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Toni doesn’t regret anything she’s done in the last 48 hours, except for maybe leaving her phone at the apartment. Cheryl shouldn’t have told her he was in town if she didn’t want her to do anything, not that she’s blaming her. He was already an ass and then she found out that he almost raped her girlfriend and friend? Really it’s his own fault. Serpents have a code, you don’t let a fellow serpent go through anything alone. Toni had no choice but to bring in Fangs and Sweet Pea, they literally wouldn’t let her go alone. Luckily they got away in time and only she wound up with alone time with Sheriff Keller, she wouldn’t want to get them in trouble. Speaking of which it sounds like he just pulled up from wherever he left to, she wonders if he just went to lunch.
“You know you’re missing the funeral for Midge right now being in here.”
”I’ll stop by the grave later, I’m not too fond of funerals anyway. She’d understand.”
“Who is? Who did you lose?”
”My dad. Happened a long time ago.”
”Brought you a burger and Cherry cola from pops. You may be arrested but I can’t starve you. Here.”
Toni smiles at the food offering and takes it with a quiet thank you. She never used to be fond of cherry cola, but now it seems that she’s addicted to the taste of them. Maybe it’s from tasting it on Cheryl’s tongue when they kiss, or that they just remind her of Cheryl at all. Bringing the glass bottle to her lips gives her fond memories of Cheryl’s first few days back in ThistleHouse. Cheryl insisted that she stay the night and watch movies on the couch together. Together, with the help of her boys, they cleaned out every trace of Penelope Blossom and made the place truly Cheryl’s. Paz was there as well, their expertise in renovating came in handy to build ramps for Nana Blossom to move around the house more comfortably. Cheryl treated them all to food catered from Pop’s and Toni got to tell Fangs and Sweet Pea that the two of them were together.
That night filled with laughter and joy is a stark contrast to today. The cloud covered sky only serving to bring down the morale of the town, and of course the funeral for the fallen student of Riverdale High that was happening as she sits in this cell. She sits and sips her cherry coke slowly, savoring the taste of what is probably her last soda in a long time. Paz had always joked about bailing her out of jail one day, she just didn’t know when that day would actually happen.
“Did you call my guardian?”
”Yep! Said that They were expecting this day to come and that they were on their way.”
”Kevin trying to teach you about non-binary pronouns?”
”Yeah, he is. It was hard at first but once I realized it was about respecting other people for who they are it got easier for me.”
”Yeah a lot of people don’t get that’s what it’s really about. Respecting people.”
”Yeah well some people are terrible human beings. I would know I’m the sheriff of a small town with a murderer that killed someone during a school play and hung them up like a painting. May Midge Rest In Peace.”
”May she Rest In Peace.”
”Did you really wreck St. Clair’s car and hit him with a bat by yourself?”
”Do you really think I’m gonna tell you if I didn’t? He only saw me, I heard what he tried to tell you. I wasn't going to get my friends arrested too so I went alone without telling anyone."
”I’m just surprised is all, your gang is incredibly loyal, even if it means jail time.”
”I’d probably get more jail time for selling weed than for hitting him.”
”He’s going to need to get his jaw reconstructed.”
”It was worth it. He tried to rape my girlfriend, I should have made his ballsack burst.”
Sheriff Keller doesn’t get a chance to react to her statement because the door is swung open by Cheryl Blossom, and she is followed closely by Paz, Sweet Pea, and Fangs.
”I demand that Toni Topaz be released into my custody immediately! She is innocent!”
”Uh Red I think I’m supposed to say that. Hi, I’m Paz we spoke on the phone.”
”Nice to meet you Paz. Now, I found your cousin outside of the residence of one Nick St. Clair she was wielding a bat and he was on the ground bleeding from the mouth. Not only that but all of his car windows were smashed in and the tires were slashed as well.”
”Oh my sweet jailbird she wasn’t doing anything wrong. She was defending my honor, I've have some not so pleasant run ins with St. Clair. I’m sure we can work something out Sheriff.”
”Jailbird, I like that. Anyway is he pressing charges?”
”Well he would be if he didn't have a concussion, a broken jaw, missing teeth, and two broken hands. He won't be able to speak or hold anything for at least a month, Toni however has confessed to the crimes against her and said that she worked alone in her actions. While I may not believe her, there is no proof of the otherwise."
"Damn you did all that Tiny? Remind me to never piss you off."
