Staring at the front of the house, Veronica bit her lip in thought. She glanced out the window of the van, surveying the dark street again for any signs of life. She recognized one of their neighbours, walking their dog down the block, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary – no cars out of place, no people on the street she didn't recognize.
"Mom?" Lexie asked gently from the back seat. "Are we going inside?"
"Where's Dad? Why isn't he here?" Linc chimed in.
Veronica turned in the driver's seat to face the kids. Jack sat in his car seat, his thumb up in his mouth, his eyes wide with fear. She let out a shaky breath, focusing her attention on the twins, who were still holding hands while sitting next to each other in the back of the van.
"Dad's just taking care of some things..." Veronica started slowly, choosing her words carefully. "We're going to leave and he'll meet up with us."
She prayed they would believe the lie as they each looked to each other for confirmation that they would accept this as truth.
"But I don't want to leave Daddy behind." Jack sniffed, tiny tears beginning to brim on his eyes.
"Jack, please don't worry. Daddy will be fine." Veronica steadied herself, forcing a small smile to cross her lips. "I've known your dad most of my life, and somehow, he's always okay. He's kind of like a cat that way – always lands on his feet. So don't worry about him right now; let's just focus on what we need to do."
A tiny smile appeared on Jack's lips and he wiped away his tears. "Daddy's a cat."
Relaxing for a second, Veronica reached back and patted Jack's knee relieved that for the moment, this little fact seemed to calm the children's fears for their father. She only wished it would calm hers.
"So, here's the plan – we get in, I turn off the alarm; Lexie and Linc – go upstairs and finish packing. Jack – go upstairs and get Mr. Bunny and wait for me...I'll come up and grab your stuff when I'm done downstairs. We are in and out in no more than five-minutes, got it?"
The kids nodded and Veronica turned around. Gathering her nerve, she turned off the van and got out, walking quickly over to the curb before opening the sliding door for the kids to pile out. Grabbing Jack's hand as he exited, the group swiftly made their way toward the front door. Keys in hand, Veronica paused on the porch, glancing inside through the window for any movement or motion. She could see one of the motion sensor lights in the corner of the room was bright red, meaning the alarm was still armed, and some of her fear subsided. Unlocking the door, she opened it, letting the kids into the pitch-black house as the alarm panel beeped. She closed and locked the door before punching in her code, letting out a deep sigh of relief as she did. Lexie flipped on the hall lights, illuminating much of the main floor.
"Okay. Get upstairs guys and do your thing," she said, letting go of Jack's hand and walking into the kitchen to flip on the lights.
The kids took off up the stairs as a group, but the sound of their feet quickly paused mid-flight.
"Ummm...Mom?" Lexie asked, her voice shaking slightly. "What's with the unicorn?"
Veronica swung around to see Lexie, Linc, and Jack – halfway up the stairs – holding up a ceramic unicorn for her to see.
For a second, Veronica lost her ability to speak as her mouth dropped open in shock at what she was seeing, and what it meant.
"Get out!" She yelled at the kids, launching herself towards them. "Run! Get out of the –"
Mercer's shadow cast down the stairs and over the children as he stepped into the light. The kids looked up at him and screamed - dropping the unicorn - before running down the stairs and wrapped themselves around their mother for safety. Veronica gazed up to see Mercer raise his gun towards them, laughing as he descended the stairs.
"Welcome home everyone! Aren't you glad to see me?" Mercer cackled as he ambled down the stairs, cane in one hand, gun in the other.
When he got to the unicorn, laying on the step, he raised his cane and smashed through it with one sharp blow. The children screamed again at the sound and Veronica attempted to shuffle them behind her legs, placing herself between them and the madman in her home. All of her fear seemed to leave her as she was now placed in charge of protecting her young, and instead was replaced by a fire in her belly that made her feel invincible.
"Leave them alone," Veronica stated, straightening herself upright. "Your vendetta is with Logan and me – not our kids."
Mercer stood on the bottom stair, surveying them with a gleeful smile on his face. It didn't matter that prison had aged him – Veronica would have recognized the evil in his eyes a mile away. It was those eyes that haunted her for years. Aaron. Cassidy. Mercer. Three men who tried to kill her and seemed to slip effortlessly in and out of her nightmares.
"Oh I have plans for you, Veronica. Many, many plans." Mercer stated, waving his gun at her. "You and I are going to have lots and lots of fun, but don't worry kids – there's going to be plenty of fun for you too!"
As he approached them, Veronica tightened her grip around them, desperately wishing at that moment she had more hands. But it was when Mercer knelt in front of Lexie that Veronica wished one of her hands held a gun.
