Pairing/Character: Veronica, Wallace, Duncan, Logan, Weevil no pairings in this chapter, eventual LoVe
Word Count: About 3800
Rating: R for language
Summary: A what if AU off of season one. This would be a replacement for the pilot. Not all chapters will be so similar to the corresponding episodes. Veronica's a little different...
Spoilers: No real spoilers...general knowledge of season 1 helpful.
A/N I started this story ages ago, but recently became re-interested in Veronica Mars fanfic again and decided I'd give this story another try.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of them...yet :)
Who would have thought that when Lilly's life ended so would mine. I guess it's only fair because Lilly had to be gone so I could come out from her shadow to be reborn. Veronica 2.0. Definitely new, the jury is still out on the improved part.
I miss her. I'm ok without the parties and the fake friends. Hell, I'm even ok with being without Duncan, but I really miss Lilly. I miss girl talk and having someone to shop with. I miss Lilly, who may have treated her boyfriends like shit, but her friends she treated like they were precious. I miss Lilly who was always able to make you feel like the best possible version of yourself. Let's face it, I miss Lilly's version of Veronica. I miss her most now, as I prepare to start up Junior year.
I stop out of the car and take a deep breath. Hell, sweet Hell. I walk towards the front of the school. I am surprised to see a huge crowd of people by the flagpole. As I get closer I am able to see there ís a boy duct taped to it with "Snitch" written on his chest. I roll my eyes as I fight my way through the crowd to get to him. It's not hard to shove through a crowd when everyone hates you. My stomach recoils familiarly and I struggle to remember if there is any breakfast left in it. No, breakfast is long gone. With a wince I hope looks like a grimace I tell the crowd to leave. "Go to class, show's over here."
"Who died and left you in control?" Mike Connel asks with a sneer. Right, because that's witty and original.
I pull out my switchblade and let it slide into place right in front of his face. He backs away and says, "Ok, ok. What a bitch."
That's me, Veronica Mars the bitch. I turn to the kid duct taped to the pole. He meets my gaze and doesn't flinch or turn away. Ah, fresh meat. I slice through the duct tape binding him easily. "I think you can get the rest, yes?" I ask speaking of the shorts made of duct tape he is wearing. Man, I hope they let him keep his underwear. Knowing the ass holes that go to our school, they didn't.
I turn and walk away before he can reply. I donít want the kid getting the wrong impression. I am not looking for thanks or more friends willing to ditch me with the turn of the crowd. My gaze falls onto Duncan, Lilly's brother, and the one who hurt me the most. I may have always said I didn't care when all of my friends stopped talking to me unless it was to insult me, but I was lying. One day I realized I had stopped pretending not to care because I really didn't care. I am completely fine without those ass holes in my life, but when I see Duncan my chest tightens and I realize I do still care. It's a good thing I've had a lot of practice pretending. You see, he used to be my boyfriend.
Just last year my fairy tale seemed complete. I had the perfect Prince Charming, a loving family, a best friend who already felt like a sister, and a court of adoring fans. That is until the prince dumped me without any warning or any explanation. One day it was like I contracted leprosy and he was the only one who could tell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I can see his back stiffening, so I know he hears me, but he makes no move to respond. I go up to him and lay my hand on his shoulder gently. "What's wrong?" He doesn't answer. Instead he pulls away from me and starts to walk in the opposite direction. "Duncan, Duncan wait? Where are you going?" He isn't turning around. If anything I would swear he is walking faster. I turn away when I notice a group of girls laughing at me. I turn away and continue walking down the hallway. I really hope they didn't notice the tears. It was two days before I was able to bring the subject up to Lilly. She always loved the fact that her best friend and her brother were dating, but she really hated to hear about it. "Lilly, did Duncan break up with me?" She gives me a weird look. "Don't you think you would have noticed if he went, 'Veronica, I think we should break up?'? I know you can be a bit out of it, Veronica, but come on. You're not that blond are you?" "Well I know he didn't say that, but unless Iím missing something I think he ended things. He recoiled when I touched his arm, he won't talk to me, he won't even look at me." I am ashamed as the tears start to slide down my face. Lilly hates weakness. "Oh come on, Veronica! It's just Donut. He's probably got his panties in a twist about some delusion. I'll talk to him if you really want." She grins at me wickedly. "Or, if you'd rather I could break up with Logan and you and I could go out and try to meet some guys. What do you say? Ready to be my wing-girl?" I can see Logan walking towards us in the hall, but he turns away with a pained expression down another hall. I wonder for a second how much he heard. "God, no, of course not, Lilly. At least you guys can be happy." "Fine, fine. Iíll talk to him." "Thanks, Lilly." The next day Lilly breaks up with Logan and invites me to a party. She says nothing, but I know how her conversation with Duncan must have gone. Somehow I made Prince Charming hate me.