"You should already know never to piss me off sweets. And yeah I did do all of that, and I would again if he tried to hurt my family."
Paz and Fangs watch Cheryl swoon in real-time and Sweet Pea rolls his eyes at the display. The three of them know that Toni would do the same for them without asking because that's just who she is as a person. Paz however doesn't have time to make fun of the couple because they have to be an adult right now.
"Okay with all that being said, is there a bail to get her released? Or a punishment of some kind? Because you wouldn't have called me to come down here if there wasn't."
"There is which you can pay right now, and she will have to pay for Nick's car repairs and hospital bills upon her release."
"Done. Cash or check?"
"Nope! You are not spending that much money on her despite having a small fortune to your name Rose. She's going to earn that money by getting a real job, I think that will be a great punishment for her."
"At least let me pay for her bail then."
"Oh her bail? Yeah go ahead pay that I want to get out of here."
Cheryl smiles and pulls out her check book walking towards Sheriff Keller. Fangs looks at Paz strangely for a moment and Sweet Pea and Toni watch silently.
"What Fangs?"
"Rose?"
"Rose blossom duh! We are talking about this when we get back to the apartment, all three of you."
"They weren't there I acted alone."
Paz gives her a look and Toni quiets down and leans back against the wall with a sigh. Sweet Pea reaches through the bars and touches her shoulder, and she leans into it.
"My girlfriend is a lawyer and she will be there too, we will be talking about this and that's all."
”She’s a lawyer’s assistant.”
Paz gives her another look, one that reminds her of her mother, and Toni quiets down again and just nods. After she gets let out Cheryl doesn't leave her side for the entire ride back to the south side. Toni starts to wonder if it's fine leaving Nana Blossom alone, but then she remembers that Cheryl hired multiple caretakers to watch her while she was at school or out.
Paz let's them all into the apartment and Toni starts to go into her room but she's stopped by a hand grabbing her shoulder.
"Nope. Couch, you and the boys. Cheryl, have you met Victoria my girlfriend yet?"
"No I haven't officially it's nice to meet you. Even though we've seen each other multiples times during my emancipation process. Paz talks about you all the time."
"It's nice to see you again too Cheryl it's weird that she forgot that you were the one to introduce us."
"She did not introduce us, I approached you first!"
"At her emancipation hearing. Anyway do you know what all this is about?"
"Oh yes my beloved TT beat up my almost rapist with a bat and got arrested and now Paz is trying to be an adult and punish her."
Victoria, like Sheriff Keller, doesn't get to respond to the almost raped statement because Paz interrupts them.
"I can be an adult!"
"Of course you can. I'm going to get a bottle of water. Anyone else?"
The boys and Paz raise their hands and Cheryl goes into the kitchen and brings back four bottles of water for the ones on the couch and sitting at the table with full view of the show that's about to start. Toni sits in the middle of the her boys, a common place for her. Always in the middle of her two protectors, like bodyguards for someone important.
“So, did you lie to Sheriff Keller?”
”I didn’t lie they weren’t with me, they were there before I got there and probably why the police were called. They were the ones that wrecked the car I never touched it.”
”Okay, so you two are going to pay for the car repairs, I was going to ask you two to work for me during the summer anyway. Keep talking.”
”I was only going to break his jaw to shut him up for a while, but I thought about him touching Cheryl with his grubby rough hands and I blacked out. Next thing I knew both of his hands were broken and Sheriff Keller was there pulling me off of him. I wanted him to never forget why I did that to him.”
Paz starts to pace, taking in all the information Toni just gave them. They look at Sweet Pea and Fangs and frowns.
”I didn’t think that you two cared much about Red over there.”
Fangs looks at Sweet Pea and he squirms a little in his seat before speaking for the both of them.
”Raping someone is literally the worst thing you can do to a person because it fucks you up mentally for the rest of your life. Rapists in prison even get their ass beat by the other inmates when they find out about them. And yeah we may not care too much about Blossom, but she treats Tiny right so we were doing what you told us to do.”
”I would think that you would try to stop her from doing something illegal, but I guess you did do what I asked. You two are paying for the car repairs though and I’m not telling your parents because there’s no legal reason to. Go in the other room I need to talk to her alone.”
Fangs rubs her back and Sweet Pea shoulder checks her slightly before leaving for the only other fully furnished apartment in the building, which is right next door. Paz grabs the bottle of water and downs half of it before sitting down next to her.
