AN: Hey, guys :) Hope you're all well! As the SUMMARY says: This is post-2x22, but before Cheryl and Toni leave for the summer. Also, this was originally meant to be the PROLOGUE to a larger fic, but this became its own thing, so. Hope you all enjoy! xx

Disclaimer: The full title of this fic is "I should go, it's getting late (But I'ma keep on dancing 'till I feel okay)" from the song Normal by Sasha Sloan, which lowkey feels like a Cheryl song.

It's perfect.

The fit, the cut – the color.

Cherry Red.

It's perfect.

And Cheryl almost can't believe that Toni got it this right. But if anyone would get it this right, of course it would be her petite amie.

As she continues to stand in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom, twirling to catch those snake eyes, she catches the tail end of Toni's phone conversation from where she's sitting on the edge of Cheryl's four poster bed.

"Alright. Thanks for the info, Jones. Bye," with that Toni ends her call. She finally looks over at Cheryl, locking eyes with her through the mirror's reflection. "Jughead says that Archie's mom is flying in tomorrow. Apparently, Mr. Andrews is going to have to put his house up as collateral for bail or whatever. Attorney McCoy is handling things for now."

"Hmmm," Cheryl hums in thought. "Satisfactory. For now," she concludes as she continues to model different poses in front of her mirror.

"Gotta say, Southside High was no stranger to arrests mid-assembly, but this morning was, uh, something else. The Northside's Golden Boy walking away in cuffs rather than becoming student-body president? Quite the show," Toni says with a disbelieving chuckle.

Cheryl stops mid-pose, her eyes downcast as the memories of Sweetwater River try to claw their way up–

(The ice breaking.
Jason reaching for her.
The kiss of life.)

She closes her eyes briefly. Swallows. She goes back to posing.

"Hey," Toni says softly. "Where did you just go?"

"Nowhere, T.T. Don't be silly. I'm right here with you," she says forcing a smile at Toni through her reflection.

She gives the posing another minute, before she glances at Toni again through the mirror. The girl looks deep in thought.

Cheryl sighs, finally turning around to face Toni directly.

"Toni –"

"You know, you could call Veronica or even Betty if you want more details."

"That won't be necessary," Cheryl tries to reassure.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

A beat passes.

"You care about him," Toni quietly states. It's not a question. It's not a jealous remark. It's just...a fact.

Cheryl takes a deep breath. She tries to piece together what she wants to say. What she can say, because for all that she trusts Toni, it still isn't easy opening up. Especially not about...this. About what happened.

(It feels like when she was a child and she would sneak her hand into the Blossom's freezer to steal ice-cubes to try to staunch the heat during the summer. One time, her mother caught her and, in her startled state, she swallowed the ice-cube whole. It caught in her throat. For a brief moment, Cheryl remembers thinking that she was choking to death. Her mother merely rolled her eyes at her "theatrics." It feels like that.

Like there's an ice-cube lodged in her throat.

And it's taking too long to melt.)

So, Cheryl deflects.

A powerful tool in her arsenal.

"Archie Andrews was there for me during some very….difficult times. But it's not...that," Cheryl states with a roll of her eyes.

A smirk threatens at Toni's lips at hearing Cheryl's dismissal.

(Cheryl internally praises herself for moving the conversation in her desired direction.)

"Oh?"

Cheryl follows Toni's playful tone and walks forward to straddle the girl. Toni's hands go up to her hips to steady her. Cheryl wraps her arms around her neck, softly playing with her hair.

"Perhaps in a past life. Perhaps in another universe. But not in this one. Not even for a second."

"What about in your next life?" Toni asks, smirk fully on display now.

"Ludicrous that you would even suggest such a thing, knowing that I fully intend to find you in every life henceforth, Antoinette Topaz."

Toni rolls her eyes at the use of her full name. A fun addition to Cheryl's vocabulary since she found out about it, if she does say so herself.

"Is that so?" Toni questions.

"Just try and stop me."

"Baby, I'm not even a little bit interested in stopping you," Toni says, eyes on Cheryl's pouty lips.

Cheryl doesn't even hesitate to lean forward to catch Toni's full bottom lip with her own. The two passionately kiss, Cheryl's lipstick smearing all over Toni's mouth.

It's a few minutes before the two pull apart, foreheads pressed together, as they catch their breath.

"You want to talk about it? The...difficult times?" Toni quietly asks.

Cheryl's breathe hitches.

Clearly, Cheryl's tactics did not achieve the desired result. They only delayed the inevitable.

(Cheryl quietly wonders if she's losing her touch or if this is just all Toni.)

She closes her eyes and counts to ten.

Steadies herself, as if she was about to jump off the top of the Vixen's pyramid.

She knows, that unlike those untalented potatoes, Toni will catch her.

(She thinks back to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy.

Toni will always catch her.)

Cheryl opens her eyes and reaches over to softly wipe away the mess on Toni's lips.

"Cheryl…"

"I once considered the frozen waters of Sweetwater River the gates to the Sweet Hereafter."

"Cheryl," Toni repeats, voice choked.

Cheryl glances up to Toni's eyes. She sees the distraught look in them. Cheryl moves her hand to cup Toni's cheek.

It's a wonder, to see so much pain and grief mixed in with such care and tenderness.

(It's a wonder, to see it directed at herself.)

"I don't anymore."

A beat passes.

"I don't," Cheryl repeats more firmly, hoping Toni gets the message.

Toni pauses. Looks at Cheryl determinedly, before softly nodding.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Cheryl asks, surprised that Toni's not pushing. Perhaps how exhausting this conversation is to her is even more evident than she thought.

"Okay," Toni confirms. She leans forward and places a soft kiss on Cheryl's lips.

"Well then, now that that's settled, on to more pressing matters," Cheryl states as she pulls away from Toni's lap and stands to face her.

"Such as?" Toni chuckles.

"Well, now that I've completed Step One of becoming a Serpent, I'd like to move on to Step Two."

"Actually, the jacket is Step Two," Toni corrects.

