Disclaimer: I own nothing. I have nothing. Please don't come and try to take nothing away from me.

Feedback: As always, appreciated.

Authors Note: I know it's been forever since I updated this story. I'm sorry for the delay. My life took an unexpected turn and everything was put on hold. But I'm back and ready to write again. I reread the story, tried to submerse myself in all things Veronica, and I found there were certain plot points with which I was no longer happy. So, I've edited each chapter, rewritten some dialog and changed little things here and there. You may want to reread it yourself before reading this chapter or a few conversations might not make sense. As always thanks for the great reviews. And here we go!

Your LoVe is Like Las Vegas

In the back seat, Dick flipped through the stack of DVDs sitting in his lap. "These are yours?" he asked the girl sitting next to him.

"Uh, huh," Mac replied absently. She hadn't said much to the blonde '09er during the first part of the trip. Wedged between him and Wallace in the backseat, she'd directed most of her conversation to the boy on her right. But since the gas station, Wallace hadn't been particularly talkative. The weirdness in the car had migrated to him. He'd either been mumbling to himself as he stared out the window or casting death glances over his shoulder at Weevil. Actually he'd been staring at Weevil since Veronica ran off to straighten things out with Logan. Mac wasn't sure what was going on, but then, that seemed to be the theme of the day.

"But there's some really good stuff here," a mystified Dick continued. "There's not a chick-flick in the bunch."

Mac gave up trying to figure out what was wrong with Wallace and turned her full attention to Dick. "Not all chicks are into chick-flicks. I happen to prefer the sci-fi, comic book and comedy genres, with a little action mixed in."

"But you're a girl," Dick persisted.

Veronica turned her head towards the backseat. "Dick, get over it. I like South Park and The Big Lebowski. Just because we're girls doesn't mean we're fascinated with The Bridges of Madison County. You need to stop hanging out with the Heathers. They're giving you a warped view of the world."

Dick scratched his head. "Heather? Is that the freshman with the…?" He cupped his hands in front of his chest, the ultimate male sign language for big boobs.

Veronica huffed in disgust, but didn't comment. Instead she looked to her boyfriend. "Logan, dear. Could you take this one, please?"

"No problem." Logan's eyes flickered to Dick in the rearview mirror. "You're thinking of Stacey."

"Stacey," Dick drew out the name as he smiled smarmily. "I should call her."

Veronica swatted at Logan. "That's not what I meant!"

Logan chuckled, knowing his answer would rile her. "I was getting to it. Calm down, sugarpuss." He straightened in his seat, cleared his throat. "Heathers. Late eighties movie starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. Probably one of the best high school flicks of all time. Ryder is part of the coolest high school clique, the Heathers. She meets Slater, a James Dean type character, and with his influence becomes disenchanted with their elitist ways. Together they kill the most popular kids in school, but make it look like a string of suicides."

"I remember now," Dick said, then mumbled under his breath, "Sorta."

"It's one of my favorite Winona roles. I love how she pretends to be friends with the same people she's stabbing in the back." Logan's eyes twinkled. He tilted his head in thought, his voice full of sarcasm. "But I can't seem to remember her character's name. It's right on the tip of my tongue. What was it again?"

Mac did her best to hide her smile, knowing they were going to get in so much trouble for this, but playing along anyway. "I think it was… Veronica, wasn't it?"

"Ah, yes. Veronica." Logan glanced at his girlfriend, pushing her buttons and loving every second of it. "Such a little bitch."

Veronica's eyes narrowed. "Actually it was her boyfriend who was doing all the killing. He even contemplates killing her, but she outsmarts him by faking her own suicide." She crossed her arms in front of her smugly. "That Veronica, she was one smart cookie. Her psychotic jackass of a boyfriend never stood a chance."

"Yeah, well, you start wearing a red bow in your hair or Echolls starts carrying a copy of Moby Dick, I'm still gonna worry," a voice said from the far back. "I wouldn't put it past either of you to blow-up the school."

