DISCLAIMER: Characters of Veronica Mars, the canon events of their storylines, and recognizable dialogue belong to Rob Thomas.

A/N:

This chapter is my modification of #1.20 "M.A.D." This is a more detailed retelling of the episode than has been the norm in this fic – in order to give context for some subtle changes in timeline, lines reassigned to different characters, etc.


Chapter 8

In my line of work – well, my father's line of work – I see a lot. And very little surprises me. There are recurring themes. One of the most common: people have secrets. Some secrets they use against others. Some they plan to take to the grave. Some they keep only as long as necessary.

But of this I am certain: secrets have a way of being revealed.

[

[

The next morning at school, I was attempting to repair the Le Baron. Weevil spotted me from across the parking lot and walked over to offer his assistance.

"Car trouble, miss?"

"You wouldn't happen to have a knife on you?" I inquired hopefully.

He handed me his pocket knife and watched as I cut off a damaged section at the end of a hose and then reattached it. He nodded his approval as I passed the knife back to him.

"Thanks" was all I said, but my mind was swimming with thoughts.

"So … about last night …" Weevil's eyes tried to communicate his intent.

"Are you looking for the words 'we need to talk'?"

"Something like that."

While shutting the hood of my car, I said, "Meet me in the bathroom during first period?"

[

I handed in my assignment in my first class and then asked the teacher if I could go see the nurse. When I turned the corner to walk down the hall toward the bathroom, I saw him standing there – leaning against the wall, looking a little too nonchalant. I nodded as I passed by Weevil to go through the door, putting a sign on it as I crossed the threshold. After checking to be certain all the stalls were empty, I opened the door, grabbed his arm, and pulled him in.

"My fantasy of a blonde pulling me into the girls' room? Guess I can check that off my bucket list."

I wedged a doorstop under the door to help ensure our privacy and then turned to face him. Our eyes were locked on each other as he took a step toward me.

Trying to remain cool, I tilted my head and said, "You're the one who wanted to talk. So talk."

"I'd be just as happy to not talk." He let his words hang between us. "Something changed last night. I just wanted to hear you acknowledge that." A wicked grin played at the corner of his mouth.

"I do not deny it." I may have batted my eyelashes. I swear, it was unintentional.

"And I figured we should talk about how we're gonna … handle things."

"Like, are we going public with this?"

He cleared his throat. "For starters, yeah."

In spite of the playful tone of the conversation, I gave him a serious look. "Well, you have … business to attend to. And I have things to do too – working on cases and keeping up my GPA. So it's not like we can spend every minute together doing the boyfriend-girlfriend thing."

"Boyfriend? Girlfriend?" His face conveyed that he was stunned by my word choice; his voice was thick with sarcasm.

Our proximity was becoming intense. I disengaged and walked toward the middle of the room. "You know what I mean. High school girl hanging on some boy's arm, giggling at everything he says."

"Yes, I do know what you mean, Betty."

A small laugh escaped my lips as I lowered my eyes and shook my head. "Anyway … it's not like either of us have time for that and besides … 'til we figure out what this is, it's probably better to keep it to ourselves. For now, anyway."

"But not forever …" The sentence was open-ended – equal parts uncertain statement and hopeful question.

"No, not forever." I allowed his eyes to see past my normal mask, momentary transparency to reassure him.

"What about the Sheriff?" His voice betrayed his concern as he moved in my direction.

Smiling, I reached out to take his hand. "Let me worry about my dad."

"And Wallace?"

Honestly, wasn't sure how to answer that, so I didn't. I pulled him toward me. "What about your family and friends? They gonna be okay with this?" My hands moved up his forearms to his biceps.

Wrapping his arms around me, he walked us toward the counter and then lifted me onto the ledge. Brushing my hair back from my face, he assured me, "You let me worry about them."

"Deal."

His hands moved down to my thighs, which he stood between. The warmth of his hands on me and the tingles brought on by that contact – if this went on very long, it would probably become dizzying. Impulsively, I leaned in to kiss him. He abruptly stopped when he heard someone walking toward the door.

"What? I blockaded the door. I hung an 'Out of Order' sign," I teased.

"No, this is wrong. I mean a boy in a girls' bathroom? It's just …"

"So wrong it's right?"

"Yes."

