FIC: "Exile from Mars" (PG) Lamb, Veronica
Title: Exile from Mars
Author: Angel Grace
Characters/Pairings: Lamb, Veronica
Rating: PG
Length: 1256 words
Spoilers/Warnings: Through "Nobody Puts Baby In a Corner" is fair game.
Summary: Lamb knows what the Mannings have been doing to Grace. So what is he going to do about it?
Author's Note: This fic is for sadiekate and monimala, who got me on the Lamb train, and for mspooh, who mentioned last night that she wanted Sheriff Mars, Deputy Lamb, and Veronica in a fic. I tried to fit that in as best I could. This is my first Lamb fic, and I really tried not to woobify him too much, so I hope the characterization is okay.
The house was dark, quiet. The last light had flicked off half an hour earlier, but still he sat, watching.
I heard my father give that exact speech once.
In his mind's eye, he could see the tiny cubby inside the closet. No lights, no comfort, no space. Just enough room for a small girl with no way out.
He hadn't actually seen the child, hadn't witnessed the terror lurking deep inside her eyes, but he could picture her just the same. He'd seen eyes like that staring back at him too many times.
He heard the passenger door of his cruiser creak open, but he didn't look over. He'd been half expecting her for the past hour.
"Go home, Veronica," he said, not bothering to put an edge on his tone.
"You believed me," she said quietly.
He didn't reply. When she said things in that voice, the voice he remembered, it bothered him more than any of her tough talk or biting sarcasm.
"Are you going to arrest them?"
His silence was her answer.
"I should have known. Just once, I thought you were going to do the right thing. But that would require you to be human, wouldn't it? Maybe you should go see the wizard, Deputy--ask him to give you a soul."
He heard the door latch click open, and finally he turned. He grabbed her by the wrist before she could get out of the car.
"If you value your hand, you'll get it off me."
"You broke into their house," he reminded her.
She stared up at him, her hard gaze piercing the darkness. "When have you ever let a little thing like the law stand in your way? Or do you only grow convenient professional ethics inside the 09er zip code?"
His grip on her arm tightened, and he yanked her across the seat until their faces were only inches apart. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her the truth, to assure her he wasn't going to let this case slip through the cracks. But that wasn't how things worked between them. They weren't colleagues, and they weren't friends. He didn't owe her an explanation. He didn't owe her anything.
Abruptly, he released her. "Go home, Veronica."
He turned his attention back to the Manning house while she got out of the car. For once, he didn't want to see the hatred and betrayal on her face.
She hadn't always looked at him that way.
Christmas 1999. He was twenty-three, and a rookie. He had come to Neptune six months earlier, wanting to escape his Midwestern roots. He was slowly learning that this sunny California town could be just as insulated and small-minded as his hometown.
Sheriff Mars had invited the whole department over for a Christmas party on December 24th. He had brought a bottle of wine for the host and hostess, and a box of chocolates for the Sheriff's twelve-year-old daughter, who liked to come visit her dad at work.
Lianne Mars greeted him warmly at the door, cocktail in hand, and immediately offered him a drink. He stepped into the house tentatively--how was he supposed to act in his boss's home? Veronica came running up to say hello, and he gave her the candy. She beamed up at him, big eyes set in a pixie face. He smiled back--she was a cute kid.
The party was fun--good food, good beer, good company. Lamb managed to relax and enjoy himself, and in the end he was glad he came. When Sheriff Mars found out that he didn't have anywhere to go the next day, he and Lianne insisted that he join them for Christmas dinner. He thought about refusing, but really, what else was he going to do?
He hadn't really known what to expect. Holidays with his own family had always been more stressful than fun. And it was clear that the Mars family had a few problems of its own. Lamb couldn't help noticing on Christmas Eve that Lianne was never without a drink. He wasn't the only one--he saw Veronica watching her mother, a pained expression on her face.
But Christmas Day was low-key and pleasant. They gorged themselves on turkey and all the trimmings, then collapsed in the living room and watched old movies. When Veronica fell asleep on his shoulder partway through It's a Wonderful Life, Lamb had reluctantly decided it was time to go home.
That had been his first Christmas with the Mars family, but not his last. It had become a tradition--one that lasted until the year Lilly Kane died...
He gave his head a sharp shake to clear the memories. There was no point dwelling on things better left in the past. Keith Mars had shot himself in the foot with the way he pursued Jake Kane, and Lamb had simply seized the opportunity that was presented to him.
