How Did the Guilt Begin, You Ask? Well

by becoolsodapop73

AU This is he prequel to my other story, "The Guilt is Necessary". It starts the morning after the rape, when Dick finds her in the bedroom. It also deals with the events referred to in the Guilt is Necessary: Discovering the rapist, Aaron Echolls' arrest, Dick and Veronica friendship, and Cassidy swan diving off the roof of the Neptune Grande. BTW I am also looking for a Beta.

4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Veronica Mars

Veronica's POV

We left the house in silence. The only contact we had was when I almost tripped over Casey Gant's unconscious body on the front steps and Dick caught me by the forearm; God knows how he managed to fall asleep there. Dick walked over to his car and reflexively opened the door for me, I clambered in and he started the engine. The short drive to the Sheriff's office passed in silence; but no an awkward one, it was a comfortable, companionable one.

When we arrived I hesitated before opening the door. Once I reported it, there was no going back to blissful ignorance. Would knowing who did it make it any easier? Yes. I am unsure whether that voice is my conscience or if it's the ghost of a previous life talking to me, a more assertive one. Either way, I swallow and enter the familiarity of the Sheriff's office with Dick following close behind me.

Everything hits me at once. All the aspects of this place that would normally be a source of comfort to me: Deputy Sacks answering the phone at the front desk, the rustling of files being searched through, Lamb turning red in the face while shouting at a new Deputy. They were intimidating now. I don't belong here. I'm not the same sweet innocent girl that I was yesterday. I am different.

I hear footsteps behind me, then two firm arms rest on my shoulders.

"You go sit down and I'll go talk to Lamb, alright?" he whispers quietly in my ear.

I nod and sit down next to a woman reading a newspaper. I attempt to engross myself in an abandoned magazine about interior design- probably left by some scorned 09er housewife- but my eyes impulsively flicker over to Dick and Lamb talking in the corner of the room. I see their eyes wander to meet mine a couple of times.

It's not particularly hard to guess how the Lamb/Dick conversation went from where I was sitting. I saw Dick walk up to Lamb start talking. Lamb's smile of greeting slowly dropped into a frown while Dick talked, and ended up morphed into a face so angry, it looked painful. He left Dick standing looking ridiculous with his mouth still half way open with whatever he was about to say still on his lips, and started sprinting around the room shouting orders and making phone calls. This is why I didn't want to report it. Lamb has always taking his role of protective big brother a little too seriously, and I knew he wouldn't rest until he found out who did this to me, and he would destroy them.

A/N- Do you think I should do a chapter in Lamb's POV?