So, here's the first chapter of our longer story about Sweet Pea and Ruby. Enjoy!

Info:

Fandom: Riverdale
Pairing:Sweet Pea/OC
Rating:T
Updates: Irregular
Word count:4028 (all chapters over 4k)
Chapter count:1/?
Faceclaim:
Ruby Wolfe – India Eisley
Jo Wolfe – Adrian Paul
Mattie – Elle Fanning

Home sweet home

Sheriff Keller got up from his desk, tossed the folder he had been looking over into the drawer and pushed it closed. He then locked up all of his files securely and grabbed his phone and car keys, ready to call it a day. Riverdale was as quiet as always, with only the Southside Serpents and Ghoulies causing trouble here and there. The case he'd been working on that evening was fairly open and shut. The Serpents had gone to collect their debt with a 'client', and when the man refused to pay, they'd re-decorated his shop. It wasn't an unusual sight in Riverdale, but what troubled the Sheriff was the fact that none of his suspects had given up any names. And, that was the definition of reasonable doubt. No video, no pictures, no witnesses. The Southside Serpents knew what they were doing and their 'client' wasn't ready to talk, either.

"Sheriff?" His assistant, a blonde woman named Margery whom he vaguely remembered from his high school years, stopped him before he could leave the station. Sheriff Keller turned around. "We've got a ten sixty-four R at the old Wolfe house." The Sheriff sighed, his hand rising to rub his temples, trying to ease the tension there. He'd promised his son that he would be home early. It seemed like that wouldn't be the case that evening, as usual.

"I'll take it. Probably those kids again," the Sheriff waved goodbye to the assistant and headed out. "Goodnight, Margery. I'm heading home after I check this out." And the Sheriff was off. He got in his cruiser, turning on the lights and driving just under the speed limit towards the Wolfe property. It was located far on the east side of the small town, just across the bridge to the Northside. However, after the death of the old owners, the property had become a popular challenge for proving bravery among teens. For some reason or the other, there were more than a few stories about ghosts circling around. Sheriff Keller had heard them from his son, but hadn't paid too much attention to the details. After all, he knew that there was still one person left in the Wolfe family, the current owner of the property. Regardless of the fact that the man had left Riverdale a long time ago to join the army, the house was still his. And, the brave teens trying to prove their worth by spending the night inside the old home were trespassers.

Sheriff Keller parked his cruiser just outside of the tall gates, locking it behind him. He pushed the gates open, making them squeak as they moved. But, before the Sheriff could step inside, a loud growl came from the direction of the home, followed by barking and running paws. Sheriff Keller stepped back, slamming the gates closed just in time. A large dog ran up, massive paws reaching the height of the man's torso as it barked and snarled angrily at the Sheriff. He just stood there, for a few moments, breathing heavily and watching the canine. When he shined his flashlight on it, he saw that it was a grey Staffordshire, well cared for and looking quite angry.

"Chili! Be cool!" A girl's voice called from the porch, making the dog slink back from the iron gates, growling one last time before it trotted up to its owner. "Who is it?" The same voice called out.

"This is the police!" Sheriff Keller didn't dare open the gates again, the image of long teeth still in his mind. "You're trespassing on private property. Scram!" There was a moment of quiet, the light pooling onto the front porch as a tall figure opened the front door.

"Come in, officer!" A man's gruff voice now called out, the figure looming in the doorway. "We'll show you our papers." Then, Sheriff Keller opened the iron gates and entered, closing them behind him. The driveway was dark and a bit lumpy, making the man pick his path to the house carefully. He spotted a car right in front of the home, the trunk popped open. Once he reached the porch, the Sheriff squinted, blinking to see the identity of the two people on the porch. "Well, well. Look who became sheriff!" The looming male figure heartily laughed, hopping down the couple of steps towards him. "It's been a long time, Tom."