I walk up to Duncan and I cant stop my grin from taking over my face. I love him. I didn't think I would be one of those girls whose lives became incomplete without their boyfriends, but I also didn't think I'd meet someone so sweet. "Hey, Sweetie, you didn't call me last night." Duncan calls me every night. Even if its just to say "I love you."
That was a long time ago though and I am a different girl now. I'm no longer heartbroken, but it still hurts to see Duncan. Especially after the way he treated me after his sister died. After Lilly was murdered. Duncan sees me staring off in his direction and he sneers as he walks towards me. Great, another perfect day at Neptune High School.
"Well if it isnít Veronica Mars. Have a good summer? It doesnít look like you made it out enough, you're awfully pasty."
"Now, now, Duncan. Just because I didnít spend the summer at the beach with you and your collection of skanks doesn't mean I didn't have a good time. Some of us have to work for a living, I'm sure your maids told you all about working, right?"
Duncan starts for a second and I allow myself a satisfied smile. Last year I would have crumpled up or run to the bathroom to cry. Not anymore. Duncan Kane, meet Veronica Mars 2.0.
"Ah, I thought the new sheriff chased you off of your street corner."
"Street corner? You must be thinking of the whore I saw you get into your car with last night. What'd she make you pay? Did she give you the billion dollar special?" I am enjoying this conversation more than I would have thought when my stomach churns again. I think I must have miscalculated on breakfast being gone. Before I can even realize what's happening I throw up all over Duncan.
"You fucking bitch! You did that on fucking purpose. I'm going to fucking kill you, you bitch!" Duncan starts to lunge towards me, but just as swiftly I pull out my taser gun. Before I can taser him Logan pulls him away. Logan Echolls, the school's designated psychotic ass hole. Excellent, a much better sparring partner than poor Duncan.
"Come on man, let's get you home so you can change. It's not worth it. What are you going to do, hit a girl? You want to get suspended?"
Logan leads Duncan back towards the parking lot. I can feel the heat of the hate rising from Duncan's eyes. This isn't finished. I wave at him and wink. His face shudders in rage, but Logan must have a tight grip on him. I look at Logan, expecting an echo of the rage in Duncan's eyes, but there is nothing. If anything I see pity and it makes me want to hit him. I don't want anyone's pity.
Well itís promising to be an interesting year. Who would have imagined I would throw up on Duncan Kane. Score one for morning sickness! Yup, that's right. Wondering who the father is? So am I.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Everyone turns to look at me, but no one says anything. People laugh as I walk by, but no one says anything. I grab a drink and chug it. Fuck it. I'm so tired of hurting all of the time, and I'm tired of pretending it doesn't hurt. Someone hands me a drink and I grab it thankfully. I turn to see who gave it to me, but there is no one looking my way. Well, it's the closest anyone has come to interacting with me in weeks, so I am grateful. Things start to become fuzzy not too long after that. I dance my way across the room instead of just walking. When I get outside I feel like laughing. Everything feels so good. I lay down on a pool chair so I can look at the stars properly. I wake up the next morning in one of the guest bedrooms. I have to look around for my underwear. I can't help the tears that slowly fall down my face. I didn't think anyone hated me this much. I make it to my car, but then I pause. Where else am I going to go? I don't want to go home. I don't know what my father would do when he found out, but it could be nothing good. Since my mom took off he's all I have, and I would really rather not visit him in prison. With great reluctance I decide to go to the sheriff's office. Inga is very concerned about my appearance. I know I look like crap, but what do you really expect. My conversation with the sheriff is a bit of a blur. Telling him I had been raped was the single hardest thing I had ever done. He laughed and suggested it wasn't against my will. He mocked me. I am sitting there, holding my ripped underwear, wishing I could shower. I don't feel like I'll ever feel clean again. I feel like kicking and screaming, but I know it won't do any good. Sheriff Lamb taught me something very important. He taught me no one else can bring you justice. I went home and took a long series of showers. I didn't actually step out of the tub until the water was icy cold. I stare at myself in the mirror. Who am I? "I'm not you!" I scream at my reflection before I break down into sobbing. Through the tears I reach up and chop off a huge hunk of my hair. I let it fall to the floor. I don't stop until it hangs without touching my shoulders. I get dressed and start to clean up the bathroom. Dad doesn't say anything, but I see the worry in his eyes. A month later and I missed my period. I didn't think too much of it, but I missed the next month too. I bought a bunch of pregnancy tests. After the tenth positive reading it started to sink in that I was pregnant.
