Crossover Fic: Dead Ahead [ Highlander/Veronica Mars | 7/? | PG13 ]
An update for an old story - will wonders never cease!
Title: Dead Ahead.
Rating: PG -for language and violence.
Author jinxed_wood
Fandoms: Veronica Mars/Highlander
Characters; Veronica Mars, Logan Echolls, Methos, Joe, ensemble from both shows.
Spoilers: Post ‘Donut Run’ for Veronica Mars, the entire series for Highlander.
Previous Parts: CHAPTER ONE | CHAPTER TWO | CHAPTER THREE | CHAPTER FOUR | CHAPTER FIVE | CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN: THE BIG REVEAL
There was another urgent tap on the door and Veronica hesitated as she approached it.
“Joe, any time today.” said Adam’s muffled voice.
"Little pig, little pig, let me come in,” Logan muttered, as he beat her to the handle and opened the door. “Welcome, welcome to Casa Echolls -” He paused. “Is that a great big sword in your hand, or are you just glad to see me?”
Veronica took a step back as Joe’s friend shouldered his way into the room. “Can we leave the flirting until later?” he said hoarsely as he stumbled to the couch. The sword slid from his fingers as he fell unconscious and Veronica’s eyes widened as she took in his injuries.
“He needs an ambulance,” she said as she flipped open Joe’s cell.
“No!” Joe barked, as he crossed the room. “No doctors, just give him a few moments.”
“He’s bleeding on my couch,” Logan observed. “I’m sending you the bill, Mars.”
“Cheque’s in the mail,” Veronica snapped, before turning to Joe. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t call Lamb in here right now.”
“Because he’ll arrest you again,” Joe said.
“Usually a good point,” Veronica said. "But I’m not going to let someone die just because I’m allergic to handcuffs.”
Logan smirked. “That’s not what you said when-”
“Not a good time, Logan.”
Logan held up his hands in surrender and threw himself into an armchair. “Pray, continue.”
Joe held his hand to the pulse point on Adam’s neck and sighed. “He’s gone,” he said. “You’d better call your father. Things are going to get a little crazy here in a moment.”
For a moment, Veronica was at a loss but then her priorities kicked in. her Dad was in danger. She rang his cell. “Dad?”
“Veronica? Why are you using someone else’s cell?”
“Plausible deniability?” Veronica said. “How’s Backup?”
“He’s going to pull through. Where are you? And don’t tell me you’re at the hospital because guess where I am.”
She winced. “Sorry, took a small detour, ran into Proctor again.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Veronica said. “He didn’t lay a finger on me. I just wanted to give you a heads up just in case he tried to double back to our place.”
“Where are you? I’m coming to get you,” he said firmly.
“Uh, that might not such a good idea, Dad.”
“Honey, that wasn’t a suggestion.”
Veronica pulled a face as she visualised the apoplectic fit her Dad would have if she told him the truth. Where was she? Oh, just at Logan’s place, the guy he loved to hate. And what was she doing there? Standing over a dead body. Something told her that she may have arrived at that bridge too far.
“I’m on my way over to Wallace’s,” she lied. “I didn’t think it was a good idea to go home and I figured my BFF would help a sister out.”
“Hmm,” her Dad said. “Not a bad plan. Try and stick to it. I’m going to take a trip to the Sheriff’s office and see how close Lamb has got to catching this guy.”
“Love you,” Veronica said guiltily.
“Love you too, honey, see you soon.”
She dialled again the moment he hung up. She knew her Dad and knew his trust in her was rather shaky at the moment. With good reason, she thought uncomfortably. The phone rang and Veronica smiled with relief as Wallace picked up.
“Hey, Veronica, what can I do for you on this fine day - got a body to bury?” he teased.
“Don’t I always? She drawled, trying not to look at the couch. If only he knew.
“Well, I’ve got practice in an hour so you’re going to have to bring the shovels,” he said.
“Relax, Don Corleone, I’m just looking for an alibi.”
“Is there a seedy hotel involved in this scenario?”
She laughed. “You wish. I just told my Dad I was going over to your place. Cover for me, will you?”
“It’s not me you have to worry about,” Wallace said. “My Mom is. I think he’s on the phone to her right now.”
Veronica groaned; sometimes, the fact her best friend’s Mom was her Dad’s ex was a real pain. Couldn’t they have at least had a bad break up? “Suggestions from the peanut gallery?” she asked.
