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Fic: What Goes Down #2: All The King's Men (Veronica Mars, Lamb/Veronica)
Title: All The King's Men
Fandom: Veronica Mars
Pairing(s): Lamb/Veronica
Word Count: 2321
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Veronica isn't sure how she got roped into attending another Pi Sig party with Lamb. Or how she got talked into hitting on Pi Sig president Chip Diller.
Notes: Second in the What Goes Down series. AU from episode 3:2 - My Big Fat Greek Rush Week.
Previously: Part 1
She shouldn't have come.
Of course, it was a bit late to be thinking that as she walked through the courthouse door. But if Veronica knew one thing about herself, it was that she never listened to anyone's better judgement - not even her own.
-
"Honey, could you do me a favour?"
Veronica smiled. She hadn't even taken two steps into Mars Investigations' office, but that shouldn't have surprised her. Slinging her bag onto the couch, she went in to see her father.
"Sure," she said, standing in the doorway. "What do you need?"
Keith looked up at her from his desk. "I need you to go down to the Sheriff's department and drop off these papers. I'd do it, but I'm really swamped."
Veronica froze. This, she thought, was why you should always learn what the favour was before agreeing to it.
"Um, I'd love to," she said. "But I've got classes today, and ..."
"Honey?" Keith was looking at her with concern, and Veronica attempted to wipe the apprehension from her face. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Veronica answered brightly. What was she supposed to say? "No, dad, I can't go to the Sheriff's office, because I hate him?" That much, her father already knew. "I can do it. Sure."
"Okay," Keith said, concern lingering in his voice. Looking down, he handed her the files in a manila envelope. "Just give these files to Inga, it shouldn't take you too long."
Veronica relaxed. With even a little luck, she wouldn't have to see Lamb at all.
"I'll see you at home later," Keith said, and Veronica nodded, already on her way out the door.
-
One week. It had been a week since the party at the Pi Sig fraternity; seven days for Lamb to remember the feel of Veronica's body pressed against his, the dress she wore leaving nothing to his imagination. Seven days of remembering how Veronica's lips had felt, how she had tasted, the way she had kissed him back. Seven sleepless - but certainly not fruitless - nights.
Luckily, that also meant seven days to work on the Pi Sig case. Lamb had thrown himself into it, learning his own notes back to front, telling himself that it wasn't just a distraction.
Between trying to catch a rapist and kissing Veronica, Lamb hadn't got much sleep. So when he heard her voice at the station, Lamb wasn't entirely unconvinced that he was dreaming. But then he heard Inga's voice, and he was pretty sure that that wasn't in any of his dreams.
"Veronica Mars," he said, striding out to the front desk. "And to what do we owe this pleasure?"
"Deputy," Veronica greeted him, and Lamb tried not to scowl. She waved a manila envelope at him. "Just dropping off some paperwork for my dad."
Lamb waited as she finished with Inga, then crooked a finger at her. "Come," he said, and walked back into his office.
He wasn't sure she was going to follow. But by the time he was seated behind his desk, she stood in the doorway, looking even less happy to see him than usual. "Come in," he said, and after a moment's hesitation, Veronica did so.
Lamb had thought about all the ways he could play this. Of course, he knew the safest way would be not to play it at all; but for once, Lamb found himself unable to play the safe route. Besides, there were at least a couple of Veronica's buttons that he knew how to press.
"I want you to stay away from this investigation," he said, his voice as sharp as he could make it. "I mean it. If I see you within ten feet of a Pi Sig again, I'll have you arrested for obstruction of justice."
Veronica looked momentarily shocked, then angered, and then calm once more. "Gee, that's a great idea," she said, sarcasm dripping from every word. "I mean, it's not like I go to the same college as them or anything. I'm sure the Theta Betas will be totally cool with me never coming to another function." She leaned forward. "Not going to happen, sorry."
"Veronica," he growled. It wasn't hard to make himself sound angry with her. "I'm serious. Stay away."