"Jo?" Sheriff Keller asked, finally seeing the face of the man and placing him. Joseph Wolfe had changed since the last time Tom Keller had seen him. Gone was the young boy with a messy bedhead and before him stood a well-built man, just a bit taller than him. But, despite the bulging muscles Sheriff Keller could see through the grey wife-beater shirt, there was still that easy-going grin and a dimple on the left side of the man's face, just like the Jo he remembered from high school. "Well I'll be damned! Joseph Wolfe!" And the two men shook hands, before briefly embracing. "Look at you!" Sheriff Keller was shocked, to say the least. The day Joseph had left Riverdale, it had seemed like he would never return to the small town.

"Look at you, Tommy! Proper uniform and flashlight," laughed Joseph. "Remember when you tagged that police car? What was it, again? Fu-"

"Now, now, Jo. No need to drag up ancient history," laughed the Sheriff. Jo clapped his shoulder, nodding.

"Alright, alright." The man pulled back, motioning to the young girl who still stood at the porch with the dog. "I don't believe that you've met my daughter, Ruby." The teen gave an awkward wave. "And, that's Chili. You've met him."

"Oh, I've met him." Sheriff Keller agreed with a huff, looking at the dog which was sitting next to the girl, watching him warily.

"Don't take his greeting personally. He's just a bit territorial." Joseph motioned with his arm to the entrance. "Come in for a cup of joe? Drag up some of that ancient history with me?" Sheriff Keller shook his head with a smile, but walked up the steps regardless.

"Not too long, though, Jo. I have a family to get back to."

"Oh? There's a Mrs. Keller?" And the door of the Wolfe home closed behind the two old friends, leaving the teen with her dog on the porch. She turned to the canine with a smile.

"Let's go, Chili. More boxes await."

For Ruby, mornings were a routine. Despite waking up in the living room of an unfamiliar old house, her sleeping bag right next to her father's, she rose easily and got started on her schedule. It was a Wednesday, which meant that she had a jog, some jiu-jitsu drills with her father and later in the afternoon, a date with her punching bag. But, despite the morning routine Ruby knew by heart in her head, there was another thing on her mind.

She had just moved into her father's childhood home. And, while she had done some exploring the evening before, she'd been beyond tired. So, Ruby had a large grin on her face as she tied her long hair in a tight ponytail and changed into comfortable running gear, sweats, and a white wife-beater. They had moved once more, but her father had promised that this had been the last time. This time, they were there to stay. There would be no more tossing everything she owned into boxes like a well-practiced Tetris match. There would be no more meeting the new neighbors. There would be no more greeting students as the new girl in school. And, there would be no more crying as she said goodbye to all of that. This… This was home, whatever that meant.

Ruby tied her sneakers and double checked them, chugging down some water from one of the bottles in the fridge before whistling for her dog, Chili. He bounded over, nails tapping a rhythm on the old hardwood floor of the Wolfe house, ears alert and tongue lolling happily from his mouth.

"Ready for a run, boy?" Ruby asked the dog, watching the way he perked up at the word 'run'. As Chili turned in circles around himself, jumping with eager joy, the teen spotted her father. He entered through the back door, from the yard, already slick with sweat. Ruby tossed him her water. "I'm going for a run with Chili. My phone's with me." Jo nodded.

"Don't go too far and don't get into too much trouble, kiddo." He came over, kissing Ruby's temples and ruffling her neat ponytail into a mess. She frowned, but allowed him the affectionate gesture, heading for the front door. Their old classic Mustang sat in the driveway, looking quite unassuming and very much at home. Ruby jogged past it, turning around only when she reached the front gates. Chili was hot on her heels, a bit disappointed and restless when the teen stopped, one hand on the iron handle. Ruby looked at the Wolfe family home for a moment longer.

It was an old one, that much she knew. From her father's stories, she'd learned that her great-grandfather had built it himself, inspired by the Victorian home he'd grown up in back in England. And, the influence clearly showed, even now that the house seemed more like a haunted mansion than anything. Two stories, with tall windows and sharp edges along with tower-like structures on each corner colored in dark green and black, loomed high into the sky. The round areas on the corners, though, promised a good window seat or two, which Ruby was certain she would take advantage of. The porch was white, with a space for a swing on the left that her father swore had been there in his youth. It had character, Ruby decided with a small nod. And, if there was something that the teen liked, it was things with character.

