A/N: Thank you so much to my reviewers so far! It's great hearing what people think! And in response to some of the concerns you guys have voiced don't worry, this isn't all going to be case-based (although there is a primary case, and several side ones) and Veronica is never going to be able to follow the rules exactly. Also, I'm going to apologize in advanced because this chapter is pretty much just Veronica and the new characters, but I promise next chapter there'll be some Mac, Dick, Logan, etc. Also, forewarning, this isn't really my typical style of writing, it just seemed to fit this story, so let me know what you think!
Veronica was breathing uneasily. The gun was clenched tightly in her hands, wavering with her emotional turmoil.
Logan stepped forward slowly, eyes wide as he stretched out his arm in Veronica's direction. "You are not a killer, Veronica. Give me the gun." He urged as he took a few steps closer, his hand almost touching hers. "You're not a killer, Veronica."
Sorry, sugarpuss. Wrong again.
There was hardly a moment's pause for the bomber to follow through on his threat. Veronica's features set in harshly, and she pulled the trigger, the shot breaking loudly through the tiny room.
The bullet found it's target with ease. His smirk still on his face the bomber fell to the ground, tumbling backwards, and pulling Callie down with him. She let out a scream as they fell, but it was soon replaced by barely contained sobs as she began to crawl away from the bloody body of her captor.
A few feet away Callie's hand went quickly to her neck, to cover the thin line of blood starting to form there, as her legs curled up into her chest.
…
Veronica sat very still. She was in a simple hard backed chair in Hendricks office, staring across the large mahogany desk at Hendricks himself. He, meanwhile, was skimming over papers, his lips moving slightly as his finger traced the words, as though he was trying to fully understand it.
She was still in her suit. Except now, of course, it was stained with blood around the sleeves.
Finally Hendricks looked up and shook his head slightly. "That was quite a shot."
"Thank you, sir." Veronica said with a slight nod. Her tone was flat and completely void of emotion.
Placing his elbows on his desk, Hendricks leaned forward, resting his head on the back of his hands, examining Veronica closely. "Well, I've gotta put you on probation. Regulation and all." He rolled his eyes as he spoke. "Unofficially though, considering the situation investigation won't take more than a day. I'll make sure they keep it quick."
Veronica nodded again in understanding. "Thank you, sir." She repeated, seemingly genuine, but still very cold.
"Listen, Mars, I don't peg you as another one of these hot shot rooks." He began, his eyes still carefully scanning her, considering something.
"And how do you peg me, exactly?" Veronica asked, raising an eyebrow. Her posture relaxed slightly and she crossed her legs, leaning back a bit in the chair.
"Your file paints you as a glorified vigilante, Agent Mars." Hendricks explained, leaning back in his own chair to mimic Veronica's posture. "Justice above regulation."
And here it comes. The maybe-you're-not-cut-out-to-be-a-fed talk. Every advisor I've had since sophomore year has said the same. Heck even my kindergarten teacher was pretty sure I wasn't right for the job. What was it she said, 'doesn't play well with others' I think.
"Depends on the regulation." Veronica admitted with a flippant shrug.
Hendricks smirked in response, apparently quite pleased with her answer.
"Looking for some justice, yourself, sir?" She asked, leaning forward now slightly, arms folded across her chest as she sized him up.
"Have you heard of the Fallen Shadows?"
"Biggest crime ring SoCal's ever had. Yeah, I know 'em. Or, of them at least. I grew up in Neptune. We were more into gangs, rapists, and the occasional white collar murder. You know, small town and all."
"Yes, of course." Hendricks chuckled before continuing. "Well, our team is heading an investigation to put them away."
"This is all sounding pretty, gung-ho regulation to me." Veronica raised an eyebrow, clearly impatient.
"We've got a leak." Hendricks explained, his demeanor quickly turning hard.
"A leak?" Veronica uncrossed her arms and looked at her boss with barely contained curiosity. "How do you know?"
"Every time we get close to them, their plans change." He explained. "And I mentioned last month that we had an informant, two days later they were cracking down on security, and our mole had to go underground."