"Well, what is Step One then?"

"For the women? An outdated, misogynistic dance. The likes of which you won't ever have to do, seeing as Jones shares the same...distaste for it as I do," Toni states matter-of-factly.

"Oh? The two of you have discussed this, have you?"

"Yes. Betty did it, a while back, to try to force Jughead's hand into letting her join us. It was, uh, not a pleasant experience for him. So he understood when I placed banning the dance into his suggestions box."

"Jughead Jones, concerned with customer service. Who knew."

Toni laughs, "Not a literal box of suggestions, babe."

"Just you as his right-hand woman, right?" Cheryl asks curiously.

"You give me too much credit."

"Actually, perhaps not enough. The new Serpent King listens to you," Cheryl points out with narrowed eyes.

"Your point?" Toni asks with a smirk.

"I'd like to think that your interest in me shows that you hold high standards. Higher, at least, than one beanie-wearing, burger-eating, wannabe-Truman Capote, Jughead Jones," Cheryl states, an eyebrow raised, hands on her hips.

Toni's smirk stretches into a shit-eating grin.

"Sorry," she shrugs.

"Toni!" Cheryl shouts petulantly. "Ugh. That is just...repulsive."

(And if it's a bit more than that, well. Cheryl swallows down the feelings that are trying to claw their way up now.)

"Chill, babe. It was a one-time only, PG-13, deal. And not what we're discussing right now. You said you wanted to move on to Step Two?"

"Don't think I don't notice what you're doing, but I'll happily accept you deflecting this conversation."

Toni snorts.

"Well, as you have just corrected me, it is actually Step Three that I'm looking to now."

"Your tattoo," Toni interjects.

"Not happening."

"I figured," Toni answers with a fond look in her eyes.

Cheryl feels it warm her entire body, before shaking herself and moving on, "Step Four," she sighs. "I am looking now to Step Four."

"Which is what, in your mind?" Toni asks playfully.

"A motorcycle."

Toni laughs, "Should have seen that coming. You are not one to ever play it safe, are you Bombshell?"

Cheryl just smirks.

"Okay, so what we, uh, usually do is hand over a used bike that needs work. If the new recruit can fix it up, it's theirs. However, I'm guessing you just want to buy one? If so, we can talk to Fangs about which one he thinks would work best for you. He's our resident grease monkey."

"Actually, I don't mind fixing up my own bike."

"You sure? It's dirty work, Cheryl."

"And here I thought you knew I'm always willing to get my hands dirty."

Toni rolls her eyes as she stands up and wraps her arms around Cheryl's waist, forcefully pulling her in close.

"Oh, I know you can get dirty," Toni drawls in that slow, smooth, voice of hers.

Despite her best attempts, Cheryl blushes.

(They haven't. Not yet. But...Cheryl.

.

.

.

She wants it.)

A smile breaks out on Toni's face at her reaction.

"Not the point, T.T.," Cheryl complains, trying to push her away. The other girl holds on tightly, though. Not letting her budge an inch.

"Then what is?"

"I don't want special privileges just because I'm-"

"My girl?"

Cheryl blushes again. Toni apparently giving her the courtesy of pretending not to see it.

(Cheryl can see through the facade though. The fondness shining again in Toni's eyes.)

"I'm already breaking with so many traditions. If this is one that I can do, I'd like to," Cheryl quietly confesses, as she plays with the ends of Toni's hair.

Toni looks at her, a proud look on her face.

"Okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I'll shoot Fangs a text."

"Perfect."

"You're perfect."

"So, cheesy–– Toni!"

Cheryl doesn't manage to finish her snarky remark as Toni lowers her arms from around Cheryl's waist down to the back of her thighs, picking her up.

"Toni!" Cheryl laughs as the other girl drops them both on the bed.

Amidst their laughter, they begin to kiss.

(Cheryl briefly wonders if this is the world in balance. A regression to the mean. However, in this case, it is her happiness while the Scooby Gang are the ones to despair. A role-reversal, for a change, if you will.

Cheryl pulls Toni in tighter.

Selfish. For just a little while longer.)

Two days later, Cheryl joins Toni over at the Serpents Camp and she finds herself staring at what's to be her new bike.

They've set up a little area for her to work on it and so, as soon as Fangs explains everything that's wrong with it and how to fix it, Cheryl dutifully gets to work.

Toni sits nearby to supervise.

(And if the two take a few breaks that end with her lipstick smudged, well, she's here to get messy, isn't she? She's not wearing her borrowed overalls from Toni for nothing.)

On her third day working on the bike, Cheryl decides she's due a water break. Toni had been called away briefly by the boys, so Cheryl decides to walk over to where she's been told the coolers are by herself.

Just before reaching them though, she spots Toni, Fangs, and Sweet Pea taking a smoke break just by them. Cold beers in their hands.

Cheryl's just about to join them – and perhaps reprimand them for drinking so early in the day – before she catches wind of their conversation. She pauses and slightly hides herself behind one of the half trailer structures that still stands in their Tent City.

"So what does that mean? You gotta go to court and testify?" Fangs asks.

"I dunno," Sweet Pea replies blowing out some smoke, "They just told me that they need me to give an official statement about that time Andrews pulled a gun on me."

"Either way, it's for the prosecution's side," Toni comments.

"Yeah, well. Andrews might have saved our asses the other night and staged his little protest, but I'm not gonna stick my neck out for the guy. Like, I get that he was going through some shit, but he blamed the Southside for that Black Hood bullshit based on what evidence? That we're trailer trash?"

"Southside Scum," Fangs says raising his beer in a mock toast.

"Here, here," Sweet Pea laughs as they smash their beer cans together.

"He blamed us 'cause it was Northsiders getting attacked and we're the Southside Serpents," Toni corrects.

"Damn fucking right we are," Sweet Pea says, a look of pride on his face.

Toni rolls her eyes, but dutifully knocks her beer can against theirs.