“Relax, I’ve got it covered,” Wallace said. “I’ll tell her I’m meeting up with you at practice.”
“Think she’ll believe you?” Veronica asked.
“Hey, I happen to be a model child, unlike some people,” he said. “Of course she’ll believe me.”
“Yeah, yeah, rub it in,” Veronica said. “Thanks, bestie.”
“I’m expecting many, many spirit boxes in my future, Mars” he said, before hanging up.
“Veronica Mars, felon,” Logan said. “Has a nice ring to it.”
“You can give me tips,” Veronica said brightly. “Seeing as you’ve had so much practice.”
The body on the couch twitched, a she let out a high little girly squeak that she just knew Logan would never let her live down - then again, he looked pretty freaked out himself, so maybe he didn’t notice.
“Dead bodies don’t move,” he said lowly.
“He got better,” Joe deadpanned, as Adam’s eyes shot open, his hand flying to the hilt of his sword. Veronica found herself wishing she’d thought to bring her bag with her. She’d feel a lot safer with a taser in her hand right now.
Adam’s eyes seemed to clear once he had the sword in his hand. “How long was I gone?”
“Long enough,” Joe muttered.
He eyed Veronica ruefully. “I hate waking up to an audience.”
“You’re like Proctor,” she said. “What the hell are you?”
“The technical term is Immortal,” he said. “And that’s where the similarities between me and Proctor end.”
“And the guy on the beach?”
“Just plain old mortal,” Adam sighed.
“What’s with the swords?” Veronica asked. “And I’m not going to buy ‘coincidence’”
“Told you she was sharp,” Joe said, sotto voice. Veronica glared at him, her eyes skimming over to Logan as he sniggered.
“I can already hear the crack of the proverbial whip,” he drawled.
“Don’t you have some housewife to boff? A swimming pool to set on fire, perhaps?”
“And miss the home entertainment?” Logan asked, smirking. “Heaven forfend.”
“Listen,” Joe said. “We should be moving-”
“Not one step, buster,” Veronica said. “I haven’t got my answers yet! What’s with the swords?”
Adam grimaced. “Losing our head is the only way we can die,” he said reluctantly. “Hence the swords.”
Veronica crossed her arms. “So let me get this straight, you’re immortal and you cannot die unless someone cuts off your head... something you seem very keen on practicing.” She looked at the sword pointedly.
“I’d use a gun but he’d only come back again,” Adam said bluntly.
“And the guy in New York - was it Proctor who killed him or was that it you.” She scowled as she noticed Joe and Adam exchange a knowing glance. “It’s not a trick question. A straight yes or no will do.”
Joe sighed. “It was Proctor,” he said.
“And the body on the beach?” she demanded. “Who the hell was he and why did Proctor kill him - and stop doing that!”
“Stop what?” Adam asked tiredly.
“Exchanging those little looks with Joe, as if you're weighing up how much you should tell me.”
“I'd tell her what she wants to know, if I were you,” Logan drawled. “She gets mean when people lie to her.”
“Not helping, Logan.”
Adam sighed. “I think that's your cue, Joe,” he said.
"Oh gee, thanks,"Joe groused, looking round. "What does a guy have to do to get a drink around here? Doesn't this place come with a mini bar?"
"No changing the subject, I want the truth or I'm going to going to tell that goon squad searching the hotel everything I know," Veronica said, although she noted Logan was already heading for the fridge.
Joe Snorted. "No offence, kid, but considering your stellar reputation with the local cops, I'd say it's fifty fifty he'd end up arresting you instead.”
“Bourbon or scotch?” Logan pronounced, and Veronica glared at him. She knew damned well he was only playing the dutiful host in order to get under her skin..
“Scotch,” Joe said, as he perched on an arm chair. Logan poured two glasses and handed him one, and Veronica folded her arms. “Well?” she asked impatiently.
“Jim and Edward were kind of...historians,” he said, and Adam snorted.
Veronica raised an eyebrow. “I hadn’t realised being a historian was such a deadly profession,” she said sarcastically.
“Oh yes, it’s real cut throat,” Adam muttered, and got a sharp smack of Joe’s cane on the leg. “Ow!”
“You’ll live,” Joe snarled.
“This is the treatment I get for helping an friend out,” he sighed dramatically.
