VM fic: The One Thing Needful
Apr. 29th, 2010 11:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jesterladyficPrologue
Chapter One
Tracy: Only as it happens, I'm not interested in myself, for the moment.
Dexter: Not interested in yourself! You're fascinated, Red. You're far and away your favorite person in the world.
Tracy: Dexter, in case you don't know it -
Dexter: Of course, Mr. Connor, she's a girl who's generous to a fault.
Tracy: To a fault, Mr. Connor.
Dexter: Except to other people's faults. For instance, she never had any understanding of my deep and gorgeous thirst.
Tracy: That was your problem.
Dexter: Granted. But you took on that problem with me when you took me, Red. You were no help-mate there. You were a scold.
Tracy: It was disgusting. It made you so unattractive.
Dexter: A weakness, sure, and strength is her religion, Mr. Connor. She finds human imperfection unforgiveable. And when I gradually discovered that my relationship to her was supposed to be not that of a loving husband and a good companion, but-oh, never mind.
Tracy: Say it.
Dexter: But that of a kind of high priest to a virgin goddess, then my drinks grew deeper and more frequent, that's all.
Tracy: I never considered you as that, nor myself.
Dexter: You did without knowing it.
***
“I have spent the last few days being terrified that I had some whacked-out rapist following me!”
“Look, I had the same fear.”
“So you pay someone to tail me?”
“No, so I asked you to stop putting yourself in danger and you told me to piss off. Then I hired someone to protect you.”
“You had no right to do that.”
“Look, that's probably true...okay? It's just I don't care.”
“You don't care?”
“Look, I don't give a rat's ass if it's right or fair. I don't care if you're angry. I care that you're safe.
“That's all sweet and great, but it doesn't really work that way. It's not like this is all some new facet of my personality. You know who I am! You know what I do.”
“And?”
“And...it isn't gonna change. And if you can't accept that, this isn't gonna work.”
“You know who I am. And you're constantly expecting me to change. And even right now, as you're thinking, 'crap, he's got a point,' you still think you're ultimately right. I love you, Veronica. I love you. But, do you love me?”
“Yeah.”
“Well then, can we try to go a little easier on each other?”
“Yeah, I think that's a good idea.”
“So, are we okay?”
“Yeah...we're okay.”
They weren't okay. They both knew that.
***
The biggest surprise was that he broke up with her. She'd spent the last few days trying to readjust herself, trying to summon the feelings of ecstasy she'd felt when they'd gotten back together. That didn't work and she'd known it wouldn't. There was no such thing as a trouble-free relationship, but she was starting to wonder if it wasn't just her pride that kept her in this one. She'd taken him on again, she'd stick with it, and she wouldn't fail. Fail in what, she sometimes asked herself. And then she stopped, because she was Veronica Mars and looking too deep uncovered wounds she didn’t want to remember.
It was obvious he'd been drinking when he did it. And that made her more than a little angry. That was something he should've never started, and should've stopped as soon as they got together. She drank occasionally herself, so she couldn't tell him not to, but he should know better anyway. He should, especially after all the trouble his drinking had caused for himself and for their relationship.
“I can't take feeling like a failure, Veronica,” he said, not even looking at her.
“You're the only one who can make yourself a failure, Logan,” she said crisply.
“I didn't say I was a failure, I said I was tired of feeling like one. And it's you that makes me feel that way, no matter what I do. I can be on top of the world and there's no one who can bring me down quicker.”
He quirked a half smile and it made her furious.
“I see. I'm to blame for the drinking and lewd behavior, for sleeping with hos and burning public swimming pools, bar fights and bum fights and DUIs and getting arrested.”
“No, you don't instigate anything, Veronica Mars. But you're no help-mate.”
“I refuse to be held responsible for your problems.”
“And that's why this doesn't work, my dear,” he said. “I want to be part of a team and you want a perfect subject. Never happen.”
“That's not true,” she said, stung.
“Not literally,” he said.
“So, that's it?”
“Isn't that the way you want it?”
“At this point, I'm thinking, yeah.”
“Any parting shots?”
“Thanks for the disappointment,” she said bitterly and left.
***
Logan sat down and ruefully rubbed his face. Breaking up had been his objective, but, somehow, he wasn't sure he was happy with it. A dull resentment kept flaming within him as the thoughts raced in his head. Veronica Mars, queen of the high road. Logan Echolls, bum of the lower beings.
He glanced at the whiskey bottle on the shelf and his hand grabbed it, almost of its own accord, and smashed it against the wall. He was seized with energy and went through the entire suite emptying anything with alcohol in it.
Change, change was good. Change wouldn't last without something substantial behind it.
