A Man,Could've Been Anything (3/?); Veronica/Norris; NC17
Title: A Man, Could've Been Anything
Fandom: Veronica Mars/The Departed
Rating: NC17
P/C: Veronica/Norris, Lamb, Sachs
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None
Summary: With Keith gone, Veronica's real work starts.
A/N: This is in fact crack!fic. Do not abuse. Commenting is severely appreciated as I know that I'm crazy.
{}
Leo had brought her and Norris in about an hour ago. She was sitting in the reception area. Inga was crying. Veronica didn’t understand why. How long had Keith and Inga known each other any way? Five years? Six? It couldn’t be more then six, she was sure. She started to count the tiles on the floor. Sixty-nine, sixty-six, no that’s not right…
Norris was escorted out of Lamb’s office by Sachs, who was looking grim behind his mustache and hair gel. Norris put his hand on her arm as she stared down at the floor. “Veronica, they want you in there now.” She looked up at him. And she appreciated the way he didn’t tell her that everything would be fine and how he didn’t ask her if she was okay. She had a feeling that Norris Clayton had been asked way too many stupid questions to even consider asking any himself.
As she got up, she stumbled and Norris caught her by the forearm. He gave her a small smile and she knew it was supposed to comfort her. For someone she’d only kissed once, Norris sure was doing one hell of a good boyfriend impression.
****
Lamb briskly questioned her, but she didn’t really pay attention. He was asking about her whereabouts and so forth, all the procedural questions. Her answers were mechanical and she nodded dumbly.
“And what the fuck, if you will pardon my French, are you doing hanging out with a throwback like Norris Clayton?”
“What do you care? Still wishing you had gotten there first?” Veronica shot back. The truth was, she didn’t know why she was here with Norris. She thought back. Was it because he had been there when she had gotten the call? He had asked if he could walk her to her car and carry her books and so forth. It had irritated her a little, but she had also thought it was kind of cute. She still wasn’t sure that she had done the right thing, giving him this chance but -
“Earth to fucking Mars!” Lamb snapped in front of her face. “Why were you with Norris Clayton? I happen to know that that kid not only is not only a dirtbag but he’s also a repeated violent offender.”
Lamb was making her miss the scrutiny that her father put on her when she was dating a boy. And he’ll never do it again.
All of a sudden she felt dizzyingly nauseous. She bolted from her chair and puked in the plastic trashcan next to Lamb’s desk.
Gone, gone, gone, gone…
****
Outside of Lamb’s office Norris was waiting for her. He handed her a cup of water. “I heard the noises, you know,” he mimed throwing up. “From in there.”
Veronica drank the water, gulping it all, trying to wash the taste of loss out of her mouth. Afterwards, she looked at Norris, trying to focus, trying to get her head back in the game. She knew that if she worked this, she would be able to shove the pain away from her. And then? a voice that sounded oddly like Logan in her head asked.
Well, then she would…she would do something else. There could be no pain, no matter what she had lost. Because that’s was when they won.
What the hell are you talking about? the Logan voice demanded. Who exactly is it that you think is going to win?
She shook it off, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at the boy who had been her only support system in these last two hellish hours.
“Lamb says that you’re a repeated violent offender. Want to tell me about that?”
There was no question in her eyes.
****
“When I was younger, I got into a lot of fights. Not really at school because I kind of stopped going in about the seventh grade. Well, I’d go maybe, twice a week. My dad was working on his graduate degree and my mom didn’t really know what to do about me. She was working full time to support all of us. That’s why when my brother started working for Frank Costello, nobody tried to stop him. In our family, he was a hero. You know, taking the weight of our mom’s shoulders kind of thing.”
Veronica stopped him. “In the seventh grade? Norris, you were in the seventh grade in Neptune.”
Norris gave her another lopsided grin. “Yeah, when I was fifteen. Don’t you remember how I was always the biggest guy in the room?”
Veronica’s eyebrows went up. “So you’re actually-“
“Almost 20, yes.”
Veronica glanced down at the floor and then back up at him. “Okay. Continue.”
“When I saw how well things were going with my brother working with Frank, I decided I should be in on it too. I mean, I idolized Theo. To me, he could do no wrong. I went over to L Street to see what work Frank could give me. And Theo was proud. He told Frank that I was good muscle, a good guy to back him when he went to collect. Frank laughed and let me have the job.”
Norris shrugged. “I had a violent job.”
When she didn’t answer, Norris gave her a concerned look. “I don’t think we should talk about this now.”
Veronica bristled. She was perfectly capable of…of…coping.
“I’m fine,” she said icily.
“No. You’re not.” Norris looked down at her with sympathy in his eyes. “Veronica, your dad is dead.”
Her knees almost went weak. She almost started to cry again. She almost called out for her dad. Instead, she held out her hand, albeit shakily to Norris.