The Manning house was still dark, and he knew nothing more would be happening tonight. He turned the key in the ignition, put the car in drive, and headed home.
The following Friday, Veronica emerged from her bedroom to find her father sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper. "Morning, Dad."
"Morning, sweetie. Veronica...how well do you know the Mannings?"
Immediately, her head snapped up. "Aside from Meg, not very well. Why?" she asked cautiously.
"It says here that they were arrested on charges of child abuse."
Veronica dropped the bagel she had taken out of the refrigerator. Keith looked at her with concern. "You okay, honey?"
"I'm fine. Just...surprised."
"I know. They seemed like a nice family."
Yeah, except for that whole locking-their-daughter-in-a-closet thing, she thought. Out loud, she said, "Well, I'd better get going. I need to be at school early." She walked over to the couch and gave her dad a kiss on the cheek.
"Have a good day."
"Thanks, you too." Once outside the apartment, she hurried down to her car. There was definitely someplace she needed to be, and it wasn't school.
Veronica Mars strolled through the open office door and slapped a copy of the newspaper down on his desk. Arms crossed, she stood there staring at him.
He didn't even glance at the headline. He knew what this was about. "Can I help you?" he asked snidely.
"You already did," she said. "And I really don't know what to do about that."
"I didn't do it for you. Move on."
Instead, she sat down in one of the chairs facing the desk. "You know, if you keep locking up actual criminals like this, I might be forced to reevaluate my opinion of you."
He leaned back in his chair, stared up at the ceiling. "Do you honestly believe I give a damn what you think?"
"I know you don't. But you used to--or at least you cared what my dad thought. Maybe you haven't completely forgotten how to be human after all."
He still didn't look at her. "If this little bonding session is over, I suggest you get to school before I have to arrest you for truancy."
"On my way...Deputy."
He listened to her footsteps retreating, his gaze still fixed on the crappy beige ceiling. This one case didn't change anything.
And if he occasionally had a craving for Lianne's homemade stuffing, or found himself wanting to ask Keith's opinion on a case, or remembered the feel of Veronica leaned against him as they watched movies...well, nobody was perfect.
Author: Angel Grace
Characters/Pairings: Lamb, Veronica
Rating: PG
Length: 1256 words
Spoilers/Warnings: Through "Nobody Puts Baby In a Corner" is fair game.
Summary: Lamb knows what the Mannings have been doing to Grace. So what is he going to do about it?
Author's Note: This fic is for sadiekate and monimala, who got me on the Lamb train, and for mspooh, who mentioned last night that she wanted Sheriff Mars, Deputy Lamb, and Veronica in a fic. I tried to fit that in as best I could. This is my first Lamb fic, and I really tried not to woobify him too much, so I hope the characterization is okay.
The house was dark, quiet. The last light had flicked off half an hour earlier, but still he sat, watching.
I heard my father give that exact speech once.
In his mind's eye, he could see the tiny cubby inside the closet. No lights, no comfort, no space. Just enough room for a small girl with no way out.
He hadn't actually seen the child, hadn't witnessed the terror lurking deep inside her eyes, but he could picture her just the same. He'd seen eyes like that staring back at him too many times.
He heard the passenger door of his cruiser creak open, but he didn't look over. He'd been half expecting her for the past hour.
"Go home, Veronica," he said, not bothering to put an edge on his tone.
"You believed me," she said quietly.
He didn't reply. When she said things in that voice, the voice he remembered, it bothered him more than any of her tough talk or biting sarcasm.
"Are you going to arrest them?"
His silence was her answer.
"I should have known. Just once, I thought you were going to do the right thing. But that would require you to be human, wouldn't it? Maybe you should go see the wizard, Deputy--ask him to give you a soul."
He heard the door latch click open, and finally he turned. He grabbed her by the wrist before she could get out of the car.
"If you value your hand, you'll get it off me."
"You broke into their house," he reminded her.
She stared up at him, her hard gaze piercing the darkness. "When have you ever let a little thing like the law stand in your way? Or do you only grow convenient professional ethics inside the 09er zip code?"
His grip on her arm tightened, and he yanked her across the seat until their faces were only inches apart. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her the truth, to assure her he wasn't going to let this case slip through the cracks. But that wasn't how things worked between them. They weren't colleagues, and they weren't friends. He didn't owe her an explanation. He didn't owe her anything.