LJ Master Post
Chapter One
Tracy: Only as it happens, I'm not interested in myself, for the moment.
Dexter: Not interested in yourself! You're fascinated, Red. You're far and away your favorite person in the world.
Tracy: Dexter, in case you don't know it -
Dexter: Of course, Mr. Connor, she's a girl who's generous to a fault.
Tracy: To a fault, Mr. Connor.
Dexter: Except to other people's faults. For instance, she never had any understanding of my deep and gorgeous thirst.
Tracy: That was your problem.
Dexter: Granted. But you took on that problem with me when you took me, Red. You were no help-mate there. You were a scold.
Tracy: It was disgusting. It made you so unattractive.
Dexter: A weakness, sure, and strength is her religion, Mr. Connor. She finds human imperfection unforgiveable. And when I gradually discovered that my relationship to her was supposed to be not that of a loving husband and a good companion, but-oh, never mind.
Tracy: Say it.
Dexter: But that of a kind of high priest to a virgin goddess, then my drinks grew deeper and more frequent, that's all.
Tracy: I never considered you as that, nor myself.
Dexter: You did without knowing it.
***
“I have spent the last few days being terrified that I had some whacked-out rapist following me!”
“Look, I had the same fear.”
“So you pay someone to tail me?”
“No, so I asked you to stop putting yourself in danger and you told me to piss off. Then I hired someone to protect you.”
“You had no right to do that.”
“Look, that's probably true...okay? It's just I don't care.”
“You don't care?”
“Look, I don't give a rat's ass if it's right or fair. I don't care if you're angry. I care that you're safe.
“That's all sweet and great, but it doesn't really work that way. It's not like this is all some new facet of my personality. You know who I am! You know what I do.”
“And?”
“And...it isn't gonna change. And if you can't accept that, this isn't gonna work.”
“You know who I am. And you're constantly expecting me to change. And even right now, as you're thinking, 'crap, he's got a point,' you still think you're ultimately right. I love you, Veronica. I love you. But, do you love me?”
“Yeah.”
“Well then, can we try to go a little easier on each other?”
“Yeah, I think that's a good idea.”
“So, are we okay?”
“Yeah...we're okay.”
They weren't okay. They both knew that.
***
The biggest surprise was that he broke up with her. She'd spent the last few days trying to readjust herself, trying to summon the feelings of ecstasy she'd felt when they'd gotten back together. That didn't work and she'd known it wouldn't. There was no such thing as a trouble-free relationship, but she was starting to wonder if it wasn't just her pride that kept her in this one. She'd taken him on again, she'd stick with it, and she wouldn't fail. Fail in what, she sometimes asked herself. And then she stopped, because she was Veronica Mars and looking too deep uncovered wounds she didn’t want to remember.
It was obvious he'd been drinking when he did it. And that made her more than a little angry. That was something he should've never started, and should've stopped as soon as they got together. She drank occasionally herself, so she couldn't tell him not to, but he should know better anyway. He should, especially after all the trouble his drinking had caused for himself and for their relationship.
“I can't take feeling like a failure, Veronica,” he said, not even looking at her.
“You're the only one who can make yourself a failure, Logan,” she said crisply.
“I didn't say I was a failure, I said I was tired of feeling like one. And it's you that makes me feel that way, no matter what I do. I can be on top of the world and there's no one who can bring me down quicker.”
He quirked a half smile and it made her furious.
“I see. I'm to blame for the drinking and lewd behavior, for sleeping with hos and burning public swimming pools, bar fights and bum fights and DUIs and getting arrested.”
“No, you don't instigate anything, Veronica Mars. But you're no help-mate.”
“I refuse to be held responsible for your problems.”
“And that's why this doesn't work, my dear,” he said. “I want to be part of a team and you want a perfect subject. Never happen.”
“That's not true,” she said, stung.
“Not literally,” he said.
“So, that's it?”
“Isn't that the way you want it?”
“At this point, I'm thinking, yeah.”
“Any parting shots?”
“Thanks for the disappointment,” she said bitterly and left.
***
Logan sat down and ruefully rubbed his face. Breaking up had been his objective, but, somehow, he wasn't sure he was happy with it. A dull resentment kept flaming within him as the thoughts raced in his head. Veronica Mars, queen of the high road. Logan Echolls, bum of the lower beings.
He glanced at the whiskey bottle on the shelf and his hand grabbed it, almost of its own accord, and smashed it against the wall. He was seized with energy and went through the entire suite emptying anything with alcohol in it.
Change, change was good. Change wouldn't last without something substantial behind it.
LJ Master Post
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-05-03 12:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-03 07:17 pm (UTC)