"I'm just saying, we might have played a hand in that whole Jason Blossom murder, but in the end that was a Northsider's doing. The Black Hood? A Northsider. Glass mansions or whatever the fuck."

Cheryl's breath hitches at his cavalier tone.

His dismissive way of talking about the tragedy that is the Blossoms...hurts.

(She wonders if it'll always feel this way.)

(She knows that it will.)

"Jones won't be happy," Toni comments.

"Yeah well, he and his new Serpent Queen can suck my dick. They can take turns, actually."

"You need it that bad?" Fangs mocks.

"Honestly, always knew you had a thing for Jones," Toni teases as well.

"You want him to give it to you good?" Fangs continues, laughing as he thrusts his hips in demonstration.

"Oh Forsythe!" Toni moans jokingly.

"Speaking from experience?" Sweet Pea retaliates.

Cheryl gags. The teenage-boy humor of the whole situation a bit too much for her.

(And if that little insecurity that had nagged at her earlier tries to come out again, Cheryl only buries it deeper.)

"Shut the fuck up," Toni mutters, lit cigarette in her mouth, as she punches him on the arm. Hard.

The boys laugh.

"I'm just saying. I'm not letting Little Miss Perfect come over here and tell me what I can or can't do. I still stand by the fact that she only cares about Jughead. She doesn't care about the Serpents. Or the Southside," Sweet Pea states.

"Yeah, well. It is what it is," Toni says, stubbing out her cigarette with her heel.

"Seriously? Where's that Topaz Righteous Anger that's always up my ass? If anyone should be sitting on a throne it's you."

"You know it doesn't work like that."

"Because you're a girl? I don't give a fuck," Sweet Pea says, stubbing out his cigarette too.

"Because the baton's been passed. You know this."

"Yeah, yeah," Sweet Pea mutters taking a sip of his beer.

"Anyway," Toni drawls as she reaches into the coolers for two bottles of water. "Back to business."

"Is that a euphemism?" Fangs teases.

"Shut up," Toni rolls her eyes as she begins to walk back toward Cheryl's workstation.

Cheryl notices and quickly turns to head back.

Cheryl finishes out her day of work and if Toni notices that she's distant, she doesn't say a word.

(Cheryl pretends she doesn't feel Toni's curious eyes on her the entire time.)

After the day is over, the two of them are driving back to Thistlehouse in Cheryl's impala, Toni having accepted Cheryl's offer from earlier in the day to sleep over.

(The fact that Toni's been basically sleeping in a tent ever since Sunnyside Trailer Park burned to the ground leaves Cheryl feeling...uneasy, to say the least. However, Cheryl is hesitant to offer her a room. Because, what if living together puts too much pressure on their relationship? What if suddenly Toni sees something in Cheryl that she doesn't like? What if Toni flat out says no? What if her pride doesn't let her take the help? Or worse, what if Toni doesn't take them seriously enough to consider the offer? The thoughts keep Cheryl up at night as she lays in her empty four poster bed, in her empty bedroom, in that empty mansion.)

As Cheryl still mulls over the conversation she overheard earlier, Toni breaks the silence of their drive.

"Is something wrong?" she softly asks.

Cheryl's brought back to her bedroom a few days earlier.

(Once again, just delaying the inevitable.)

Cheryl's hands tighten on the steering wheel.

"I don't know Toni, you tell me," she snaps – and she hates herself for it.

(Always so quick to go on the offensive. Always.)

She chances a glance at the other girl and finds Toni staring at her intently.

"You overheard us talking, didn't you?" Toni sighs loudly.

Cheryl's eyes snap back over to her, surprised at how quickly she figured it out.

"How did you–"

"I thought I saw something red when I went to walk back over to you. Figured it was just light reflecting off of something."

Cheryl nods as she continues to drive.

"Cheryl?"

"I don't even know where to start."

"Just...talk to me."

And it's the softness in Toni's voice that breaks her. That allows her to be soft in return. So, Cheryl pulls over off to the side, by the tree line of Fox Forest. As soon as the car is in park, Cheryl just blurts it out.

"Did you know Jason was down there the entire time?"

If Toni is surprised or insulted by the question, she doesn't show it.

"The basement was off limits," is her quiet answer. "I...Did I at some point wonder about what was going on? Did I consider it was maybe….Jason…I guess," Toni shrugs, "...but I wanted no part of whatever mess they were in. So I kept my head down, did as I was told, and stayed away."

Cheryl looks at her and…

….does not doubt her for one second.

"I believe you," Cheryl softly responds. "You weren't ever in the tape, so."

Toni gives her a curious look before asking, "You've seen it?"

"I have a copy of my own stashed in my bedroom back at Thistlehouse," Cheryl scoffs.

"Why? How?"

"Sweet Cousin Betty used it to blackmail me into testifying on F.P.'s behalf. I have to say, a part of me was even impressed. It was a Blossom move, through and through. Something I myself might have even done if the roles had been reversed, perhaps without even giving her the courtesy of holding up my end of the bargain."

(Cheryl thinks back to the hours in between testifying and being given that flash drive. How a voice in her head, one that sounded suspiciously like her own mother, kept telling her that she was foolish for trusting Betty Cooper. Cheryl remembers having to pause and comfort herself with the knowledge that for all of her talk of darkness, Betty wasn't Cheryl. She wouldn't betray her.

It was a cold comfort.)

"What would you have done?" Cheryl asks, surprising even herself at the brash question.

"What do you mean?"

"If you had been in Little Miss Muffet's place."

Toni lets out a loud sigh, "Probably same as you."

A smirk threatens at Cheryl's lips. The thought coming to mind that the two of them could at times be two sides of the same vicious coin. It might be wrong, but it fills Cheryl up with pride to know that no one, other than Toni, could ever match her so well.

"I'm not particularly proud of that answer," Toni confesses, as she stares ahead at the empty road.

"We do what we must to survive," Cheryl comments.

"Yeah well, if anything like that happens to you again, there's not gonna be much surviving. From Betty or from whoever."