"C'mon, Chili." The iron gate opened to let out the short girl and her eager dog for their morning jog.

Ruby shook out her wet hair and paused for a second, holding her used towel. With a silent swear in her head, she went to hang it on one of the iron hooks on the back of the bathroom door. She paused again, before squinting at the hooks. The rust which had bothered her a second ago was gone, replaced with another annoying fact that would be burned in her mind forever. Each of the hooks had a wolf's head at the end, meticulously carved out of iron, snarling at her. Ruby hung her damp towel and threw her head back with a small groan.

She slipped on some clean underwear and managed to shimmy her freshly washed body into a pair of skinny jeans with little trouble. Then, Ruby headed downstairs, making a beeline for her section of the moving essentials and digging out a fresh wife-beater, this time red.

"Good, you're dressed." Jo appeared in the doorway, looking ready to go out. At his daughter's questioning gaze, he elaborated. "I was going to go look for an old friend. This house might need more work than I can handle."

"Just promise me that we will remove those awful hooks in the bathroom, and I'm in." Ruby grumbled.

"Oh, you noticed grandpa's obsession with wolves," laughed Jo. "He had his own creepy style, but it was undeniable that he had style." Ruby's glare didn't let up. "Alright, we'll replace them if they creep you out, kiddo."

"Good." Ruby whistled for Chili and the three members of the Wolfe family headed out, piling into the old Mustang. Soon enough, the teen rolled down her window, the rush of air drying her hair. The open window also scored her a merry canine in her lap, Chili's tongue lolling out of his mouth as he stuck his head out. Jo laughed as the dog slobbered happily and Ruby giggled, wiping her arm, before taking out her phone and snapping a selfie of her and the content pup.

"Hashtag slobber is cool?" The broad-shouldered man laughed.

"Hashtag my dad's annoying." Ruby countered. "I'm giving Mattie an update as promised." The phone let out a telltale popping sound as the image uploaded over WhatsApp. Ruby gazed lazily at the scenery passing by. Slowly, the large properties with big yards became huddled suburban houses with pastel colored doors and walls. Then, as Jo turned numerous corners, the car slowed down and finally parked in front of a nice-looking white home.

"Here we are," sighed Jo, staring out at the home nostalgically. "Gosh, it's been ages." He stepped out, Ruby following, leaving the windows open for Chili. The duo walked up to the home, Jo ringing the bell once and stepping back. Footsteps sounded, followed by a male voice yelling that he was coming. Then, the door swung open. The man standing there was wearing a flannel shirt and loose jeans, a scruff of a beard on his chin. But, his eyes looked young, vivacious.

"Hello," the man greeted. "How can I help you?"

"Hey, Fred," Jo greeted in his deep voice. "Long time." The man's, Fred's, eyes blew wide and his mouth opened a few times, no sound coming out. Then, he stepped outside, grasping Jo into a tight hug.

"Oh my God!" Exclaimed Fred, pulling back with a wide grin. He held Jo's shoulders for a moment longer, as if trying to figure out if the tall man was real, before pulling him back in for another hug. "Joseph Wolfe! On my doorstep!" Fred laughed loudly, shaking his head. "I thought you were never coming back!"

"Plans change." Jo replied with a small smile of his own, nodding at Ruby. She offered an awkward wave from her spot on the porch.

"Oh my!" Fred focused on her then. "Your daughter?"

"Ruby Wolfe, sir." Ruby introduced herself.

"Fred Andrews," The man extended his hand, shaking hers in a firm grip. "I knew your old man back in the day," Fred explained, his friendly grin never leaving his features. "Come in, both of you." Then, he turned before he could enter the house again. "You do have time for some coffee, don't you?"

"Always," Jo entered the home after their host. "I also need a bit of an update on the town gossip." Fred laughed, waving the both of them in.

