(As Jughead looks up from Sweet Pea's punch, Sweet Pea moves aside, revealing a girl with her back to Jughead. She is wearing a Serpents' leather jacket, black jeans, combat boots, and a black beanie. She turns around, revealing Sam. Jughead looks up at her in shock.)
Sam: Stand him up. Oh, Juggie.
(As Sweet Pea and another Serpent help him up, Sam looks at him with concern. Jughead is convinced he's been knocked out and he's hallucinating.)
Jughead: Very funny. This is a great dream. I knew my psyche was messed up, but even this is a lot.
(Sam reaches up and caresses Jughead's uninjured cheek.)
Sam: This isn't a dream, Juggers. This is real. It's about time you learned the truth. You wanted to be a part of this, and your dad and I tried to keep you out of it. I thought he'd be here to tell you with me, but he's not.
Jughead: Wait, are you and my dad, like, a thing? Did you, like, sell your virginity to him for protection or something?
(Sam laughs a very cold and callous laugh. Tall Boy and the older gang members are behind her, and Tall Boy smirks at the insinuation.)
Sam: FP's been like a father to me ever since I was 13. A FATHER, Jughead, not a Daddy. Your father would never. No, Jughead, you have it backwards. You already know that nothing happens in this town without me knowing about it. How do you think I've acquired all these secrets over the years, Jug?! Clairvoyance?
Jughead: What's the truth, Sam? I'm a part of this gang now. No more secrets.
(Sam holds Jughead's cheeks in her hands. She looks up at him with a slight softness in her eyes.)
Sam: Indeed you are, Jughead. You know parts of the truth, but now it's time to fill in all the blanks, give you the whole picture. You know that my cousin abused me horribly. The last time he did it, FP came to the house to pick up some hand-me-down clothes from my brother to give to you. He found me instead, and he was horrified. That was the day he knew I wasn't a little girl anymore. Lonnie took something from me that couldn't be given back. Your father took something from him that can't be returned. FP got Tall Boy and Mustang, and they jumped my cousin in an alley. They beat him until he could no longer speak or walk, just like he choked me into silence and injected me with drugs to make me powerless. In return, I paid FP $250,000. He wouldn't take it at first, but then Tall Boy here reminded him of the Serpents' money troubles. That quarter of a million was just a down payment. Your father may have been the face of the Serpents around town, but I kept the wheels turning. Yes, Jughead, I am now and have always been a Serpent. I've acted as their silent partner, paying for lawyers, making arrests disappear, cleaning up messes. You remember Penny Peabody? I paid for her law school tuition, Jughead. She helped you as a favor to me. I effectively bought the Serpents and have made them loyal only to me. I keep their cash flowing, roofs over their families' heads, food in their homes. In return, your father and the Serpents have been doing my dirty work for the last 3.5 years. Your father's been my partner for all of it. That's how I know the Serpents will never be involved in moving heavy drugs around Riverdale. I've forbidden it.
Jughead: How come this hasn't come out sooner than this? How did we never figure out who you really were?
Sam: FP and I forbid it. I kept a distance. Met only with FP or Tall Boy in secret. There are guys here right now that didn't even know that I was a Serpent. Not all of us wear the tattoos or jackets with pride. It makes us no less loyal. But those times are over, Jughead. FP and I fought to keep you out of this life, but now it may be your only chance at survival. With us, you'll be protected.
Jughead: Is this why you kept me away from you?
Sam: With your father getting in deep with Clifford Blossom, I knew it was only a matter of time before something happened to him. Clifford Blossom was the most venomous of all snakes, and I took no chances. I made sure there was insurance and that Joaquin was an obedient little soldier. I had FP plant him with Kevin as an inside guy. We needed every base covered to stay ahead of Blossom. I did EVERYTHING I could to keep your father out of jail, Juggie. If my father had been alive, your dad would be here right now, I swear it. I started pushing you away because I knew I'd have to step up and take on a more active role. I didn't want to put you in any danger from rival gangs or from the town. The further you were from the epicenter of all this, the better. Your father being in prison has created chaos that he never would have stood for. Otherwise, certain punk ass individuals might think it's okay to step out of line.
(Sam leers at Sweet Pea. Slipping on her own pair of brass knuckles, she punches Sweet Pea straight across the face. He hits the ground, looking up at her. Tall Boy looks down at him.)
Sam: You've made a whole world of trouble for us, Sweet Pea. You should have minded your own business.
(She starts beating the actual fuck out of Sweet Pea while he cowers. Jughead is shocked at her dark side. She leaves Sweet Pea on the ground, and stands up. Jughead looks into her eyes, and there is a darkness there that he has never seen before.)
Jughead: Well, you're a Serpent. Don't you need to jump me into the gang, too?