"You must be Alexis," Mercer cooed, a sickening smile crossing his lips. "You look a lot like your mommy did when she was younger."
Instead of recoiling, Veronica watched her daughter straighten, pushing her shoulders back and narrowing her eyes at Mercer.
"My Dad is going to come home soon, and when he does, you're going to be very, very sorry." Lexie stated, full of tiny bravado.
Mercer chuckled, raising his gun and pushing Lexie's hair back over her shoulder with the barrel. Veronica moved her hand over Lexie's chest and felt her heart beating wildly in her body, but the girl didn't move from her stance.
"Oh, I hate to tell you this, but your Daddy won't be coming to save you." Mercer stood, gesturing with his gun towards the ceiling. "But he will get to see all the fun we're going to have together. If you look very carefully, there are tiny cameras all over the house, and your dad is on the other side of them, tied up, watching everything that's going to happen."
Veronica's eyes skimmed the ceiling, looking for signs of the cameras. She couldn't see anything, but that didn't mean they weren't there. Jack wrapped his arms tightly around her thigh and he sniffled back tears.
"Now here's what we're going to do – all you kids are going to hurry upstairs to that first bedroom. You can stay in there while your mother and I settle some unfinished business together in her bedroom." Mercer locked eyes with Veronica and her stomach tightened. "But then, I'm going to come and get you so you can join us and we can all get to know each other - intimately."
Lexie and Linc exchanged glances just as Jack let out a sharp cry of fear and sadness. Veronica scooped him up in her arms and he wrapped himself around her as the twins pressed themselves against her.
"It's going to be okay." She murmured, kissing Jack's forehead. "It will all be okay. I promise."
Mercer raised his gun, pointing it at Veronica's face, his features contorting into a snarl. "Get up those stairs and into that room. Now!"
Lexie and Linc jumped, grabbing each other's hands and began to make their way up the stairs. Veronica followed, carrying Jack – kicking aside the shattered pieces of the unicorn from her way. Mercer's heavy steps followed until they were at the door to Jack's bedroom. Linc opened it and Lexie followed him in, turning to stand on the rug in the middle of the room; both were pale with fear, their eyes wide, their mouths open slightly and the sound of their breathing told Veronica they were both doing their best not to start crying. Walking to them, she knelt, hoping Jack would unwrap himself from her. When he didn't she began talking softly to him.
"Jack – I need you to be a brave boy and stay with Lexie and Linc. Do what they say, okay?"
The boy clung to her harder, letting out a loud, long sob that filled the room. Veronica gestured for Lexie and Linc to come closer and she placed her head between theirs as Jack cried and cried.
"When you hear me yell 'run', I want you to run far, far away," she said to the twins, quiet enough that Mercer wouldn't hear it above Jack's crying. "I love you."
Pulling back, she saw them both give her a brief nod, and she knew they would do what she said. Wrapping her hands around Jack's tiny fists, she pried him away from her as he howled, a deep ache filled her belly. Her babies. She had to leave her babies to protect them and she silently prayed that they would all, in fact, be okay.
"Please go with your brother and sister," she begged Jack, her voice cracking with emotion. "I love you. You'll be safe with them, I promise. Please, baby."
Linc pulled his brother away from Veronica and Jack began stomping his feet in a full tantrum, screaming and flailing his arms for her. Lexie grabbed him, hugging him tightly and Veronica covered her mouth, turning from them before she broke down.
Mercer stood in the doorway, smirking at the scene. Hurrying away from the kids, she moved through the doorway as he slammed the bedroom door behind her, muffling Jack's cries.
She needed to refocus on what was about to happen. The gun pressed to the back of her head reminded her that this was just the beginning of Mercer's plan.
"Into your bedroom," Mercer ordered and she complied, crossing the hallway into the other room.
Stopping a few feet into the room, Veronica's body shuddered, unable to hide the reflex response to Mercer's threats any longer – he was going to try and rape her, as he tried all those years ago. She glanced across her bed, imagining for a second the many times her and Logan made love in this space. Looking up at the ceiling she searched for the camera – holding out a quiet hope that Logan was not actually witnessing what she feared would happen to her.
Mercer's cane slid up the front of her body, the cold metal ending up pressed against her clavicle, and she gasped as he pressed himself against her.
"He's going to watch us through that camera. Watch you...watch you scream and fight and beg for me to stop." Mercer whispered in her ear. "But don't worry – I'm going to let you live. I'm going to let you live so you can feel your world come crashing down around you – like what happened to me when I went to prison."
"You deserved to go to jail." She hissed at him. "You're a monster. You were a monster then, you are a monster now. Those young girls didn't have to die - you just did it for your own sick amusement."