Veronica's mouth dropped open in shock as she spun around in her seat, Logan forgotten for the moment. "Weevil, you're a Heathers fan?"

"I like a good dark comedy now and then. Heathers happens to be one of my favorites." Weevil leaned over the seat, one hand resting near Mac's shoulder, actively participating in conversation for the first time during the trip. "Have you ever seen Death to Smoochy? Now that's a damn good flick."

Dick whipped his head to the side; amazed he had anything in common with the gang leader. "Hell ya! Robin Williams kicks ass in that movie!"

The conversation picked-up from there as they went around the car, throwing out names of their favorite movies, sometimes quoting famous lines. Mac nudged Wallace a few times, trying to get him to join in, but he steadfastly remained grumpy. She wasn't that surprised. It seemed impossible for this group to all be on the same page at the same time. She waited for Dick to finish his Spicoli impersonation, which happened to be dead-on, then threw-out, "Worst movie you've ever seen."

Before anyone else could respond, Logan rattled off a list of his father's films. There was a moment of dread as uncomfortable silence returned to the car. But a heartbeat later, Dick cuffed the back of his best friend's head. "Dude, you're totally disqualified."

"Disqualified?" Logan sounded amazed. "Those were legitimate answers. Come on. The only movie worse than Breaking Point is Beyond the Breaking Point."

But Dick kept shaking his head. "Number one, way too obvious. You might as well have said Gigli. Number two, it's like taking your cousin to prom. The fact that you're related means it's not an actual date. You can't use your dad's movies, no matter how horrible they are. Ronnie, back me up here."

"He's right." Veronica smiled sweetly, more than happy to side with Dick after Logan's earlier comment. She patted his cheek. "Payback's a bitch. And according to you, so am I."

Dick snorted in agreement. "Now, worst movie you've ever seen not staring Aaron Echolls. And Logan, keep your pie-hole shut."

--- VVV

By the time Logan pulled into the roundabout at the Hard Rock it was almost three. He waved away the valet, then turned to look at the others. "We got here later than I thought, so how about you guys do lunch without us? I think we need to get to the dealership as soon as we can if we want to make it back home tonight."

"How long do you think you'll be?" Mac asked as she checked her bag to make sure she had everything she needed.

Veronica tapped her fingers on the seatback, running through the day's agenda in her head. "I want to test drive the car and then they'll be paperwork to fill out. I don't think we'll be done before five."

Mac nodded in agreement. "So it'll probably be at least six before we start to head back."

"If we're lucky," Veronica said, hoping things ran smoothly at the dealership. "I'll call when we're finished or at five, whichever comes first. Worse case scenario, you don't hear from us or you guys get separated, let's plan to meet back here at six."

Logan reached over and punched Dick in the shoulder. "Hey! That last part was directed at you, asshat. Keep an eye on the time. I know how you get when you're in a casino. I will leave without you."

"Yeah, whatever," Dick said distractedly, then he pumped his arms in the enclosed space and made 'woo, woo' noises. "Vegas, baby! Bring on the free drinks and hookers."

"Dick," Veronica started with warning in her voice, but Logan waved her away. He pulled two hundred dollar bills out of his wallet and handed them to his friend.

Dick stuffed the money into his pocket. "Got it, dude." He opened the door to head out. "Come on, newbies. I'm feeling lucky."

Mac narrowed her eyes at Veronica. "I can't believe you're leaving me to babysit Dick Casablancas. This should qualify me for combat pay."

Veronica gave her a sympathetic smile. "You have the ID I made you? Wallace, you have yours too?" Wallace nodded, but didn't say anything as he exited the car. Veronica sighed. He hadn't said much the second part of the trip. She knew he was upset about something, but she hadn't wanted to question him in a car full of people. "What's going on with him?" she asked Mac.

Mac hoped with a little time away from Weevil, Wallace's temper tantrum would disappear. Veronica didn't need any more headaches or fights right now. "Nothing you need to worry about. Just have fun buying your car. I promise to keep an eye on Grumpy and Dopey." Mac smiled at her own joke and then she too was gone.