"Oh?"

At this Toni slides over on the car's bench seat and cups Cheryl's face, forcing her to stare into her eyes. "I won't ever let anyone do that to you again," she whispers. "And you never want to get in the way of a snake that's about to strike."

At this Cheryl pushes herself forward and connects their lips harshly. An indescribable mixture of feelings filling her up at Toni's declaration. Warmth, at the idea that Toni would so fiercely defend and protect her; but also, a surge of pride and power at the idea that Toni would actually go through with such a threat.

As the two pull back, catching their breath,Toni speaks again, "What else?"

"Hmm?"

"What else is bothering you? You were pretty quiet all afternoon. Was it all just the Jason thing?"

Cheryl bites her lip, hesitant to voice even more of her insecurities. However, when Toni reaches forward and gently grasps her hand, Cheryl feels silly at doubting yet again how secure she is in Toni's hands.

(Toni will always catch her.)

"The boys. They don't hold such a high opinion of their new monarch's inamorata."

Toni snorts, "No, they do not."

"Do they...feel the same way about me?" she quietly asks.

"No," Toni replies without hesitation.

"Are you sure? Because I can see them not holding me in such high regard either, because they feel I too am also only around because of my paramour. Not to mention the fact that the Blossoms have tried to systematically destroy everything about the Southside since the day my ancestors arrived on this land."

"I remember seeing you that day," Toni comments with a smile, referencing the Pickens Day Protest.

"You do?"

"You kidding? Cheryl Blossom joining the Serpents in protesting the continued destruction of the Southside? Me and the boys talked about it all night," Toni laughs. "We don't hold you accountable for what your great-great-grandfather did, Cheryl."

"Great-great-great grandfather," Cheryl corrects.

"Even less then."

"What about my father? He was directly involved in the drug trade that was entirely blamed on the Southside."

"He might have taken a cowards way out, but…" Toni pauses, trying to not sound indelicate, "he's where he belongs now….Right?"

(Cheryl thinks of him, of her father, who could with one word of praise make her day and with one word of reprimand destroy her. She thinks of the few moments he acted like a loving father, but the memories are quickly overtaken by every time he demanded that Cheryl be more. Cheryl thinks of him, six feet underground.)

"Right," she quietly agrees. "But still. What makes Betty's presence so different from mine?"

"Well, for starters, Betty's not spending her afternoons in Tent City fixing up her bike."

A smile threatens Cheryl's lips at that.

"They see that you're trying, that you're interested. You're actually hanging out with us, getting to know us, wanting to honor us. And you warned us about that raid," Toni pauses thoughtfully. "We probably wouldn't even be here without you."

(Cheryl briefly thinks back to that fateful night. The indescribable terror that was thrumming through her veins as she waited for Toni to answer her phone. Desperate to get that warning out.)

(Desperate to not lose someone yet again.)

(Not again, Dear God. Not again.)

A beat passes.

"Also, you showing up with your bow and arrow on Riot Night to save me? That kind of badassness impresses knuckleheads like Sweet Pea and Fangs. Hell, it even impressed me too," Toni chuckles, moving past their solemn moment.

"It did, did it?" Cheryl flirts.

"You know it," Toni flirts back. "And I mean, yeah, I won't lie, it helps that they see how unbelievably happy you make me, too. And they kind of like me more than they do Jughead, so."

Cheryl laughs at that, before speaking again, "I make you happy, huh?" Cheryl feels that her adoration for the girl must be shining through her eyes if the way Toni softly blushes is any indication.

"You know you do," Toni whispers as she leans forward again to steal a sweet kiss. "Is that all?" Toni asks.

"Just one more thing," Cheryl says.

"Shoot."

"The boys. They know about you...and Jughead?"

"Ugh," Toni says with a roll of her eyes. "Even though nothing happened, Jughead let me crash at his that night, so those two saw me coming out of his trailer the next morning. I told them what did not go down, but they honestly haven't let me live it down."

"They certainly can hold on to things then…" Cheryl trails off as another piece of the Serpent's conversation comes to mind. "Is Sweet Pea going to testify against Archie?"

Toni blinks at her, slightly taken off guard by the abrupt switch in topic. "I mean, if he's subpoenaed he has to right? But I think it's just a statement."

"What's he going to say?"

"The truth."

Cheryl nods at Toni, pensively.

"If you're wondering if we're going to try to tank his trial, then the answer is no."

"I wasn't. Facts are facts."

"Still. It might have sounded harsh over there, but Sweet Pea is grateful, we all are, for what Archie did for us."

"But it's a little too late, isn't it?"

"Honestly? Maybe. I can't say I like the guy, but…" Toni pauses, a deep look in her eyes. "Recent revelations they, uh – he's growing on me."

Cheryl takes a sharp breath before nodding.

Toni moves forward once again and presses her lips softly to Cheryl's.

Cheryl swallows. "I think I'm ready to go home now."

"Okay," Toni softly acquiesce. It's the second time she's refused to push Cheryl on the topic and allowed her to set her boundaries. Cheryl appreciates it, but she's not sure how much longer Toni is willing to be patient.

As it turns out, not that much longer.

The two had opted to pick up some food from Pop's on the way back to the Northside and had spent their night watching movies and lazily making out. As they had started to get ready for bed though, Toni had gone unusually quiet.

There's a tension in the air that Cheryl can't quite identify and, as the two lay on their respective pillows staring up at the ceiling, Cheryl's transported back to that ill-fated Inner Circle Vixens Sleepover that had almost ended in tragedy.

(Almost, Cheryl thinks. Because Nana Rose was fine now.

Almost, because she's no longer at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy.

Almost, because Penelope and Claudius Blossom are still out there.)

Cheryl decides right then and there than this tension in nowhere near as pleasant as the one from their brief stolen moment at the sleepover.

"Toni–" Cheryl begins as she turns to face her.

Unlike that other time, all those weeks ago, Toni doesn't follow suit, but instead just begins to speak.

"You haven't met Mamá yet, have you? Fangs's Mom."

