Who: Velma, Logan, and later Eli What: (Hopefully?) endgame When: Right after this exchange Where: Yuriko's home, later Lo's safe house Rating: PG13, language and discussion of violence Status: Complete!
Velma had been sound asleep, but she stirred on hearing Logan’s voice. He sounded strident, even angry, but it wasn’t at her. She’d fallen asleep in her clothes, sitting next to him on the bed in the Oyamas’ servants quarters. She’d just been happy to have a place to sleep.
She heard a noise that sounded like a fist hitting the wall, or a phone hitting the floor, or a rock hitting the window. Velma rolled over. “Mm?”
Logan sheathed his claws, then popped them again. This pattern continued for a full minute before he answered her. “Dommy’s bar exploded. They said they ID’d her body at the scene.” His voice actually wavered, from anger, and grief.
That woke her up in a hurry. Velma sat up, not touching him, but noticeably there. “Jesus Christ.” She sighed, eyes closed. “That’s ... Want me to leave you alone?” She’d never seen him like this before, and she would rather him pull her close than tell her to fuck off. Best to err on the side of distance. She would ask him if they knew it was Creed, but it wasn’t quite the time for that.
“I should have gone after him sooner. I shouldn’t have let him get the time to get his claws in. Fuck...fuck this won’t be the last one either.” He looked at Vel. “I gotta go after him. I don’t even believe she’s dead, but I gotta go after him.”
She’d half expected that, but still. “You gotta have a plan first.” Velma said, hoping he’d listen. She didn’t bother trying to make him feel better right now - he’d only get mad. She didn’t want him mad. He made stupid mistakes when he was mad. “Get ... anyone who can help you, and plan it out. Then rip his lungs out.” She just didn’t want him going alone. Because Velma was fairly sure, without even asking, that he wouldn’t let her come along on this hunt.
“My plan is to grab Laura and check out the morgue, then figure out a trail from there. Creed has probably run cold....” And if Neena really was dead he had to know. He had to. He couldn’t live with himself if she was, but he still had to know. “but I still gotta find him.”
The mere fact of Laura’s presence made her feel better. Velma nodded. “As long as there’s somebody to watch your back.” She wasn’t going to bullshit him, but she didn’t want an argument, either. “Thank you for not just going off alone.” Probably better to phrase it as something she was grateful for. He would probably have survived it, unless Creed was bent on decapitation, but Goddamn, she didn’t want to run the risk.
“Not really wantin’ to drag her into this, but she’s the only one who understands exactly how far we have to go, an’ who can do it if I can’t.” It was a sad fact, that Laura was a killer, just like him, and Creed had to go down, no matter the cost. “An’ only if she wants to.”
Velma nodded. “Your friend Jubilee, then. Or I don’t know, just ... shit, Logan, I’d go with a huge fucking shotgun if I thought you’d let me.” She wanted him to smile, even a little. She knew she’d kill that bastard if she ever got the chance. No hesitation at all.
Logan smirked, slipping an arm around her. He rested his forehead against hers. “If I didn’t think I’d make mistakes havin’ you out there, I’d let you.”
As much as she wanted to insist, she wasn’t stupid. “I don’t like being left out of it,” she told him, closing her eyes and leaning close, “but I know my limits. And you fucking shit up would ... well.” If he got hurt because of her, she’d really hate herself. “Hopefully he’ll at least only have one ball when you find him.”
"Love you, Vel." Logan's voice was barely above a whisper, and then he was pulling away and getting out of bed to get dressed. He pulled his grey X-force uniform on, then his street clothing over it.
Shit. She didn’t want to cry. At least not in fucking front of him. “Gonna ask you about that uniform when you get back.” Velma chuckled a little, but quickly got serious again. “What should I tell Eli?”
“Wetworks,” was all Logan said about it. He stopped, shirt halfway down his torso. “Tell her I’m goin’ to go make the bastard pay, an’ when I get back, I’m makin’ her legit.”
“Goddamn, with the making me cry.” Velma sniffed, wiping her eyes. But she nodded, keeping it together for the most part. When he’d finished dressing, only then did she wrap an arm around him and kiss him, but it was a farewell, not a goodbye. “I love you too, you know. Eli can stop giving us shit.”
Logan gave her a quick, happy grin, before his game face settled into place. “We can cry together when I get back. Just keep it to ourselves.”
“You cry?” She couldn’t resist the parting shot, nodding. “ ... Shit, I can’t even tell you not to do anything stupid.” And she would worry, no matter what. “I’m going to get Eli over to the other place. Text me when it’s safe, and get out of here before I get nervous.”
Logan waved a hand at her, and with that, he was gone.
Velma stood there for a second, taking a breath and closing her eyes. It was to get her composure back, to calm herself, and to remember that conversation. That would stay with her.
She walked out of the room, quietly making her way down the hall to Eli’s room. She knocked, hoping Eli wouldn’t panic.
