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It’s been two days.
Cheryl knew that because she kept looking at the clock every now and then.
It’s been two days and Riverdale was back at normal; well, as normal as Riverdale can be. No more spells and comets and men trying to kill them all.
No more Heather - the witch had gone back to Greendale that morning and promised to call as soon as everything was settled.
And no more Toni.
That one stings a little bit, more than Cheryl had assumed would do after all those years.
It’s been two days and Cheryl Blossom was still unable to lie on her bed, hunted by a smell she so desperately misses.
x-x
The thing is Cheryl had lied to Toni that night. She had lied about not remembering what had happened when they were Abigail and Thomasina. Well, not really lied. She really had not remembered it the moment her eyes had opened - but as soon as her skin made contact with Toni’s, everything came back and it felt like she was really Abigail.
She could feel Toni’s touch all over her body and mind and heart.
And that feeling hurt her more than whatever Percival must have done to her. Hurt as much as that feeling that coursed through her body the day Toni asked her to officiate her’s and Fangs marriage.
Cheryl was left in little pieces, broken beyond repair, heart bleeding all over her room.
Honestly, she should have seen this coming.
She never had self control when it comes to the serpent queen. And this time, she only had herself - and her ancestor, of course - to blame.
Damned Abigail Blossom and her fucking doomed love.
x-x
It takes another day for anyone of the gang to come check on her.
Betty knocks on her door just past midday, a smile on her face and a diamond on her finger.
“Cousin, what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Can’t I visit Riverdale’s personal heroine?” Betty says, walking past her and entering Thornhill. “When you didn’t show up at Pop’s this morning, I got a little bit worried. Thought to check up on you, see if everything’s alright after the comet and stuff.”
“Well, as you can see I’m alive and well. No need to send the paramedics and definitely no need to worry your pretty little head.”
She didn’t seem convinced. “You sure, Cher? It must have taken a toll on you. It was a fucking comet after all.”
Cheryl smiled a little, even though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I am sure, cousin Betty. It was a little grueling but I had Heather to look after me.”
“Well, I’m glad then.”
She smiled and Cheryl sighed.
“Pray tell me why do I spy a rock on your finger?” the redhead changed the subject. “Did little Archie Andrews finally pop the question?”
“He did.” Betty's smile broaded. “Twice, actually. Once on that night and then again yesterday. I finally said yes. I think it’s time to settle down, start building a life together. It’s not like we’re getting married next month or even next year. But I think we deserve a little bit of happiness.”
“You really do.”
“And so do you, Cheryl.” the blonde says. “I’m glad that you have Heather. You two look really cute together.”
“Oh, we are not together.”
Cheryl corrects and Betty frowed. She can see why her cousin would assume - everyone else did too. Even herself pretended for a couple of nights. But her heart wasn’t really on it. Not when it was already occupied by a certain serpent, that made herself at home a long time ago.
“ Really? You could have fooled me.”
“I did so myself, if I am honest.”
She feels Betty’s hand touch hers. It’s comforting in a way Cheryl didn’t expect and she has to swallow the tears that threatened to fall. Betty is the first touch she feels since the comet - she hadn’t felt anything when Heather touched her after she saved everyone and neither when she had hugged her goodbye.
It was kinda overwhelming.
“Cher, are you really sure that you are okay? You are kinda worrying me.”
And then the redhead can’t lie anymore. She starts to sob, tears running down her face and making it impossible to see the worry on Betty’s face. But Cheryl can feel the blonde’s familiar arms wrapping around her body, comforting her in a way she didn’t thought was possible all those years ago.
The clock keeps ticking and after what feels like an eternity, Cheryl calms down enough to untangle herself from Betty’s grip.
“Feeling better?”
“Yes, I am sorry.”
“For what, Cheryl?” Betty asks, eyebrow raising. “Crying? Because if it’s so, there’s no need. Really. I’m a little impressed it took you this long, honestly.”
“I don’t like crying. It makes me feel weak.”
“Well, I think it makes you feel stronger.” the blonde smiles. “Do you want to talk about this?”
“No.” she sighs. “But I will, regardless. Better now than when you force me to reveal my deepest and darkest secrets.”
“I would never.”
Betty says seriously, and that makes Cheryl smile a little. They definitely don’t have a good track record about things like that. Regardless, she tells Betty everything - about what Abigail asked, about what she asked Toni, about what happened between them. Between Abigail and Thomasina and everything that comes from that.
She tells Betty about how she felt like she had lost Toni all over again, even when she wasn’t hers to lose. She tells Betty about her pain and her everlasting love and the wishes she whispers at night, asking Toni to come back.