Cheryl furrows her brows, unsure of where Toni is taking this, but willing to….trust.

"No, I haven't. I think I saw her though, she's the short lady who brought out food yesterday, right?"

"Yeah, that's Mamá," Toni replies with a soft smile. "She's an amazing cook. She's also a next level seamstress. Like, I mean, in another life that woman had fashion runways dedicated to her, you know?"

Cheryl smiles at Toni's gushing.

"She makes all our Serpent jackets."

That piques Cheryl's interest, "Did she make mine?"

"Yeah, she did," Toni answers glancing over to give her a quick smile, before turning her eyes back towards the ceiling. "I think she's made every jacket in the last 20 years. She also does like, Quinceañera dresses, First Communion dresses, Confirmation dresses, little Baptism outfits for the babies. I think she's even done some wedding dresses too. And like, general outfits that people send her way to get them tailored. A lot of people go to her when they get big job interviews, or whatever, and they want to look nice. Hell, she even helps them with all the accessorizing. The works, basically."

"She sounds very talented," Cheryl quietly comments, thinking to how immaculate Fangs always looks; from his hair to his jewelry, from his tailored-pants to his pristine boots. Still, Cheryl remains unsure of where this conversation is going.

"Yeah. Her daughter, Fangs's big sister, she always used to help her out. Flare, everyone called her, because she was like a burst of light. She's like, four years older than us. The first time I saw her, like really looked at her, I swear she knocked me for six. I used to tease Fangs that she was the reason I realized I like girls, you know?" Toni smiles at the recollection. "She was just so beautiful; big brown eyes, tan skin, jet-black hair, this smile that could light up a room. She had every guy on the Southside willing to get on their knees and beg Mamá for the chance to take her out. She was...something special. And everyone knew it."

A beat passes.

"Everyone but her."

Cheryl feels her breath catch in her throat.

"I always thought, man that girl has the world in the palm of her hand. And yet...She was always so...sad. It wasn't like she would walk around crying or whatever, but it was like this layer of...pain was always all over her. Most people didn't see it or maybe they just ignored it, but…" Toni trails off, her voice rougher. "The Serpents walk around with all sorts of bruises on display, but this kind of pain? It wasn't the kind you brandish as a badge of honor, you know? That's not how depression works. And for all the patching up we would do to each other's bodies, you would think some patching up of the head would come to–" Toni cuts herself off, her voice filled with emotion.

"Toni…"

"Mamá always had trouble sleeping. Always worried about this hem or that sleeve. So she had pills."

Cheryl closes her eyes, feels tears build up in her eyes.

"Flare downed the bottle and went to bed. They found out when Fangs went to wake her up the next morning."

Tears are now streaming down Toni's face, the emotion too much to hold in.

"Fangs took it so hard. He pulled away from us for a while. It wasn't until he started hanging out with Joaquin that he sort of found his way back to us. I think he blamed himself, for not seeing the signs."

Cheryl just quietly shakes her head in response, tears running down her face.

"All I could think was, if she maybe had talked to someone, maybe things would have been different. Maybe she would have been given medication or something."

Toni turns over to face Cheryl now and the two stare at each other, overcome with emotion.

"I get that you say that you don't feel that way anymore, but if you could maybe think about talking to someone–"

And before Toni can even finish her thought, Cheryl moves forward to cradle her in her arms. She holds her tightly as Toni returns the embrace.

"Okay,"

"Okay?"

"Yeah, Toni. Okay."

It's a week later, when Cheryl finally sits on her bike and revs that engine. The sound, music to her ears. The cheering from Toni and the boys, that much sweeter.

"You did it!" Toni says with a grin as she hugs Cheryl in congratulations.

Fangs moves over to check on everything, a look of pride in his eyes. "Nice work!" he praises.

"Cherry Bombshell gettin' it done," Sweet Pea adds as he smiles over at her.

Cheryl doesn't remember the last time a group of people made her feel so included.

(She thinks back to Josie and the Pussycats, how her presence always irritated Valerie and Melody. And even sometimes Josie, too.

She thinks back to Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead, and how they always treat her at best as a necessary evil, at worst with pity.

She thinks back to her parents, and how they always saw her as an unavoidable extension to Jason.)

"My girl's skillset is unmatched," Toni boasts.

"Seriously, is there anything you're not good at, Cheryl?" Fangs asks with an incredulous laugh.

"Uh, excuse the fuck outta you both. Red has yet to best me at pool. So, until she does that, she'll still be lacking," Sweet Pea interjects.

"Shut the fuck up," Toni says shoving him playfully.

"What? It's the truth!" Sweet Pea shouts.

"Chief," Fangs says as he pretends to pick up a phone, "That ain't it."

"Fuck you!" Sweet Pea shouts with a laugh as he shoves Fangs.

The boys end up wrestling on the floor. Their grunts mixed in with their laughter.

"Get him, Fangs!" Toni shouts as she moves to stand beside Cheryl, wrapping her arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

Cheryl takes in the scene in front of her with a smile and wonders if this is what belonging feels like.

(Whatever this feeling is called, she hopes it never goes away.)

They're sitting by a bonfire later that night, when Jughead shows up to join them.

It's not that he hasn't been around, Cheryl considers, but his presence has almost exclusively been about business. Taking over as King being much more than just a title. And any free moment that Betty has had from working on Archie's case has resulted in him going over to the Northside to meet up with her.

(Cheryl starts to wonder when calling it the Northside in her mind, rather than just Riverdale as she used to, became the norm.)

(It's not a change she's opposed to.)

Which is all to say, that the moment he walks over everyone tenses.

"I've devised a strategy," are the first words out of his mouth as he takes a seat.

Cheryl resists the urge to roll her eyes as Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Toni all sit up in attention.

"Which is?" Toni asks.

"Spies."

"To what end?" Toni asks again.

"To figure out what Hiram Lodge's next step with the Ghoulies is. If we can anticipate his next move, maybe we can finally catch him in a trap."