“Take me home.”
Other Chapters
Fandom: Veronica Mars/The Departed
Rating: NC17
P/C: Veronica/Norris, Lamb, Sachs
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None
Summary: With Keith gone, Veronica's real work starts.
A/N: This is in fact crack!fic. Do not abuse. Commenting is severely appreciated as I know that I'm crazy.
{}
Leo had brought her and Norris in about an hour ago. She was sitting in the reception area. Inga was crying. Veronica didn’t understand why. How long had Keith and Inga known each other any way? Five years? Six? It couldn’t be more then six, she was sure. She started to count the tiles on the floor. Sixty-nine, sixty-six, no that’s not right…
Norris was escorted out of Lamb’s office by Sachs, who was looking grim behind his mustache and hair gel. Norris put his hand on her arm as she stared down at the floor. “Veronica, they want you in there now.” She looked up at him. And she appreciated the way he didn’t tell her that everything would be fine and how he didn’t ask her if she was okay. She had a feeling that Norris Clayton had been asked way too many stupid questions to even consider asking any himself.
As she got up, she stumbled and Norris caught her by the forearm. He gave her a small smile and she knew it was supposed to comfort her. For someone she’d only kissed once, Norris sure was doing one hell of a good boyfriend impression.
****
Lamb briskly questioned her, but she didn’t really pay attention. He was asking about her whereabouts and so forth, all the procedural questions. Her answers were mechanical and she nodded dumbly.
“And what the fuck, if you will pardon my French, are you doing hanging out with a throwback like Norris Clayton?”
“What do you care? Still wishing you had gotten there first?” Veronica shot back. The truth was, she didn’t know why she was here with Norris. She thought back. Was it because he had been there when she had gotten the call? He had asked if he could walk her to her car and carry her books and so forth. It had irritated her a little, but she had also thought it was kind of cute. She still wasn’t sure that she had done the right thing, giving him this chance but -
“Earth to fucking Mars!” Lamb snapped in front of her face. “Why were you with Norris Clayton? I happen to know that that kid not only is not only a dirtbag but he’s also a repeated violent offender.”
Lamb was making her miss the scrutiny that her father put on her when she was dating a boy. And he’ll never do it again.
All of a sudden she felt dizzyingly nauseous. She bolted from her chair and puked in the plastic trashcan next to Lamb’s desk.
Gone, gone, gone, gone…
****
Outside of Lamb’s office Norris was waiting for her. He handed her a cup of water. “I heard the noises, you know,” he mimed throwing up. “From in there.”
Veronica drank the water, gulping it all, trying to wash the taste of loss out of her mouth. Afterwards, she looked at Norris, trying to focus, trying to get her head back in the game. She knew that if she worked this, she would be able to shove the pain away from her. And then? a voice that sounded oddly like Logan in her head asked.
Well, then she would…she would do something else. There could be no pain, no matter what she had lost. Because that’s was when they won.
What the hell are you talking about? the Logan voice demanded. Who exactly is it that you think is going to win?
She shook it off, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at the boy who had been her only support system in these last two hellish hours.
“Lamb says that you’re a repeated violent offender. Want to tell me about that?”
There was no question in her eyes.
****
“When I was younger, I got into a lot of fights. Not really at school because I kind of stopped going in about the seventh grade. Well, I’d go maybe, twice a week. My dad was working on his graduate degree and my mom didn’t really know what to do about me. She was working full time to support all of us. That’s why when my brother started working for Frank Costello, nobody tried to stop him. In our family, he was a hero. You know, taking the weight of our mom’s shoulders kind of thing.”
Veronica stopped him. “In the seventh grade? Norris, you were in the seventh grade in Neptune.”
Norris gave her another lopsided grin. “Yeah, when I was fifteen. Don’t you remember how I was always the biggest guy in the room?”
Veronica’s eyebrows went up. “So you’re actually-“
“Almost 20, yes.”
Veronica glanced down at the floor and then back up at him. “Okay. Continue.”
“When I saw how well things were going with my brother working with Frank, I decided I should be in on it too. I mean, I idolized Theo. To me, he could do no wrong. I went over to L Street to see what work Frank could give me. And Theo was proud. He told Frank that I was good muscle, a good guy to back him when he went to collect. Frank laughed and let me have the job.”
Norris shrugged. “I had a violent job.”
When she didn’t answer, Norris gave her a concerned look. “I don’t think we should talk about this now.”
Veronica bristled. She was perfectly capable of…of…coping.
“I’m fine,” she said icily.
“No. You’re not.” Norris looked down at her with sympathy in his eyes. “Veronica, your dad is dead.”
Her knees almost went weak. She almost started to cry again. She almost called out for her dad. Instead, she held out her hand, albeit shakily to Norris.
“Take me home.”
Other Chapters