He chuckled like she told him a joke and she shivered. "They had it coming. They wanted fun! They wanted adventure! Well, I gave that to them. They were so young and pretty and willing - it was so easy to get them to do what I wanted them to do. Not my fault they were also stupid."
"So you killed them for what? Just to frame Dick? To get to us?"
"Pretty much, yes to all of it." Mercer laughed, dragging the pistol down her arm and up again. "It really was simple and oh so much fun. I waited in the hotel room and watched Dick fuck them until they all passed out. Then all I had to do was strangle them as they slept. Dick did most of the work for me...taking the drugs and tying them up...so there was no fighting at all – kind of like the old days."
The cane came down, hooking onto Veronica's blouse and ripped right though the buttons, leaving her exposed. She gasped, moving her arms up to cover her bra but as she did, Mercer dropped his cane and grabbed her hair, twisting it so hard she let out a scream. Shoving her roughly, she landed face-down on the bed, the weight of his body pressing her into the covers. Wrenching her head to the side, Veronica gasped for air.
"But that was the old days." He hissed in her face. "Tonight – I want a fight. I want you to scream and fight and cry out in pain as I take you, over and over again."
"Fuck you!" Veronica spat back, attempting to wriggle out from under him.
"See. Just like that." He pushed himself up on his knees, straddling her hips and she moaned in pain at the weight of him.
Grabbing the back of her shirt, he yanked it down her arms and off of her as she continued to writhe underneath him. He moved off of her for a second before grabbing her shoulders, flipping her around onto her back to face him before sitting on her again. His hand pressed her baby belly and he dug his nails into her flesh, squeezing her so hard she couldn't help but scream in pain again.
"Another one of Logan's children in there – what should we do about that one, huh?" Mercer took his gun and pressed it to her navel.
Veronica's breath caught in her chest as her fear began to rise. Closing her eyes for a second, she tried to slow her breathing – like they learned when she was in labour with the twins. She knew her moment would come when she could make her move; she just needed to keep her mind focused on that one, solitary moment.
"Not so mouthy now, are you."
The click of Mercer's belt buckle opening made Veronica open her eyes, her breath slowing as she watched him above her begin to undress himself. First the belt, moving to the button of his pants, then unzipping his fly. Dropping his gun on the bed, he began to undo his dress shirt, slowly revealing a multitude of deep scars across his chest.
"You see these?" He opened his shirt, exposing the wounds to her. "I got these scars in prison, fighting with the other inmates. Apparently, being rich and the nephew of a judge does not have the privilege on the inside that it does in the outside world. So tonight, I'm just going to give you just a taste of the pain that was inflicted on me over the years."
Dropping his weight on her again, she groaned as he grabbed her hair again, pulling her face to his. Breathing heavily, Veronica looked deep into the eyes of the devil as he smiled at her, his breath hot across her face.
"Now, Veronica...are you ready for me to fuck you?"
"No." She stated through gritted teeth, her eyes narrowing with hate. "Fuck you."
Gathering all her strength, Veronica opened her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs:
"Run! Run! Run!"
A split second later the sound of a door opening echoed in the silence. Lifting away from Veronica, Mercer turned his head to see Lexie, Jack, and Linc running out of the room, followed by a long, crashing sound.
"What the –" Mercer's question was cut off by Veronica's hand, reaching out from under him and digging her nails into his eye sockets.
His scream rang out as she pressed her thumbs into the cavities before he twisted her hair, pulling her away from him. Rolling off of her, he grabbed his eyes with his hands and she sat up, the heel of her palm connecting with his nose. He cried out again and she rolled away from him on the bed, almost to the edge.
"You fucking bitch! I'm going to kill you and your kids!" Mercer hollered, his wordss grarbled as blood gushed from his nose.
He grabbed Veronica by the hair as she tried to get away and raising the back of his hand, he slapped her across the face. Veronica dropped back onto the mattress, tiny white dots floating in front of her eyes.
She fought to stay awake, trying not to close her eyes as she focused on Mercer staggering off the bed and grabbing the gun. For a second, he raised the gun towards her before a banging noise caught his attention.
Pots and pans. Veronica recognized the sound of pots and pans echoing outside; the kids had gone to the tree house.
"Fucking brats!" Mercer cursed, waving his gun around with one hand while he cradled his bloody nose with the other. "I'm definitely going to kill them now – and you get to watch!"
Bending down, he grabbed his cane off the floor and stood, wavering back and forth slightly. Veronica stayed down, calculating her next move as she watched him hobble out of the room.
"What the fuck is this?" Mercer cursed as she heard the sound of more crashing.