This time, he kissed me. And what a kiss it was. He began tentatively, testing the water. He was hungry, but patient. Insistent and methodical. And I was a goner.

At almost the same instant, I moaned and he groaned.

He pulled away and sighed. In a tone of mock responsibility, he said, "I am beyond tardy for class. If I remember right, time travel is not yet possible."

"So try petty corruption." I reached into my back pocket. "Tardy excuse slips: date-stamped, untraceable. I know people."

"What? Now you're trying to corrupt me?"

I rolled my eyes as I moved toward the door. After peeking into the hallway, I declared, "It's clear. You should get going. Business to attend to and all that."

"But I have unfinished business … with you." His lips found their way to mine. And I found them to be soft and inviting … and distracting.

I placed a hand on his chest, gently pushing him to arm's length. "Well, sir, that will have to wait for another time."

"Another? I like the sound of that." Just before leaving, he added, "For the record, I like it better like this – when the flirting leads somewhere." He tapped the 'Out of Order' sign as he went.

I let out a sigh as I thought: Okay, Veronica. Focus! You have things to do … like cool down.

I couldn't help laughing at myself. It's a good thing that nobody could hear my thoughts. I mean if my internal monologue played like a running commentary as a voiceover in the style of old detective movies … well, people might be a little frightened. And I would be a lot embarrassed.

[

That would not be the only meeting I would hold in my "office" that morning. Carmen had pulled me aside whispering a request for help while tears rolled down her cheeks.

As I got a roll of toilet paper for her to dry her face, she began to tell me about a conversation she had with her boyfriend earlier. She wanted to break up with Tad – for several reasons, but the primary reason she gave him was that she did not want to have a long-distance relationship when he left for the Naval Academy. When he couldn't sweet talk her into staying with him, he pulled out his cellphone and played a video – his attempt to persuade her to reconsider.

I asked a few questions to gather information. Carmen explained that she did not remember doing the things she saw herself doing in the video – skinny dipping in a hot tub and … well, she implied that she was demonstrating her technique on a popsicle. She was mortified and begged me to get his phone. I assumed she wanted to destroy the video.

Not long after that, I was walking down the hallway with Wallace. We talked about the weirdness of our parents dating – in part, the fact that they were so giddy and happy about dating again; in part, because of who they were dating. It was just strange beyond words for your parent to be dating your best friend's parent. But enough about that for now.

I asked Wallace to do me two favors: 1) help me with a bump and bait (dropping a disposable cellphone in Tad's backpack) and 2) call the number of said phone in the middle of sixth period.

Having gotten out of my sixth period class, I went to the room where Tad was in study hall. Pretending to be talking on yet another disposable phone, I attracted the attention and disciplinary wrath of Mr. Wu, who put the phone in his desk drawer where it would remain until the end of the day. Wallace was good to his word and called the number I gave him. When Tad's backpack rang, he reached inside to prove to Mr. Wu that his phone was off, grabbing for his own phone … which was confiscated and put beside mine in the desk drawer.

All I had to do after that was get out of last period early and pick up Tad's phone instead of the disposable I had carried into study hall. I was all sweetness and light as I told my teacher that I had volunteered to separate the recycling from the cafeteria trash. And I was now in possession of Tad's phone – complete with the tasteless video of Carmen.

[

After school, I went to the office to see what Dad needed help with on this particular day. He proceeded to tell me about the $50,000 reward the Kane family was offering for locating Duncan. Dad seemed to think the most difficult part would be beating the other pros, but I had to break it to him that Duncan had heard some helpful hints straight from my mouth. It might not be as easy as he thought.

I was in the process of volunteering Mac's computer prowess to help track down any passports purchased on eBay when Wallace's mom, Alicia, came strolling into the office. A moment later, the two of them strolled out – for an evening of … I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

While Dad was out, Carmen dropped by the office to check on my progress. She was convinced that Tad would not have had the forethought to make a copy of the video. But shortly after she smashed his phone – thinking it would destroy the only existing copy – an email showed up in my inbox from "Top Gun" with the subject heading: nice try. I opened the email which was clearly from Tad. A video loaded and then played. In her shock at seeing it again, Carmen let it play longer than she probably intended. Carmen paused the video and then quickly left the office, mumbling about having a lot to think over.