(Sam falters, and for a split second, Jughead sees the old Sam.)
Sam: Oh, I'm going to. You know everything now, Jughead. This is the part of my life you never saw. Every ugly, miserable, illegal part of it. And I don't regret it. It helped keep you, and Betty, and Archie, and Veronica, and Kevin safe. It kept my brothers safe. The abuse from my cousin stopped forever. It's not right, but it's what's real.
(Without any warning, Sam slams her fist into his face, knocking him out cold. The gang disperses, and Sam picks up Jughead, carrying him inside the trailer.)
(Jughead wakes up slowly on the trailer's couch. He sits up, and Sam is waiting for him. She is back to her normal self, and she rests a hand on his arm. They are alone, and she hands him an ice pack. She did considerable damage to his face, and he accepts the ice pack gratefully. They sit in silence as Jughead processes what's happened.)
Jughead: Do you think I hate you now?
Sam: Do you?
(Jughead sits up, pulling her close to him. His legs are spread, and he slides her in between them. He holds her by the hands, kissing her fingers and her mouth to reassure her.)
Jughead: I couldn't even if I wanted to. I love you, Sam. I've always loved you. It doesn't matter how many times you hit me. I know you, who you really are under everything. And this? It isn't you. It's who you have to be to survive.
(Sam looks at him, her eyes full of tears.)
Sam: That's true. But in the coming months, I'll have to be that person more and more. Your initiation coincides with me having to step up from silent partner to active leader. Your father being gone isn't good for us. Imagine a gang full of guys like Sweet Pea with no one to lead them or give them direction. It's basically a day care with no adult supervision. Say what you want about FP, but he led the Serpents and no one second guessed him. Except me.
Jughead: Really?
(Sam takes a moment to pause. She gets up and goes to the stereo, putting on some music.)
Sam: I was the one writing the checks. If I said no, no checks got written. FP knew never to displease me or cross me the wrong way. He was always loyal. He told me once… he trusted your judgment. Always said you'd been a better judge of character than him, even as a kid. He said that if you loved me, then that was good enough for him to throw himself and his trust behind me. He was never disappointed by it.
Jughead: He said that?
Sam: Of course. Don't you know how much your dad loves you, Juggie? He was willing to confess to a murder he didn't commit to save you. He even made me go along with it because he wouldn't risk your safety, even though I told him I would keep you safe, and I could bring down Clifford Blossom.
Jughead: You told Joaquin to tell Kevin where Jason's jacket was with the flash drive in it.
Sam: Of course. It exonerated your father in the murder, but the other charges- I couldn't slip him out of them, not with this new judge. Of course, Cheryl's statement went a long way, though.
Jughead: You think it'll get him out?
Sam: I'm trying to make friends in that world, but they just see me as a 16 year old girl. I'm going to do whatever I have to to get your dad out soon, legally, so he can come back here.
(Jughead is quiet as he holds her hands, staring at her. She's serious. She pulls her Serpents jacket on and grabs her keys, getting ready to leave. She's halfway across the room when Jughead speaks.)
Jughead: Do you think we could lead the Serpents the way you and my dad did?
(Sam cocks an eyebrow at him, a strange smirk on her face. The music, which has been playing quietly in the background, becomes a little louder as Meg Myers "Desire" comes on.)
Sam: Maybe. I'm willing to give it a shot.
(She makes it to the door, but Jughead shuts the door as she opens it. He turns her around, pushing her up against the wall. He's vulnerable, but also incredibly turned on. He slides his hands up to her cheeks, his thumbs caressing the hollows of her cheeks. He leans in and kisses her, and her arms reach up and lock around his neck. He picks her up, and her legs lock around him as well. He brings her into his bedroom, which is neat, cozy, and doesn't look like it's in a trailer. He lands on top of her, and they begin taking their clothes off.)
(Later, they are lying in bed. Jughead props himself up on his elbow, using a finger on his other hand to trace along her cheekbone. She smiles.)
Sam: I love you, Jughead. I've always loved you. I don't know if we can lead a gang together, but you're one of us now, whether I like it or not. Maybe this is a way I can keep you close to me, and keep you safe.
(Jughead reaches over her, pulling her closer to him. He kisses her, and looks deep into her eyes.)
Jughead: Sam, I want us to be together again, come hell or high water. The only thing in this entire world I have ever been 100% sure about was you. Not being with you isn't a life I want to live. We're both in the Serpents now; it's not like this is a clandestine romance or you trying to keep me safe by pushing me away. We're past that now. Don't shut me out anymore, Sam. Be with me.
Sam: We are. We're together, Juggie.
(Jughead wraps his arms around her, and they fall asleep together.)