Surfing Lessons

Rating: One bad word.

A.N: Thanks to LoveForever14, Bee, adambrodylover and JClayton for taking time to write me their appreciation of my work.

I've got to say, I found it a little sad that this story is on the alert list of 39 people and only a handful of them come forward and encourage the author. I'm not trying to moralize anyone to write me reviews (I'm enough of a motivate author to publish and be happy by some useful comments) but guys, just think about all the writers such a blatant silence can discourage.

Next topic (I'm unstoppable today!) I'm kinda disappointed with myself over a review I received mentioning that Veronica was acting kinda Dickish. That means that I'm not doing my job properly; I'm not keeping characters true to themselves. I'll try to make Veronica acted more like her real self in this chapter.

Now, now, on with the new chapter already!

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Chapter nine: Shelter from the storm

'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."

- Bob Dylan, Shelter from the storm.

- -

Getting down the cliff had been fairly easy comparing to climbing it under pouring rain. Dick's heart had skip a few beats every now and then –mostly when Veronica's foot had slip from a crevice- but all in all, they made it in one piece on solid ground.

The rain came down in sheets, soaking them both to the core, and when they hit the muddy land they ran to the car and entered in it hastily. It was only when they were both safe from the storm in the confine of the BMW that they let out tired sighs of relief.

Dick wiped the water out of his eyes and looked the weather wreaking its hell through the windshield. "We may have to build an ark if it keeps raining like this."

"I ca-can't argue with you the-there," he heard Veronica agree.

He glanced toward her, pushing dripping hair out of his forehead.

"You're shivering," he stated and she nodded. Streams of water were pouring off her hair and her soaked clothes. He could see her lips turning a light bluish color. He mentally cursed Veronica's idea of a sudden road trip. Had he known before hands, he would have brought some clothes and snacks; something to keep their stomachs full and corporal temperatures intact.

His own shaking fingers fiddled with the ignition key; he wanted to start the engine so the radiator would provide some heat. He turned the key.

The motor refused to start.

Veronica voiced up what he was wondering silently. "What's going on?"

He tried the key again; same result. "It's not starting."

"Why?"

That was a good question. If only he had an answer for it. He searched for an appropriate response; the gas tank was a quarter to full, the oil gauge wasn't flashing... All in all, everything seemed to be alright. So why couldn't he start the engine?

"Have you turned off the headlights when we left?"

The headlights; that most be it.

"No."

"Then the battery's dead," Veronica voiced up.

Dick glanced at her, hesitant. He'd never be that good in mechanics but even he knew that dead battery equal dead car. He grunted, closed his eyes and laid his head on the steering wheel.

"Hey it's not that bad. Someone's bound to come here. I wish," she had for dramatics.

He smiled slightly at her attempt of humor. Then he let his eyes slide over her dripping hair. They couldn't stay here, in the cold. He gazed in the direction of the lighthouse and pondered how far it may be from the car. Sure, it was now raining cats and dogs and there was a chance that the place was locked but it was worth a try.

"Let's go to the lighthouse."

Veronica looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "What?"

"We don't have much of a choice. We stay here and freeze to death or we try the lighthouse."

After some seconds, Veronica nodded; it was all the approbation he needed. Dick headed out in the storm, and ran around the car, opening the door for Ronnie. "Hurry up! Hurry up!" She let out a gasp as Dick grabbed her arm, dragging her in the general direction of the lighthouse, his hand tightly grasping Veronica's.

As fast as they ran, it wasn't quick enough to save them from being soaked wet from the hard downpour of the rain. Dick blindly tried to see his way, but it was almost impossible to do. Not only had he not even a slightly idea where they were apart from somewhere on an island, but he was sure by now that there was no way they would met someone to help them in this weather if the lighthouse happened to be locked down.

His heart skipped a beat of joy when he pushed some bushes away; he could decipher the rotating light of the lighthouse.

"Thanks God," he heard Veronica muttered behind him. And he let her passed in front of him, putting a helping hand on her back as they proceeded to mount the muddy hill leading them to their soon-to-be shelter.

When they arrived by the door, Veronica knocked a tad too loudly. They waited impatiently, their hands protecting their faces from the hard raindrops.

"It's locked," Veronica stated as she tried the doorknob.

"Great. Just great," Dick grumbled, pushing backwards the wet stands of hair marring his forehead, he'd been doing that a lot in the last few moments. "I'll try to force it open. Move out of the way, Ronnie."

She did as requested and watched, astonished, as Dick ran into the solid door, pushing with all his might his shoulder into the hardwood. He grunted in pain at the contact. The door stood still, mocking him. He let his throbbing body slid down the locked entrance, resigned.

"Ok, Superman. Let the woman with the detective skills work on that lock." Veronica said as she grabbed some metal tolls from her bag.

They were locked outside, drenched from head to toes; he felt like they were abandoned, soggy puppies. The thought rapidly flew away when Veronica's head popped up. She met his expectant look with a smug smile and she let the door open.

They both stood up and he grinned at her. "Ladies first."

Veronica sauntered in the building, not being told twice; he followed suite and closed the door behind them. They were plunged in complete darkness.

Dick blinked at the shadows, trying to adjust his vision. He could decipher Veronica's petite form, panting next to him.

"Anybody's here?"

"Idiot," Veronica said as she hit him in the stomach, and he bent forward –more by reflex than by actual pain.

"I was just making sure we were alone," he defended.