When the door closed behind her, I looked back at my computer screen and realized that the background of the shot looked familiar.

I remembered those stars and Chinese lamps. In fact, they were about the only things I remembered from that night. A year and a half ago, Shelly Pomroy had a party. Could it be that the night Carmen gave her boyfriend a sex show in the hot tub that she can't remember was the same night that I was raped in a guest bedroom?

[

Later that evening, I was stretched out on my bed – book in front of me, though not really studying; music in the cd player, though not really listening.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from Weevil.

Busy?

Studying

Got time to talk?

I almost said no, because I really didn't want to talk to anyone right now. But I sent this reply instead: yeah.

A few seconds later, I answered his call with the greeting: "Hey there."

"After we talked this morning, I didn't see you the rest of the day."

"I was around."

"I'm sure you were. I just … wanted to hear your voice."

If he kept being this sweet, it would become difficult to avoid him while I sorted all this out.

"V? You there?"

"Yeah. Long day. Not really up for chitchat."

"Okay. Will I see you tomorrow?"

"I have something to take care of in the morning, but lunch, maybe."

"We could share some French fries again."

I had to smile at that – thinking back on the day I flirtatiously fed him a fry. "I'd enjoy that."

"So would I. G'night, V."

[

[

The next morning, I met up with Mac to ask two favors: 1) to see if she could work her digital magic and tell me when the video of Carmen was recorded and 2) to figure out if any passports were sold on auction sites and shipped anywhere near Neptune.

The result of the first request came faster than the second. It took Mac mere seconds to pull up the info on my screen. Created: Sunday, December 7, 2003 at 3:23 AM. That confirmed it – Carmen and I did not remember the same night. That couldn't be a coincidence.

On my way into school, I had seen Carmen with Tad's arms wrapped around her. Clearly, she made the decision to give in to his blackmail – stay with him or he'd email the video to the entire school. Their reunion would be short-lived. All it took was Tad putting his lowlife character on display in the commons and Carmen was already disgusted with herself for getting back together with him. That's when I suggested that she needed an exit strategy. More precisely: Mutually Assured Destruction. Since she said I wouldn't find any dirt on him, I hatched a plan to fabricate something that would prevent him from sending out the video.

[

At lunchtime, I got my food, but as I walked toward the tables, I realized I didn't want to be anywhere near anyone who might have been at Shelly's party. When I passed the PCH table, Weevil gave me a long sultry look – flirtatious and full of challenge – that would have seemed perfectly ordinary to his friends. Under normal circumstances, I would have returned fire, but not today. I didn't mean to blow him off. Not exactly. It's just that I was still processing new info related to the night I was raped. I wasn't really in the mood to socialize – not even with Wallace or Weevil. Not right now, anyway.

So, I walked straight past Weevil and made a brief pause next to Wallace to say I had something to deal with. I proceeded around the corner of a building to find a place to sit alone with my thoughts – or to not think at all.

A few minutes later, Weevil stepped around that same corner. When I first looked up at him, he seemed ready to pick a fight with me about ignoring him, but his face softened as he took in my mood.

"What's going on? You alright?" When I didn't reply, he added another question. "Something I did? … or didn't do?"

I shook my head and patted the spot next to me, inviting him to sit. "No, this has nothing to do with you."

"Well, if it has something to do with you, then it has something to do with me." He paused. "Still didn't answer my first question."

"Short answer … it's a long story. One which I will tell you … eventually, but not now." That was clearly not enough of an answer to satisfy him. "Something happened a while ago. I just got some new information. I wasn't okay when it happened. I'm better now. I'll be even better when I find out the whole truth." I watched him as he studied me.

"You wanna be alone? Or …?"

"I guess I wouldn't mind some company."

He leaned toward me, bumping his shoulder into mine. Then, he took a French fry from my tray, dipped it in ketchup, fed it to me, and then kissed the ketchup from my lips.

We canoodled for a couple minutes before I turned my full attention to my lunch, which was quickly getting cold while I was getting hot and bothered. None too soon. A moment after we stopped kissing, Felix came around the corner looking for Weevil.

"Hey, Weevs, glad I found you. The guys were wanting to finish … that talk."

"Yeah, man. I'll be right there. I got a little business to finish here." When Felix didn't move right away, Weevil said, "Give me a minute?"

