A Useful Inconvenience
Title: A Useful Inconvenience
Rating: PG
Summary: Veronica may not particularly like working with Batman, but compared to the new guy in town, she'd rather have the useful inconvenience.
Prompt: "Writer's choice" for crossovers50, "better the devil that you know" for fivebyfiction, "big bang" for xoverland.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. owns "Batman" and all related characters; Rob Thomas owns "Veronica Mars" and all related characters; I own nothing.
Note: Part of the Save the Hero verse. This is set several months after "Through the Dark".
Series Master List
When Deadshot first appeared, many wondered if he was the next Batman, attempting to clean up Gotham City at risk of his life. For Veronica, there never was any question on the matter. Deadshot was a threat, and one that needed to be removed as quickly as possible.
“How sure are of you of this?” Commissioner James Gordon asked Veronica, his office door closed against prying ears. In front of him was a file full of photographs, official records, and unofficial interviews. Veronica sighed and ran her hands through her hair.
“Sure enough to give this to you, Comish,” she answered, leaning forward slightly. “Look, I had my dad investigate Deadshot for me, though less than official channels. I’m sure he has some sources placed within the department, hell, even within MCU. If I tried to do anything more official, he’d be on me in a heartbeat.” Veronica may have been the head of the Major Case Unit, but she was under no illusions that there were moles within the squad. She was trying to get a definitive tag on who they were, but until then, she did her best with those she knew she could trust.
“Aren’t you being a little paranoid?” Gordon replied, a small smile on his face. Veronica snorted and leaned back in the chair.
“If you thought I was being paranoid, you wouldn’t have done the same thing through Lance,” she shot back, referencing a PI that Gordon used on occassion. “Did he turn anything new up that my dad didn’t?”
“Nothing,” Gordon answered, opening a desk drawer and pulling out a folder of his own, sliding it across to Veronica. “He’s probably in some system somewhere, but he’s done a good enough job of covering his tracks that it’s close to impossible to get a handle on him.”
“It’s bad enough we already have one guy running around in a mask trying to save Gotham, but add another one with guns, let’s just say that the original is looking better and better,” Veronica sighed, grabbing her folder and getting to her feet.
“Don’t let Bats hear you say that, or he might think you’re developing feelings for him,” Gordon teased Veronica gently, putting his own file back out of sight. Veronica playfully glared at her boss and shook her head.
“I’m a one-man woman,” she replied, opening the door. “Say hi to Barbara for me.” Walking back to the MCU’s squad room, Veronica wondered how much of her reaction to Deadshot was “better the devil that you know” and how much of it was actual suspicion of what he could be up to. Deciding not to examine that thought for a good long period of time. She had other things she needed to worry about.
~*~*~
Standing on the rooftop of Gotham Central, Veronica inched closer to the searchlight trying to get warm. Even though it was only early fall here in Gotham, it never seemed to get warm at night. Stacy, the reception clerk, had come and gone, turning on the light in as was her unofficial job. Veronica couldn’t get over the fact that everybody knew that Batman was real, and they had that damn light on the roof, but they couldn’t actually touch it. Hello, bureaucracy.
“Lieutenant Mars,” a familiar growl echoed through the night. Veronica turned around to see Batman perched on the ledge of the building, like he had just apparated there.
“I don’t know how much of this is stuff you already have, but here’s a file on Deadshot,” Veronica said, going straight to the point. “Despite the show he’s putting on, I doubt he’s up to any good, and neither does Gordon.” Holding out the file, she watched Batman gently take it from her and flip it open. It was hard to read his expressions with his mask on, but sometimes she could swear she saw a glimmer of something in his eyes. Something familiar.
“His real name is Floyd Lawton,” Batman finally growled out. “His motivations are unclear at this time, although there is no doubt of them being less than legal.”
“Thanks for the tip,” Veronica replied, half-serious, half-joking. Why else would anybody come to Gotham and dress in a costume if their intents were less-than-honorable? Really? She turned to go back inside but Batman’s voice stopped her.
“You’re willingly helping me.” Veronica turned around, and raised her eyebrow at him.
“You sound so surprised,” she answered, crossing her arms and staring at him. “Just because I don’t particularly like working with you doesn’t mean I’m going to throw you under the bus to the new guy in town. You’re a...” She paused, trying to come up with the right phrase. “A useful inconvenience. That’s what you are. A useful inconvenience.”
“I’m glad you think so highly of me,” Batman said after a pause of his own, the sarcasm evident through his whiskey and thumbtacks voice. Veronica blinked, and the next minute, he was gone. Walking to the edge of the roof, she looked down, but didn’t see anything.
“Don’t let it boost your ego too much!” she called out, not expecting a response. Shaking her head, she went back inside, making a mental note to tell Stacy to turn off the damn light. Checking her watch, she mentally groaned. Five more hours until she was off shift. She just hoped her boyfriend was having a better night than she was having right now. Open cases in the double digits, Marone out of Arkham, and she had willingly gone to the Bat with information.
“Gotham gets to the best of us sooner or later,” she muttered under her breath, rubbing her forehead. It looked like her number was finally up.
