didn't want me to look into, Like when he was investigating Lilly's murder. I always ended up figuring out the code to open the safe so he had to find other ways to hide what he didn't want me to find. The girl stuff one was where I kept what I didn't want him to look into. I showed it to him before I moved out and he kept it as a souvenir. He might have used one of these." She explained.
"It would make everything easier." Norris nodded.
"Do you think Sacks might have had something too?" She asked him.
"No, they told me that only Keith had them because Sacks pretended he was friends with Lamb. He kept some copies and put others in a safe place, but I don't know which one." Norris shook his head before Veronica's phone rang.
"It's Cliff, I have to answer." She told them.
"Who's Cliff?" Nyssa asked Norris and Oliver.
"Her father's best friend and the closest thing she has to an uncle. He's always been there for them, loyal to their family, no matter what." Oliver replied.
"He's also the town's most famous public attorney. He's not the best at his job but he's connected enough to get his clients out of trouble. He was helping Keith, as much as he could. He's been by the hospital twice a day since the accident." Norris added.
Veronica came back a few minutes later:
"I texted him earlier that we just got in town and he only got back to me now because he was working. Dad told him everything about you being my real father, he can be trusted. He's coming over with pizzas to help us. He might know something." Veronica told them.
"Do you think your father would have told him something?" Oliver asked her.
"Cliff works hard to keep his current bad reputation but it's to better surprise people. He's super loyal to my father and would take his secrets to the grave. I know it. If my father told him something, he'll tell me but nobody else, even if he has to go to jail because of it." Veronica declared confidently.
"Did you warn him that we were so many?" Oliver asked her.
"Yes, don't worry. He'll bring enough for everyone." She nodded.
"John is on his way as well. I'll text him to stop by the store and to grab some drinks." Oliver told her after looking at his phone.
"Yes, I don't think dad has enough for everyone in the fridge." She nodded before she stood up and went to check it out, followed with Nyssa who wanted to help her bring the beers, sodas and snacks they could find.
"I'm glad you came Nyssa. I feel better knowing you're here." Veronica told her sister before she opened the fridge to see what her father had in there, which wasn't much.
"Of course. You're my sister, I'll always be there when you need me." Nyssa smiled.
Smiling back, Veronica took every drink her father had in the fridge and gave them to her sister before she looked through the cupboards and found some peanuts, cookies and some chips bag. Together, they brought everything in the living room to feed the league and her friends. They were about to spend a while looking through files, they needed fuel.
They waited a few minutes and just when John and Cliff arrived, at the same time, the two league members reentered the room with the boxes Veronica had asked for. They had been well hidden in the bedrooms but they did hold a lot of papers in them.
As it turned out, Cliff wasn't coming empty-handed. He had a bright and sparkly pink suitcase with him, full of files. He told them that Keith had asked him to keep it safe and to give it to Veronica only if something happened to him. Veronica smiled when she saw the girly suitcase and knew that her father had chosen it because people would never suspect important files to be in there.
"Well, I guess we have our work cut out for us." Veronica shook her head.
"Maybe the rest of my men here should patrol the town and try to find more information from the town's people. They're not exactly the administrative type." Raz suggested.
"Good idea." Veronica nodded before the men grabbed a few slices of pizzas and left to try and find out who could have done this to Keith Mars.
Veronica showed them a map of the town, advising them to check out the Fitzpatrick's and their bar, the worst part of the PCH as well as the places where teenagers usually hung out. She also pointed out the clubs and places most likely to help them find people that will talk.
As soon as they left, the real work begun. Keith had hidden the real pieces of evidence among a lot of other paperwork, unimportant or boring. Bills for everything and anything hiding the ones they wanted. Pictures of Veronica growing up hiding surveillance pictures of city officials, transcripts of some of Lamb's conversations, along with the disc they were on...
Slowly, over the night, they managed to uncover enough evidence to know who to talk to to get their answers and to get justice.
"There's something else I could do... I could ask Jake Kane for help." Veronica announced.
"How could he help us?" Nyssa asked her as she served everyone a cup of hot coffee.
"He's an important member of a secret organisation. Every new member has to confess something dark they did in the past and I kind of ended up with the hard drive everything was on. I gave it back to him but I kept a copy... or several. Jake Kane knows it and I could use that to get his help." Veronica suggested.
"What if they're behind it?" Oliver asked.
"Then he'll lie, I'll know it and I'll make him pay." She declared.
"We'll go and meet him then. It's 9 am, we could leave now." Oliver nodded.