But it wasn't really a question. It was an order given by a gang leader to a gang member. Before going, Felix took a second to look at me as if he was trying to figure out why Weevil was there with me.

Weevil leaned over to kiss my cheek and whisper in my ear, "Sorry about that."

"No problem. Duty calls."

[

The latter half of the day was fairly uneventful, due in large part to my BFF. With more than a little help from Wallace, I managed to duck Logan, who was making me uncomfortable lately. Since that day at the Camelot when he punched the federal agent and kissed me, he seemed to be following me. It's possible I was just being paranoid. But for the time being, I planned to use evasive maneuvers.

[

After school, I went to the shop Weevil's uncle owned. He spotted me immediately and made a beeline for my car while wiping his hands on a cloth and trying to appear casual.

"What are you doin' here? You miss me?"

The only response I gave to the second question was a smile. "Alternator trouble. Think your uncle can return the Le Baron to all its original glory?"

"He could get it ready for Daytona if you pay him enough."

"That won't be necessary."

Then, he pulled me aside. "Word is the Kanes are offering a nice little reward to find Duncan."

"You pick up some leads when you broke into the Kane house?"

"I just heard something I thought might be worth say … ten percent of your finder's fee."

"Ten percent? Depends on what that something is." I had to admit I really hoped his info was good. Dad and I could use a lead right now.

"How 'bout a certain spoiled white boy bought a crapped-out Impala from my uncle's friend a few weeks back?"

I tried (but failed) to ignore the trace of jealousy and disgust as he used words to describe my ex-boyfriend. This lead could be big, but I needed to be in business mode … not thinking about how much I wanted to kiss him right now. Part of me was beginning to understand Yolanda's comment about jealous men.

Looking at the license plate number written on the piece of paper he handed me, I said, "Eight per cent … if it pans out. And you throw in that alternator."

"Alright." His expression and tone changed from work to play. "If you don't mind waiting an hour, I can give you a ride ... if you need one."

"Actually, that'd be great."

"There's a couch in the waiting room, if you want to sit down and study or whatever."

"Thanks." As I watched him walk away, I pulled out my phone. "Hey, Dad, you got a pen?" When I finished talking to him, I texted Carmen and let her know when to expect me.

As promised, an hour later Weevil was ready to give me a ride. I was headed to the boardwalk to take photos of Carmen and Tad's afternoon together. She got him drunk and got him to do things that could be used against him later.

Walking to the parking lot to meet Weevil for my ride home, I called Dad to check on dinner plans. He informed me that he had gotten a tip – the car Duncan bought was seen outside Tijuana.

Back at my apartment complex, I asked Weevil if he wanted to stay for dinner. I didn't really feel like eating alone.

While I was cooking, I asked, "Do you think this thing will ever get more normal?"

"What ... like, will we ever hang at the mall and hold hands … and buy each other teddy bears with little hearts that say 'I wuv you beary much'?"

Thinking about my time at the boardwalk today, I replied, "Yes, exactly that. Except I want my bear won through some sort of demonstration of ring tossing ability."

"Well, this will have to do for now." He took a step – which was all the distance that separated us at that moment – and gave me a kiss that scrambled my brain.

Not long after we ate, his phone started beeping and he had to leave to meet up with the boys. Probably safer that way. He would definitely be a distraction – a delightfully, delicious, dessert-like distraction. And I had things to do.

[

[

Dad called me the next day to tell me he found the car but not Duncan. The car was left outside a bus station with a sign that said coche gratis. For now anyway, he was staying one step ahead of us.

I walked into the computer lab to talk to Mac. She informed me that she was still working the passport angle, but the real reason I had sought her out today was to have her create a highly incriminating, thoroughly libelous, sexually explicit website.

"Here's the ammo. Seth will help you with the rest." I gestured to the accomplice beside me. He had been all too willing help retaliate after the bullying Tad and his friends had aimed at him.

When I stepped back out into the hallway, Weevil was waiting there to talk to me.

Taking me by the elbow, he led me to an unoccupied room. "I just heard that you are, uh … helping Carmen deal with the Tad situation." His face was hard as stone and I was unable to read the tone in his voice.

"What exactly did you hear?" It was automatic for me to assess how much information someone already had.