But Veronica just laughed, and for a moment, Lamb forgot that he had wanted her to react that way. All he could see was Veronica Mars, laughing at him.
Lamb took a moment to get himself under control. When he looked up, Veronica was picking at her nails.
"Fine," he said, and he was surprised at how calm his voice sounded. "If you're not going to stay away from the case, how about working with me for a change?"
Veronica just looked at him. Sitting back in his chair, Lamb returned her gaze, and after a moment, she spoke.
"What did you have in mind?" she asked.
-
"Muffin?" Veronica asked in her brightest voice, and was rewarded by Marjorie smiling at her from the next table. As yet another hapless male handed over his money, Veronica returned the smile, and told herself emphatically that she was not enjoying this.
Today's theme? Polka dots. Today's mission? Bake sale.
Veronica handed over the box of sugar and icing, and groaned inwardly. Wallace was right, she realised. She had joined a sorority. And now she was flaunting her baked goods.
At least it kept her mind off the much less savoury mission for tomorrow night: attend another Pi Sig party. On one hand, she thought, at least it didn't require her to wear some kind of matching dress.
On the other, it did require her to try and seduce Pi Sig president Chip Diller. Not much of a bright side there.
"I think I'm done," Veronica told Marjorie, as she handed over her last box of muffins. She held up her cash bag. "Should I take this inside?"
Marjorie smiled at her again. "Wow," she said, coming over to Veronica. "You've done really well."
Veronica smiled. Between FBLA booths and Wallace's spirit boxes, she was, ironically, a natural at this.
"Go right inside," Marjorie said. "Give the money to Karen, and then I think you're done."
Veronica let out a relieved sigh. It was going to take her a week of taking illicit photographs to get rid of all this wholesomeness.
"There she is." As Veronica left the Theta Beta house, she looked up to see Logan. "I came to see if you had any treats left for me," he said, taking her hand.
"Sorry, sugar," she purred up at him. "These muffins are gone." She smiled at his faux-disappointed look. "But if you wait until we get home, I'll give you something sweet."
"Do you have class?" Logan asked, as they walked back towards the campus.
Veronica nodded. "I have Landry in an hour. You?"
"Sociology," he said. He stopped, and turned to face her. "I know what we're doing tonight," he said, leaning down to kiss her neck. "But what about tomorrow night?"
Veronica paused. She had really been hoping she wouldn't have to tell him about the Pi Sig party.
"Um, I'm busy," she said, as she pulled away and kept walking.
"Busy with what?" Logan asked. Veronica bit her lip.
"There's just this thing that the Theta Betas are doing with the Pi Sigs," she said, trying to keep her voice casual. "So if you want to go out with Wallace or something -"
"You're going to the Pi Sig party?" Logan asked.
"Yeah," she said.
"Well, then, I'll go too." Logan smiled down at her. "We'll make a night of it."
Veronica paused. But Logan was looking at her, and eventually she smiled. "Sure," she said. "I mean, I'm supposed to go with the Theta Betas -"
"I'll meet you there," Logan finished for her.
"It's a date," Veronica agreed.
-
Weaving her way through the crowd, Veronica tried to look cheerful as Theta Betas, Pi Sigs, and random college kids picked drinks up off her tray. She thought that she had left waitressing behind when she left Java the Hut; but at least there, she hadn't had to worry that she was serving some unsuspecting girl a beer and a roofie.
She had spotted Sacks almost as soon as she came in, lounging with some Pi Sigs. He fit in surprisingly well, though she still had to do a double take every time she saw him. She still hadn't seen Logan, which was a relief; mostly, she was just hoping that he didn't show.
"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"
Veronica turned when she heard the voice, but she didn't need to look to know who had spoken.
"Should you really be drinking on the job?" she asked, as Lamb lifted a cup from her tray.
"I'm not on duty," Lamb answered, and took a sip. "This is still unofficial."
Veronica looked around, setting her tray down as she and Lamb moved to the side of the room.
"Talked to Chip Diller yet?" he asked, still holding his beer.