It turned out that Fred Andrews was Jo's old friend from high school. He was also the owner of a construction company and he had a son who was Ruby's age. All in all, the teen was semi-bored, half-listening to the old stories from her father's high school days. They had talked about a number of people she wasn't familiar with, touching on the topic of Fred's wife, her own mother and Jo's career in the army. Finally, after a few hours, the front door opened and in came a handsome boy with red hair in a blue and yellow shirt.

"Hey, dad," He greeted, before looking at their guests questioningly. Fred immediately stood from their kitchen table.

"Son, this is Jo, my old buddy from high school," introduced the construction company owner. "And, this is Ruby, his daughter. They just moved back into the Wolfe house."

"The haunted one?" Asked the redhead, looking between the two as if they didn't seem the type to buy a property like that.

"Fiction, I hope," Jo laughed, standing up and extending his hand. "The property's been in the family for generations. If there are a few ghosts in the attic, they're family." The teen shook Jo's hand, grinning at the joke.

"Archie Andrews, nice to meet you." The boy seemed polite, Ruby decided. She wouldn't mind hanging out with him, unless he was like the boys she'd seen before – polite in front of parents and disrespectful as soon as anyone over eighteen vanished. Archie was looking at her then, extending his hand. She shook it.

"Ruby," The girl supplied. He had a strong, firm handshake and she decided that she liked that. "You go to South High?" She asked.

"Oh, no, I'm at Riverdale," Archie replied, pointing to the crest of his T-shirt. "Go bulldogs." Ruby tilted her head to the side, lips pursed.

"There are two high schools here?" She asked. The two men wandered to the sink, talking in hushed, rumbling tones about business as the teens got acquainted.

"Yeah, Riverdale High and Southside High. There's also a few more, but they're all in different counties," Archie explained. "It's a bit of a trip to get there. Where will you be going? The Wolfe house is pretty much in the middle, so…" Ruby nodded.

"I think I'm enrolling in South High," she told the boy. "My dad went there, so I figured I would, too." Archie made an odd expression, something between a wince and a shrug.

"Be careful, then," he said. "There are some nasty rumors going around about South High. Drugs, gangs, you know?"

"I'm a big girl." Ruby grinned with a shrug of her own. Archie let out an easy laugh and motioned with his head towards the stairs.

"Want to go up and play some games while the parental supervision talks business?" Now, that, Ruby was eager to do.

"Sure!" And Archie led her up the stairs and to his room.

Ruby was exhausted by the time evening arrived. Between meeting the Andrews men and training with her father, she'd barely had the strength to clean up the room she'd chosen for herself a bit. The teen had also carried some of her boxes up, settling them in front of the door in the hallway, because she still wanted to change the old carpet, or at least wash it. But, according to Jo, the room would be ready for her to completely move in by the end of the week.

He had worked out a deal with Fred to get some work done on the house, professionally. The Andrews would arrive the next morning and they would get started with the roof, which Jo had found had a few holes in it. Hence, he wanted it fixed before the rains started in September, which was less than two months away. Ruby was dreading the next day, though, as the movers would also arrive with the bulk of their belongings, and she didn't doubt that she would be in charge of that task. It would be like weight lifting, only with stairs navigation. Though, she hoped that she could rope Archie, her first friend at Riverdale, into helping her out. The boy had admitted, in between their numerous rounds of Tekken, that he didn't enjoy working with his father too much.

Ruby headed downstairs after a quick shower, but not before skillfully placing odd things on each of the dreadful wolf heads that acted as hooks in the bathroom to hide them. She found her father conked out in his sleeping bag already and snuggled into hers, dialing a familiar number on her cell over facetime. Soon enough, the call was picked up.

"Hey, superwoman!" The camera cleared up and focused on the other side, showing a familiar midnight sky painted on the ceiling, complete with glow-in-the-dark stars, before it shifted to show Ruby's friend's face. "How's it going, girl?" Mattie, as always, seemed overly energetic.

