(no subject)
Title: A Man, Could've Been Anything
Fandom: Veronica Mars/The Departed
Rating: R
Chapter: 2
P/C: Veronica/Norris, Keith, Frank Costello, Arnold French
Summery: Veronica gets a scoop, while Keith is surprised by visitors from out of town...Norris is not who he seems to be.
A/N: WARNING! This is possibly the darkest story I have ever written. Be prepared for death, doom and gloom.
“Okay, so let me get this straight.”
Veronica rubbed her temples slowly. She and Norris had been in the girls bathroom for almost all of first and second period. The only two girls who had tried to come in had been blocked out. All the others must have been deterred by the “Out of Order” sign that Veronica had finally remembered to place on the door after the second almost-intrusion.
“You’re brother was into drug running with this guy, Frank Consuelo-“
“Costello.” Norris was staring at the floor, trying not to look at Veronica. He had basically told her a lot of things that he had never wanted to tell anybody ever and, as an extra added bonus, had endangered his entire family.
“Costello. So you and your brother got in deep with him. Bad goings on, which, I would like to mention, you failed to elaborate on.” She shot him sharp look, one of her eyebrows raised. “And you traded information or stole some money or something, which again, you failed to elaborate on and now this Costello guy wants you dead. And you were put in the Witness Protection Program and now that the ATF story has gone national, you and your family are in danger.” Norris nodded, not quite able to look her in the eye.
Veronica folded her arms over her chest. “Well, here’s the million dollar question, Norris. Where’s your brother?”
“He’s dead.”
Veronica, for all her sympathy, couldn’t help but notice that even more details were being left out. “Well what do you want me to do? About any of this?”
Norris shrugged. “I don’t even know if you can help me. But,” he finally looked her in the face. “I trust you. You helped me before, even though I was kind of a jackass. Even though I make you uncomfortable.” He smiled at her a bit lopsidedly. Suddenly it was Veronica’s turn to feel nervous and a little bit like a jackass.
“You don’t make me-“
“It’s okay. I know that you’d never go for a guy like me. I just asked you out to push my luck ya know?”
There was a long, awkward pause. “I really should get going.” Veronica shouldered her bag and pushed past Norris to leave. He grabbed the door slightly clumsily to hold it for her. Veronica couldn’t help it; she gave him a small smile.
*****
“So your daughtaa is friends with Norris Clayton?” Costello smiled at Keith, gesturing to his copy of the paper.
“Well she is his classmate. And, uh, she informs me that he has a bit of a crush on her.” Keith chuckled.
“Really? That’s very interesting. Wouldn’t you say so Mr. French?”
French looked ahead, his face betraying no emotion. “Not so interesting. She’s a pretty girl.”
“That she is, Frenchie. You must be very proud Mr. Maas.” Costello smiled predatorily across the desk.
****
I know that you’d never go for a guy like me…
Veronica kept on thinking about this, all through her Chemistry class. Wallace had made a crack at break how the two of them would be “adorable” together, his voice feigning white, Valley girl intonations.
I know that you’d never go for a guy like me…
And why wouldn’t she? What the hell was so terrible about Norris that she would just “never go for him”? He was, after all the only guy in her grade who would look at her twice after the 09ers had given her the old “heave-ho”, pun definitely intended. And he stood up for her, when not even Duncan would.
I know that you’d never go for a guy like me…
Well what did that make her? Was she just some kind of bitch who blew off everyone but the super rich, super normal guys? She had seen looks like that on Weevil’s face from time to time. The more she thought about it the angrier she got. Who the hell did Norris think he was? Just because he was in the goddamn Witness Protection Program because his brother was running guns or pimping out junior high girls didn’t mean that he knew everything.
The bell rang.
Veronica got up from her seat, scooping up her bag and her books before hurrying out the door. Right now Norris had…well she thought he had Creative Writing with Ms. DeSorbo. She rushed down the hall and saw him, sulking by his locker. She slowed to a more even pace as she approached him. He saw her at the last second. “Hey, Veronica. Did you want-“
Veronica grabbed him by the shirtsleeve, whirled him toward her and kissed him. It wasn’t half bad. It didn’t have the jolt of her kiss with Logan, which came primarily from the shock of it happening at all. It wasn’t like kissing Leo (who was good but a little sloppy) or Duncan (who had no idea what he was doing). But it was nice, for lack of a better word.
Yeah… she thought. I could do this.
****
“Well Mr. Maas, thank you for your time.” Costello got up out of the ratty chair he’d been lounging in for the past half hour. “We, uh, we really appreciate all of the information you’ve given us.” Costello’s joviality had put Keith on edge, ever since he had started steering the conversation away from the supposed “case” he had to Veronica and the story about her in the paper.
Keith had reached under his desk, where he’d placed a 9mm in a spring clip, in case of just such a situation.
What happened next wasn’t too clear. Costello reached out to shake Keith’s hand, just as Keith pulled out the gun. There was a shot and a body hit the desk.
Costello brushed off the sleeves of his coat. “Good timing with that Arnold. I can honestly say I didn’t see that coming.” French pocketed his revolver. “Yeah, well, you always were a little slow Francis.”
The strode out of Mars Investigations, leaving Keith Mars behind in a pool of his own blood.
