Who: Leon and Veronica What: Chris runs away, Leon and Veronica try to find him Where: Around When: December 23rd, immediately after this text exchange Rating/Warning: Low/none Status: Complete
To say Leon was in a panic was an understatement. He wasn’t sure when Chris had slipped out of their apartment, but he hadn’t been in his bed when Leon went to wake him up in the morning. He knew, logically what to do. The first thing he’d done was call the police station to have them be on the outlook for him, and then he’d called Veronica.
And after that, he was lost. He would, of course, start pounding the pavement as soon as Veronica showed up, but he didn’t have the first idea where to start. He was sure that Chris had run away and hadn’t been silently kidnapped in the night, but that didn’t make it any easier. If anything, it made things worse. This was his fault. His and Alex’s fault, though really, Alex leaving was probably Leon’s fault too.
He shotgunned a beer, then cracked another one while he waited for Veronica to show up. When she let him know know she was out front, he downed the rest of that one, threw the empty cans in the sink, grabbed his jacket, and headed for her car before taking the time to even put it on.
The second Leon had called her Veronica dropped what she was doing and was on her way to his place. Or well attempted to drop what she was doing. It wasn’t always easy when there was a kid involved. Luckily Logan was home and she handed Liam over to his father quickly before heading over to Leon’s. With Backup. There was a chance her trusty dog would be able to pick up Chris’s scent after all.
She pulled up to his place and let him know she was there. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to start in the complex or driving through the streets. Though she had a feeling Leon had probably already checked the apartment complex like a hundred times. Which was confirmed when he came barreling out of the building and into her car.
“Alright,” Veronica said already starting the car back up. “I want you to tell me exactly when he went missing.”
“If I knew that, he wouldn’t be missing,” Leon snapped, before remembering that Veronica had rushed all the way here when he’d texted her. He ran his hand down her face.. “Sorry,” he said, starting to awkwardly slip on his jacket while he was seated. “He took off sometime during the night when I was asleep. When I went to wake him up this morning, he wasn’t in bed. I don’t think he was taken or anything, but…” Well, anything could happen to him out there. Especially in Orange County, California.
Well no shit. But more details other than just ‘Chris is missing’ would be helpful. However she couldn’t really blame Leon for his attitude. It was a stressful situation. So she would let his snapping slide. This time. Leon knew he generally couldn’t get away with that shit with her. Which was probably why the immediate apology.
“Were you drinking?” Veronica immediately asked as she began her drive to the park. She was well aware of how much her friend had been drinking lately. She was also aware of how it affected the people around him, especially his brother.
“I had a couple beers, like I normally do,” Leon said, running a hand through his hair. “That wasn’t it though.” He frowned to himself. “Alex left,” he said after a moment.
Veronica had a feeling. Something was off, but she hadn’t brought it up yet. She figured Leon would admit it when he was ready which apparently he was now. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. Of course she was dying to know more information. She was Veronica after all. But now definitely wasn’t the time to press. “We’ll find Chris,” she assured him as pulled into the parking lot at the park. She wasn’t positive he was here but it was worth a shot.
Leon shrugged. “It is what it is,” he muttered, staring out Veronica’s window. Right now, he shouldn’t be concerned about Alex. He should be concerned about where the hell Chris was. But it was hard not to think about him. They hadn’t quite hit the year mark, but even still Alex had been by far Leon’s longest and most serious relationship. And even if they hadn’t been dating, they had spent at least some of Christmas together the year before, before Alex had gone to spend the rest of it with Damon. “Sooner or later, everyone leaves in one way or another. You can’t hold it personally every time they do.”
Funny enough that was probably something Veronica herself would have said not too long ago. The only person she could ever count on was her dad. And Wallace in the dreams. But still hearing Leon say it? She couldn’t help but be dismayed. “Not everyone,” Veronica found herself arguing. Who would have thought?
However, there were more important things to worry about at the moment. She got out o the car and let Backup out of the back seat. “Come on boy,” she told her dog. “Find Chris.” Backup walked around sniffing the air for a few minutes before hanging his head sadly.
“Everyone someday,” Leon muttered. “Whether they want to or not. That’s just how life works.” Whether it was by dying, like his parents, or both sets of Chris’s parents, or because they decided that they’d had enough and walked out just days before Christmas.
He frowned a little when Back-up came back without so much as a tail wag. “Fuck,” Leon grumbled. He wanted to punch something, but the only thing within reach was Veronica’s car, and she’d probably taze him if he tried. “The kid’s going to freeze out here. How the fuck are we supposed to find him?”
“That’s a little too pessimistic for a kid,” Veronica pointed out. Perhaps now wasn’t the right time to be criticizing Leon, but Veronica couldn’t help herself. It wasn’t like she was Miss Sunshine and Rainbows hersel, but at least she knew better than to put that on a kid.
“We’ll find him,” Veronica said again as she ushered Backup into the car. “He’s got two detectives looking for him and Backup. It’s only a matter of time.”
“He’s got the whole damn force looking for him,” Leon said. “I called it in before I even texted you.” It didn’t make him feel any better about it though. For one, since there was no reason to suspect that Chris had gone anywhere against his will, there wouldn’t be patrols actually scouring the streets for him. For another… “But in this place, who knows what the fuck is going to happen. For all we know, one of those fucking snowmen from a few weeks ago got him.”