"So, you want me to find the leak?" Her voice was doubtful, as though this was a ridiculous request.
"Regulation would have me switching out my whole team. Deep investigation by outside departments. It's a real cluster fuck. I was hoping you could help speed things along."
"Basically, you're putting me on the Fallen Shadows team, and asking me to snoop until I find the double agent?"
Huh, shoot a guy, get a promotion. Who would've thunk it?
"That's the short of it, yeah." Hendricks agreed with a smile.
Veronica smiled back and nodded her head, "I can do that."
"Great. You know Agent Thompson, right? Cole?"
"Yeah, you've partnered me with him a couple of times now." Her voice was questioning, clearly unsure where Hendricks was going with this.
"He's one of the guys on the case. I'll have him stop by your desk and brief you. Unless you want to head home, of course. Been a long day."
"No thanks, I'm good to stay." Veronica assured him, before leaving Hendricks' office with a wave.
I bet Cole's going to rub my face in the fact he was right. That the professor wasn't our guy. Not that I ever told him he was wrong, per say, but I was pretty vocal in doubting his profiling skills. But, either he got lucky, or he really is that good. Personally, I'm betting on lucky. Hell, with all the bad luck I've had, I've gotta figure some people get good luck, right?
"How're things holding up?" Cole asked, leaning into Veronica's small cubicle. It was a fairly plain gray cubicle, with no decorations, and only the bare minimum of office supplies and several open folders on the desk.
"Oh oh, I know this one!" Veronica said with feigned excitement, practically bouncing in her chair. "The normal force, right. Equal and opposite to gravity, did I get it?"
At Cole's blank expression Veronica continued, rolling her eyes. "You know, holding things up? Like, off the ground? Tables? Desks? Come on now, Thompson, didn't you ever take a physics class growing up?"
"So we're sticking with denial then. Classic." Cole rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he sat down on the edge of Veronica's desk. "Unless I missed something in that page turner of a file of yours, I'm pretty sure you've never shot a guy."
Why is it, exactly, that he got to read my file? Seems a bit unfair. God I'm gonna love investigating this guy. Cole Thompson, profile extraordinaire, you just try and hide your dirty little secrets. What's it gonna be, juvie record, unpaid child support. Oh, pretty please be an ex-con.
Veronica smirked up at him. "Well, there was this one guy at Quantico…" She trailed off wistfully, "Something about guys made of paper, just really irks me, ya know?"
Shaking his head, Cole just continued. "So, I guess you're on the Shadows case now? Hendricks asked me to give you the file." He held out his hand offering her an light brown accordion folder bulging with documents.
"When you finish this, let me know. I'll give you the rest."
"The rest?" Veronica took the folder and looked at it strangely. "There's more?"
Cole just laughed. "We've been investigating since you were in diapers, Barbie, of course there's more."
…
The door was quickly unlocked, and Veronica stepped inside. She shut the door behind her and threw her keys several feet to the side where they landed on her counter. Taking off her messenger bag she set it onto the ground right by the door.
Her face was showing signs of exhaustion, and her fingers were fidgeting as she continued. Next off was her jacket, which she tossed unceremoniously onto the back of a chair, taking a few steps forward to reach. After the jacket, she kicked off her shoes, letting them fall haphazardly on the floor.
She continued walking forwards towards her couch, letting her black blazer drop on the floor behind her, as she untucked her blouse from her pants.
Finally she reached the couch and flopped down onto it, pulling her head into a throw pillow. Several second later her entire body was rocking with uncontrollable sobs. Her hands tried to wipe the tears away several times, but to no avail, the tears continued to come.
Suddenly though, an old fashioned phone rung, breaking the silence of Veronica's apartment and causing her to pull her face away from the pillow, sitting up slowly. She wiped at her tears again, smearing her makeup slightly in the process.
Crossing the room in a few strides she pulled her phone out of one of her bag's outer pockets. Watching the external screen, she took a deep breath before pulling the phone to her ear and flipping it open. "Hey there, old man!" Veronica answered, her voice upbeat.
