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Fic: What Goes Down #12: Dinner And A Moving Vehicle (Veronica Mars, Lamb/Veronica)
Title: Dinner And A Moving Vehicle
Fandom: Veronica Mars
Pairing(s): Lamb/Veronica
Word Count: 1855
Rating: PG-13
Summary: As Veronica begins to find answers to Lamb's case, she asks him to help her with a case of her own.
Notes: Twelfth in the What Goes Down series. AU from episode 3:2 - My Big Fat Greek Rush Week; almost entirely AU after episode 3:9 - Spit & Eggs.
Previously: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11
Veronica looked again at the records Mac had given her. She still didn't know what to make of them, but one thing was clear: they all led back to one man.
Robert Dedman.
Veronica frowned at the name. It seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.
Keith came out of his office, then, and Veronica looked up at him. "How do I know the name Robert Dedman?" she asked.
Keith frowned. "He used to work for the mayor."
"Woody?"
Keith shook his head. "Before him."
Veronica looked back down at her notes, trying to remember.
"He was dismissed about a year before ..." Keith trailed off. "There was a big controversy, rumours of shady dealings."
Veronica smiled. "So, pretty much standard in Neptune?"
"What's this about?" Keith was looking worriedly at Veronica, and she tried to brush it off.
"It's nothing," she said casually. "Just trying to remember where I'd heard the name."
"Okay." Keith sounded unconvinced, but after a moment he stepped forward, setting a file on her desk.
"Are you going to be home late tonight?" Veronica asked, and he nodded.
"I'm afraid so, honey."
"It must be some case." Keith looked at her sharply, and Veronica shrugged. "Don't worry, I'm not prying."
"Good," he said. "You busy tonight?"
"Apart from my hot date with Backup and Kraft mac 'n' cheese?" She shook her head. "Nope."
Keith nodded. "I took this case on a few weeks ago, but I just don't have time to chase it up. You think you've got time to look it over, maybe do a little recon?"
Veronica smiled. "For you? I think I can manage. But Backup's going to be disappointed."
"I'll make it up to him."
-
Lamb shut the door to his office behind him as he went to sit at his desk. If he'd thought that things had been bad after the Christmas party - and Inga still smiled at him every time he walked past her - that was nothing compared to now. He couldn't say two words to Sacks without the deputy smirking at him from behind that stupid fake moustache, which Lamb had so far managed not to rip right off his face. It had got so bad that Lamb had started bringing his own coffee in the morning, and generally trying to avoid the rest of the office as much as possible.
"Sheriff?"
Lamb looked up as Sacks opened the door, grinning at him as usual. "What is it?" he asked irritably.
"Veronica Mars on the line for you." Sacks' grin was wider now, and Lamb resisted the urge to throw something at him.
"Thank you," Lamb said tersely, and waited until Sacks had shut the door once more to pick up the phone.
"Veronica," he said, trying - unsuccessfully - to keep the frustration out of his voice.
"Bad day?" Veronica asked him, and despite himself, Lamb smiled.
"It was until now."
There was silence on the other end of the line, and Lamb frowned until Veronica finally spoke again.
"I need a favour."
"Name it." Damn. Too eager. "I mean, what is it?"
Lamb could almost hear Veronica's smile through the phone. "I'm working on a case," she said, "and I thought it might go more smoothly if I had an ... escort."
"What's the case?"
"The usual. Guy suspects his wife is cheating on him, wants us to tail her. Apparently she has dinner every week at the Bayside with her girlfriends, but I thought ..."
"Maybe she's having dinner with a boyfriend instead?"
"That's about it," Veronica agreed. "Her dinner's at eight, so I thought if you wanted to meet me there -"
"Is your dad going to be home tonight?" Lamb interrupted her.
"Not until late."
"Then I'll come pick you up. You need me to make reservations?"
"It's already taken care of," Veronica said.
-
"Hey."
"Hey yourself." Weevil looked at Veronica, and smiled. "Okay, what do you want?"