Weevil switched seats as he gave Logan a quick rundown of the directions to the dealership. Once they'd pulled back into traffic, Veronica turned to look at her boyfriend. "Why did you give Dick two hundred dollars?"

"You're not the only one with access to fake IDs. Dick and I have been to Vegas before. And when I come to Vegas, the first thing I do is play a hundred on roulette. Black. It's tradition." Logan gave her a cheesy smile. "I put down an extra hundred for you. Say thank you."

"If you thought I was going to argue, you're wrong. You win, I'm keeping the money." She settled herself back in her seat. "Just letting you know."

--- VVV

Thirty minutes later, they were walking around the lot of the dealership. An upscale car mall filled with luxury brands and an assortment of foreign cars Veronica had heard of, but never seen up close. "So, Paco, are you going to tell us why you had to come along or -" Logan stopped in his tracks, dropped his arm from around Veronica's shoulder. "Are those Astin Martin convertibles?"

"Well, I see where I stand." Veronica watched her boyfriend make a beeline for the imported cars parked on the lot, leaving her with a guy he said he didn't trust alone with her. She turned to Weevil. "Why did you have to come? You never explained it to me."

Weevil waited until Logan was far enough away not to overhear their conversation. Then just to be safe, he put more distance between them by leading Veronica back towards the Suburban. "V, I'm not goin' back with you."

The smile slowly slipped from Veronica's face as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. "What are you talking about?"

Weevil rubbed the top of his head, not liking what was coming. "I'm gonna stay with my cousin tonight, then head out tomorrow. My uncle wants me to drive a car back for him."

Veronica took two steps back from him, her eyes narrowing. "What's going on, Eli?"

Use of the real name. Not good. Weevil knew this wasn't going to go over well. Knew she wouldn't be able to accept what he said without asking questions. "Nothin'. I'm doin' a favor for my uncle. Just like I'm doin' a favor for you."

Veronica studied him, noted how his eyes wouldn't quite meet hers. She lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. "Are you transporting drugs?"

"What?" Weevil was legitimately shocked. "Hell, no! I don't do that crap. Yeah, I sell a little weed, but the hard stuff, that's the Fitzpatricks. You think I want to put myself on the feds' radar?"

"Then why am I just hearing about this change of plans now?" Veronica wrapped her arms around her midsection, physically closing herself off from him. "Why didn't you tell me to begin with? I thought you had to come because your cousin said so? You never mentioned your uncle."

Weevil shifted from side-to-side uncomfortably. They had an understanding. She knew he did things over the line of legal, but he didn't flaunt his activities in front of her and she didn't ask too many questions. This was changing the rules on her. And Veronica didn't like it when you changed the rules. "Let it go, V."

"No," Veronica's voice grew louder. "It's blatantly apparent that you used me to get here and I demand – no, I deserve an explanation. Tell me what's going on, or I'm going to get Logan. And after what happened this morning, he's just itching for a reason for the two of you to go at it."

The last thing Weevil needed was a throw down with Echolls in the middle of the dealership. It would get back to his uncle, who had warned him not to draw unwanted attention. Weevil had to trust her to keep her mouth shut. "I'll tell you what's goin' on, but you can't tell Richie Rich. Got it?" Reluctantly, Veronica nodded in agreement. Weevil set his jaw. "I mean it, V. You can't tell him."

Veronica sighed, frustrated but knowing this was the best she was going to get. "Fine. I won't tell Logan. As long as you tell me the truth. You lie to me and all bets are off."

"I'll tell you what I can, and then you're gonna drop it. For your own good. This is family business. I shouldn't be tellin' you any of it." Weevil scanned the area again, making sure no one was watching them or listening. "My cousin did tell me about convertible. I didn't lie about that. But my uncle is the one who said I had to come with you. The guy who owns this place, my uncle knows him from way back. They got something goin' on. Every now and then, we get a car in the shop with Nevada plates. I don't work on 'em and I don't know what happens to 'em. I don't ask."