Abruptly, he released her. "Go home, Veronica."
He turned his attention back to the Manning house while she got out of the car. For once, he didn't want to see the hatred and betrayal on her face.
She hadn't always looked at him that way.
Christmas 1999. He was twenty-three, and a rookie. He had come to Neptune six months earlier, wanting to escape his Midwestern roots. He was slowly learning that this sunny California town could be just as insulated and small-minded as his hometown.
Sheriff Mars had invited the whole department over for a Christmas party on December 24th. He had brought a bottle of wine for the host and hostess, and a box of chocolates for the Sheriff's twelve-year-old daughter, who liked to come visit her dad at work.
Lianne Mars greeted him warmly at the door, cocktail in hand, and immediately offered him a drink. He stepped into the house tentatively--how was he supposed to act in his boss's home? Veronica came running up to say hello, and he gave her the candy. She beamed up at him, big eyes set in a pixie face. He smiled back--she was a cute kid.
The party was fun--good food, good beer, good company. Lamb managed to relax and enjoy himself, and in the end he was glad he came. When Sheriff Mars found out that he didn't have anywhere to go the next day, he and Lianne insisted that he join them for Christmas dinner. He thought about refusing, but really, what else was he going to do?
He hadn't really known what to expect. Holidays with his own family had always been more stressful than fun. And it was clear that the Mars family had a few problems of its own. Lamb couldn't help noticing on Christmas Eve that Lianne was never without a drink. He wasn't the only one--he saw Veronica watching her mother, a pained expression on her face.
But Christmas Day was low-key and pleasant. They gorged themselves on turkey and all the trimmings, then collapsed in the living room and watched old movies. When Veronica fell asleep on his shoulder partway through It's a Wonderful Life, Lamb had reluctantly decided it was time to go home.
That had been his first Christmas with the Mars family, but not his last. It had become a tradition--one that lasted until the year Lilly Kane died...
He gave his head a sharp shake to clear the memories. There was no point dwelling on things better left in the past. Keith Mars had shot himself in the foot with the way he pursued Jake Kane, and Lamb had simply seized the opportunity that was presented to him.
The Manning house was still dark, and he knew nothing more would be happening tonight. He turned the key in the ignition, put the car in drive, and headed home.
The following Friday, Veronica emerged from her bedroom to find her father sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper. "Morning, Dad."
"Morning, sweetie. Veronica...how well do you know the Mannings?"
Immediately, her head snapped up. "Aside from Meg, not very well. Why?" she asked cautiously.
"It says here that they were arrested on charges of child abuse."
Veronica dropped the bagel she had taken out of the refrigerator. Keith looked at her with concern. "You okay, honey?"
"I'm fine. Just...surprised."
"I know. They seemed like a nice family."
Yeah, except for that whole locking-their-daughter-in-a-closet thing, she thought. Out loud, she said, "Well, I'd better get going. I need to be at school early." She walked over to the couch and gave her dad a kiss on the cheek.
"Have a good day."
"Thanks, you too." Once outside the apartment, she hurried down to her car. There was definitely someplace she needed to be, and it wasn't school.
Veronica Mars strolled through the open office door and slapped a copy of the newspaper down on his desk. Arms crossed, she stood there staring at him.
He didn't even glance at the headline. He knew what this was about. "Can I help you?" he asked snidely.
"You already did," she said. "And I really don't know what to do about that."
"I didn't do it for you. Move on."
Instead, she sat down in one of the chairs facing the desk. "You know, if you keep locking up actual criminals like this, I might be forced to reevaluate my opinion of you."
He leaned back in his chair, stared up at the ceiling. "Do you honestly believe I give a damn what you think?"
"I know you don't. But you used to--or at least you cared what my dad thought. Maybe you haven't completely forgotten how to be human after all."
He still didn't look at her. "If this little bonding session is over, I suggest you get to school before I have to arrest you for truancy."
"On my way...Deputy."
He listened to her footsteps retreating, his gaze still fixed on the crappy beige ceiling. This one case didn't change anything.
And if he occasionally had a craving for Lianne's homemade stuffing, or found himself wanting to ask Keith's opinion on a case, or remembered the feel of Veronica leaned against him as they watched movies...well, nobody was perfect.