"Want?" Veronica asked. "Who says I want anything? Can't I just feel like talking?"
Weevil looked at her, and shook his head. "You always want something," he said. "Besides, you've got that look."
Veronica frowned. She was going to have to work on that.
"All right, what is it?" he prompted. "You want me to do some more B and E? Maybe rough someone up a little? I'm still on probation, you know."
Veronica smiled. "None of the above. I just want some information. Since you used to be so big on crime and all."
"What do you want to know?" Weevil asked.
"Robert Dedman. Used to work for the mayor a few years ago. What do you know about him?"
"Him? Yeah, I remember him. Word on the street was that he had connections to the mob."
"The mob?" Veronica looked at him. "Like the mob, mob?"
"Yeah." Weevil was looking at her seriously, and she frowned. "You don't want to mess with these guys. They're serious."
Veronica forced a smile. "I wasn't planning on messing with anyone," she assured him. "I was just curious."
"Yeah, like you're ever just curious."
"Seriously," Veronica said. "I just wanted some information."
"Yeah, well." Weevil shook his head. "Whatever you're up to, stay away from Dedman."
-
Veronica jumped as she heard the knock on the door. She shouldn't be nervous, she told herself. This was not a date. This was a case. And if she had spent the past hour picking out the perfect dress, it was only because the Bayside was a nice restaurant, and she wanted to blend.
She opened the door with a smile. She was not nervous.
So when Lamb's gaze travelled over her and her breath caught, she told herself that it was just because she didn't like him looking at her like that.
"You look nice," was all he said, and Veronica's answering smile was genuine.
"So do you."
Lamb didn't take Veronica's arm as they walked over to his car. He did open the passenger door for her, though, and she unlocked his door as she slid in.
It was a short drive to the Bayside, filled with a silence that was strangely not uncomfortable. When they arrived, Veronica got out of the car before Lamb could open her door again, and this time he did take her arm as he led her towards the restaurant.
"Table for Mars," she told the Maitre d', who guided them to a small table. Lamb ordered a bottle of wine.
"So, where is she?" he asked Veronica, and she looked around the restaurant. Finally, her eyes came to rest on a woman a few tables over.
"That's her," she said.
Lamb looked around, with more subtlety than Veronica would have given him credit for. "She's alone."
Veronica frowned. "Awfully small table for a group," she pointed out.
When their wine arrived, Lamb poured her a glass.
"I don't like you," she said, and he smiled.
"Yes, you do."
Veronica didn't say anything.
When Lamb asked her what she wanted to order, Veronica picked the most expensive thing she could find just to test his reaction. He kept smiling. When their waiter arrived, he ordered for her, which usually drove her crazy. On Lamb, it seemed right somehow.
When their food arrived, the woman at the other table was still alone.
"What are you doing?" Lamb asked a few minutes later, as Veronica pulled her phone out of her bag. She silenced him with a look. Three tables away, a man who was definitely not the woman's husband had just sat down.
"Camera phone," Veronica explained, as she snapped the couple together and returned the phone to her bag. She took another bite of her lobster, and smiled. It wasn't usually her favourite dish, but this was almost worth the exorbitant price.
Lamb was still looking at her like what he wanted most wasn't on the menu.
"Solve any cases lately?" she asked him as he poured her another glass of wine. "I mean, if that's something you actually do down there."
"I've solved plenty of cases," Lamb said, almost petulantly.
Veronica smiled. "Without my help?"
Lamb remained conspicuously silent.
"I am so full," Veronica said as she finished her dinner. She sat back in her chair, and Lamb smiled as he poured the rest of the wine.
But when the waiter came back and asked, "dessert?" Veronica took a menu eagerly.
"I thought you were full."
Veronica smiled at Lamb. "There's always room for dessert."
And then he was looking at her with that expression again, and Veronica suddenly wished she'd chosen her words a little more carefully. When she ordered the chocolate mud pie, she was just glad there wasn't a 'gasm' at the end.