Ok, so I might not be dealing that well, but Dad doesn't need to know that. He was a sheriff, he'd get it, it's just part of the job. A few years ago I'm sure he'd have heard it in my voice somehow, I mean he could tell the morning after I slept with Duncan, somehow, nowadays though, he's got his own stuff to deal with.
"Agent Mars." Keith's voice replied seriously.
"Your daughter, the fed. That's right." Veronica laughed into the phone, her smile still plastered across her face.
"Speaking of, any chance that big government of ours will let you off for Thanksgiving?" Keith asked.
"I'm sure it can be arranged. Mac already made it clear I'll be joining you guys. That is, if I don't want all my files remotely erased."
"I always did like that girl." Keith laughed warmly. "So, how long can we expect you to stay?"
"Probably just a day or two."
"Well, we little folk will just have to be happy with what we can get, then." Keith deadpanned.
"You'd better be!" Veronica joked in return.
Sooner or later I'm going to have to go back to Neptune. I knew it was going to happen as soon as I accepted the position here in L.A. It's not that I haven't visited once or twice since I left, just never for more than a day or two. And those days: usually at least a year apart. Now who knows how often I'll be visiting. First Thanksgiving, then Christmas, I'm sure they'll find a way to get me there at least once a month. Dammit, Mars, why didn't you ask for Houston?
…
"And what can I do for you this morning, Veronica?" Cole asked, spinning his chair around to face his cubicle entrance.
"I come bearing files." She replied with a smile holding out the large folder she'd taken the previous day.
"Wow, one night and you've already gone through all this? I'm impressed."
"Well what can I say, I'm a fiend for a good file."
Cole just shook his head in reply. "Find anything interesting?"
"Come on now, Agent Thompson, having the new girl read the file for you, isn't that a bit beneath you?"
"Don't be silly, Agent Mars nothing's beneath me."
"No shocker there." Veronica winked, but Cole only rolled his eyes. Then, getting back on topic she continued, "And anyways, it seems pretty open and shut. Well, as soon as we get some non-circumstantial evidence on anyone remotely important in the organization."
"And there-in lies the problem. Well, you're pretty much caught up then, I guess." Cole leaned back in his chair twirling a pen in his fingers. "Unless you think there's more to know?"
"I thought you said there were more files to read?" Veronica asked, looking genuinely perplexed. "This investigation has been going on for years. If that's all we have…."
"Everything else is pretty out of date, I wouldn't worry about it." He shrugged, and turned back to his desk, grabbing a folder and opening it to start work.
"Well, color me concerned." She crossed her arms and waited.
"Really? You want the background files on a two decade case?" It was his turn to raise his eyebrow now. "You sure about that, Barbie? You've got the groundwork you need to start up."
"I'm sure."
Cole shook his head in disbelief. "Of course you are. Try Tony Embom, he's just down the hall. He's got the older stuff."
Veronica smiled, a little too sweetly, and turned on her heels in the direction Cole had gestured. Clearly she was determined.
The files weren't exactly illuminating. Lots of rumor and hearsay on crimes everyone knows the Fallen Shadows were behind. Everyone knows, but no one can prove. We know the members, we know their jobs, we know pretty much everything there is to know, everything we need to catch them. Except they know what we know, and they're two steps ahead. So that's where I come in.
"Agent Enbom?" Veronica asked quietly as she knocked on the open door to an office. A small balding man was sitting behind a desk inside, working through lots of papers.
"Go away, Margery, I'll deal with it later…" He grumbled, not even bothering to look up from his papers.
Veronica cleared her throat at him, but he continued to look at his papers. "Agent Enbom?" She repeated, waiting for his response.
"Goddamn Margery, I told you to hold my calls!" He exclaimed angrily before looking up to shout at 'Margery' some more.
"I think you've got the wrong woman." Veronica explained crossing her arms in front of her. "My guess is that out there would be Margery, your assistant. And she's busy."
Veronica gestured through the door behind her to an old woman who's head was on the desk, snoring loudly, with a small puddle of drool forming under her second chin. "I can see how you'd be confused, though."