In the end, she feels drained. But a little bit lighter.
“Thank you for telling me this.” Betty says, squeezing her hand. “For what it’s worthed, I think Toni made a huge mistake marrying Fangs. She should have married you instead.”
x-x
It was way past midnight when Cheryl woke up bewildered; she didn’t even know when she had fallen asleep. There’s a noise coming from her front door and that puts her on alert. After all, no good things happen that late at night.
Slowly, she makes her way to the door, a spell on the tip of her tongue and her heart beating loudly on her ears.
On the other side is someone Cheryl didn’t expect to see at Thornhill any longer.
Looking at her with eyes that the redhead misses so much is Antoniette Topaz, her own doomed love .
x-x
It takes a while for Cheryl to react.
She stays frozen on the spot, hand still on the door knob, mouth agape and eyes fill with disbelief. Her mind can’t process the fact that the serpent queen is really on her doorstep, looking at her like Cheryl is everything that she wants to see for the rest of her life.
She knows that expression very well, has seen on Toni’s face so many times during those years they were together. An expression that Cheryl can’t comprehend being directed at her again, after all those years. After what happened between days just prior to this.
“Toni.” she managed to say. “What are you doing here?”
“Hey, Cher. Do you mind if we come inside to talk?” Toni moves uncomfortable. “It’s kinda freezing out here and I walk all the way from the town.”
“Yes, of course.”
Cheryl moves and makes space for Toni to squeeze inside the mansion. They walk to the living room, an uncomfortable silence placed among them.
“So,” the redhead begins. “What are you doing here this late?”
“I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“About?”
The question hangs in the air for a couple of seconds.
“About the other night.” Toni says after a while. “About what happened between you and me.”
“It wasn’t between you and me.” Cheryl dismisses. “It was between Abigail and her beloved.”
“Cher, come on.” Toni sighs. “You know that I know that it was about more than just them. I know you remembered what happened the moment your eyes had fallen on me.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Cheryl, I know you.”
“ Do you? ” Cheryl says with a humorless laugh. “Do you really have the right to pretend you still know me after all this time? After everything that happened? Do you still know me, Toni?” she asks rhetorically. “Be truthful. Can you look me in the eyes and honestly say you still know me?”
“I think I can.” Toni says petulantly.
“If that’s true, then why the hell did you ask me to officiate your fucking wedding to someone else? If you really knew me, you would know that asking that would kill me!”
“I-”
“You want to know why I did that, regardless? Do you?” Cheryl's voice is getting louder and louder, her emotions getting out of control. “Because I still love you, after all this time. I still fucking love you, Toni. It kills me to see you being happy with someone else, but I still respect your choice, just like always. So no, you don’t know me anymore. Because if you did, you never would have asked me that.”
She stops, breathing harder than before. Cheryl feels drained, exhausted and all she wants is for Toni to disappear. To leave her alone in her misery. She didn’t even realize that she was crying until she heard Toni crying too.
Cheryl has to fight every instinct to stay rooted on the spot. Everything in her tells her to go to Toni and comfort the serpent - just like Cheryl always did. But this time she can’t. Her pride won’t let her.
It takes a while for them to calm down. And when they finally do, Toni is the first one to speak. “I’m sorry, Cheryl. You can’t imagine how truly sorry I am. It was a dick move to ask you to do that and I realize this. The truth is… I didn’t really consider your feelings at the time. I even like to lie to myself saying that I marry Fangs because of Anthony when that's far from the truth.”
“And what is the truth?”
“There isn’t one.” Toni admits. “I guess I just wanted to feel like I was part of a family, as fake as that family ended up being.”
“You didn’t have to marry him to have a family.”
“I know. I realize it was an stupid idea.” the serpent sighs. “I been having a lot of stupid ideas these days.”
That makes Cheryl smile a little. “Yeah, I know the feeling.”
“What I’m trying to say is that Fags and I had a talk after the comet and we decided that being married to each other was not right.”
That takes the redhead by surprise. “ What? ”
“We already asked a lawyer about a divorce. Even Anthony agreed it was for the best. We were making ourselves miserable for nothing.”
“Toni, why are you saying this to me?”
The serpent smiles. “It’s not obvious?”
“As you can see, it’s not.”
Cheryl’s heart is beating in her ears again, mind racing trying to understand what the other woman is saying - she feels like she knows, but Cheryl doesn’t want to have her hopes squashed again. Once was enough and she is not sure that her heart can take another heartbreak. She needs Toni to tell her and be honest with her.
“Cheryl.” Toni steps closer, taking the redhead hands between her own. “I know I have no right to put you in this position, but I have to ask you something. Did you remember what happened the other night, like I think you do?”