Eli was reading in her bed, curled up with her knees to her chest. “Come in!”
“Hey.” Velma looked down at her. She tried to smile, but it probably didn’t come out too well. “We’re going to move out of here,” she said, figuring straightforward was best. “A couple of things have happened, that I’ll tell you about on the way, and it’s probably safer if we go to this other place we found. Hopefully it won’t be for long.”
Eli nodded, rising to her feet and packing a few outfits and the books she was reading. “Is Papa all right? Is he coming with us?”
“He’s okay, but he’s not coming with us.” Velma sighed. “Something ... did you ever meet a lady called Neena? Or Domino?”
She shook her head in response. “I didn’t, no.” Eli’s blue eyes narrowed in concentration.
“She’s probably Logan’s best friend.” Fuck. Was. “She owned a bar, and it got firebombed. The other night.” Velma sighed. “Logan found out they ID’d her body at the scene. And he just said he had to go after Creed. He’s gonna have backup, though.”
Eli bit her lower lip. “I hope he does not do anything stupid.”
“You and me both,” Velma murmured before she could stop herself. But she let that go. “Hopefully he and Laura will take care of it. At least then the fucker will be dead. We’re going to a place my agent has, and it’s not even on public maps. Like, I think it’s only on the county land records.”
“All right.” Eli finished packing quickly and reached out to hug Velma. “He’ll come home to you. He loves you. You give him something to fight for.”
She hadn’t expected that, honestly. Velma let the girl hug her, though she didn’t say anything right away so as not to make a twat of herself. “I trust him, and Laura too. I don’t know if you ever met her, but she’s smart.” So was Creed, but still; she just had to trust that it would work out. Actively sitting down and worrying about him would drive her nuts.
“Shall we? Does your friend have a basement? I can sleep in a bathroom if need be.”
“There’s a basement.” Velma took Eli’s bag, along with her own. “Big one, if I recall. You should have an actual place to sleep.” She didn’t like when the girl had to hole up in a bathroom. “My agent handles some models and actresses who get habits. Unfortunately. So this place is a safe house where they can dry out and all that. But it hasn’t been used forever.” She walked up ahead of Eli, opening the door to the outside. “It’s like midnight, so it’s safe for you.”
“Thank you.” Eli moved to kiss Velma’s cheek because she thought it was a daughterly thing to do, and she took her bag and started to walk outside. “I really hope Papa stays safe.” She sighed to herself, biting her lower lip. “Papa’s so ... impulsive at times.”
“Yeah.” Velma refused to be clingy or overly panicked. All it would do was freak Eli out. “But at the same time, he’s got a good mind for this kind of stuff. Long as somebody can keep him focused on strategy.” Laura should be able to do that. Almost certainly.
She hailed a cab that had been going by, getting Eli into it first and then directing the driver to a sort of clubhouse, out on a road north of San Juan Capistrano. She stopped him there, paying off the bill and directing Eli toward a small path behind the clubhouse. The safehouse was only a five minute walk up a path, but it was set behind a huge clump of trees. “Up here.” She unlocked the door for Eli, letting her walk in first - selfish, maybe, but at least Eli could bite anyone in there.
Eli went into the door, tiptoeing up and sniffing the air. “Nobody is here. Nobody has been here for some time. We are safe.”
Good. “Come on, then, I’ll show you the basement.” Velma set her backpack down, turning on just a few lights and pointing the way toward the staircase. Hopefully Lo hadn’t just dropped a bunch of shit down there.
When she turned the light on in the basement, though, she was relieved; the place looked like a studio apartment, with furnishings that looked livable and comfy. There was also the key ring lying on an end table; the woman Yuriko had said one of the keys would unlock the gun cabinet. Velma felt better with firearms nearby. Just because.
Eli moved to test out the bed, sitting down and bouncing a little. “It is ... comfortable. We should think of something nice to do for your friend.”
“Is it? Good.” Velma chuckled. “Lo wouldn’t expect that. He doesn’t expect things from me.” Only a mild exaggeration. “We’ll have to think of something to do when Logan’s back.” Because he would be, of course. “For now, maybe we should try and get some sleep.”
Eli moved toward the wall so that Velma could sleep with her, smiling and climbing under the covers.
“You sure?” Velma hadn’t necessarily expected that. “I can leave you be.”
“I would sleep better if you were here,” Eli smiled. “It will be like a sleepover.”
She didn’t know if Eli said that to make her feel better or she meant it, but Velma decided not to care. She nodded, kicking off her shoes and sitting down with the girl, smiling a little. “Thanks. I’m not the greatest at not making this shit awkward.”
“Of course it’s awkward, it is a terrible situation.” Eli snuggled into Velma’s warmth, smiling to herself.
“Still, I’m glad you’re here.” Velma smiled a little. She’d just do her best to keep Eli safe. Logan could do his bit and she’d do hers.