Veronica shook her head. "Not yet," she said. She hadn't wanted to risk it without knowing where Logan was. When she looked back up at Lamb, she thought she saw something like concern in his eyes.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" he asked, the same concern mirrored in his voice. Veronica frowned. Was he worried she was going to screw this up?
"I'm sure," she said, sounding more confident than she felt. Lamb still didn't look convinced.
"I mean, how hard can it be to seduce a frat boy, right?"
Lamb frowned. Veronica rolled her eyes.
"Scenario one, he roofies me, and you can arrest him," she said, still looking at Lamb. "Scenario two, he takes me up to his room, passes out, and I can keep searching."
Lamb nodded, and took another drink. Veronica looked over his shoulder, and smiled.
"Target acquired," she said, as she spotted Chip talking to another of the Pi Sigs.
"I'll be watching you," Lamb said, and Veronica looked back up at him.
"Relax," she said. "See how the professionals handle this."
Grabbing a drink off the tray she had set down, Veronica walked up to Chip Diller with a smile. "Peace offering?" she asked, holding out the beer.
Chip disengaged himself from the other Pi Sig. He looked at Veronica warily for a moment, and she kept her smile firmly in place. Finally, he returned it.
"Peace offering," Chip laughed. He took the drink, and slid his other arm around Veronica. "Now, why don't we get you something?" he asked.
It took all the self-control Veronica had to keep smiling.
Half an hour later, Chip was on his fourth beer, and she was on her third mystery shot. The drinks, as far as she could tell, weren't laced, but they were definitely alcoholic, and she was already beginning to feel it. As she laughed at another one of Chip's painfully unfunny anecdotes, Veronica glanced over his shoulder, and froze.
Logan had just walked in. And, judging by the look on his face, he hadn't missed seeing her.
Veronica stood still among Chip's laughter as Logan strode towards her. She looked away, bracing herself. But the confrontation she was waiting for never came; instead, she turned in time to see Sacks approaching Logan, who clearly didn't recognise the Deputy. Turning on a burst of fake laughter as Chip fell silent, Veronica grabbed his arm, pulling him outside, and prayed that Sacks knew what he was doing.
"I just thought we could talk somewhere a little quieter," she said to Chip, who was looking down at her. He smiled, and Veronica didn't like what she saw in his expression at all.
"Yeah," he said, pressing into her. He reached up a hand to brush the hair away from her face, and Veronica tried not to shudder. "Quieter," he whispered in her ear.
As Veronica turned her head up to face him, ready to launch into her own unfunny anecdote, Chip leaned down, grabbing her face between his hands, and kissed her.
After a minute of Chip's tongue tasting nothing at all like cinnamon, Veronica pulled away. "Maybe we could take this somewhere more private?" she asked, trying to put as much space as possible between her and the Pi Sig.
"This is plenty private," Chip said, leaning in again.
"We could go up to your room," Veronica suggested, frantically trying to dodge his kiss.
"I think we're fine where we are," Chip said. Moving one hand to hold her waist, he slid the other down to her breast, grabbing it roughly. He kissed her again, and Veronica backed away as much as she could. Her vision was already getting fuzzy, and she was desperately beginning to wish that she hadn't had that last shot.
"But -"
Veronica didn't see the punch coming. Judging by the way he stumbled backward, neither had Chip.
"What the fuck?" Chip asked, turning toward his assailant. As he did so, Lamb landed another blow squarely on his face.
"I don't think the lady's interested," Lamb said, his jaw clenched tightly. As Chip raised his arm to swing, Lamb rushed him, and the two went tumbling backward into the bushes. Veronica stood for a moment, still in shock, then ran over to where the two men were fighting.
By the time she pulled Lamb off Chip, his clothes were dirty and ruffled. There was blood on his face, and the beginnings of a bruise on his chin. Chip looked far worse.
"I think we should go," Veronica said to Lamb, and to her relief, he didn't argue. She put her arm around him as she led him away, leaving Chip yelling a string of profanities after them.