Veronica rolled onto her side on the bed, her eyes focusing on the trail of Hot Wheels cars that led from Jack's door. The corner of her mouth twisted in a small grin - the kids must have scattered the cars as they ran to try and trip any followers up. Mercer's slow footsteps down the stairs were punctuated by swears and a small rush of pride over her kids' ingenuity filled her heart. Momentarily gaining her bearings, Veronica sat up in a daze as the room floated around her.
"Weapon," she said out loud, glancing back at the closet door.
The combination to the small gun safe was escaping her and she decided she needed to follow Mercer with or without some form of protection. Standing at the foot of the bed, a searing shot of pain ripped through her stomach and she bent over crying out for a second before righting herself. Moving her hand over her belly she spoke softly.
"Not now, baby. You gotta fight like your siblings right now."
Staggering to the hallway, hand clutching her stomach, Veronica kicked the tiny cars to the side as she manoeuvred down stairs and into the kitchen. The sound of the kids banging the pots and pans was getting louder and Veronica increased her speed towards the back yard. Passing the kitchen island, she stopped, spotting the butcher block loaded with expensive steak knives.
You're not a murderer, Veronica.
The words Logan spoke to her on the roof of the Hotel Grande all those years ago flashed through her head. Pulling out a knife, Veronica continued her pace through the house towards the back door. She may not be a murderer, but she would be damned if she let her children be killed in cold blood.
Pushing open the back door, Veronica paused, her eyes fixed thought the darkness of the back yard on Mercer – part of his body hidden as he attempted to climb up the centre of the tall play structure. The sound of the kids' screams pierced the air before a loud banging rang out. Veronica hurried down the steps and across the lawn as a pile of rocks fell down the tunnel, knocking Mercer down onto the ground. She watched as he struggled, dazed before screaming again as another load of large rocks pummeled him from above.
"Fire! Fire!" Jack yelled from the top of the structure as the banging of the pots continued.
Approaching Mercer on the ground, Veronica raised the knife in her hand. Now unarmed, he was crawling around on all fours in the sand, trying to find his weapon. Lunging forward, Veronica dropped to her knees behind him and buried the knife deep into the back of his shoulder. Mercer reared up, screaming out again and rose slightly, swinging his cane towards her. She dodged it, falling onto the ground and crawled backwards away from the structure, hoping he would follow.
"Come and get me, you asshole!"
Mercer growled in pain and pushed himself up, still hunched with the knife in his back. "I'm going to kill you, Veronica Mars! I'm going to kill you!"
Another contraction gripped Veronica and she stopped dead in her place on the ground, wrapping her hands around her belly again until the pain subsided. When Mercer grabbed her by the hair, dragging her to her feet, a whimper of agony escaped her.
"Don't hurt her!"
A shower of Nerf darts pelted Mercer from above, hitting Veronica as well. Mercer wrapped his hand around her neck, holding her upright by force.
Fight. Fight, fight, fight. Veronica repeated the words in her head as she struggled. Someone must have heard the kids by now and called the police. And then they would find Logan.
Logan...Logan...
The back gate flung open and Veronica stopped her struggle as her eyes focused on Logan – gun raised high in two hands, arms straight out in front of him. There was dried blood on his forehead and as he moved, his left leg dragged slightly.
"Let her go, Mercer!" Logan demanded as he advanced on his target. "I've called the cops. It's over."
Mercer's hand grabbed her belly and squeezed causing Veronica to buckle slightly. "Don't you dare move any closer or I'll kill her and your baby right here, right now."
Veronica gasped, her gaze fixed on Logan as she tried to fight the pain. His eyes were cold and focused, the muscles in his jaw twitching. His stare averted for a split second to the top of the playhouse before focusing back on her.
"Kids! I want you to stay up there and hide, no matter what. Okay?" He yelled out.
"Okay!" Came a chorus of voices before silence.
Locking eyes, Veronica registered the tiny nod of his head at her. In that instant, she knew exactly what needed to be done. Taking a deep breath, Veronica closed her eyes, dropped her arms to the side of her body, and let herself go limp in Mercer's grasp. His hand caught her throat for a second before the weight of her falling body made him release her.
The crack of the bullet hitting Mercer's skull rang in Veronica's ears as she fell into the grass, and the blood showered down onto her like droplets of rain.
The silence was broken by the sound of police sirens filled the air. Feeling a warm hand press to her cheek, Veronica opened her eyes to find Logan kneeling next to her.
"We don't have to worry anymore," he said softly, his palm stroking her hair. "We're safe now."
"Safe." Veronica repeated and gave a small nod before she closed her eyes, surrendering to the pain.