He mulled over what else Veronica said, and then frowned to himself. “I probably shouldn’t have said all of that to him, huh?”
“Then we’ll get him back,” Veronica replied filled with determination. She knew there were plenty of things that could happen to Chris in Orange County. But he also had a lot of people looking for him. Some of them who already were quite equipped in dealing with all that was Orange County. They were going to find Chris and get him home safely. Veronica believed that. She had to. Not only for herself but for Leon. For once Veronica couldn’t be the pessimist of the group.
“Probably not,” Veronica agreed as she drove the car towards Chris’s favorite restaurant. “The kid’s dealt with a lot of trauma already.” And he clearly had trouble dealing with it given the whole not talking thing. “He probably needs a more gentle approach. Blunt isn’t always the best.” Even if it was an approach Veronica usually took herself.
“Pot meet kettle,” Leon muttered, though he managed something that almost resembled a smile. It was a little strange getting what was very nearly a pep-talk from Veronica, but he appreciated it all the same. Out of everyone in his life, Veronica had always been someone he could rely on.
He stared out the window as Veronica drove, trying to get a look at the face of every kid they passed, and when they pulled up in front of the restaurant he sighed. “So when he asked if that included me too, I probably shouldn’t have said ‘yes,’ huh?” he asked, and only as he said it aloud, only as he thought about the conversation he’d had with his little brother the night before, did he realize what a monumentally shitty thing that was to say to a kid - any kid, but especially a kid like Chris. The fuck was wrong with him?
Veronica merely smirked at his comment. Biting back the impulse to point out how blunt she could be. But given everything Leon was going through himself Veronica knew better than to tell him what an idiot he was being.
“You told Chris you were going to leave him?” Veronica asked unable to hide the shock from her voice. No wonder the kid ran off.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Leon said, in some sort of attempt to defend himself even if he realized what he said was more or less indefensible. “It’s just… with my job, and especially with these dreams, I might not always be around. I’ve already been shot once.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” he admitted, and moved to get out of the car to check out the restaurant.
“I know,” Veronica’s tone was soft, a rare occasion. “But just because I know how you meant it doesn’t mean that Chris does. He’s a kid,” she reminded him again.
She followed him out of the car, leaving Backup inside. He wouldn’t be allowed in the restaurant. “I’ll tell you a secret, Orcot,” she said as they made their way inside. “None of us do. Sometimes I have no idea what the hell to do with Liam. We’re all just doing our best.”
“At least you’ve got time to fuck up before Liam starts remembering all the mistakes you make,” Leon sighed. He felt a little reassured, with Veronica admitting that she felt the same way he did, but he still didn’t feel right about any of this. “I’ve been relying on Alex a lot with Chris,” he admitted, pushing open the door to the restaurant and starting to peer into the booths as he walked deeper in. Just liked he’d relied on D in the Dreams. He had someone he trusted watching Chris all the time, which meant that he could work late, or drink later, and not have to worry about whether or not Chris would be okay. “How the hell am I supposed to watch him by myself with the hours I get?”
Veronica was lucky that she had her dad around. If she and Logan both had to work they could always count on Keith Mars. But, Leon, well he didn’t have that. It was just him. Though knowing her dad.. “There’s always my dad,” Veronica offered. “Or you could get a babysitter. But seriously now that my dad’s retired I think he gets bored. And Liam still sleeps most of the time.”
Inside the restaurant she wasted no time searching for Chris, questioning employees if they had seen him to no avail. She made sure to leave his picture along with both hers and Leon’s phone number before they left.
Leon tried not to let the fact that Chris wasn’t at the restaurant weigh on him, but it was hard not to. He was sure that he’d find Chris again, he had to, but it wasn’t exactly sunny California out there and he was worried about Chris freezing or worse. He had to remind himself that the kid wasn’t an idiot, and if he got too cold he’d almost definitely find a place to get warm.
Still, he couldn’t help himself from slamming his fist into the brick wall on their way out of the restaurant, ignoring the distressed cry from the waitress. He took a deep breath before he got back in Veronica’s car. “You don’t think he’d mind?” he asked, after mulling over Veronica’s offer for a while. Keith was better than most, and one of the few people Leon would trust unconditionally to watch his little brother.
Veronica didn’t even react when Leon punched the wall. Honestly she was surprised he hadn’t punched something sooner.
“My dad? Nah. He’d love it,” Veronica assured him driving the car to another one of Chris’s favorite places. If she had to spend her whole day doing this she would. Finding Chris was all that mattered.
“I’ll think about it,” Leon said after a moment, though there really wasn’t much to think about. Leon wouldn’t go so far as to say that Keith had been like a father to him when his own parents had died, but he had watched Leon’s back and helped Leon in every way he possibly could when Leon had found himself suddenly alone in the world. There really wasn’t a better fit in the world.
He frowned when his text tone went off, and he grabbed his phone from his pocket. For a moment, he stared at his phone in disbelief, texted something angrily, and then the tension melted from his shoulders and he slumped back against the seat. “He’s been found,” Leon said, and then gave Veronica the address to Ozma’s house.
Relief washed over Veronica at Leon’s words. Chris was found. It was all going to be okay. Because as much as she had assured Leon they would find him, part of Veronica worried they wouldn’t. As soon as Leon gave her the address, she wasted no time driving him over to Ozma’s.