”I want you to hear me before you get defensive and think I’m mad at you, you listen too Red. I am incredibly proud of you for the reason why you did what you did. Am I upset that you got caught and sat in a jail cell for the night? Yes, but that is all I am punishing you for. Okay you hear me? I am not mad at you for defending your traumatized girlfriend, and I will never be mad at you for doing that. That being said you are almost an adult, so I have to teach you about responsibility and all that bullshit that comes with growing up. Because when you grow up without facing consequences for your actions, you get the people like the Trumps and the Nick St. Clairs of the world. You hear me?”
Toni, and Cheryl, both nod at their words and Paz pulls her in for a hug. It’s weird for Toni to have someone that cares for her as much as Paz and Cheryl do. Good weird though.
”Go hug your girlfriend and talk in your room or whatever. I need to do something childish. God being an adult is the worst.”
Paz kisses her on her head and then pushes her out of the hug and dramatically flops back onto the couch to make her laugh and Victoria roll her eyes fondly. It’s a watery laugh, but they aren’t sad tears. Cheryl pulls her in and they end up laying down on her bed quietly until one of them decides to talk.
”You know TT this is the first time I’m holding you instead of you holding me. I have to say it feels nice to be the one providing comfort and not receiving it.”
“I just wanted to protect you. I was ready for the consequences.”
”And you did, and you are also the reason why I have a therapist now. You are helping me heal, and that is much more important to me.”
”That guy hurt you and he’s just walking around and taunting you and Veronica like he shouldn’t be in jail! I hate rich white privileged men, they think they can get away with anything and I hate it. I wanted him to know that these are consequences for messing with you. No one gets to hurt you, not anymore.”
Cheryl kisses her on the top of the head and pulls her close to her. They both end up falling asleep like that, safe and warm in each others arms. Toni wakes up first, disoriented but warm in Cheryl’s arms. She sits up and goes to the bathroom, she hears talking and knows Paz and Victoria are out there. She stays in the bathroom as long as she can, washing her face brushing her teeth, before going out and facing them.
Victoria sees her and puts her phone down. Paz is not actually in the room at all, and Sweet Pea napping on the couch, Victoria was just on a phone call.
"They went grocery shopping with Fangs for dinner, wanna have a chat?"
Toni doesn’t say anything she just sits across from her and waits for the repremand from the legal point of view.
"Are you okay? I know being arrested is hard on people's mindset. I know I'm not Paz but you can talk to me."
“You’re not going to give me a speech about the legal ramifications of the rest of my life after being arrested?”
”You want me too? Because I can do that if you want.”
”No I’m good. Did you and Paz talk about me?”
”Yeah we did, said they were proud of you and that if they knew what happened to Cheryl they would have helped you beat Nick up. They aren’t mad at you Toni, stop looking for their anger.”
”I just feel like I let them down.”
”You beat up a boy two times your size and broke his jaw, both hands, and according to the doctor a couple of teeth were missing. You were protecting and defending your girlfriend, that’s not anything to be mad at. Your intentions were in the right place, now you have to move on with your life.”
Toni sits quietly taking in the words Victoria says to her. Paz comes in with both arms filled with bags at that moment, Fangs right behind them and Toni starts to smile at the look on their face. Victoria winks at her then goes back to working on her laptop.
“I’m drowning in Whole Foods bags help me Lil Snake!”
”You are always trying to do one trip whenever you go shopping, when are you going to learn that it doesn’t work?”
”The day I do more than one trip to bring my groceries in, is going to be literally never. Now put the groceries up, Fangs wake your boyfriend and get him to help.”
”I know you’re joking but I will wake him up because I am tired of carrying these bags.”
”Whole Foods? Splurge why don’t you?”
“Our ladies are here, they don’t deserve to have the scraps we normally have. Plus it’s Friday and I thought why the hell not?”
”So we deserve to have scraps every other day of the week then?”
”Scraps build character, Jailbird. Leave the lettuce out we’re having salad with dinner.”
Halfway through putting the groceries away Cheryl walks out from the back. Paz is standings in the middle of the room recording the boys play keep away from Tiny Toni with a bottle of mustard. Cheryl watches with a smirk towards her girlfriend when Paz turns to her.
“Red! How was your nap?”