"What do you want?" Enbom's eyes squinted suspiciously at the woman in his office.
"I just got transferred onto the Fallen Shadows case. Agent Thompson said you'd have some of the files."
"Cole sent you?" Enbom still seemed suspicious.
"Yeah. He said you had some of the older files I could look at." Veronica explained again, clearly losing her patience with the man.
"So, you've been transferred onto the Fallen Shadows case?"
"Again, yes. That is pretty much exactly what I told you. So can we skip you repeating everything else I've said and move to the you finding me that file?"
"Aren't you a bit.. young?" Enbom was glaring her down, as though waiting for her to cave.
"Should I just wake up your assistant? See if she knows where the file is?"
"She's old as dirt. She doesn't know where anything is. Just give me a minute. Agent…"
"Mars. I'm new."
"New, huh?" Enbom had finally spun his chair around and was looking in a filing cabinet.
"Again. That is what I said."
Enbom giggled, as he pulled a file from the drawer. "That's what she said." He laughed a bit more, an oddly grotesque laugh, as he turned around and held out the file.
"So, you've been on the Shadows' case for awhile?" Veronica asked, her voice a few octaves too high, and far too sweet.
"Since the beginning, sweetheart." Enbom explained, his smile spreading at her girlish tone. "If you need someone to go over the ahem… finer details… of things with you, just let me know." He gave her a wink, and a disturbing smile.
"Thanks… I'll let you know." Veronica's face held barely disguised repulsion, and she quickly exited the office.
Since the beginning, huh? Twenty years, not a single piece of admissible evidence on our side, and you've been there since the beginning. Well, sweetheart, it looks like I am going to have to go over the finer details of this file after all.
…
Sitting at her desk, Veronica leafed through the files. She combed over documents carefully, looking in particular at the files signed off on by Agent Enbom. That stack especially is quite sizable.
A smaller stack on her desk included personal reprimands involving the case. Large portions of the files are blacked out, apparently being above her paygrade, causing her to groan.
What were you up to, Enbom? What did you do in '08 to cause such a fuss?
She flipped through the pages, all stapled together, of one report in particular. It was almost entirely blacked out, and she couldn't find anything else that referenced it.
Must have been something pretty terrible. Your name seems gone from all the files since. Oh, all but one.
Veronica picked up another paper from her desk that had caught her eye.
'Agent Anothony Enbom has been removed from the case after further inspection in regards to Disciplinary Claim 97G342.'
Soon she was packing up the folder, gathering the stacks of papers from her desk and neatly placing them back in order. She looked up at the clock as she finished packing and was relieved when it showed 4:45. Not quiet the end of the day yet.
"Oh good, you're still here." Veronica smiled as she walked into Cole's cubicle again.
"Just can't get enough of me, can you?" Cole joked, rolling his eyes and eying the folder, "And what can I do for you?"
"Send my heart a flutter." She laughed, mimicking a fluttering heart with her hands over her chest.
"Oh don't I wish. Really, Mars, it's quitting time, better not want to go into detail on that file of yours." He nodded at the folder under her arm.
"Nah, Enbom seems to have slipped out early. I was wondering who I should give the file too?"
"Don't worry about it. Just keep it, everything important is backed up, and you've got more use for it than Tony anyway."
"Oh right, he isn't on the case anymore, right?" Veronica asked, trying to sound conversationally curious.
"Nope. And let me guess, you want to know why?" Cole gave her a slightly tired look as he crossed his arms.
"What can I say, I'm curious, didn't your super profiling skills tell you that?"
"Hasn't anyone ever told you curiosity killed the cat?"
"Haven't you ever heard cats have nine lives?"
"And what's this put you on, four, five, left?"
"If I'm lucky." She smiled, batting her eyelashes at him. "Just a little hint?"
"Disciplinary reasons." Cole finally admitted.
"Well yeah, duh. The file said that. Come on, Cole. Partner? What do you say?"
"HR stepped in, asked him to switch teams."
"Well, pretty sure that's protocol. Stop holding out on me, Thompson. You know you wanna tell me."
