HELLO I DIDN'T MEAN TO DELAY THIS SO MUCH BUT HERE WE ARE AND I'M SORRY AND I LOVE YOU ALL
but i love sweet pea and jordan connor more
bye
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Chapter Fifty-Two
"How could this have happened?" Talia asked Sweet Pea, rubbing her hands together. "They know, Sweet. They fucking know."
Betty hadn't told her anything. She was likely trying to be Betty and protect Talia. She had found out through the news when they watched it that very afternoon. They had skipped school and stayed at Talia's house to sleep and rest so that Sweet Pea could energize himself again after standing in the cold and rain the day before.
"They know that the car was found in the swamp," he said, standing up off the bed. "That's all they know."
She took a second to hear that and process it, then nodded. "Okay. We've got this, then. We'll be fine."
He knelt down in front of her. He was always so calm when he knew she was stressed.
"I shouldn't have gotten you wrapped up this," she muttered. "I just... I just needed to tell someone."
"They're not gonna find the body because it's gone already," he assured her. "It's okay."
They spent the rest of the day at Talia's house and Sweet Pea stayed over again. The two of them went to school, where it was essentially Sweet Pea versus Jughead and Betty. Calming him down and convincing him that Betty was far more help to the Serpents than she was an enemy was harder than it looked. Neither had any idea what was about to happen.
Betty didn't tell Talia much, insisting that she and Sweet Pea didn't need to be involved and that she felt bad enough with the risk of getting Jughead and FP in trouble as it was.
Talia went home to spend the rest of the night with Lee and Sweet Pea went back to his trailer. Talia knew she was probably pushing it with Sweet Pea staying over so much. Lee likely would try to play parent sooner rather than later.
Talia ended up skipping first period because she needed to go talk to Pop about her work schedule. That, and she didn't really feel like going to English class anyway. She did well in the course so she didn't have much to worry about.
She headed to the bank to make a withdrawal before she went to school when a very startled and frightened-looking Betty hurried out of the building. She ran right into Talia, who grabbed her arms and held her steady.
"Tal," she exclaimed. "Tal, something bad happened."
"About the car? Yeah, I know," Talia all but growled. "You won't tell me anything."
"Not that," she whispered, looking around them in paranoia. "The guy - his girlfriend is here! She's in my house right now and the guy I pepper sprayed to save Chic is there too."
Talia swallowed. She hardened her expression to make sure she didn't scare Betty and nodded. "I know what to do. Don't go back inside until I text you, okay? Don't go back in the house."
Betty nodded worriedly and looked around them to make sure no one was watching. "J-Just don't get hurt, okay? Please, promise me you won't get hurt?"
Talia assured her she wouldn't. Betty started to walk back home and Talia climbed into her truck and headed home again. The moment she reached the house, she dialled the numbers she needed and went upstairs to pull out the weapon she had all but refused to touch for months.
*
"Stay here," Sweet Pea said, right as Jughead broke through the doorframe with one rough kick and stormed into the house. Talia was a little surprised he didn't crush his own knife with how strongly he was holding it.
"Hell no," she snickered and walked past him behind Jughead.
He was a stubborn boy. He stepped right in front of her as soon as Jughead reached Betty and the others. Fangs was on her other side and he had his arm moved just slightly to the left, ready to stop her from going any closer.
She had the gun in her right hand and made sure the two could see it, but she didn't raise it and she didn't take the safety off, either. She was still paranoid about that. She hadn't shown it or told anyone else but Talia had been shaken by the Black Hood shooting her. It made her nervous to even think of using her own gun.
Betty and Jughead convinced the two people to leave, and Talia was the first one behind the man. She didn't trust him and soon found she was right not to.
He tried to turn. He was going to use that knife he had to hurt someone but he froze in his steps when he felt the barrel of the gun at his lower back.
Sweet Pea had seen that little movement and grabbed the man's shoulder, then pushed him roughly enough to send him sprawling out onto the stone pathway outside the Cooper's home.
Fangs was less gentle. He stomped on the man's hand, effectively breaking more than a few bones in it, then took the knife and shoved it into his own pocket. He looked up at the other Serpents, who were watching him questioningly. He just shrugged.
The Serpents escorted the man the Cooper family's tormentors to the edge of town, making a few verbal threats along the way, then went home. School wasn't really a focus for any of them at that point in the day.
The next day, Sweet Pea and Talia actually did go to school. It was shocking that she still had good marks with all of the school she had missed that year but then again, Betty was a major help in the educational department. She was Talia's own private best friend/tutor.
Alice Cooper stood in front of them at the Swords & Serpents club meeting. Sweet Pea was sitting on the edge of a lab bench while Talia was just flat out sitting on it with her legs crossed. Fangs was on her other side, leaning against the table. Both of them had soft smiles on their faces when they heard what Alice had to say.
"I asked Jughead to thank you for me, but I reconsidered because I wanted to do it myself. So thank you... For what you did," she said.
Talia reached out and took Fangs' hand, then did the same with Sweet Pea. She smiled at them both. She knew that they came because she called them, and because Jughead begged them to. It warmed her heart to know they were willing to save three people they didn't exactly have the kindest of feelings towards.
They were her boys. They'd help her any day if she asked them do and she would forever do the same.
"I also wanted you to hear it directly from me; that I am done attacking and disavowing the South Side. It's where I'm from, and I should be proud of it. And from now, I will be. And like my daughter and her friend..." Alice looked to Talia with a soft smile, "I will fight tooth and nail for it."
Little did Talia know, they would need all the fighters they could get.
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Back To Life ✧ Sweet Pea (DISCONTINUED)
Fanfiction"The first time she saw Sweet Pea was the night she pointed a gun in his face." ----- In which the Northsider with a gun didn't know she was dying until he made her feel alive.