"Not much. One of the guys – his sister is friends with Carmen – he mentioned that he was surprised that you were helping someone from our neighborhood. I reminded him that you had helped us out before and I didn't find it surprising at all." Seeing the look on my face, he added, "I get the feeling there's more going on. What are you not telling me?"

"What do you know about what Tad has done?"

"Just heard something about him trying to blackmail her into staying with him. That true?"

"Yeah. But I think we've got it taken care of. Well, we will by tomorrow."

That seemed to appease him, for the moment anyway.

[

[

The next day, Tad joined Carmen and I for a little chat. I explained that he and Carmen were broken up, effective immediately. He seemed confused because they had shared what he considered to be an amazing afternoon on the boardwalk, he had gotten a tattoo, and they had a provocative phone conversation later that night.

That's when I showed him the webpage that Mac had made: "Our Precious Secret" complete with photos of he and Seth talking at the boardwalk; a love song Tad had written for Carmen but now appeared it was intended for Seth; doctored photo booth pics with Seth's face in place of Carmen's; and the piece de resistance: the phone conversation from the night before now had Seth's voice inserted when Carmen had been speaking – talking about the erotic experiment they planned for prom night.

Tad pretended like it didn't matter to him since the school year was almost over, but when I let him know that I was able to get the email addresses of every plebe at Annapolis, he seemed to rethink his cocky attitude.

My closing statement: "The Navy's got that 'don't ask, don't tell' thing. If we tell, they're gonna ask. Mutually assured destruction. Think hard, Tad."

As we walked away, Carmen added, "I don't ever want to speak to you again."

[

At the end of the school day, I headed to get in line for the bus home. I heard someone whistle. Out of curiosity, I turned my head to look. Much to my surprise, Weevil was leaning against my car, which looked much shinier than it did when I took it in for repairs.

I tilted my head and smiled at him. Finally, my feet began to walk toward the Le Baron. "How did this get here?"

"I have my ways." Weevil chuckled and his eyes lit up.

I could get used to that combination of sight and sound. "Thanks, but isn't this a little … I don't know … conspicuous?"

"Most everyone knows we do favors for each other. Let 'em think I owed you. I don't care. Totally worth it to see your smile when you looked over here."

I smiled even wider which caused me to self-consciously cover my mouth with my hand. "Well for starters, you had that whole Jake Ryan vibe going on. You know, at the end of Sixteen Candles? And also, I love it when my car is freshly washed. So, you had me at shiny wax job."

His expression shifted to serious as he reached into the car and handed me a newspaper. "Look, I'm not sure exactly what this means, but my uncle saw something in the paper. I thought I should show it to you in case you didn't know."

I looked down to read the section he pointed out:

Notice of Service

Seeking Lianne Mars

Please contact this number immediately

Legal proceedings have begun in your name

555-0166

All I could say was: "Oh, my God."

Weevil drove my car toward the office of Mars Investigations while I stared in shock at the newspaper. I called Cliff to find out why someone would run an ad like that. He explained that it could be for several reasons, but the one that hit closest to home was the fact that under California law you have to run a notice for seven days before you can file for divorce on grounds of abandonment.

When we got to the office, Weevil sat quietly while I got on the Neptune Register website to see how many days the ad had run. Today was day six. Without hesitating, I called the classified department at the paper and playing the role of Keith Mars' assistant, requested that the ad not be run the next day. However, I needed to be able to provide his account password for them to comply with my request. Obviously, I did not have that piece of information.

I decided instead to see what Dad was up to this fine evening. Weevil came along as I tracked my dad's cellphone to The Hotel Dunes.

We had both been quiet for a while when Weevil asked, "I'm guessing that being up front with you from the beginning is the way you prefer it? Otherwise, I should expect to get followed?"

"Only in the most extreme circumstances. I am capable of respecting someone's privacy. But when a person goes to great lengths to deceive me, it makes me wonder what they have to hide."

"Duly noted."

He waited in the car while I went in and checked with the reception desk if they had anyone by the name Mars or Fennel staying with them. Just as I was about to leave, I heard music coming from the ballroom adjacent to the lobby. I peeked in and saw what looked like a ballroom dance class.

There in the middle of the dance floor were Alicia and Dad. And at that moment, I got it. I finally got it. My father was happy.

Returning to the car, I gave Weevil an update. He just nodded his understanding and asked if I was okay.