"Smooth move, Sheriff," Veronica said, as they walked out of the Pi Sig house.
Next: Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18
Fandom: Veronica Mars
Pairing(s): Lamb/Veronica
Word Count: 2321
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Veronica isn't sure how she got roped into attending another Pi Sig party with Lamb. Or how she got talked into hitting on Pi Sig president Chip Diller.
Notes: Second in the What Goes Down series. AU from episode 3:2 - My Big Fat Greek Rush Week.
Previously: Part 1
She shouldn't have come.
Of course, it was a bit late to be thinking that as she walked through the courthouse door. But if Veronica knew one thing about herself, it was that she never listened to anyone's better judgement - not even her own.
-
"Honey, could you do me a favour?"
Veronica smiled. She hadn't even taken two steps into Mars Investigations' office, but that shouldn't have surprised her. Slinging her bag onto the couch, she went in to see her father.
"Sure," she said, standing in the doorway. "What do you need?"
Keith looked up at her from his desk. "I need you to go down to the Sheriff's department and drop off these papers. I'd do it, but I'm really swamped."
Veronica froze. This, she thought, was why you should always learn what the favour was before agreeing to it.
"Um, I'd love to," she said. "But I've got classes today, and ..."
"Honey?" Keith was looking at her with concern, and Veronica attempted to wipe the apprehension from her face. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Veronica answered brightly. What was she supposed to say? "No, dad, I can't go to the Sheriff's office, because I hate him?" That much, her father already knew. "I can do it. Sure."
"Okay," Keith said, concern lingering in his voice. Looking down, he handed her the files in a manila envelope. "Just give these files to Inga, it shouldn't take you too long."
Veronica relaxed. With even a little luck, she wouldn't have to see Lamb at all.
"I'll see you at home later," Keith said, and Veronica nodded, already on her way out the door.
-
One week. It had been a week since the party at the Pi Sig fraternity; seven days for Lamb to remember the feel of Veronica's body pressed against his, the dress she wore leaving nothing to his imagination. Seven days of remembering how Veronica's lips had felt, how she had tasted, the way she had kissed him back. Seven sleepless - but certainly not fruitless - nights.
Luckily, that also meant seven days to work on the Pi Sig case. Lamb had thrown himself into it, learning his own notes back to front, telling himself that it wasn't just a distraction.
Between trying to catch a rapist and kissing Veronica, Lamb hadn't got much sleep. So when he heard her voice at the station, Lamb wasn't entirely unconvinced that he was dreaming. But then he heard Inga's voice, and he was pretty sure that that wasn't in any of his dreams.
"Veronica Mars," he said, striding out to the front desk. "And to what do we owe this pleasure?"
"Deputy," Veronica greeted him, and Lamb tried not to scowl. She waved a manila envelope at him. "Just dropping off some paperwork for my dad."
Lamb waited as she finished with Inga, then crooked a finger at her. "Come," he said, and walked back into his office.
He wasn't sure she was going to follow. But by the time he was seated behind his desk, she stood in the doorway, looking even less happy to see him than usual. "Come in," he said, and after a moment's hesitation, Veronica did so.
Lamb had thought about all the ways he could play this. Of course, he knew the safest way would be not to play it at all; but for once, Lamb found himself unable to play the safe route. Besides, there were at least a couple of Veronica's buttons that he knew how to press.
"I want you to stay away from this investigation," he said, his voice as sharp as he could make it. "I mean it. If I see you within ten feet of a Pi Sig again, I'll have you arrested for obstruction of justice."
Veronica looked momentarily shocked, then angered, and then calm once more. "Gee, that's a great idea," she said, sarcasm dripping from every word. "I mean, it's not like I go to the same college as them or anything. I'm sure the Theta Betas will be totally cool with me never coming to another function." She leaned forward. "Not going to happen, sorry."
"Veronica," he growled. It wasn't hard to make himself sound angry with her. "I'm serious. Stay away."
But Veronica just laughed, and for a moment, Lamb forgot that he had wanted her to react that way. All he could see was Veronica Mars, laughing at him.