"Hey, Mattie-pie," Ruby greeted with a small, tired smile. She had met Mattie at her first day of freshman year, three schools ago. But, despite the fact that Ruby had known her for only two months in class, they had stayed good friends afterwards. Facetiming was a thing and the two girls exchanged hundreds of texts, pictures and videos every day. Distance, and there were quite a few miles between them, didn't seem to matter. "Just getting ready to crash. Exhausting day."

"You'd think the Wolfe power duo would be used to moving by now, huh?" Mattie laughed, shaking her head. "Tell me everything! How's the house? Is it creepy? What about the neighborhood? Have you gone to see the new school yet?" If there was one thing which Ruby loved about Mattie, it was that the girl could always hold a conversation. Even when Ruby had had a bad day, making her grumpy and quiet, her friend could chatter about silly things and keep the girl from falling into one of her moods when she tended to overtrain.

"The house is pretty cool. It's just like dad described, all Victorian and old-school," Ruby sighed tiredly but kept smiling as she talked. "I think it'll look nice once we're finished with it. But, for now, it has creepy wolf heads all over. Can you believe it, there are iron wolf heads as hooks in the bathroom? First thing I'm taking down, care bear." Mattie laughed heartily.

"I want pictures before you do!" The excited girl on the other end of the line rolled over so that she was lying on her bed, phone up in the air. Ruby caught a glimpse of the sheets she knew well, from Nightmare Before Christmas, and the nightstand Mattie had painted to look like three trunks ready to be shipped to Hogwarts. "Even better, send me one."

"Suuure," Ruby drawled sarcastically, but she knew that she would probably do just that. Mattie was a bit of an oddball. And, she liked collecting different out-of-the-box items. Something about misfits sticking together. "The town seems okay. It's small and quiet, nothing like Annapolis," Ruby continued. "I met only a few of dad's friends. Oh, and one of them has a son our age, Archie. He's pretty cute."

"Oooooh! Boy next door!" Mattie giggled, making Ruby chuckle, too.

"More like, boy on the other side of the town." Laughed the teen. Then, a large yawn broke on her face, making her squint.

"Alright, lights out for you, superwoman," Mattie spoke in a softer tone. "I expect pictures of this other town side boy tomorrow." And back was the peppy voice Ruby knew and loved.

"Yes, ma'am." And the call cut off. Ruby exited the app on her phone to save battery and locked the screen, leaving her in complete darkness. But, when she listened, eyes closed, she could tell that it wasn't the kind of darkness where she was alone. Jo's soft snores were coming in a steady rhythm from his camping bag. Chili's nails were scraping the floor as he ran in his sleep, twitching his paws and letting out soft whines which Ruby knew were his dream barks. But, more importantly, the house wasn't eerily quiet.

There was a window somewhere, probably in the attic, which swayed with the air draft, thumping against the frame rhythmically. The warm summer breeze, let into their new home intentionally, seemed to play the empty hallways like a fiddle. A whistle here, a whoosh there, the breeze wound its way through the Wolfe home before leaving, like a playful uninvited guest. Through the closest open window, a thing Jo and Ruby had agreed not to close because of the dust, the teen could hear the nocturnal creatures making their way around the garden.

The Wolfe House was located near the Fox Forest and close to the Sweetwater River, making the nightlife of the residents outside quite loud. There were cicadas that Ruby could hear clearly, right under her window. A telltale croak of a frog, sounding from time to time, which creeped her out a bit. Birds, calling to each other in the woods just a few hundred meters from the house. The faint sound of the river rushing past their property and into the Fox Forest. Altogether, unlike the car-filled street under her old bedroom window, the Wolfe home had a different kind of noise. But, after lying in the dark, listening for a while, Ruby decided that she preferred these kinds of sounds over the honking of angry drivers.

So, she closed her eyes and slowly sleep claimed her, into silly dreams of levitating moving boxes, giant croaking frogs and wolf heads on door handles that tried to bite her fingers off.

I'd like to thank Vulvarity for all the support and work she's done on this story with me :D

Let me know how you liked it!