We hadn't eaten any supper. He suggested we stop for ice cream. How did he know that would make me feel better?

While we ate, we barely spoke. We just sat there on a bench. I leaned into his side. His arm rested on the back of the bench behind me. Occasionally, he placed cold-lipped kisses on the side of my neck. That portion of the day was damn near perfect.

[

[

The next morning at school, it quickly became apparent that Tad had "pressed the button" and sent the video of Carmen to everyone at school. People in every hallway and classroom seemed to be watching it on their phones or computers.

I was at my locker when I overheard Felix's comment about the video. I turned to see Weevil grab a phone away from him.

"Hey, what's wrong with you, man? Where'd this come from?" Weevil was infuriated. Not waiting for Felix to reply, he headed down the hallway to me. "I need to talk to you. Now."

I could tell he wasn't angry at me, but it was still unnerving to have him speak to me in that tone of voice. He led me to the shop, which he knew would be empty.

"This is what you were helping Carmen with?"

"Yeah. I thought we had it fixed yesterday, but apparently not."

"So, this is Tad's handiwork?"

I nodded. He waited for me to explain. So I did – in the vaguest of terms – about the night that Carmen did not remember, but was preserved on video. Then, I explained in even vaguer terms why I felt compelled to help her.

After he paced back and forth for a minute, he turned to face me. He asked a series of questions and paused just long enough for me to nod my answer to each. "You said she doesn't remember that night? She was probably drugged, right? You helped her because some asshole did something similar to you?"

I had to use words for this reply. And I chose them carefully. I avoided anything that would indicate a who, where, or when. I could tell that Weevil was already furious that something like this had been done to Carmen. If he knew it was the same night and who had been at the party, I could imagine him going after anyone and everyone without having anything definitive.

He was fuming the same way he had about me being locked in the trunk of my car. For a tough guy, he was incredibly protective of women. I shouldn't have been so turned on considering the situation that had to be dealt with, but honestly, I could barely keep my hands off him.

He continued to question me. "When you told me that the things being said about you aren't true … that has something to do with this night you don't remember, doesn't it?"

"I don't know anything for sure. But I'm going to find out. And then I'm going to deal with it – my way."

"Not sure I can go along with that."

I turned on a bit of female charm. "If I promise to keep you informed while I investigate, will you try?"

He softened his position slightly. "I'll try. But this thing with Tad? I'm dealing with that my way."

I knew it was pointless to argue with him. Probably had his mind made up the moment he saw the video.

"I have one more question for you, V. How does Duncan's laptop figure into all of this?"

I was stunned by his question, though I guess I shouldn't have been. "Not at all. Honestly." Seeing his skeptical expression, I continued, "I swear to you. He did not have any photos or videos. The reason he was concerned, which made me concerned, was that he kept a journal on it. It included the time we were dating."

"So you're saying that ... when Duncan returns, there is absolutely no need for me to beat the shit out of him?"

"None."

He was quiet for a moment and seemed to be gathering his thoughts. "I know that trusting people isn't easy for you after … everything. Anyway, sorry if … that felt like an interrogation. But I needed ..."

While we were talking, I had been leaning against a chain link fence that enclosed a locked area in the shop. After his little monologue, he shifted toward me. There was a look in his eyes that I hadn't seen before and couldn't quite identify. But it made my heart race and my temperature rise – and he hadn't touched me yet.

He gripped the fence near the right side of my head as he simultaneously pulled the fence toward him and pressed his body up against me – effectively pinning me between himself and the fence. As he began to kiss me, I lost track of the passage of time. The beginning pace was slow – our lips lazily dancing with one another. But things intensified quickly. Soon, his lips, teeth, and tongue were exploring my neck while his right hand traced the waistband of my jeans. I'm fairly certain that I was babbling incoherently – passion, hormones, whatever … having taken over. The sound of my rambling voice in his ear seemed to spur him on. His hand had slipped under the hem of my shirt and onto my back – though I did not notice until it was between my shoulder blades, as he used his arm to hold my torso against his. It was at that point that I regained some brain function.

"Weevil," I panted breathlessly. "Things … moving too … we should … need to … stop."

