GANG RELATED [SWEET PEA] [✔️]

TWENTY || T IS FOR TRAUMA

It rained that day.

The clouds hung dark and heavy over Riverdale as the motorcycles and cars followed the hearse to the cemetery, lights cutting through the fog. Fallon felt as if she'd been turned to stone, her face a mask of stillness, knuckles whitened by the vice grip she held on her handlebars.

The three days before had been horrifying, the fact that Dray Sanchez, of all people, had been murdered by someone the Serpents considered a friend and an ally, finally sinking in.

Sweet Pea and Fallon had sat shellshocked in Forsythia's nursery, Fallon clutching her child to her chest as she slept, tiny chest rising and falling.

Dallas had collapsed when she heard the news, Jughead barely catching her before she hit the ground. Now she rode on Fallon's left, her eyes swollen and her lips set in a hard line. Sweet Pea rode on Fallon's right, Jughead leading the line of Serpents.

Many of the Serpents were buried together, rows of headstones marking those rare members that had lived to old age, and far more who had died young.

The silence was crushing, Fallon's heart twisting as she watched the six pall bearers take Dray's casket from the hearse, placing it over his grave. Sweet Pea, Jughead, Fangs, Devereaux, Fangs, and FP stepped back, Jughead walking over to stand with his Serpents. Fallon heard quiet hiccups from next to her, and looked over to see Dallas struggling to keep quiet as big tears fell from her blue eyes.

Fallon's hand found Dallas's, holding on as Dallas's grip tightened. Sweet Pea's arm wrapped around her shoulders as Betty walked over to them with Jughead, holding Forsythia, bundled against the cold.

"Thanks for watching her, Blondie." Fallon said, her voice low and rough as she held her baby against her chest, the six month old snuggling up against her mother's warm skin.

"You had to lead the Serpents. It was no problem Fal."

Watching the Serpents with red-rimmed eyes and visible tears cry as the preacher read a bible verse was gut wrenching, the rain seeming to quiet as he finished speaking, and looked up from his bible.

"Will any immediate family please step forward?" He asked, and it was quiet. Dray had no family besides the Serpents, no one of blood relation to speak for him.

After a moment, Fallon's feet moved forward, carrying her to stand beside Dray's coffin. Jughead surprised her when he moved to be at her side, his hand finding her shoulder as a gesture of comfort.

"Would you like to say anything in tribute to your....?" The preacher asked, ending in an unsure tone.

"Brother," Jughead said, in a voice heavy with devastation. "He was our brother."

"Okay, um..." Fallon started, holding Forsythia closer in an attempt to stop herself from crying. "Dray Sanchez was the most special guy. He was a brother to everyone in this MC, and he d-died fighting f-for it..." She broke off, her throat tightening painfully as the tears rushed to her eyes. Jughead cleared his throat, picking up where she left off.

"He died for us. He didn't have to, it definitely wasn't his time, but....he did. No one will ever love the Serpents more than Dray did, and we'll work to honor that in everything we do. His death won't have been for nothing. We'll miss him every day."

The silence that followed before the final prayer was crushing, Fallon shakily wiping away her tears and squeezing Sweet Pea's hand as she took her place next to him, letting him pull her to his side. His face was hardened, but she could see the aching grief in his brown eyes. Dray's death had effected everyone, even the people he didn't know very well.

As the last sentence hung heavy in the air, and the Preacher stepped back to let the cemetery staff do their work, the Serpents dispersed in groups, quiet murmurs of conversation drifting through the mist. Soon, only Fallon, Sweet Pea, Dallas, Fangs, and Jughead, Betty, and Devereaux were left, Sweet Pea taking it upon himself to pick up the large spray of white roses and place them on top of Dray's casket.

He returned to Fallon's side, tucking her comfortingly under his arm as the small group watched Dray slowly disappear into the ground, the cemetery workers treating the Serpent with the utmost respect. They'd watched many Serpents live and die in Riverdale, and they took great pride in being the ones to lay them to rest.

Soon Dray's grave was completely covered with hard packed dirt, a small marker at the head. "The stone and sod should be in in the next couple of days, FP, sir." One of the older workers said kindly, and the former king sighed heavily, a mirthless smile on his face.

"Thanks, Jack." He said, the worker nodding respectfully and leaving them alone.

"Fallon, Sweet Pea, you kids go home and rest. Jughead, Betty, take care of Dallas please. You too, Dev. I'll finish up here." FP said, and the younger Serpents nodded and murmured words of assent.

Jughead, Dallas, and Devereaux headed off towards their motorcycles, and Betty walked over to Fallon. "I can take Little Mouse home for you, Fal. Meet you back at Sunnyside?" Betty said kindly, and Fallon let out a shaky breath. "Thanks, Blondie. You're a gem."

She handed over the now completely asleep Forsythia to Betty, who handled her like she was made of glass.

As Sweet Pea and Fallon walked back to their bikes, Sweet Pea squeezed her hand. "If there's one other person I'd trust with the baby besides you, it's Cooper. She really cares."

"Yeah. She does." Fallon said quietly, and Sweet Pea stopped walking, making Fallon look up at him. "What's wrong, Pea?"

"Baby, look me in the eyes." He said, cradling Fallon's face in his hands. "We're gonna make it through this. We are. I know it's really fucking rough, I know we lost two good people, but our family is going to make it through this."

For the first time in a week, Fallon let out a real, heavy sob. She collapsed into her fiance's chest, letting him hold her as she cried. She'd tried to be strong for too long, tried to put on a brave face for the Serpents that ranked below her.

Now she let herself break down, crying right along with the sky.