"Jesus Christ," Veronica spat out. "You're uncle is running a chop-shop across state lines? Do you have any idea -"

"Hey!" Weevil stopped her. "My uncle supports his family, plus he gives money to my grandma every month. He's the reason she still has her house. Who do you think's been paying the bills since your boyfriend's family fired her? Who do you think's been putting food on the table for my little cousins?" He shook his head in disgust. "Your dad use to be the sheriff. Now he takes pictures of guys gettin' a little slap-and-tickle on the side. Don't you look down your nose at my family. You do what you gotta do to survive."

Veronica sucked in her breath; the comment about her dad a direct hit. But she was still angry. "What if you get caught? Are you willing to go to jail for this?" She threw up her hands. "Of course you are. You were willing to take the rap before. Why should this be any different."

Weevil winced, but recovered quickly. "All I'm gonna do is drive a car. I'll have the papers. It's all legit."

Veronica snorted. Legit her ass. Her anger at being used aside, she was also worried about Weevil. He was a good guy. He did things she didn't like, sometimes for her, but the things his family asked of him... One day they were going to get him into real trouble and she wouldn't be able to help. "Just get the car now and drive back with us. If something happens -"

Weevil cut her off. "If something happens, I don't want you connected to it." His voice was firm. "I'll drive back tomorrow by myself."

Veronica knew she wasn't going to persuade him. Weevil's mind was made up. And truthfully, if the cops did get involved, she didn't want to be a part of it. One less thing to explain to her dad. One less reason for Logan to hate Weevil. She was forced to let it go. For now. "Well, the least I can do is thank your cousin. He works in the body shop, right?"

"Uh, yeah. That ain't gonna happen." Weevil rubbed his head again. When they got home, she was going to kill him. "Did I forget to mention that it's my cousin Chardo who works here?"

And the hits just keep on coming, Veronica thought. "Chardo? Chardo who was doing Caitlin Ford at the same time she was dating Logan? Chardo who stole credit cards from the Echolls and let you take the blame? Chardo who you threw out of the -"

"I know what he did," Weevil growled. He followed Veronica as she started walking away. "My grandma was mad at him, but she was worried about him too. She asked my uncle to help him out." Weevil grabbed her arm. "Come on, V. You'd do the same for family."

"Logan's going to go ballistic," Veronica muttered under her breath. Then she pushed her hair out of her face. "Chardo's still wanted for credit card fraud. How the hell did he get a job here?"

"I told you, my uncle's a friend of the owner. Look, Chardo's working off the books, laying low. No one knows he's here but me and my uncle. Even my grandma doesn't know. We just told her he was safe." Weevil gave her one more pleading look. "He's eighteen, you know what will happen if the cops find him."

"Big boy jail," Veronica said, then she made low, guttural noise. "I can't believe you didn't tell me about this! Any of this. If I had known I could have come up with some way to keep Logan in Neptune. What are you going to do when he sees Chardo? Do you think you're going to be able to convince him not to call the police?"

"He ain't gonna see him." Weevil made sure Logan was still interested in the foreign cars. "You two go for your test drive. When you come back, I'll say my cousin asked me to stay the night. After that, you can sign the papers and get the hell outta here. Echolls isn't gonna ask questions. Unless he decides to take a tour of the service department, he'll never know."

"This is Logan we're talking about. I wouldn't put it past him." She paced back and forth, hating the fact that she was trapped. "There's not much I can do about it now, is there? I can't believe you put me in this position," she said again.

Weevil pulled a business card out of his wallet and passed it to her. "This is the guy you want to talk to. He knows you're coming. He's got all your info. I'm gonna find Chardo."

Veronica stopped him before he could walk away, not wanting to leave things on a bad note. After all, Weevil was doing the best he could. "Tell him I said thank you for the car. And call me when you get home so I know your safe."