"Only if you buy me a beer." When Veronica only raised an eyebrow he looked at her with concern. "Come on, don't tell me you're skipping Victor's again?"
"Victor's?"
"Yeah, the bar. Drinks with the team? I've gotta say Mars, your last excuse was more than a bit flimsy: having to unpack. You keep skipping and we'll start thinking you don't like us."
"Right. That Victors. Alright fine, a beer it is."
"Great, you bused today right?" Veronica nodded her head and he smiled, "Alright, just give me a sec to file this and I can give you a lift."
"Thanks."
…
As soon as her seat belt closed, she turned to face Cole in the driver seat. "So, Enbom's disciplinary report?"
Cole burst out laughing. "Woah there, Mars, at least let the engine turn over before you start the inquisition!"
"What, afraid I won't give you your liquor?"
"Yeah, something like that." He eyed her for a second out of the corner of his eye. "Why do you want to know, anyway?"
"What can I say, I'm a curious gal! Kinda how I got the job."
"And I could've sworn you were one of the sleep your way to the top types."
"No such luck, boss. Now, about Enbom…."
"My god you are persistent!" Cole laughed. "It's not even that interesting, really. Pretty typical problem. Long term case, he got too deep, too invested, it started to show in his performance and his supervisor was concerned."
"What do you mean: too invested? How would that show up badly?"
"The Shadows are slippery, Veronica. Not an easy group to catch." Cole sighed, but kept his eyes on the road. "We kept just missing them, and he started to lose his grip…"
"Lose his grip, how?" Veronica's voice was sterner now. He was leaving something out and she needed to know what.
"He was an alcoholic," Cole finally explained, his voice quiet. "He started showing up drunk."
...
"Oh good, you made it!" Hendricks said with a grin as he patted Cole on the back and nodded at Veronica. "Come on, have a seat."
Veronica smiled nervously and took a seat on one of the stools in between Callie and an older agent she hadn't met before. He smiled at her, or more ogled really, and she turned to face Callie's direction instead, accepting the glass of beer being handed to her.
"How's your neck?" Veronica asks after a moment, noticing the turtleneck Callie is wearing has a bit of a bandage peaking out beneath it.
"It's good, thanks." Callie says with a genuine smile. "Barely even two stitches. It might not even scar."
"Good, glad to hear it." Veronica smiled in return.
"Thanks again, for… you know."
"Saving your ass?" Veronica supplied.
Callie laughed in reply, "Yeah, for that." After an awkward moment of silence, Callie turned and started talking to Cole who had taken a seat on her other side.
Veronica took a long sip from her cup and glanced around the table at who had come. They were, all together, a party of just under a dozen. Going around the table there was Veronica, Callie, Cole, Hendricks, Seth, Omar, a man named Jonathan, a woman named Kristy, and three other agents that she hadn't been introduced to.
"You must be Veronica!" One of them, a slightly chubby woman in a dark brown skirt suit supplied. "I'm Janine! Nice to meet you."
"You too!" Veronica smiled back, trying to seem genuine. Sadly her credibility was hurt by how as soon as the introductions finished she practically chugged her beer.
"Wow, V, wouldn't have pegged you for the heavy drinking type." Omar exclaimed, slightly surprised.
"Never were much good at profiling, were you, O." Veronica replied, sending him a glare.
Luckily any tension was cut by Hendrick's hardy laugh. "Real spitfire, aren't you, Agent Mars. That's quite a quip!"
"He's had five already." Callie leaned over and whispered to Cole, meeting Veronica's eyes for a second to see if she heard.
Veronica eyed her boss curiously, but Cole simply shrugged and took another swig of his own drink before whispering something quietly back in Callie's ear. Veronica's eyes wandered and they settled on Seth for a second, seeing that he'd been glaring at her from across the table.
"I should be going." Seth announced quickly, chugging down the last of his beer as he stood up, avoiding Veronica's gaze.
"So soon?" Janine asked, looking quite disappointed.
"Yeah, sorry." Seth nodded, "I'll see you all tomorrow. Night."
"Night…" Veronica muttered, taking another deep sip from her beer.