"It might be best if I go alone. I don't want him to know that you know about this." She replied.
"Alright. I'll go with John and Nyssa try to get some of the evidence we need to end this. Be safe though." Oliver agreed, knowing that she was right.
"I'll go and watch over your father Veronica. I'll send Sarab your way. He'll wait for your orders once you're done with Jake Kane." Raz suggested.
Cliff had left a couple of hours ago to shower, change and get to work (he had a stripper to get out of jail). Norris had an appointment at the hospital to check on his broken foot and so he left with Raz.
.
Veronica walked with confidence into Kane Software and told the receptionist that she was here to see Jake Kane and that he would see her if he knew what was good for him. The young woman at the desk started to snob Veronica and to laugh, which only angered Veronica.
"My name is Veronica Mars, yes, that Veronica Mars. I'm on the board of Queen Consolidated, second in charge actually and I know personally Jake Kane. I came back in town because my father is in a coma and I have very limited patience right now. Now if you don't want me to get on your case, you'll call Mister Kane's assistant and tell her who's here and insist that he gets the message immediately. Trust me, you don't want to anger me anymore than I already am." Veronica snapped.
Looking doubtful, the receptionist took her phone and called Clarence Wiedman's assistant, pretending it was Jake's.
"Yes, a Miss Veronica Mars is here demanding to speak with Mister Kane. She doesn't have an appointment but she insists." She spoke, knowing that the head of security would know what to do.
"He'll be right here. You can wait over there." She then told Veronica, pointing to metal chairs on the side.
Veronica could guess that Jake wasn't the one on his way but she decided to wait and see what would happen. A few minutes later, Clarence appeared, looking as strict and dangerous as she remembered, except that now, she knew that she could take him in a fight and that she had the real power.
"Veronica Mars, I didn't know you were back in town." He told her with what was probably supposed to be a smile.
"With my father in that condition, I couldn't stay away. I need to speak with Jake Kane, now." She replied.
"I'll take you there. He's in a meeting right now but he'll be available in a few minutes if you can wait." he informed her.
"I'll wait." She nodded.
About an hour later Jake arrived and motioned for Veronica to follow him in his office.
"What can I do for you today Veronica?" He asked her.
"I want to know if you and your little secret society had anything to do with what happened to my father and know that if I find out later that you lied to me, I will make you pay. I will eventually find the truth, I'm only giving you the chance to come clean now." She declared.
"Right into business I see. Working alongside Oliver Queen at Queen Consolidated hasn't thought you diplomacy, has it?" He replied, amused.
"The situation doesn't call for diplomacy right now." She snapped.
"I'm sorry about your father Veronica. I know better than to buy the lies Lamb is trying to sell but I had nothing to do with it. We decided to stay away from this town's corruption after your last visit in town and the little parting gift you gave us. When Lamb was elected, he did come to me to try and get my support, claiming I'd get a say-so in important decisions if I did. He thought I'd go for it because I kind of worked with his brother. I told him that I wanted to stay out of it, that I wasn't interested anymore." Jake replied.
"And I'm supposed to believe you?" Veronica asked him.
"Yes. Listen Veronica, I know that we haven't gotten along since Lilly died but I do respect you. You have morals and stand by them, even after everything we did to you and your family, you gave Celeste and I the chance to speak with Duncan and Lilly. I know that I owe you. I know that you're not going to stop until you've clear and avenged your father but these are dangerous people you're going after. I don't know who took the decision to kill your father and Deputy Sacks and who drove the truck but I have an idea as to who you might want to ask. If I tell you, promise me you'll be careful." Jake told her.
"I won't go after them on my own. I have back-up. Starling City vigilante Arrow and Karma promised to be there to help me as soon as I knew who did it." Veronica informed him, not completely lying and not making a promise she'd end up breaking.
"You could talk to Petra Landros, the owner of the Neptune Grand. She's the head of Neptune's Chamber of Commerce and I know she works with the sheriff to keep off the streets of the city center the people she thinks could ruin her business, meaning anyone who flirts with the poverty line."
"You think she could have gone after my father?" Veronica asked him.
Of course the sheriff's numerous arrests of the poorer citizens of Neptune was why Keith started his investigation in the first place.
"Be careful Veronica. Now if you'll excuse me I have a meeting I can't miss." he replied with a small nod before Veronica got up and left.
.
Raz sat next to Keith Mars, hoping the man who had raised his daughter would wake up and be better soon. Suddenly, a black man about Veronica's age entered the room. He recognized him from one of the photos he had been shown as Wallace Fennel.