Weevil patted her arm. "Stop worrying so much. It's all gonna be fine."

"It better be." And then Veronica went to collect her boyfriend.

--- VVV

They'd been test-driving the car for about fifteen minutes, Veronica driving, Logan playing with all the buttons, making sure everything worked, when she glanced over at him. "We need to talk."

Logan switched the air from heat to cool, not looking at her. "Do I need a lawyer present?"

"Not that kind of talk." Veronica knew she needed to tread lightly. She didn't want Logan to get defensive and close himself off. This was too important. "You didn't say much when you got back to the suite last night."

Logan tensed, then forced himself to relax back in the seat. His voice was clipped, but not angry. "I can't tell you. You know I can't tell you. And even if I could, I wouldn't. Aaron's done enough to you. You don't need this in your head too."

"I don't care what's on those tapes. Not the specifics and not the names. The under-age girls, they're victims too. I don't want to invade their privacy. The feds will do enough of that." Veronica tried to approach the situation delicately. "When you came back, I know you were angry, but you were hurting too. You barely slept. You tossed and turned all night."

Logan sat up straighter. "Did I keep you awake?"

"I don't care about that!" Veronica mentally kicked herself for yelling. She spotted a small gas station up ahead. "Hold on a minute." She turned into the parking lot and cut the engine. She took a few deep breathes, gathered her thoughts. "I know you can't tell me what you saw, but you can tell me how you feel about it. The last week, the last two weeks, they've been hell for both of us. And I'm amazed you're keeping it together. But I don't want you burying your feelings. They'll come out when you least expect it, in ways you won't be able to control. We've talked about this. I know you're hurting. Just let me in, Logan. Please."

He was quiet for a while, but Veronica knew he was thinking, not ignoring her, so she waited. When he finally spoke, his voice was... It wasn't Logan. "I wasn't angry at Aaron last night. What your dad said about there not being enough evidence to convict him of Lilly's murder, I know he's right. The traffic cameras were a dead end. The police can't place him at the Kane's house. So the tapes, the girls, they're what's going to put Aaron behind bars. Each face I recognize is just another nail in his coffin. Another reason that I'll never have to see that bastard again."

Veronica was confused. "Then what..."

"I keep thinking about my mom. Wondering if she knew. I mean, I know she knew he cheated. But did she know about all of them? Did she know about the tapes? Did she know about Lilly?" He turned to look out the passenger window, to hide his face from her, but Veronica heard the catch in his voice and she knew he was close to breaking-down. "I wasn't angry at Aaron. I was angry at her. She could have left. She could have left and taken me with her. She didn't need to kill herself to get away from him."

It was awkward, but Veronica managed to climb over the console and into the passenger's seat, wiggling around until she was straddling Logan's legs. He roughly pulled her to him, buried his head in her chest. He was crying now, crying so hard he was shaking. Veronica laid her cheek on the top of his head, held on to him as tightly as he held her. "I'm sorry, Logan. I'm so sorry."

For once, Logan didn't fight for control of his emotions. He let the tears come, crushing Veronica to him. Watching the videos was bad. Knowing the horrible things Aaron had done was worse. But the absolute rage he felt towards his mother mirrored his feelings towards Lilly. Two women he loved who had betrayed him in the most unthinkable ways. And he would never understand why. Logan knew Veronica was whispering words of comfort, but he could barely hear them above his own sobs. Not that he needed to. Just knowing she was there, that she understood, was all he really needed. She was right - the past few weeks had been hell, but they had each other. He couldn't imagine going through it all alone. "Why did she leave me?"

There were things Veronica wanted to say. Things about people being weak, deciding to take the easy way out. About selfish women who cared more about themselves than their children. But none of it was what he needed. And putting her issues about her mother onto Lynn wouldn't help. "She loved you, Logan. She did the best she could. You have to believe that." The words tasted like acid in her mouth, but she knew they were the right ones.