“If it weren’t for you, Proctor wouldn’t have clued into us in the first place!”
“So now it’s my fault the Watcher you sicced on me was sloppy!”
“He wasn’t sloppy?” Joe asked heatedly.
“Children, children, indoor voices please,” Logan said.
Logan Echolls, peacemaker... that chill in the air would be hell freezing over. “This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Veronica said. “We need to track Proctor down before he kills again.”
“Easier said that done,” Joe said. “You’d think it’d be simple to track someone down in a town this small but he’s gone to ground somewhere and we can’t find him. We even tried to hack into the town’s traffic camera’s but for some strange reason their encryption is through the roof.”
Historians... right...
“Welcome to the town of Kane,” she said, with a brittle smile. “The master of streaming video. Guy’s more paranoid than Nixon and he pretty much owns the place.”
Adam gave her a long look. “Something tells me there’s a story in there somewhere.”
“Moving on,” Veronica said brightly. “What we need is someone capable of hacking the town’s traffic cameras, correct?”
“Why, got one stashed away?” Adam teased.
Veronica smirked. “As a matter of fact...” She dredged up the phone number from memory. She was never forgetting her bag again, near death experience or no near death experience.
“Yeah?” said a tentative voice.
“Mac, compadre, old friend,” Veronica said. “Want to pull one over on the man?”
“How many laws will we be breaking?””
“Well, you know how it is. If you break one, you break them all.”
Mac laughed. “That many, huh?” she said. “Your place or mine?”
“Neither,” Veronica said. “Tonight we’re going to ground at the Neptune Grand.”
“Ooh, fancy,” Mac said. “Are you going all Bond on me? Will there be Martini’s?”
“Oh, Q, you have to ask?” Veronica said, her eyes darted to Logan. “Fifth floor - Logan Echoll’s suite.”
There was a pause. “Oh, that should be fun,” Mac said dryly.
“Tragic, really, to see cynicism in one so young,” Veronica said. “See you soon.”
“I’ll bring the pest repellent.”
“The mark of a true friend,” Veronica said, and Mac hung up with a laugh.
Logan eyed her. “By all means, make yourself at home,” he said.
“We’ll get out of your hair as quick as possible,” she told him stiffly.
“If only that were true,” he said enigmatically.
TBC
Title: Dead Ahead.
Rating: PG -for language and violence.
Author jinxed_wood
Fandoms: Veronica Mars/Highlander
Characters; Veronica Mars, Logan Echolls, Methos, Joe, ensemble from both shows.
Spoilers: Post ‘Donut Run’ for Veronica Mars, the entire series for Highlander.
Previous Parts: CHAPTER ONE | CHAPTER TWO | CHAPTER THREE | CHAPTER FOUR | CHAPTER FIVE | CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN: THE BIG REVEAL
There was another urgent tap on the door and Veronica hesitated as she approached it.
“Joe, any time today.” said Adam’s muffled voice.
"Little pig, little pig, let me come in,” Logan muttered, as he beat her to the handle and opened the door. “Welcome, welcome to Casa Echolls -” He paused. “Is that a great big sword in your hand, or are you just glad to see me?”
Veronica took a step back as Joe’s friend shouldered his way into the room. “Can we leave the flirting until later?” he said hoarsely as he stumbled to the couch. The sword slid from his fingers as he fell unconscious and Veronica’s eyes widened as she took in his injuries.
“He needs an ambulance,” she said as she flipped open Joe’s cell.
“No!” Joe barked, as he crossed the room. “No doctors, just give him a few moments.”
“He’s bleeding on my couch,” Logan observed. “I’m sending you the bill, Mars.”
“Cheque’s in the mail,” Veronica snapped, before turning to Joe. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t call Lamb in here right now.”
“Because he’ll arrest you again,” Joe said.
“Usually a good point,” Veronica said. "But I’m not going to let someone die just because I’m allergic to handcuffs.”
Logan smirked. “That’s not what you said when-”
“Not a good time, Logan.”
Logan held up his hands in surrender and threw himself into an armchair. “Pray, continue.”
Joe held his hand to the pulse point on Adam’s neck and sighed. “He’s gone,” he said. “You’d better call your father. Things are going to get a little crazy here in a moment.”
For a moment, Veronica was at a loss but then her priorities kicked in. her Dad was in danger. She rang his cell. “Dad?”