"That man's more slippery than a startled snake," Sweet Pea comments as he takes a swig of his beer. "It won't be easy."

"Of course not, but that's the job. We'll set up a system, rotations, so that there are eyes over there at all times."

"And this is about saving the Southside, right? Or is it about saving Andrews?" Sweet Pea pointedly asks, leaning forward in his chair.

"Archie saved us from extinction the other night. The least we can do is help him with this."

"A mess of his own making," Sweet Pea points out.

"This kills two birds with one stone. Stopping Hiram saves Archie, yes, but is also saves the Southside. Don't you get that?" Jughead asks, as he looks over to Toni for support.

"He's not wrong," Toni drawls as she leans back in her chair.

"For how long?" Fangs asks. "The spying."

"I'm thinking this is something that will probably take all summer, if not longer," Jughead states.

All of them groan.

"Guys, this is serious."

"No one is saying it isn't. It's just a lot," Cheryl responds.

"Yeah, well. It is what it is," with that Jughead stands. "I'm going over to Betty's. I'll see you guys later." With that he walks away.

"Yes, sir," Sweet Pea mock salutes.

"Whatever you say, my lord," Fangs adds in a fake British accent.

"Yes, yes, your Grace! As you wish! Nay, as you demand!" Sweet Pea says playing along.

As the two continue their joking around, Toni turns her head to face Cheryl.

"There goes our summer."

"You really think so?" Cheryl asks.

"If Jughead's serious enough about this whole thing? Probably," she shrugs. "Just for once, I'd like to have like a kickass vacation. Get out of Riverdale. Enjoy the outside world, you know? Anyway," she gives a defeated sigh. "Beggars can't be choosers, right?"

She knows Toni means the words almost ironically, but Cheryl can't help but feel some sort of way about it. A sadness that someone as wonderful as Toni can't even get the opportunity to enjoy her summer vacation. She wonders how many times in her life Toni has actually gone out of her way to do things for herself – not just for the good of the Serpents.

"When was the last time you did something just for you, without caring how the Serpents would react?" Cheryl asks.

"Probably when I started dating you," she says with a charming smirk.

It would almost be infuriating how charming it is, if Cheryl didn't enjoy it so much.

"And before that?"

Toni just shakes her head and shrugs.

Cheryl feels a bit of anger bubble up inside her. She would give Toni the world if she could.

(Cheryl almost ignores the voice in her head that tells her she can.)

(Almost.)

They're meeting up for breakfast at Pop's the next morning, when Cheryl presents her idea.

"I think the next step is to take the bike out for a ride."

"Yeah?"

"And I don't mean just in Riverdale. Somewhere further away."

"I mean, we could go down to the City next weekend if you want."

"I was thinking somewhere...even further."

"Oh?" Toni asks as she pops in a piece of fruit into her mouth. "Like, where?"

"Like cross-country."

"That's...certainly further," Toni considers.

"Would you be interested?"

"Interested? Hell yeah. Can we actually do it? Doubtful," Toni says shaking her head.

"Why not?"

"For starters, when it comes to riding a motorcycle, you're a beginner."

"I'm a fast learner," Cheryl counters with a raised eyebrow.

Toni clearly holds back whatever response came to mind, if the amused look on her face is any indication. Instead, she just presses forward, "Secondly. I don't think I could leave the Serpents while Tent City is still taking shape. Everyone needs to lend a hand to get us all back on our feet. And honestly? It's even less likely with this new spy network Jughead wants to establish. I just…don't see it being a possibility."

"I understand," Cheryl answers. And truthfully she does, Toni's points are all valid.

It still doesn't make her any less upset.

"I'm sorry," Toni says. She reaches over to gently take Cheryl's hand. "It's a great idea. Maybe someday? I mean, the furthest I've ever gone out of Riverdale is like Niagara Falls with my parents when I was like five."

"Oh?" Cheryl asks, intrigued by Toni's mention of her parents.

She never talks about them.

"Yeah. And well, there were two back-to-back summers that my Grandfather took me camping. First time to the Adirondacks and the next summer to the Catskills. He's always been a bit of a recluse, ever since my Grandma passed, but I think he felt like he needed to try after my parents..." Toni pauses, a far away look in her eyes before she shakes her head and continues. "Anyway, those were the only two times. After that, I think he felt like I was grown enough. Left me to bunk with my uncle."

"How old were you?"

"Like 10," Toni answers shrugging. She pulls back her hand to continue eating.

There are so many questions (What happened to your parents? Do you resent your Grandfather's choice?), so many things Cheryl wants to say (Your uncle's an ass. You were just a child), and so many things she just wants to know (How do you even feel about it all?) and yet not a single one leaves her lips.

Because.

Because Toni opening up like this is rare and Cheryl hopes that more will come out on its own.

When it doesn't, Cheryl resigns herself back to their original conversation.

(She makes a note in her mind though, of all the questions she is delaying.)

(She wonder when that will stop being her modus operandi.)

(Old habits die hard.)

"If we could go, though. Where would you want to go?"

Toni opens her mouth to speak, before she closes it and shake her head.

"Anywhere. Nowhere. Wherever you want to go. I'm sure you've got a list," Toni answers with a smirk.

"I do, but ideally this trip would be for the both of us, ergo, it would include stops the both of us want."

"Well, like I said. Anywhere."

"Come on, T.T. There must be some place in this country you want to see," Cheryl pushes.

Toni continues to eat. "It's stupid," she quietly mutters. So quietly, Cheryl would have missed it had she not been paying such diligent attention.

And the words, they break her heart. Because it seems as if Toni is...too embarrassed to tell her.

Cheryl reaches forward this time to grasp Toni's hand.

"Not to me," she softly encourages.

Toni looks away, out the window to the outside world. She opens her mouth to speak–

Loud laughter startles them as a group of teenagers walks into Pop's goofing around.

And as Toni goes back to eating, Cheryl knows the moment has passed.