The redhead nods, not trusting her voice.
“Do you regret it?”
“Of course not, Toni. I could never regret a time spent with you, even if it wasn’t really us.”
“That’s good, because I didn’t regret it either. My only regret was not remembering right away. If I did, I would never have leave you alone to fight that stupid comet.”
“You couldn’t do anything, Toni. If I didn’t manage to stop it, I still would have wished for you to spend your last moments with the people you loved.”
Toni was looking at her with the same emotion in her eyes that she had when she first arrived at the mansion - that expression that Cheryl tries very hard to not recognize. Love. Oh so sweet love , that she missed so much.
“But Cheryl… you are one of those people.”
“ Toni .”
“I’m being serious, you know? I never really stopped loving you. Even when I pretended I did and especially when I wanted to. All those years away from Riverdale made me forget, for a little while, how much I still love you. How much I am in love with you and have never stopped.” Toni swallows. “I’m really sorry for putting you through all that pain and I know I don’t deserve you or your love and forgiveness. But I ask you anyway… Cheryl, can you forgive me? Can you give us another shot?”
Cheryl is lost for words. In a matter of minutes, her whole world turned upside down - everything in her had already forgiven Toni, she knows that. She was just holding onto her pride, afraid to trust what the other woman was saying. And she wants to believe Toni. Oh so desperately.
“How am I supposed to believe you, Toni? When all you did in the last couple of months was break my heart? I can’t go through the pain of losing you again.”
“And you won’t, Cher. I promise you this.” there’s so much truth in Toni’s voice that Cheryl begins to believe it. “I want to make this work. That night with you was the most alive I was in years. You have to believe me.”
“I do.” Cheryl sighs. “That night was like dreams coming true. I would cherish every touch they share through us, because it meant that I could feel your touch on my skin. Since that night I couldn’t sleep in my bed because the memories keep replaying in my mind and your scent was all I could smell. Do you know how hard it was to have you and then lose you again?”
“I do know. After the comet, when I lay in bed, everything came back to me and the emotions almost knocked me over. I could barely breathe and it took Antony and Fangs to stop me from coming straight here. I might be too blind to face my feelings before, but I’m not anymore. I want you, Cheryl. You were all I ever wanted, since we’re teenagers.”
That’s what the redhead long to hear for a very long time; that Toni still wants her, wants them and is willing to fight for their love. So Cheryl takes a step and is face to face with the woman that she loves - the only one she truly loves and will love for as long as she is alive.
And then she kisses her and it is like breathing after being a long time underwater. She can feel Toni in every part of her body, soul and mind. Cheryl feels like her heart is finally mending after being broken for years.
They break apart after a while and the redhead smiles when she sees Toni smiling too.
"What?"
"Nothing." Toni says. "It's just… I never imagined that I could be this happy again with you. I missed you, Cher."
"I missed you too, TT."
Full lips lock with hers again and they kiss until they are gasping for air. Toni's lips are swollen and Cheryl knows that hers are no different.
Suddenly, they are stumbling through the corridors towards her bedroom and falling onto her soft mattress; their scent still lingers on the sheets. Cheryl is feeling drunk even without having a drop of alcohol that night.
She is drunk on Toni's scent, drunk on her soft skin, drunk on her brown eyes. She feels like she could drown in the beauty beneath her.
"I love you, Toni. I love you so much."
She smiles, full of hope and love and Toni smiles back.
"I love you too, Cher. I'm sorry for taking too long to come back."
"Well, now you are here and I intend to never let you go again."
"That's good."
The serpent laughs and then Cheryl kisses her again.
x-x
Cheryl wakes up the next morning more rested than she did in the last seven years, Toni's weight resting comfortably against her body. She has to resist the urge to pinch herself; destiny can't be so cruel, not anymore.
"Hi." she hears, finding Toni looking at her.
"Hey, TT." Cheryl smiles. "Slept well?"
"Yeah. The best night of sleep I had in years."
"Me too."
Toni drops a kiss on Cheryl's shoulder, before laying her head there, arms squeezing her body tightly.
"I was wondering." Cheryl starts and Toni hums. "Would you stay with me today? I don't think I can let you go just yet."
"Of course I can." she feels more than she sees the serpent smile. "I'm not done with you yet."
" Oh , do tell."
This time Cheryl sees Toni's smile. The woman had changed positions and was hovering above her, eyes full of love and want and a mouth ready to be kissed.
And so Cheryl does.
Because now she can. Now she has her own beloved back in her arms and what she thought was a doomed love just the day before, changed into something beautiful.
Just like Toni.
And everything they share between them.