He didn't actually saw her roll her eyes by he could imagine it perfectly. She passed by him and started to make her way up the spiraling stairs, her shoes squeaking on the wood floor.

"Nobody's stupid enough to stay here in a night like this," she mumbled.

He cautiously followed her toward the second floor. Little by little, they began to see more as the brightness of the lighthouse's light appeared to their sighting. Finally, they stood in the middle of a round room, with windows all around them. Outside, the sky was still tearing loose.

"Not that bad," he stated, glancing around them. His eyes fell upon an oil lamp and he walked to it. "Is there a lighter or any matches over there?" He asked Veronica.

He started to search in the dim light for something to light up the lamp; after a few seconds of rummaging through her bag (that bag was a life saver), Veronica handed him a lighter.

Soon after, the warm glow of the oil lamp came to life.

Dick glanced happily toward Veronica but his breath caught in his lungs as his eyes found her. She was soaking wet, and puddles of water were pooling on the floor at her feet. Her clothes were drenched and stuck to her skin and she was squeezing some water from her long, slightly darker than normal, blonde hair. She was a quite the sight.

Dick didn't know if he should turn his eyes away or not; he wasn't even sure he had the strength to do so. He was desperately trying not to draw his eyes onto her pert nipples that showed through the thin fabric of her top but to no avail.

Once she noticed his staring, Veronica arched her brows at his dazed look. She quickly covered her breasts with her folded arms and glared at him.

"Pervert," she spoke loudly, and she gave him the view of her back.

He swallowed, rubbing a hand across his neck and whispered, "Yeah..."

Dick finally turned from her as well, not wanting to be temped any further. He berated himself that it was the logical thing to do.

He started opening cupboards to distract his volatile mind.

"We need to get out of these clothes or we'll catch pneumonia," Veronica stated from her side of the room.

She was right. But the simple thought of being in a seclude room with a naked Veronica was almost too much to bear. As if by miracle, his eyes met up with some warm looking blankets on the shelf of a cabinet.

"I've found fire blankets," he said, and his mind cheered at the discovery. He grabbed one and tossed it toward Veronica's general location.

"Thanks," she mumbled and he heard her striped of a layer of clothe as the wet and heavy material hit the floor.

He closed his eyes as he tried to shake off the images from his head. Then, he decided to busy himself with his own drenched clothes.

"Damn jeans," he head Veronica pestered behind him, and he agreed mutely with the curse; he was also facing some difficulty to free the sticky material from his skin.

A few minutes later, he was throwing the last remains of his clothes over the floor. Dick then engulfed his tall frame in the second fire blanket; the material was itching his bare skin but the warm was very much welcome. "All done," he voiced up. He waited until Veronica gave him the heads up to turn around.

"Me too," Veronica mumbled and she shook her head and shoved a lock of hair behind her ear as she turned to look at him, all the right parts well covered.

They grinned at each other, amused, taking in their respective appearance; Veronica looked like a dwarf in clothes too big for her, and he was more of a giant with not enough material to dress properly.

"How's your shoulder?"

He stretched his joints, testing them; he winced. He would have to remember not to try to break down a door by himself in the future. "It will be sore in the morning, I guess."

Veronica padded in her bare feet to his side of the room and touched his shoulder, lightly massaging the tender muscle on the tip of her toes. He half smiled at the effort shown on her face.

"I can kneel down if you prefer," he cocked an eyebrow at her, grinning smugly.

She let go of him, somewhat annoyed, and she pinched his skin; he recoiled. "No more massage for you." He pouted but she didn't let his puppy dog face get to her; she ignored him and bent over to look in the cabinets. He felt slightly saddened by the lost of contact.

"Have you seen any food?"

"I saw some crackers," he offered.

"We should keep them for tomorrow. We will need the energy to walk back to town."

He nodded, letting her taking charge of such details. She stood back up and turned toward him and he found himself inches away from her body. He saw her gulped at their closeness and took a step behind, until her back was pressed to her counter. Normally, he would have been his cue to crack some joke but, somehow, he found that it wasn't the time, nor was it the situation to say some lustful comment to Veronica Mars. She was his friend –a good friend- and Logan's ex, and he couldn't lose either of their friendship to some wild hormones that had him worked up all of a sudden.

Veronica was fixing a point behind him, and spoke up once again.

"We should probably sleep."

Again, Dick nodded. He took a few steps back and dropped to the floor, cushioning his head with a forearm, his eyes facing the ceiling. Veronica laid beside him on her side, her back to him. They stood in complete silence, apart for the storm outside battling against the windows.

When he was almost certain that Veronica was fast asleep, she spoke. "Why did you kiss me?"

Dick sighed and bit the inside of his cheek. It had been a moment of weakness. He had wanted to kiss her and he'd done so. But he couldn't tell her that, Veronica would freak out and wouldn't talk to him ever again if he spoke the truth.

He shrugged, "I don't know."

She rolled over, facing him. He glanced down at her piercing blue eyes, those same eyes that could see through almost anybody, "You don't know?"

"I wanted to," Dick finally let out.

She smiled a little and pillowed her head against his shoulder; her small hand went to rest over his chest. Unconsciously, he tightened his arm around her back, securing his hand against her hipbone. He felt her body slowly calm down in his embrace.

"Ok," she said softly, and he wondered, what was ok? The kissing part? The wanting part? His explanation?

"Good night Dick," her voice dragged and her head lumped on his shoulder and he realized how much he's sleepy too. The conversation could wait.

"Night Ronnie."

- -

To be continued...

AN: Hope you enjoyed!