The pace slowed down and he placed whisper-soft kisses along my collarbone. He stilled, his forehead resting against my neck. A soft "Mmm" escaped his lips as his hand ghosted down my spine, slipped out from under my shirt, and came to rest on the denim covering my hipbone.

"Wow," was the only word I could form at the moment.

"Yeah," he sighed. Taking a step back so he could look me in the eye, he seemed about to say something.

I placed my index finger over his lips. "Shh." Tipping my head toward the door, I said, "We should get going."

Pausing before we stepped out into the hallway, he said, "While you're looking into stuff … just … well … promise you won't shut me out. Even if you think something will upset me."

The moment felt a tad heavy. I almost cracked a joke, but decided a sincere response would be received better. "I think I can do that." I wanted to ask if he could do the same with me. But I didn't.

[

At the end of the school day, I noticed Carmen's car was still in the parking lot. I found her in the computer lab – her face wet, her eyes red and puffy. She told me that she was still glad she dumped him.

I pulled out my laptop and opened the email draft ready to send to 1,032 recipients. Mutually assured destruction. The way I saw it, Tad had brought this on himself.

To my surprise, rather than hit send, Carmen deleted the email. "I guess revenge just isn't my thing."

[

When I arrived at the office that afternoon, I found Dad sitting at my desk looking at the classifieds I had left sitting there the night before.

He explained that he wanted options, that it was just the first step, and that he would let me know if he would be taking another. He added, "No more surprises, I promise."

"I just want you to be happy, Dad, and I realize that may involve surprises."

Immediately following this father-daughter moment, Mac walked in and announced the name they should be looking for: "Roberto Nalbandian. Someone purchased his Argentinean passport off of eBay and had it shipped to the airport Marriott." Then, she began to negotiate her share of the reward.

[

That evening, I called Weevil a couple of times, but got no answer. I finally left a voice mail asking him to call me back no matter how late it was when he got my message. I could only assume that he was busy dealing with Tad.

It was 2:00 a.m. when he finally returned my call.

"Hey, V."

"Hey, yourself. Busy night of PCH business?"

He laughed darkly. "You could say that."

"Yeah, I figured as much. You know what else I was thinking? Tad got himself into a pretty sticky situation today."

"Sticky, eh? You could say that." We were both quiet for a moment. Then, he asked, "You gonna cut this one down?"

"Nope."

"Good. Glad we're on the same page this time."

We chatted for a while about other things – like how my car was running and the fact that he would be in need of my tutoring services in the next few weeks. When I began yawning so much that I had difficulty holding up my end of the conversation, he suggested that it might be time to say goodnight. I had to agree.

Besides, I had already decided that I wanted to get to school early. I had a witness to question. It was time to find out what happened that night.

[

[

There wasn't another soul around when I arrived at school the following morning.

"I guess you and Carmen got those bikers to put me up here," Tad spat at me.

"I had nothing to do with putting you up here. But I might be convinced to help you get down. I just want a simple answer to a simple question. Who gave you the rohypnol the night of Shelly Pomroy's party? Yeah, I know. You roofied your girlfriend. 'Class' with a capital K."

"There weren't any roofies. It was GHB. Logan Echolls gave it to me."

I'm not sure what answer I expected, but that wasn't it. "This might sting a bit." As I pulled the bandage off his shoulder, I took a look at his new body art: the name Seth emblazoned across a sizable red heart.

[

Weevil sidled up to me at my locker, whispering in my ear, "You the one who took the bandage off?"

I just grinned and shrugged my shoulders.

"You knew what it said?"

I couldn't help but laugh as I turned to look at him.

He changed the subject. "How's your investigation going? Gonna need my assistance anytime soon?"

"I've got a lead, but this one could take a while for me to unravel." I needed to stall him for as long as possible. "But I promise to let you know if I need your help."

He put his hand on my arm tenderly, ignoring the fact that we were in a hallway filled with people. "Anything you need. Any hour of the day. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I do."

And I really did. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could depend on him. But I did not want him getting himself into trouble defending my honor and retaliating against whoever was responsible for whatever happened to me at Shelly's party. I would have to be very careful about what I told him and what assistance I asked for.


A/N:

Next up is #1.21 "Trip to the Dentist" which overlaps with the case that Veronica was working when she went to that club ... way back in Chapter 1.

Thanks for reading! Until next time ...

~Jen

30 October 2016