I walk into Shelley's end of the school year party even though I know no one wants me to attend. What else am I going to do, but pretend I don't care? It's my first party since Lilly, and I wonder what harm could it bring. I'm tired of passively accepting their rejection.
I sleep my way through my mornings classes. I havenít been sleeping well. World Lit seemed like the perfect place to catch up a little bit.
I'm staring at my disturbing Salisbury steak at lunch. I swirl some of the peas and carrot bits into the gravy without lifting my fork to my mouth once. A shadow passes over my tray and I look up. The flagpole kid is sitting at my table.
"You know what I hate?"
"Who said you could sit here?" His face falls, but he doesn't say anything back. He just starts to gather up his lunch bag and the apple he had pulled out of it. I'm used to having to hit first, but I'm not used to not being hit back. "Wait, of course you can sit here. You can sit anywhere."
He grins and plops himself back down. I can't help the small smile that escapes in response. My smile gets bigger as I realize Duncan has noticed my guest and is crushing the box of lo mein he was holding in response. I look back at the new kid. It's been a long time since I had even a casual conversation with someone my own age. I can't think of a single thing to say. Unfortunately, I didn't have to.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't my bitch. I thought I had made it completely clear you were supposed to wait for me at the flag pole." If it wasn't Eli ìWeevilî Navarro. My eyebrow went up. What could this kid have done to piss off Weevil?
"Ha, ha. Very funny. I get it,"the kid manages to stutter. I feel like snorting. I've been there and that kind of attitude isn't going to get him out of this situation.
"Leave him alone." I say before I can stop myself. Why do I care so much about this geeky kid?
"The only time I care what a woman has to say is when she is riding my big ole hog, and even then it's really only a serious of oohs and aahs," Weevil says and he leers at me suggestively.
"So it's big?"
"Legendary."
"Let's see it." Weevil laughs and turns to look at his gang members. "Well, if it's as big as you say I'll be your girlfriend. We could go to prom together." He doesn't say anything in reply, but I see that as a small victory. "Come on, I'm on a schedule here, Vato." A schedule. He has no idea. Six more months before I have a baby without a father. Probably only a few weeks before I start to show. I wonder if he would leer that way if he could see the small bulge forming underneath my sweatshirt. I have six months to find the fucker who raped me so I can make him pay. I don't have time for this ass hole or the games he wants to play.
I give Weevil another look before shaking my head, grabbing the flag pole kid and walking away. I stop and turn around, "Give a call when you grow a pair, Vato."
I can hear his gang members gasping and asking him if he is going to let me talk to him like that, but he doesn't make a move to follow. From the look in his eyes I know this isn't over either.
"What the hell did you do to him?"
I turn to the kid and realize I really have to ask him his name soon. He's looking at me with wide eyes. After much stuttering he manages to tell me about sending two of Weevil's boys to jail for stealing alcohol.
"You really know how to make an entrance, don't you kid?" I start to walk down the hall towards my next class. I don't need the drama this kid is going to bring me.
I hear him jog to catch up. "It's Wallace."
"Huh?"
"You called me kid, my name is Wallace."
"Is this where we shake hands and become best friends forever?"
His face falls and I feel a little guilty. Damn this boy that looks at me like a puppy I just kicked. I sigh. "My name is Veronica Mars. Ask around before we become too chummy, ok?"
I walk away, plans to get the gang off his back already snaking through my brain.