Rating: PG
Summary: Veronica may not particularly like working with Batman, but compared to the new guy in town, she'd rather have the useful inconvenience.
Prompt: "Writer's choice" for crossovers50, "better the devil that you know" for fivebyfiction, "big bang" for xoverland.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. owns "Batman" and all related characters; Rob Thomas owns "Veronica Mars" and all related characters; I own nothing.
Note: Part of the Save the Hero verse. This is set several months after "Through the Dark".
Series Master List
When Deadshot first appeared, many wondered if he was the next Batman, attempting to clean up Gotham City at risk of his life. For Veronica, there never was any question on the matter. Deadshot was a threat, and one that needed to be removed as quickly as possible.
“How sure are of you of this?” Commissioner James Gordon asked Veronica, his office door closed against prying ears. In front of him was a file full of photographs, official records, and unofficial interviews. Veronica sighed and ran her hands through her hair.
“Sure enough to give this to you, Comish,” she answered, leaning forward slightly. “Look, I had my dad investigate Deadshot for me, though less than official channels. I’m sure he has some sources placed within the department, hell, even within MCU. If I tried to do anything more official, he’d be on me in a heartbeat.” Veronica may have been the head of the Major Case Unit, but she was under no illusions that there were moles within the squad. She was trying to get a definitive tag on who they were, but until then, she did her best with those she knew she could trust.
“Aren’t you being a little paranoid?” Gordon replied, a small smile on his face. Veronica snorted and leaned back in the chair.
“If you thought I was being paranoid, you wouldn’t have done the same thing through Lance,” she shot back, referencing a PI that Gordon used on occassion. “Did he turn anything new up that my dad didn’t?”
“Nothing,” Gordon answered, opening a desk drawer and pulling out a folder of his own, sliding it across to Veronica. “He’s probably in some system somewhere, but he’s done a good enough job of covering his tracks that it’s close to impossible to get a handle on him.”
“It’s bad enough we already have one guy running around in a mask trying to save Gotham, but add another one with guns, let’s just say that the original is looking better and better,” Veronica sighed, grabbing her folder and getting to her feet.
“Don’t let Bats hear you say that, or he might think you’re developing feelings for him,” Gordon teased Veronica gently, putting his own file back out of sight. Veronica playfully glared at her boss and shook her head.
“I’m a one-man woman,” she replied, opening the door. “Say hi to Barbara for me.” Walking back to the MCU’s squad room, Veronica wondered how much of her reaction to Deadshot was “better the devil that you know” and how much of it was actual suspicion of what he could be up to. Deciding not to examine that thought for a good long period of time. She had other things she needed to worry about.
~*~*~
Standing on the rooftop of Gotham Central, Veronica inched closer to the searchlight trying to get warm. Even though it was only early fall here in Gotham, it never seemed to get warm at night. Stacy, the reception clerk, had come and gone, turning on the light in as was her unofficial job. Veronica couldn’t get over the fact that everybody knew that Batman was real, and they had that damn light on the roof, but they couldn’t actually touch it. Hello, bureaucracy.
“Lieutenant Mars,” a familiar growl echoed through the night. Veronica turned around to see Batman perched on the ledge of the building, like he had just apparated there.
“I don’t know how much of this is stuff you already have, but here’s a file on Deadshot,” Veronica said, going straight to the point. “Despite the show he’s putting on, I doubt he’s up to any good, and neither does Gordon.” Holding out the file, she watched Batman gently take it from her and flip it open. It was hard to read his expressions with his mask on, but sometimes she could swear she saw a glimmer of something in his eyes. Something familiar.
“His real name is Floyd Lawton,” Batman finally growled out. “His motivations are unclear at this time, although there is no doubt of them being less than legal.”
“Thanks for the tip,” Veronica replied, half-serious, half-joking. Why else would anybody come to Gotham and dress in a costume if their intents were less-than-honorable? Really? She turned to go back inside but Batman’s voice stopped her.
“You’re willingly helping me.” Veronica turned around, and raised her eyebrow at him.
“You sound so surprised,” she answered, crossing her arms and staring at him. “Just because I don’t particularly like working with you doesn’t mean I’m going to throw you under the bus to the new guy in town. You’re a...” She paused, trying to come up with the right phrase. “A useful inconvenience. That’s what you are. A useful inconvenience.”
“I’m glad you think so highly of me,” Batman said after a pause of his own, the sarcasm evident through his whiskey and thumbtacks voice. Veronica blinked, and the next minute, he was gone. Walking to the edge of the roof, she looked down, but didn’t see anything.
“Don’t let it boost your ego too much!” she called out, not expecting a response. Shaking her head, she went back inside, making a mental note to tell Stacy to turn off the damn light. Checking her watch, she mentally groaned. Five more hours until she was off shift. She just hoped her boyfriend was having a better night than she was having right now. Open cases in the double digits, Marone out of Arkham, and she had willingly gone to the Bat with information.
“Gotham gets to the best of us sooner or later,” she muttered under her breath, rubbing her forehead. It looked like her number was finally up.