By the time they finished dessert - Lamb chose to abstain, which didn't stop him stealing bites of Veronica's - the woman and their mystery date were just finishing their own meal. As they got up from their table, Veronica realised that she had almost forgotten about them.
She reached for the bill when it arrived, but Lamb got to it first. "I don't do dutch," he said.
Veronica let him pay.
Lamb and Veronica followed the other couple out into the parking lot, and Veronica snapped more pictures of the two kissing as they got into a car. Then Lamb was pushing her up against the side of the restaurant, and Veronica kissed him first, tasting wine and chocolate and something else that was just Lamb. When he reached up to cup her breast, she pushed him away.
She walked quickly towards Lamb's car, and he followed her.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"Best guess?" Veronica stopped to look back at him. "I'd say the Camelot."
Veronica didn't see the other couple as they pulled up to the motel, but she took a few pictures of the man's car, smiling as she did so. People were so predictable.
"What now?" Lamb asked her as she sat back in her seat.
"Now," Veronica said, "we wait."
Lamb turned the radio on after a few minutes, and Veronica didn't bother to object. He could probably afford to waste his battery.
After half an hour had gone by, Lamb was looking decidedly restless.
"I thought there'd be more action than this," he admitted, as Veronica turned to look at him.
She smiled. "This is the job. It's not as glamourous as the movies would make out."
After another seven minutes, she could have sworn that Lamb shifted closer to her in his seat.
After nine minutes, he actually coughed and put his arm around her.
After a lengthy debate with herself, Veronica decided not to say anything. "You've never been on a stakeout before?" she asked him, instead.
Lamb shrugged. "I usually let Sacks handle them," he admitted. "So, what are we waiting for?"
Veronica looked at Lamb. "I need to get the money shot," she explained.
He gazed back at her darkly. "Say money shot again."
"Money shot."
Lamb leaned forward, and Veronica pulled away an instant before he kissed her.
"What?" he asked her, confused.
Veronica just smiled. And snapped the money shot.
Next: Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18
Fandom: Veronica Mars
Pairing(s): Lamb/Veronica
Word Count: 1855
Rating: PG-13
Summary: As Veronica begins to find answers to Lamb's case, she asks him to help her with a case of her own.
Notes: Twelfth in the What Goes Down series. AU from episode 3:2 - My Big Fat Greek Rush Week; almost entirely AU after episode 3:9 - Spit & Eggs.
Previously: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11
Veronica looked again at the records Mac had given her. She still didn't know what to make of them, but one thing was clear: they all led back to one man.
Robert Dedman.
Veronica frowned at the name. It seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.
Keith came out of his office, then, and Veronica looked up at him. "How do I know the name Robert Dedman?" she asked.
Keith frowned. "He used to work for the mayor."
"Woody?"
Keith shook his head. "Before him."
Veronica looked back down at her notes, trying to remember.
"He was dismissed about a year before ..." Keith trailed off. "There was a big controversy, rumours of shady dealings."
Veronica smiled. "So, pretty much standard in Neptune?"
"What's this about?" Keith was looking worriedly at Veronica, and she tried to brush it off.
"It's nothing," she said casually. "Just trying to remember where I'd heard the name."
"Okay." Keith sounded unconvinced, but after a moment he stepped forward, setting a file on her desk.
"Are you going to be home late tonight?" Veronica asked, and he nodded.
"I'm afraid so, honey."
"It must be some case." Keith looked at her sharply, and Veronica shrugged. "Don't worry, I'm not prying."
"Good," he said. "You busy tonight?"
"Apart from my hot date with Backup and Kraft mac 'n' cheese?" She shook her head. "Nope."
Keith nodded. "I took this case on a few weeks ago, but I just don't have time to chase it up. You think you've got time to look it over, maybe do a little recon?"
Veronica smiled. "For you? I think I can manage. But Backup's going to be disappointed."
"I'll make it up to him."