”Wonderful I always sleep better next to TT, she’s a calming presence.”
”Good sleep is always great. Do you have to get home soon, we’re getting ready to make some dinner. Pasta and salad with Texas Toast on the side.”
”I have to call to check on Nana Blossom and that will determine my answer. Is there a quiet place to talk?”
”Here’s the key to the other apartment, take all the time you need.”
Cheryl leaves to call the caretakers she hired for when she’s out and Toni watches her leave knowing that’s what she’s about to do. Paz puts on some music and Fangs instantly starts singing along dramatically. Victoria starts dancing in her chair and Sweet Pea and Paz pull her out the chair and make her actually dance away from her work, Sweet Pea mainly to get out of singing. This is her family right here, her boys, Paz, and Victoria is probably gonna stick around so she counts her too. Fangs picks her up and twirls her around making them both laugh. He urges her to sing with him and she does, he’s used to being her duet partner so they always sound good together. Even when they’re just playing around.
”You always sound incredible hermana.”
”You do too, you should have tried out for the musical. That would have been a great way to impress Kevin.”
”I don’t know, maybe Kevin is a lost cause. It’s like I’m invisible to him, he barely even looks at me. Am I still pretty Toni? Tell me I’m still pretty.”
”You’re gorgeous hermano, don’t let him make you feel bad. He was in a high pressure situation directing the musical he was busy. He notices you I promise mi amor, that was just bad timing.”
”Does your wife know I’m the one you truly love and not her?”
”No, I haven’t told her yet. It would break her heart to know I haven’t been honest with her.”
“No need TT. I leave for ten minutes and you’ve eloped with Fangs? How could you!”
”We made a promise that we would marry each other if we couldn’t find anyone to love us. Sorry you had to find out this way babe.”
”You have someone, unless I’m sending you the wrong signals. Now you my sweet boy, Kevin is oblivious and in love with a closet case. You just have to make him jealous and show him how wonderful you are.”
“How do I do that the great Cheryl Blossom?”
“We will help you don’t worry.”
“Are you staying for dinner tonight, Paz bought the good groceries.”
”I can’t stay long, maybe another hour or so, they aren’t live in caretakers the eventually go to their own homes.”
”Perfect we’ll cook, eat, make you a plate to go and Paz can take you home.”
“Wait why Paz? You normally drive me home.”
“I’m just assuming I am getting my bike taken away for a punishment.”
”Hey Paz?”
Paz looks over from dramatically dancing with Victoria to acknowledge Cheryl.
“Yo!”
”You taking her bike as a punishment?”
”Nah I need an errand girl and would rather make her waste gas money. Why?”
”She thought you were.”
“Then I would have to wake up every morning to take her to school, and that sounds like work. Pass.”
Cheryl turns back to Toni with a smirk and she rolls her eyes and twirls Cheryl around and rests her head on her shoulder blade. Sometimes being the shorter one of the two of them is nice. They have a nice dinner as a family before Toni drives her home, Cheryl was not going to pick up Toni in the funeral River Vixen uniform she had custom made, she would laugh at her and call her extra. Toni makes sure to come in and say hello to Nana Blossom before she goes up to bed and she tells her that she misses having and that she must have dinner with them again soon, which she agrees to without question.
Toni rides past Nick's house and sees the car still there but the glass and blood stains are gone. Her mind flashes back to last night and she smirks at how scared he looked at the sight of her. He put up a tough front for as long as he could, until the bat hit him in the stomach. He should have stopped talking then, but he wouldn't so she swung the bat for his mouth. The crack sound of his jaw breaking was so satisfying to her ears, he finally shut up. He tried to reach for her at that point, but she wasn't worried she had the upper hand and her boys weren't far away. She hit him in the same spot in the face which is probably what knocked his teeth out, and he fell to his knees coughing up his blood.
That's when she started screaming, and broke his hands. That crunch was satisfying too. Around that point she blacked out and started swinging wildly, giving him the concussion. That was when Sheriff Keller came and tried to subdue her. She was still swinging and screaming even though Nick was long past unconscious at the point.
She doesn't regret anything, from planning it, to getting Fangs and Sweet Pea involved so he only thought his car was getting trashed and giving him time to call the cops. She wanted to get arrested, she planned to get arrested that's why she had them wreck the car. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to get what you want and she got what she wanted in the end. She wasn't getting revenge, just speeding karma up a little bit.