Fandom: Veronica Mars/The Departed
Rating: R
Chapter: 2
P/C: Veronica/Norris, Keith, Frank Costello, Arnold French
Summery: Veronica gets a scoop, while Keith is surprised by visitors from out of town...Norris is not who he seems to be.
A/N: WARNING! This is possibly the darkest story I have ever written. Be prepared for death, doom and gloom.
“Okay, so let me get this straight.”
Veronica rubbed her temples slowly. She and Norris had been in the girls bathroom for almost all of first and second period. The only two girls who had tried to come in had been blocked out. All the others must have been deterred by the “Out of Order” sign that Veronica had finally remembered to place on the door after the second almost-intrusion.
“You’re brother was into drug running with this guy, Frank Consuelo-“
“Costello.” Norris was staring at the floor, trying not to look at Veronica. He had basically told her a lot of things that he had never wanted to tell anybody ever and, as an extra added bonus, had endangered his entire family.
“Costello. So you and your brother got in deep with him. Bad goings on, which, I would like to mention, you failed to elaborate on.” She shot him sharp look, one of her eyebrows raised. “And you traded information or stole some money or something, which again, you failed to elaborate on and now this Costello guy wants you dead. And you were put in the Witness Protection Program and now that the ATF story has gone national, you and your family are in danger.” Norris nodded, not quite able to look her in the eye.
Veronica folded her arms over her chest. “Well, here’s the million dollar question, Norris. Where’s your brother?”
“He’s dead.”
Veronica, for all her sympathy, couldn’t help but notice that even more details were being left out. “Well what do you want me to do? About any of this?”
Norris shrugged. “I don’t even know if you can help me. But,” he finally looked her in the face. “I trust you. You helped me before, even though I was kind of a jackass. Even though I make you uncomfortable.” He smiled at her a bit lopsidedly. Suddenly it was Veronica’s turn to feel nervous and a little bit like a jackass.
“You don’t make me-“
“It’s okay. I know that you’d never go for a guy like me. I just asked you out to push my luck ya know?”
There was a long, awkward pause. “I really should get going.” Veronica shouldered her bag and pushed past Norris to leave. He grabbed the door slightly clumsily to hold it for her. Veronica couldn’t help it; she gave him a small smile.
*****
“So your daughtaa is friends with Norris Clayton?” Costello smiled at Keith, gesturing to his copy of the paper.
“Well she is his classmate. And, uh, she informs me that he has a bit of a crush on her.” Keith chuckled.
“Really? That’s very interesting. Wouldn’t you say so Mr. French?”
French looked ahead, his face betraying no emotion. “Not so interesting. She’s a pretty girl.”
“That she is, Frenchie. You must be very proud Mr. Maas.” Costello smiled predatorily across the desk.
****
I know that you’d never go for a guy like me…
Veronica kept on thinking about this, all through her Chemistry class. Wallace had made a crack at break how the two of them would be “adorable” together, his voice feigning white, Valley girl intonations.
I know that you’d never go for a guy like me…
And why wouldn’t she? What the hell was so terrible about Norris that she would just “never go for him”? He was, after all the only guy in her grade who would look at her twice after the 09ers had given her the old “heave-ho”, pun definitely intended. And he stood up for her, when not even Duncan would.
I know that you’d never go for a guy like me…
Well what did that make her? Was she just some kind of bitch who blew off everyone but the super rich, super normal guys? She had seen looks like that on Weevil’s face from time to time. The more she thought about it the angrier she got. Who the hell did Norris think he was? Just because he was in the goddamn Witness Protection Program because his brother was running guns or pimping out junior high girls didn’t mean that he knew everything.
The bell rang.
Veronica got up from her seat, scooping up her bag and her books before hurrying out the door. Right now Norris had…well she thought he had Creative Writing with Ms. DeSorbo. She rushed down the hall and saw him, sulking by his locker. She slowed to a more even pace as she approached him. He saw her at the last second. “Hey, Veronica. Did you want-“
Veronica grabbed him by the shirtsleeve, whirled him toward her and kissed him. It wasn’t half bad. It didn’t have the jolt of her kiss with Logan, which came primarily from the shock of it happening at all. It wasn’t like kissing Leo (who was good but a little sloppy) or Duncan (who had no idea what he was doing). But it was nice, for lack of a better word.
Yeah… she thought. I could do this.
****
“Well Mr. Maas, thank you for your time.” Costello got up out of the ratty chair he’d been lounging in for the past half hour. “We, uh, we really appreciate all of the information you’ve given us.” Costello’s joviality had put Keith on edge, ever since he had started steering the conversation away from the supposed “case” he had to Veronica and the story about her in the paper.
Keith had reached under his desk, where he’d placed a 9mm in a spring clip, in case of just such a situation.
What happened next wasn’t too clear. Costello reached out to shake Keith’s hand, just as Keith pulled out the gun. There was a shot and a body hit the desk.
Costello brushed off the sleeves of his coat. “Good timing with that Arnold. I can honestly say I didn’t see that coming.” French pocketed his revolver. “Yeah, well, you always were a little slow Francis.”
The strode out of Mars Investigations, leaving Keith Mars behind in a pool of his own blood.