“Veronica? Why are you using someone else’s cell?”
“Plausible deniability?” Veronica said. “How’s Backup?”
“He’s going to pull through. Where are you? And don’t tell me you’re at the hospital because guess where I am.”
She winced. “Sorry, took a small detour, ran into Proctor again.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Veronica said. “He didn’t lay a finger on me. I just wanted to give you a heads up just in case he tried to double back to our place.”
“Where are you? I’m coming to get you,” he said firmly.
“Uh, that might not such a good idea, Dad.”
“Honey, that wasn’t a suggestion.”
Veronica pulled a face as she visualised the apoplectic fit her Dad would have if she told him the truth. Where was she? Oh, just at Logan’s place, the guy he loved to hate. And what was she doing there? Standing over a dead body. Something told her that she may have arrived at that bridge too far.
“I’m on my way over to Wallace’s,” she lied. “I didn’t think it was a good idea to go home and I figured my BFF would help a sister out.”
“Hmm,” her Dad said. “Not a bad plan. Try and stick to it. I’m going to take a trip to the Sheriff’s office and see how close Lamb has got to catching this guy.”
“Love you,” Veronica said guiltily.
“Love you too, honey, see you soon.”
She dialled again the moment he hung up. She knew her Dad and knew his trust in her was rather shaky at the moment. With good reason, she thought uncomfortably. The phone rang and Veronica smiled with relief as Wallace picked up.
“Hey, Veronica, what can I do for you on this fine day - got a body to bury?” he teased.
“Don’t I always? She drawled, trying not to look at the couch. If only he knew.
“Well, I’ve got practice in an hour so you’re going to have to bring the shovels,” he said.
“Relax, Don Corleone, I’m just looking for an alibi.”
“Is there a seedy hotel involved in this scenario?”
She laughed. “You wish. I just told my Dad I was going over to your place. Cover for me, will you?”
“It’s not me you have to worry about,” Wallace said. “My Mom is. I think he’s on the phone to her right now.”
Veronica groaned; sometimes, the fact her best friend’s Mom was her Dad’s ex was a real pain. Couldn’t they have at least had a bad break up? “Suggestions from the peanut gallery?” she asked.
“Relax, I’ve got it covered,” Wallace said. “I’ll tell her I’m meeting up with you at practice.”
“Think she’ll believe you?” Veronica asked.
“Hey, I happen to be a model child, unlike some people,” he said. “Of course she’ll believe me.”
“Yeah, yeah, rub it in,” Veronica said. “Thanks, bestie.”
“I’m expecting many, many spirit boxes in my future, Mars” he said, before hanging up.
“Veronica Mars, felon,” Logan said. “Has a nice ring to it.”
“You can give me tips,” Veronica said brightly. “Seeing as you’ve had so much practice.”
The body on the couch twitched, a she let out a high little girly squeak that she just knew Logan would never let her live down - then again, he looked pretty freaked out himself, so maybe he didn’t notice.
“Dead bodies don’t move,” he said lowly.
“He got better,” Joe deadpanned, as Adam’s eyes shot open, his hand flying to the hilt of his sword. Veronica found herself wishing she’d thought to bring her bag with her. She’d feel a lot safer with a taser in her hand right now.
Adam’s eyes seemed to clear once he had the sword in his hand. “How long was I gone?”
“Long enough,” Joe muttered.
He eyed Veronica ruefully. “I hate waking up to an audience.”
“You’re like Proctor,” she said. “What the hell are you?”
“The technical term is Immortal,” he said. “And that’s where the similarities between me and Proctor end.”
“And the guy on the beach?”
“Just plain old mortal,” Adam sighed.
“What’s with the swords?” Veronica asked. “And I’m not going to buy ‘coincidence’”
“Told you she was sharp,” Joe said, sotto voice. Veronica glared at him, her eyes skimming over to Logan as he sniggered.
“I can already hear the crack of the proverbial whip,” he drawled.
“Don’t you have some housewife to boff? A swimming pool to set on fire, perhaps?”
“And miss the home entertainment?” Logan asked, smirking. “Heaven forfend.”
“Listen,” Joe said. “We should be moving-”
“Not one step, buster,” Veronica said. “I haven’t got my answers yet! What’s with the swords?”
Adam grimaced. “Losing our head is the only way we can die,” he said reluctantly. “Hence the swords.”