Logan continued to hold her until his tears stopped and his breathing was back to normal. "Can I ask you a question?" he asked, his voice still hoarse. Veronica stroked his hair in reply. "What's up with the change in wardrobe? Not that I'm complaining."

Veronica pulled away slightly and looked down. Her legs, spread around his, had pushed her skirt way up. It was almost the belt he'd called it earlier. "There was a plan here," she said with seriousness.

Logan's eyes brightened. "Yeah?" He slid his hands down her back to cup her butt, his fingers grazing the back of her thighs. "Tell me about this plan."

Veronica reveled in the sparks of pleasure that shot through her body. "Boyfriend friendly short skirt. Drive in the middle of nowhere. I was going to let you round a few bases in the back seat. Make it a Happy Logan Day." She sighed. "But then I had to open my big mouth and ruin it."

"You didn't ruin anything." Logan dropped kisses on her exposed collarbone, squeezed her rear. "Have I mentioned how much I love the new wardrobe?"

Veronica laughed as he began to nuzzle the side of her neck. "It's a loaner, so don't get used to it." Logan inched his fingers around to the front of her body, making her tremble. She took a shuttering breath as she made her decision. "You know," she whispered, "this place is dead. We could still hop in the back and - "

"No," Logan barked, and then instantly stopped what he was doing, his hands sliding off of her. "No."

Once again, Veronica was confused. She was sitting in his lap; she knew he was interested. "But -"

"You're mad at Weevil," Logan said plainly. "I don't know what happened, but your mad at him. Which means your thinking about him. And I'm thinking about my mom and Aaron." He tried to tug her skirt back down. "When we do this, any of this, I'll be damned if your thinking about another guy and I'm thinking about my parents."

Veronica let his words sink in. "You're right. You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. And if you want to continue this when we get home tonight, I'm all for it." Logan helped her into her own seat, pinching her butt and making another comment about her pink panties, which made Veronica blush. Once they were back on the road, he continued to test the car's systems. "What happened with Weevil anyway? It's not about this morning. I know that. You were fine until we got to the dealership."

"I promised him I wouldn't say anything." She held up a free hand to stop him from commenting. "It has nothing to do with you or me. It involves Weevil's family. I don't gossip about your family, I'm not going to gossip about his. Let's just say, I think he's being used, and I don't like it." She was being used too, but that was the last thing she was going to say to Logan. "I'm sorry I let it ruin our day."

"Would you stop. Our day isn't ruined." Logan played with the hair at the nape of her neck. "The sun is shining. I'm riding around in a convertible with my incredibly sexy girlfriend. I'm out of Neptune, which is always a plus. There are no reporters, no cops. Trust me, this is one of the best days I've had in a long time."

--- VVV

Mac watched Dick lose another hundred on craps and shook her head. "Now he's just throwing money away. If I was as bad as him, I'd find another game." She glanced at Wallace, who was still sulking. "Okay. What is up with you? We're in Vegas. We have fake IDs. And you have the same expression on your face as my grandfather when I asked him to try my tofu surprise." Wallace said nothing. Mac, sick of the whole thing, dragged him over to a couple of open slot machines and pushed him onto a stool. "Spill already. You're driving me crazy."

Wallace twisted around on his seat, but Mac followed, keeping her eyes plastered on his face. Her expression showed she wasn't giving up. Wallace had seen that face before, usually on his best friend. "He's got a thing for her. You know that, right? Weevil? He's got a thing for Veronica."

Mac made a 'give me more' motion with her hand. "Yeah. So? Weevil's got a crush. I'm sure half of the guys she's helped out of jams this year have a crush on her. Nothing's going to happen. She's with Logan. And even if she wasn't, Weevil's not her type."

"I didn't think Logan was her type either, but they're dating." Wallace shook his head, mystified. "She's been doing a lot of things lately that aren't typical Veronica behavior. Hell, she's living Logan."