It's two nights later, as the group sits around yet another bonfire chatting, when Cheryl finally gets her answer.

Except, it's not in the way she was expecting.

As they sit around, Toni suddenly notices that she doesn't have her phone on her.

"Babe, do you have my phone?"

"I do not," Cheryl replies.

"You probably dropped it in your tent when the two of you were uh–" Sweet Pea begins to say with a shit-eating grin, before Fangs interjects, "–Greeting each other."

Toni flips them the bird and the two laugh loudly.

Cheryl can see Toni getting grumpy at their teasing and decides to at least help her girlfriend out in some way.

She stands, presses a kiss to Toni's cheek, and heads over to Toni's tent to look for her phone.

"I'll get it, ma cherie," Cheryl says as she walks away.

She hears the boys make exaggerated kissing noises behind her before the two yelp, Toni no doubt chucking her beer can at them.

Cheryl shakes her head in amusement as she heads inside Toni's tent.

There's a small air mattress, one that needs to be manually pumped every night, two pillows, a comforter, and Toni's duffle bag on the side.

Cheryl swallows back the sadness she feels at imagining that all of Toni's possessions basically amount to this.

(She thinks of her own house, of all those empty rooms, of all those ostentatious decorations. She thinks back to her room and considers what she actually holds near and dear. She thinks that, maybe, her own version of a tent might not look so different from this one after all.)

(Maybe that saying about quality actually holds some merit, Cheryl considers.)

(Maybe.)

Cheryl pulls at the comforter, but there's no phone in sight. She reaches over and lifts Toni's pillow.

She finds the phone and…

A crumpled up piece of paper.

Cheryl sets the pillow down and takes a hold of the phone. She glances at the paper and tells herself it's none of her business, that this would be an invasion of privacy, that she's already got the phone and she should just walk away.

A beat passes.

Fuck all of that and fuck me too, she thinks and not a second later reaches for the paper.

Cheryl tries her best to straighten it out, before using Toni's phone to shed light on the paper's contents.

It's a list.

Disney.
New Orleans.
Vegas?

The last item is crossed out, but Cheryl can make it out to be Santa Monica.

This...it's not just any list.

It's Toni's dream road-trip. Or a draft of it, at least.

Cheryl closes her eyes and swallows, before she looks it over one more time, searing the locations into her mind. She sets the paper back under the pillow.

When she heads back over to the bonfire, she slips into Toni's lap and sweetly kisses her.

"What was that for?" Toni asks amused.

Cheryl shrugs.

Toni doesn't complain and the two sit like that for the rest of the night.

The following morning, Cheryl decides that there's no time to waste.

As she walks into Pop's, she spots her target waiting for her already.

"Punctual, I appreciate it," Cheryl praises as she takes a seat in the booth. She knows if she wants this to go well, she can't come in guns blazing.

You catch more flies with maple syrup than vinegar and all that, she thinks.

"You said this was important?" Jughead asks as he takes a sip from his milkshake.

"Yes, it is. I need you to relieve Toni of her Serpent duties for the duration of the summer."

"I'm sorry, what?" Jughead asks, his head snapping up in attention.

"You heard me."

"The Serpents are hanging on by a thread. We need to be united now more than ever. Why would I do that?"

"Because Toni deserves happiness, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, but–"

"She deserves to, for once in her life, put herself first. Don't you think?"

"Cheryl–"

"It's just for the summer. A road-trip."

Jughead pauses and considers her. He stares intently at her face.

"Please, Jughead."

Jughead sighs, "I think that's the first time you've ever said please to me." A beat passes. "You really care about her, huh?" he softly asks.

Cheryl glances away before quickly nodding. "So, is that a yes?"

"On one condition," Jughead states putting up a finger.

"Name it."

"When you guys come back, you'll both express your support for Betty as the Serpent Queen."

Cheryl raises an eyebrow at the request.

"I wouldn't have ever gotten the Serpents to take me seriously if I hadn't had Toni backing me. Her support means a lot. If she says she approves or, at least, doesn't outright call into question Betty–"

"Then the rest of the Serpents would follow suit."

Cheryl considers it. She likes to think of herself as someone with a keen eye for business. You don't grow up under Clifford Blossom's thumb without learning a thing or two about dealmaking.

And here the offer is...not so bad. Cheryl gets her summer away, her opportunity to gift Toni with this, and the price is...not bad mouthing Betty. Hard, but not impossible. If anything, their brief time together hunting down the Black Hood has...endeared her a bit to Cheryl. The girl is certainly capable when she puts her mind to it. And well, as much as Cheryl would like to take the Serpents and put them through their paces so that they becomes even half as diligent as her Vixens, she knows it's not her place. And for as much as Toni cares about the Serpents, she's been very careful about not overstepping lines.

(Cheryl has wondered about that too.

Why Toni is so careful to not make any moves that might be considered a power play.

Perhaps she's simply avoiding rattling the snakes...or perhaps there's more?)

In any case, this feels like an offer she can accept….For now.

Cheryl extends her hand.

Jughead meets her in the middle and the two shake on it.

"Deal."

"Also, you're paying for this," Jughead adds as he pulls back his hand and takes another sip of his milkshake.

Cheryl rolls her eyes as she stands and quickly pulls some cash out of her purse.

She drops it on the table, before swiftly walking away.

Her next stop is Tent City. Or rather, just up the road from it.

As she sits in her car waiting, she spots the two figures approaching.

Fangs walks around to the passenger side and jumps in.

Sweet Pea following suit in the backseat.

Cheryl rolls her eyes, "The doors work just fine."

"Yeah, but they're not as fun," Fangs replies with a toothy grin.

"So, what's up Red? Why the secrecy? You need some advice on an anniversary gift or somethin'?" Sweet Pea asks.

"I've got suggestions," Fangs nonchalantly adds.

"Not quite, but please do text me some of those suggestions."

"Will do."

"Well?" Sweet Pea impatiently asks.

"I'm taking Toni on a cross-country road-trip. I've already spoken to Jughead and he's agreed to let us go, but I need to know that the two of you will keep things under control while we are gone."