-
Lamb shut the door to his office behind him as he went to sit at his desk. If he'd thought that things had been bad after the Christmas party - and Inga still smiled at him every time he walked past her - that was nothing compared to now. He couldn't say two words to Sacks without the deputy smirking at him from behind that stupid fake moustache, which Lamb had so far managed not to rip right off his face. It had got so bad that Lamb had started bringing his own coffee in the morning, and generally trying to avoid the rest of the office as much as possible.
"Sheriff?"
Lamb looked up as Sacks opened the door, grinning at him as usual. "What is it?" he asked irritably.
"Veronica Mars on the line for you." Sacks' grin was wider now, and Lamb resisted the urge to throw something at him.
"Thank you," Lamb said tersely, and waited until Sacks had shut the door once more to pick up the phone.
"Veronica," he said, trying - unsuccessfully - to keep the frustration out of his voice.
"Bad day?" Veronica asked him, and despite himself, Lamb smiled.
"It was until now."
There was silence on the other end of the line, and Lamb frowned until Veronica finally spoke again.
"I need a favour."
"Name it." Damn. Too eager. "I mean, what is it?"
Lamb could almost hear Veronica's smile through the phone. "I'm working on a case," she said, "and I thought it might go more smoothly if I had an ... escort."
"What's the case?"
"The usual. Guy suspects his wife is cheating on him, wants us to tail her. Apparently she has dinner every week at the Bayside with her girlfriends, but I thought ..."
"Maybe she's having dinner with a boyfriend instead?"
"That's about it," Veronica agreed. "Her dinner's at eight, so I thought if you wanted to meet me there -"
"Is your dad going to be home tonight?" Lamb interrupted her.
"Not until late."
"Then I'll come pick you up. You need me to make reservations?"
"It's already taken care of," Veronica said.
-
"Hey."
"Hey yourself." Weevil looked at Veronica, and smiled. "Okay, what do you want?"
"Want?" Veronica asked. "Who says I want anything? Can't I just feel like talking?"
Weevil looked at her, and shook his head. "You always want something," he said. "Besides, you've got that look."
Veronica frowned. She was going to have to work on that.
"All right, what is it?" he prompted. "You want me to do some more B and E? Maybe rough someone up a little? I'm still on probation, you know."
Veronica smiled. "None of the above. I just want some information. Since you used to be so big on crime and all."
"What do you want to know?" Weevil asked.
"Robert Dedman. Used to work for the mayor a few years ago. What do you know about him?"
"Him? Yeah, I remember him. Word on the street was that he had connections to the mob."
"The mob?" Veronica looked at him. "Like the mob, mob?"
"Yeah." Weevil was looking at her seriously, and she frowned. "You don't want to mess with these guys. They're serious."
Veronica forced a smile. "I wasn't planning on messing with anyone," she assured him. "I was just curious."
"Yeah, like you're ever just curious."
"Seriously," Veronica said. "I just wanted some information."
"Yeah, well." Weevil shook his head. "Whatever you're up to, stay away from Dedman."
-
Veronica jumped as she heard the knock on the door. She shouldn't be nervous, she told herself. This was not a date. This was a case. And if she had spent the past hour picking out the perfect dress, it was only because the Bayside was a nice restaurant, and she wanted to blend.
She opened the door with a smile. She was not nervous.
So when Lamb's gaze travelled over her and her breath caught, she told herself that it was just because she didn't like him looking at her like that.
"You look nice," was all he said, and Veronica's answering smile was genuine.
"So do you."
Lamb didn't take Veronica's arm as they walked over to his car. He did open the passenger door for her, though, and she unlocked his door as she slid in.
It was a short drive to the Bayside, filled with a silence that was strangely not uncomfortable. When they arrived, Veronica got out of the car before Lamb could open her door again, and this time he did take her arm as he led her towards the restaurant.
"Table for Mars," she told the Maitre d', who guided them to a small table. Lamb ordered a bottle of wine.