"Oh, please," Mac said as she crossed her arms in front of her. "Her dad's in the hospital and she's being hounded by reporters day and night. I think staying at a hotel where there is security is pretty damn smart of her. I know, actually taking herself out of a possibly dangerous situation isn't normal for her, but if that's atypical Veronica behavior, I'm all for it. And I still don't understand what this has to do with Weevil."

Wallace leaned back against the slot machine. He knew trying to explain wasn't going to be easy. It was more about a hunch than any real proof. "And I don't know what happened this morning, but I know Weevil was behind it. If she's happy with Logan, I don't want him screwing it up for her. She deserves a little happiness. Especially after everything she's been through."

Mac took the empty seat next to Wallace. "Veronica can handle Weevil. And she can handle Logan. Whatever happened earlier, they talked about it and they're fine now."

"But why is Weevil here?" Wallace asked the question with suspicion. "He found her a car. That's great. But why did he have to come along? She couldn't pick-up the car by herself? When I asked her, she gave me some lame story about his cousin saying he had to come with her. That doesn't make any sense. And then he's the cause of a fight between her and Logan? I think he's trying to insinuate himself into her life. And I don't like it."

Mac decided to concede the point. "I'll admit, the cousin thing does sound a little lame, but maybe there is a better reason and Veronica didn't tell you. It wouldn't be the first time she's kept a secret." She waited until Wallace begrudgingly nodded in agreement. "And Weevil doesn't exactly strike me as shy. If he thought he had a shot, yes, he might ask her out, but playing games doesn't fit. He'd be more direct."

Just then, Dick came barreling up. "This place blows. I say we move to the Palms. I'm always lucky at the Palms." The pair sat silently staring at him. "What? Did you lose all your money already? 'Cause I'm not fronting you."

"No, Dick," Mac said with bite. Her annoyance at being interrupted overcoming her usual shyness. "Unlike you, I play games I actually have a chance of winning."

"Meow. The kitten has claws." Dick swiped at the air with curled fingers. "Meow. Meow. Hissssss."

Mac tried to smoother her laughter, but one snort escaped. "Why don't you get a drink at the bar over there. Wallace and I will catch up in a minute."

"Yeah, yeah." Dick continued making cat noises as he walked across the gaming floor, getting weird looks from people as he passed, scaring a couple of senior citizens.

Mac could only shake her head in disbelief. "Veronica's right. He is a dweeb." Then she turned back to Wallace. "Have you talked to her about any of this?"

"You know Veronica. I've tried to talk to her, but she won't listen. She thinks she's got everything under control. Just like she always does, right up until the second it all goes to hell." Wallace leaned forward, laced his hands behind his head. "Weevil is bad news. The more favors they do for each other, the deeper she gets sucked in. One of these days, he's going to ask for a favor that's going to put her in real danger. And she's going to do it. She won't even think about it, she'll just do it, 'cause she'll feel like she owes him."

Mac did her best to try to find the silver lining. "But maybe, just maybe, because Weevil does care, he'll be less likely to put her in danger. He won't want to see her get hurt."

Wallace stared at her like she was insane. "Do you really believe that?"

"I don't know." Mac twitched nervously on her stool, picked at a string on her shirt. "Stranger things have happened. Veronica spent six hours in a car with Dick Casablancas and she didn't kill him. Didn't even threaten him. Not once. I'd consider that a minor miracle." That at least got a smile from him. Mac didn't want him in the same funk when Veronica returned. Today was too important. "The past year has been tough, but she got through it. And now… Since she found out the truth about Lilly's murder, I think her world has actually gotten crazier, but she's been happy too. Happier than I've ever seen her. Do you think she's going to let Weevil or anyone ruin that? Have a little faith in our girl. And if you can't do that, at least fake it for the rest of the trip, because you're the one that's putting a downer on her day." Mac stood, stretched her legs. "Now, let's go collect the Neanderthal and try our luck at a different casino. It's Vegas, baby." She held out her hand. Wallace took it, letting her pull him off the stool with a groan.

---TBC