Later that night I am parked outside a seedy motel watching Duncan's father, Jake Kane. His mother hired my father to investigate him to make sure he wasn't cheating on her. That's what my father does now, he's a private investigator. It looks like Celeste was right to be worried, unless Jake often has business meetings at 1:00am in cheap hotel rooms. I can practically smell the stench of bimbo from my car.
I hear a buzzing coming closer and turn around. Weevil and his motorcycle gang are coming down the street. Have I reveled in the wonderfulness that is today enough yet?
They stop in front of my car. "Car trouble miss?" Weevil asks sarcastically.
I reply in kind. "Yes, I think so. If one of you boys wouldn't mind helping me out here."
It's moments like this that I really miss Lily. She would have found the humor in being a pregnant woman surrounded by gang of guys on motorcycles appropriately funny.
One of the guys comes towards the car. Before he can even touch the door Backup leaps out of the back seat and bites him on the leg. You didnít think I would travel without protection? No one is ever going to hurt me like that again. Another one of the guys comes towards the car and grins at me. I taser his ass. I grin at Weevil as two of his guys are writhing on the ground.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asks. I frown. I don't think I heard anything sarcastic or suggestive in that statement, but I am not stupid.
"You think I'm crazy, Vato?"
He walks up to the car slowly. He says something in Spanish to the two boys on the ground and they crawl away. "Backup, chill," I add so the first guy can crawl away and keep his leg.
"You can keep the taser out and ready if you want. I just want to talk to you privately for a minute."
I shrug. "Sure, why not. I donít even need the taser. Backup really seems to dislike you."
He leans in and whispers, "I need your help."
I can't help it, I laugh and his whole face tightens. "Why would I want to help you?"
"I think you're going to want some help real soon. You think school is bad now? Just wait another month or two until that sweatshirt stops hiding your little secret. Not throwing up on your ex-boyfriend might help too. Not that I blame you, that prick deserves a hell of a lot worse."
I can feel the blood drain from my face. Fuck. I thought I had done such a good job of hiding it. If Weevil knew who else knew? Fuck, fuck, fuck. I need more time. I still haven't figured out a way to tell Dad yet.
His face softens as if he can read my whole inner tirade. "Hey, it's ok. I don't think anyone else knows. One of the cousins is a janitor at the clinic. I was helping him out when you went in for your last checkup. I saw you there and.."
I cut him off before he can talk about the pity I see across his face. "You saw me and what? Figured there goes a fucking whore so stupid she got knocked up? Thought to yourself, hey there's a teenage mom to be, let me blackmail her white ass?"
"No, I just figured you'd be needing some help."
"And what is it you want in return? Your boys to walk?"
"Nah, Iím on that. You might want to be near Duncan's locker at 10:30 tomorrow morning."
"So what do you want?"
"I want your help finding Lilly's killer."
That was definitely not what I was expecting. Dad didn't think that Abel Koontz killed Lilly and I trusted him, but the whole reason I am now a social outcast is that absolutely no one else believes us. This is too weird, even for me. I whistle and Backup jumps back into the car. I put the car into reverse and peel out. I turn around and drive away wondering what I am going to do when they follow me. They don't follow. Weevil just stares at me until I can't see him in the rearview mirror anymore. He probably kept it up until I disappeared from his sight as well.
Being weirded out did not keep me from Duncanís locker the next morning. I knew his locker was up for a random search, and Weevil had officially peeked my curiosity. I arrive just in time to see the Deputy searching the locker pull out a bong in the shape of a naked guy. I snort as Duncan explodes. "That's not mine. That's not fucking mine. Give that to me you prick, you're not taking that down to the station. IT'S NOT MINE!" Two seconds later and the Deputy is down and Duncan is on top of him.
I find Weevil. "I want you to explain what you said yesterday." His eyebrow goes up. "I saw Duncan and I think I owe you enough to at least sit down and listen."
He grins and nods. "Enjoy the show huh? I'll come talk to you tonight. I think we'd both like some privacy."
I nod. I start to turn, but I realize Logan is watching me talk to Weevil. He shakes his head and walks away. I turn and walk to the computer lab. I have a video of Duncan's performance on my cell phone that I just can't wait to post all over the internet.