"Hi! You're V's other father, aren't you? I'm Wallace." He introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you." Raz replied as kindly as he could.
"I just came between two classes to check on him. I won't be able to stop by tonight, big meeting at school." He explained.
"No changes so far." Raz replied.
Wallace stayed a few more minutes before he left and Raz went back to thinking and hoping. Family was important to him and Veronica had given him a new hope. Her father, the man who had raised her, deserved his protection.
A sudden move on the bed caught his attention and he saw Keith Mars opening an eye and, slowly, moving a hand.
"Keith Mars, don't worry, you're safe. You're in the hospital. I'm Raz Al Ghul." Raz declared when Keith turned his head to look at him.
"Veronica's other father." Keith replied in a low voice.
"Yes. Let me call a doctor and tell them you're awake." Raz was about to stand up but Keith stopped him.
"No. Later."
"Why?" Raz asked.
"I want to talk to you, now."
"We can talk once you're better." Raz insisted.
"Please." Keith replied pleadingly.
"Very well." The leader of the League of assassins nodded, not willing to contract a man who might still be in danger of death.
"I don't think I'm better and it's okay. Please promise me to look after Veronica. She looks strong but she still needs protection every once in a while. Don't let her mother come back in her life, ever. Leanne never did anything good for Veronica beside giving birth to her. Make sure she's happy and that she's not afraid to be happy and to make the decisions that will make her happy." Keith told him, speaking slowly.
"I will, you have my word." Raz nodded.
"I know her enough to know that right now she's looking for the person to blame for my accident. If she can't be back before it's too late, don't let her feel guilty. Tell her I love her and that I just want her to be happy. I believe in her and couldn't be prouder." Keith said and Raz nodded.
"The League and I will ensure her safety and I'll personally make sure she leads a happy life." Raz nodded.
"I'm glad she has you." Keith told Raz before closing his eyes.
At first, it looked like he had closed them temporarily, to rest, but the many machines around him started beeping and a group of medical staff entered the room, rushing Raz out. Understanding that it might be the end for Keith mars, Raz called Veronica and told her to come to the hospital immediately before he did the same thing with Oliver.
.
As it turned out, Keith had some internal bleeding they hadn't found and it had killed him. While Cliff and Wallace took care of organizing the funeral, Veronica followed the clues they had and with the League's help, managed to find evidence that Lamb himself had ordered a truck to hit her father and Sacks, thinking it would clear him from their suspicions.
Angrier than ever, Veronica made sure that Lamb and anyone who ever helped him was exposed and humiliated publicly. In the newspaper, on TV, on the radio and on the internet, evidence of the town's corruption was everywhere and soon, Lamb was fired, along with several other people. Knowing that it wasn't enough of a punishment for the man to just lose his job and that Keith would want for Veronica to keep her innocence and not to kill anyone, Raz, Nyssa and Sarab went with Oliver and Veronica to see him in his apartment one night and Raz killed him: the only punishment that was right for someone who had hurt his daughter this way.
Veronica wanted to be the one to kill him but she understood that it was her anger speaking and that, if they had let her do it, she would have ended up regretting her action. For the time being, she was glad she had Oliver, her father and Nyssa by her side. The other members of the League had left already but Raz and Nyssa stayed for the funeral.
Of course, Mac, Laurel, Tommy, Moira and Thea made it as well. They wanted to be there for Veronica and understood all too well the pain she was going through.
A lot of people were present and Veronica was thankful for everyone's presence and support. Veronica wasn't angry anymore, she had managed to make peace with it. Raz was on her right, Oliver on her left. She was surrounded by people who loved her and she knew that Keith mars had loved her and been proud of her and of the life she led. he wanted her to be happy to do what made her happy and it was exactly the life she led presently. Knowing that he truly supported her made her happy.
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After the funeral, Veronica, Moira, Thea and Oliver stayed a few more days to take care of Keith's belongings. Veronica sold the office and the house, donated most of his things to goodwill or some of his friends and took a truck full of memories and old things with her.
Veronica cried a lot during the sorting process and was thankful for her family's presence around her. She visited her father and Lilly's graves before she left town and promised herself not to cry anymore after that. Her father wouldn't want that, she needed to be strong and, surrounded by so many people who loved her, she knew that she could do it.
Another chapter... A sad one. I know some of you will hate it but please stay with this story.
Review please?
Lorelei Candice Black