"A road-trip, huh? No invite for us?"

"I think it's a couples thing, Sweets," Fangs replies as he glances over his shoulder.

"Whatever. Is it like a surprise, is that why you asked us to walk all the way up here?"

"First of all, this is hardly all the way up here. Secondly, Toni knows about the trip and wants to go, but the Serpents are holding her back from it. She thinks you all can't survive without her for a few months."

"I mean, she has a point," Fangs says.

"Look, I just need you two to promise me you'll hold down the fort. If you do that, you'll give Toni the peace of mind she needs to agree to go on this trip," Cheryl says, looking at each of them in turn. She hopes she doesn't have to go into too much pleading and that the two of them will take this seriously enough and agree.

Sweet Pea looks pensive, before he speaks again, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Look, the truth is Topaz deserves to enjoy herself. Girl is always worrying about this thing or that thing. It's fucking annoying. And also, no offense, but without her in the picture, this might be an opportunity for us to step up and show we can handle things too."

"Taking the training wheels off, are you?" Cheryl mocks.

Sweet Pea flips her off.

Cheryl just huffs a laugh, before asking again, "So does this mean you'll do it?"

"Yeah. Just like, bring us some cool souvenirs okay?"

"Also, like...we can still call T if we need her advice, right?" Fangs asks.

Cheryl can't help the smile that comes across her lips. "Of course."

"Cool. Just bring us cool stuff, then."

Cheryl rolls her eyes, but if anything, it's fondly.

"You gonna drive us back down there? 'Cause I don't feel like walking in this heat," Sweet Pea complains.

Cheryl rolls her eyes again, this time, less fondly.

She starts the car and drives.

It's later that night, as Toni and Cheryl are laying on Toni's air mattress chatting, that Cheryl is trying to work up the nerve to tell Toni about everything.

She's waiting for the perfect moment.

If there even is one, Cheryl idly thinks, as she continues with their conversation.

"I guess I just didn't realize he was such a good cook," Cheryl comments.

"Yeah, he was hired as a busboy at the Wyrm, but when they realized he could actually make edible food they made him a part-time cook."

"Hmm. Color me impressed."

"Please don't tell him that. Sweet Pea's head can only get so much bigger."

Cheryl laughs, before continuing, "Has he considered Culinary School?"

Toni pauses, as if completely stumped by the question.

"I, uh, don't think so," she pauses. "I don't think any of us have ever seriously considered life past high school," she quietly comments.

Cheryl tries her hardest to not show too much emotion on her face at the revelation.

(And it's not really a revelation, is it? Cheryl thinks. She feels as if she has always known that life for the people of the Southside doesn't amount to much. However, the idea that these wonderful people don't even strive for it, that they don't even try, because they've been so beaten down, so deprived of resources and opportunities.

The idea that Toni hasn't thought of life past 18. That, in fact, her whole life has been about just making it to 18.

Cheryl feels her heart break. And she vows to do better, by all of them.)

(It's not lost on her that the Blossoms were an integral part in making things this way. And she wants to make up for it.)

(I will.)

"Well, if the topic ever comes up, I have suggestions," Cheryl comments, before moving on. "I'm also very surprised, then, that Fangs didn't also get a job at the Whyte Wyrm to be with the two of you."

"The three of us working together? That would have been a disaster," Toni laughs. "Nah, Fangs has been working for his mom ever since his sister passed."

"Picking up the mantle?" Cheryl softly asks.

"Yeah."

A comfortable silence engulfs the small tent and Cheryl realizes, it's now or never. She sits up on the mattress and starts off.

"Please don't be mad."

Toni raises an eyebrow, rolling onto her side. "That's a great way to start a conversation," she drawls.

"I spoke to Jughead."

"About?"

"The road-trip."

"Cheryl," Toni sighs.

"He said we could go."

"What?" Toni asks surprised.

"He….essentially gave us his blessing to go."

Toni stares at Cheryl for a beat, before asking, "In exchange for what?"

Cheryl can't help but smirk at the fact that Toni is nobody's fool. She knows that in this world, everything comes at a price.

"Our support of Betty as Serpent Queen."

Toni snorts. "Well, we certainly didn't lose much. I wasn't planning on staging a coup."

(Cheryl takes note of Toni's phrasing, something to be discussed at another time.)

"We have been relieved of our Serpent duties this summer. Therefore, we can take our trip."

"Cheryl," Toni sighs again, this time sitting up and reaching for both of Cheryl's hands in her own.

"It's not that I don't appreciate you doing this for me, even if you did go behind my back after I said no–" Cheryl softly winces and Toni's narrowed eyes tell her that this is something she definitely should not do again "–but even with Jughead's blessing or whatever, I still stand by what I said. They need us here."

"What if I told you that Sweet Pea and Fangs are already on board with my plan?"

"Seriously?" Toni asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Seriously. Sweet Pea is even eager to show his leadership skills without you here to bail him out."

Toni snorts at that.

A beat passes.

"I just don't know, Cheryl."

Cheryl pulls her hands free to cup Toni's face gently. "You do so much for everyone here. I mean, you literally spent the entire day today coordinating drivers for all the elderly that have doctors appointments this week."

"Someone has to take them," Toni says.

"I know. And I'm so proud to see how much work you put in and how much you care, but it breaks my heart to see you not get to go out and do things you enjoy."

At this Toni breaks their eye contact.

"If you really don't feel comfortable leaving, then we won't. But if even just a small part of you wants this, I say take it."

Toni looks up again and locks eyes with Cheryl.

"I….I want this."

"Yeah?" Cheryl asks with a large smile on her lips.

"Yeah," Toni answers back.

Cheryl pulls her in and the two kiss.

As they pulls back and rest their foreheads together, Toni finally relents.

"Let's go on a road-trip," she laughs.

And as Cheryl pushes Toni onto her back, their elated giggles fill up the small tent with more love and care than either of their actual homes have ever had.