"So, where is she?" he asked Veronica, and she looked around the restaurant. Finally, her eyes came to rest on a woman a few tables over.
"That's her," she said.
Lamb looked around, with more subtlety than Veronica would have given him credit for. "She's alone."
Veronica frowned. "Awfully small table for a group," she pointed out.
When their wine arrived, Lamb poured her a glass.
"I don't like you," she said, and he smiled.
"Yes, you do."
Veronica didn't say anything.
When Lamb asked her what she wanted to order, Veronica picked the most expensive thing she could find just to test his reaction. He kept smiling. When their waiter arrived, he ordered for her, which usually drove her crazy. On Lamb, it seemed right somehow.
When their food arrived, the woman at the other table was still alone.
"What are you doing?" Lamb asked a few minutes later, as Veronica pulled her phone out of her bag. She silenced him with a look. Three tables away, a man who was definitely not the woman's husband had just sat down.
"Camera phone," Veronica explained, as she snapped the couple together and returned the phone to her bag. She took another bite of her lobster, and smiled. It wasn't usually her favourite dish, but this was almost worth the exorbitant price.
Lamb was still looking at her like what he wanted most wasn't on the menu.
"Solve any cases lately?" she asked him as he poured her another glass of wine. "I mean, if that's something you actually do down there."
"I've solved plenty of cases," Lamb said, almost petulantly.
Veronica smiled. "Without my help?"
Lamb remained conspicuously silent.
"I am so full," Veronica said as she finished her dinner. She sat back in her chair, and Lamb smiled as he poured the rest of the wine.
But when the waiter came back and asked, "dessert?" Veronica took a menu eagerly.
"I thought you were full."
Veronica smiled at Lamb. "There's always room for dessert."
And then he was looking at her with that expression again, and Veronica suddenly wished she'd chosen her words a little more carefully. When she ordered the chocolate mud pie, she was just glad there wasn't a 'gasm' at the end.
By the time they finished dessert - Lamb chose to abstain, which didn't stop him stealing bites of Veronica's - the woman and their mystery date were just finishing their own meal. As they got up from their table, Veronica realised that she had almost forgotten about them.
She reached for the bill when it arrived, but Lamb got to it first. "I don't do dutch," he said.
Veronica let him pay.
Lamb and Veronica followed the other couple out into the parking lot, and Veronica snapped more pictures of the two kissing as they got into a car. Then Lamb was pushing her up against the side of the restaurant, and Veronica kissed him first, tasting wine and chocolate and something else that was just Lamb. When he reached up to cup her breast, she pushed him away.
She walked quickly towards Lamb's car, and he followed her.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"Best guess?" Veronica stopped to look back at him. "I'd say the Camelot."
Veronica didn't see the other couple as they pulled up to the motel, but she took a few pictures of the man's car, smiling as she did so. People were so predictable.
"What now?" Lamb asked her as she sat back in her seat.
"Now," Veronica said, "we wait."
Lamb turned the radio on after a few minutes, and Veronica didn't bother to object. He could probably afford to waste his battery.
After half an hour had gone by, Lamb was looking decidedly restless.
"I thought there'd be more action than this," he admitted, as Veronica turned to look at him.
She smiled. "This is the job. It's not as glamourous as the movies would make out."
After another seven minutes, she could have sworn that Lamb shifted closer to her in his seat.
After nine minutes, he actually coughed and put his arm around her.
After a lengthy debate with herself, Veronica decided not to say anything. "You've never been on a stakeout before?" she asked him, instead.
Lamb shrugged. "I usually let Sacks handle them," he admitted. "So, what are we waiting for?"
Veronica looked at Lamb. "I need to get the money shot," she explained.
He gazed back at her darkly. "Say money shot again."
"Money shot."
Lamb leaned forward, and Veronica pulled away an instant before he kissed her.
"What?" he asked her, confused.
Veronica just smiled. And snapped the money shot.
Next: Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18