Lamb took a moment to get himself under control. When he looked up, Veronica was picking at her nails.
"Fine," he said, and he was surprised at how calm his voice sounded. "If you're not going to stay away from the case, how about working with me for a change?"
Veronica just looked at him. Sitting back in his chair, Lamb returned her gaze, and after a moment, she spoke.
"What did you have in mind?" she asked.
-
"Muffin?" Veronica asked in her brightest voice, and was rewarded by Marjorie smiling at her from the next table. As yet another hapless male handed over his money, Veronica returned the smile, and told herself emphatically that she was not enjoying this.
Today's theme? Polka dots. Today's mission? Bake sale.
Veronica handed over the box of sugar and icing, and groaned inwardly. Wallace was right, she realised. She had joined a sorority. And now she was flaunting her baked goods.
At least it kept her mind off the much less savoury mission for tomorrow night: attend another Pi Sig party. On one hand, she thought, at least it didn't require her to wear some kind of matching dress.
On the other, it did require her to try and seduce Pi Sig president Chip Diller. Not much of a bright side there.
"I think I'm done," Veronica told Marjorie, as she handed over her last box of muffins. She held up her cash bag. "Should I take this inside?"
Marjorie smiled at her again. "Wow," she said, coming over to Veronica. "You've done really well."
Veronica smiled. Between FBLA booths and Wallace's spirit boxes, she was, ironically, a natural at this.
"Go right inside," Marjorie said. "Give the money to Karen, and then I think you're done."
Veronica let out a relieved sigh. It was going to take her a week of taking illicit photographs to get rid of all this wholesomeness.
"There she is." As Veronica left the Theta Beta house, she looked up to see Logan. "I came to see if you had any treats left for me," he said, taking her hand.
"Sorry, sugar," she purred up at him. "These muffins are gone." She smiled at his faux-disappointed look. "But if you wait until we get home, I'll give you something sweet."
"Do you have class?" Logan asked, as they walked back towards the campus.
Veronica nodded. "I have Landry in an hour. You?"
"Sociology," he said. He stopped, and turned to face her. "I know what we're doing tonight," he said, leaning down to kiss her neck. "But what about tomorrow night?"
Veronica paused. She had really been hoping she wouldn't have to tell him about the Pi Sig party.
"Um, I'm busy," she said, as she pulled away and kept walking.
"Busy with what?" Logan asked. Veronica bit her lip.
"There's just this thing that the Theta Betas are doing with the Pi Sigs," she said, trying to keep her voice casual. "So if you want to go out with Wallace or something -"
"You're going to the Pi Sig party?" Logan asked.
"Yeah," she said.
"Well, then, I'll go too." Logan smiled down at her. "We'll make a night of it."
Veronica paused. But Logan was looking at her, and eventually she smiled. "Sure," she said. "I mean, I'm supposed to go with the Theta Betas -"
"I'll meet you there," Logan finished for her.
"It's a date," Veronica agreed.
-
Weaving her way through the crowd, Veronica tried to look cheerful as Theta Betas, Pi Sigs, and random college kids picked drinks up off her tray. She thought that she had left waitressing behind when she left Java the Hut; but at least there, she hadn't had to worry that she was serving some unsuspecting girl a beer and a roofie.
She had spotted Sacks almost as soon as she came in, lounging with some Pi Sigs. He fit in surprisingly well, though she still had to do a double take every time she saw him. She still hadn't seen Logan, which was a relief; mostly, she was just hoping that he didn't show.
"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"
Veronica turned when she heard the voice, but she didn't need to look to know who had spoken.
"Should you really be drinking on the job?" she asked, as Lamb lifted a cup from her tray.
"I'm not on duty," Lamb answered, and took a sip. "This is still unofficial."
Veronica looked around, setting her tray down as she and Lamb moved to the side of the room.
"Talked to Chip Diller yet?" he asked, still holding his beer.