Veronica crossed her arms. “So let me get this straight, you’re immortal and you cannot die unless someone cuts off your head... something you seem very keen on practicing.” She looked at the sword pointedly.
“I’d use a gun but he’d only come back again,” Adam said bluntly.
“And the guy in New York - was it Proctor who killed him or was that it you.” She scowled as she noticed Joe and Adam exchange a knowing glance. “It’s not a trick question. A straight yes or no will do.”
Joe sighed. “It was Proctor,” he said.
“And the body on the beach?” she demanded. “Who the hell was he and why did Proctor kill him - and stop doing that!”
“Stop what?” Adam asked tiredly.
“Exchanging those little looks with Joe, as if you're weighing up how much you should tell me.”
“I'd tell her what she wants to know, if I were you,” Logan drawled. “She gets mean when people lie to her.”
“Not helping, Logan.”
Adam sighed. “I think that's your cue, Joe,” he said.
"Oh gee, thanks,"Joe groused, looking round. "What does a guy have to do to get a drink around here? Doesn't this place come with a mini bar?"
"No changing the subject, I want the truth or I'm going to going to tell that goon squad searching the hotel everything I know," Veronica said, although she noted Logan was already heading for the fridge.
Joe Snorted. "No offence, kid, but considering your stellar reputation with the local cops, I'd say it's fifty fifty he'd end up arresting you instead.”
“Bourbon or scotch?” Logan pronounced, and Veronica glared at him. She knew damned well he was only playing the dutiful host in order to get under her skin..
“Scotch,” Joe said, as he perched on an arm chair. Logan poured two glasses and handed him one, and Veronica folded her arms. “Well?” she asked impatiently.
“Jim and Edward were kind of...historians,” he said, and Adam snorted.
Veronica raised an eyebrow. “I hadn’t realised being a historian was such a deadly profession,” she said sarcastically.
“Oh yes, it’s real cut throat,” Adam muttered, and got a sharp smack of Joe’s cane on the leg. “Ow!”
“You’ll live,” Joe snarled.
“This is the treatment I get for helping an friend out,” he sighed dramatically.
“If it weren’t for you, Proctor wouldn’t have clued into us in the first place!”
“So now it’s my fault the Watcher you sicced on me was sloppy!”
“He wasn’t sloppy?” Joe asked heatedly.
“Children, children, indoor voices please,” Logan said.
Logan Echolls, peacemaker... that chill in the air would be hell freezing over. “This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Veronica said. “We need to track Proctor down before he kills again.”
“Easier said that done,” Joe said. “You’d think it’d be simple to track someone down in a town this small but he’s gone to ground somewhere and we can’t find him. We even tried to hack into the town’s traffic camera’s but for some strange reason their encryption is through the roof.”
Historians... right...
“Welcome to the town of Kane,” she said, with a brittle smile. “The master of streaming video. Guy’s more paranoid than Nixon and he pretty much owns the place.”
Adam gave her a long look. “Something tells me there’s a story in there somewhere.”
“Moving on,” Veronica said brightly. “What we need is someone capable of hacking the town’s traffic cameras, correct?”
“Why, got one stashed away?” Adam teased.
Veronica smirked. “As a matter of fact...” She dredged up the phone number from memory. She was never forgetting her bag again, near death experience or no near death experience.
“Yeah?” said a tentative voice.
“Mac, compadre, old friend,” Veronica said. “Want to pull one over on the man?”
“How many laws will we be breaking?””
“Well, you know how it is. If you break one, you break them all.”
Mac laughed. “That many, huh?” she said. “Your place or mine?”
“Neither,” Veronica said. “Tonight we’re going to ground at the Neptune Grand.”
“Ooh, fancy,” Mac said. “Are you going all Bond on me? Will there be Martini’s?”
“Oh, Q, you have to ask?” Veronica said, her eyes darted to Logan. “Fifth floor - Logan Echoll’s suite.”
There was a pause. “Oh, that should be fun,” Mac said dryly.
“Tragic, really, to see cynicism in one so young,” Veronica said. “See you soon.”
“I’ll bring the pest repellent.”
“The mark of a true friend,” Veronica said, and Mac hung up with a laugh.
Logan eyed her. “By all means, make yourself at home,” he said.
“We’ll get out of your hair as quick as possible,” she told him stiffly.
“If only that were true,” he said enigmatically.
TBC