Veronica shook her head. "Not yet," she said. She hadn't wanted to risk it without knowing where Logan was. When she looked back up at Lamb, she thought she saw something like concern in his eyes.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" he asked, the same concern mirrored in his voice. Veronica frowned. Was he worried she was going to screw this up?
"I'm sure," she said, sounding more confident than she felt. Lamb still didn't look convinced.
"I mean, how hard can it be to seduce a frat boy, right?"
Lamb frowned. Veronica rolled her eyes.
"Scenario one, he roofies me, and you can arrest him," she said, still looking at Lamb. "Scenario two, he takes me up to his room, passes out, and I can keep searching."
Lamb nodded, and took another drink. Veronica looked over his shoulder, and smiled.
"Target acquired," she said, as she spotted Chip talking to another of the Pi Sigs.
"I'll be watching you," Lamb said, and Veronica looked back up at him.
"Relax," she said. "See how the professionals handle this."
Grabbing a drink off the tray she had set down, Veronica walked up to Chip Diller with a smile. "Peace offering?" she asked, holding out the beer.
Chip disengaged himself from the other Pi Sig. He looked at Veronica warily for a moment, and she kept her smile firmly in place. Finally, he returned it.
"Peace offering," Chip laughed. He took the drink, and slid his other arm around Veronica. "Now, why don't we get you something?" he asked.
It took all the self-control Veronica had to keep smiling.
Half an hour later, Chip was on his fourth beer, and she was on her third mystery shot. The drinks, as far as she could tell, weren't laced, but they were definitely alcoholic, and she was already beginning to feel it. As she laughed at another one of Chip's painfully unfunny anecdotes, Veronica glanced over his shoulder, and froze.
Logan had just walked in. And, judging by the look on his face, he hadn't missed seeing her.
Veronica stood still among Chip's laughter as Logan strode towards her. She looked away, bracing herself. But the confrontation she was waiting for never came; instead, she turned in time to see Sacks approaching Logan, who clearly didn't recognise the Deputy. Turning on a burst of fake laughter as Chip fell silent, Veronica grabbed his arm, pulling him outside, and prayed that Sacks knew what he was doing.
"I just thought we could talk somewhere a little quieter," she said to Chip, who was looking down at her. He smiled, and Veronica didn't like what she saw in his expression at all.
"Yeah," he said, pressing into her. He reached up a hand to brush the hair away from her face, and Veronica tried not to shudder. "Quieter," he whispered in her ear.
As Veronica turned her head up to face him, ready to launch into her own unfunny anecdote, Chip leaned down, grabbing her face between his hands, and kissed her.
After a minute of Chip's tongue tasting nothing at all like cinnamon, Veronica pulled away. "Maybe we could take this somewhere more private?" she asked, trying to put as much space as possible between her and the Pi Sig.
"This is plenty private," Chip said, leaning in again.
"We could go up to your room," Veronica suggested, frantically trying to dodge his kiss.
"I think we're fine where we are," Chip said. Moving one hand to hold her waist, he slid the other down to her breast, grabbing it roughly. He kissed her again, and Veronica backed away as much as she could. Her vision was already getting fuzzy, and she was desperately beginning to wish that she hadn't had that last shot.
"But -"
Veronica didn't see the punch coming. Judging by the way he stumbled backward, neither had Chip.
"What the fuck?" Chip asked, turning toward his assailant. As he did so, Lamb landed another blow squarely on his face.
"I don't think the lady's interested," Lamb said, his jaw clenched tightly. As Chip raised his arm to swing, Lamb rushed him, and the two went tumbling backward into the bushes. Veronica stood for a moment, still in shock, then ran over to where the two men were fighting.
By the time she pulled Lamb off Chip, his clothes were dirty and ruffled. There was blood on his face, and the beginnings of a bruise on his chin. Chip looked far worse.
"I think we should go," Veronica said to Lamb, and to her relief, he didn't argue. She put her arm around him as she led him away, leaving Chip yelling a string of profanities after them.
"Smooth move, Sheriff," Veronica said, as they walked out of the Pi Sig house.
Next: Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18