This is an idea I had of retelling my completed story Tower Over Me, with a supernatural tie in to Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. That I hope ends up being a surprising twist, it'll develop at first like a mystery only piquing your interest before you actually see what Lane can do. You don't have to read the other story to read this one, and in fact if you haven't you can skip this next part and start this story.

For those of you who have read Tower Over Me the beginnings are almost identical with a few added details and new scenes sprinkled in. It'll start deviating more from that story in a couple chapters, but these early scenes is where I fell in love with Lane and Sweet Pea and I ended up not wanting to change too much of that. So it'll be deja vu for a little bit. Anyways, onto the story.

This wasn't the beginning. It might seem that way as Lane Vivian found herself standing in middle of the Whyte Wyrm surrounded by Serpents, but it wasn't. It didn't start with a body on her kitchen floor, it didn't even start earlier that day as she got ready for school. Today had been a long time coming, and Lane had been ready for it.

There was a lull in the Wyrm at the sight of a well dressed teen standing where she didn't belong. Her pale eyes scanned their unfamiliar faces not finding the man she knew the most, instead her gaze landed on a very tall rough faced man with long hair.

Her stern face seemed to soften as she stepped toward him, and standing so close to him at a foot shorter she suddenly seemed so small. "Are you the leader while FP's away?" she asked him, feeling untrusting heated eyes surrounding her.

Towering over her Tall Boy nodded. "Yes ma'am," he told her with something close to gentleness in his gruff voice.

This man had accompanied FP to her father's funeral, he'd stood at FP's back when he gave her his word. She recognized him. "He said I could use my father's favor," she said hearing the crowded bar grow impossibly quieter, ready burst, "I'd like to cash in."

A chorus of angry voices erupted around her speaking over each other saying different things but the tone was the same, they didn't want her there. One rough bark broke through the others. "Why the hell does a Northsider get a favor?" Most everyone murmured their agreement.

Tall Boy, having not taken his eyes from the girl's blank face, turned to address them without an ounce of the gentleness he'd spared her. "Her father always did good by us, took our side when no one else did." He turned back to where Lane stood with her head held high in a pit of snakes. "After he was killed FP said we'd do good by her. I'm prepared to honor that." There wasn't so much as a mumble, this decision was made for them whether or not they agreed. "What do you need?" he asked her.

She'd known the moment she realized this was her only option it wasn't gonna go well, but it'd still taken every ounce of her will not to draw into herself at the overwhelming hatred spewed at her. She took a breath and told him in a dry apathetic voice, "there's a body in my kitchen."

Silence hung thick around them like a blanket on a too warm day, it was suffocating. "I take it you put him there?" he asked even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes."

"You want us to clean it up?" he asked knowing that after six years with no peep out of her this had to be more than a simple clean up job.

"Yes."

His eyes narrowed still not seeing any emotion in her face. There was a hardness to her he'd seen when she was no more than ten years old, something deeper than a dead parent. "You know who killed your father."

"Yes."

Now he understood. "You gonna tell us who we're protecting you from?"

"No."

There was a heavy silence as her answer settled, as they realized she'd said something other than a monotonous yes. A tall dark boy scoffed. "Just like a Northsider to come into our -,"

"Hush," she commanded with stern finality having lost her already thin patience. His mouth snapped shut and his eyes flared, he should've ripped her apart. But at the sight of her cold green eyes a ringing settled in his ears sharp as a knife and he could do nothing more than grit his teeth. She turned back to Tall Boy, who faintly smirked at the nerve on her, and explained, "it's the only card I have, I'm not ready to play it yet."

"Fair enough," he agreed, she was a tenacious little thing. "I'll clean up, get some of your stuff and we'll go from there. Where's the new kid, Fogarty?" he asked looking around until the kid stepped forward, still wide eyed. "Take her to my place, stay with her til I get there."

"I have school in the morning," Lane said realizing life wasn't gonna stand still while she figured things out. She was already thinking about how to explain this to Reggie so he could get her work and keep his mouth shut.

"Tough luck kid," Tall Boy told her. "Consider this an extended vacation."

She stared at him several moments as if she didn't understand, or that she couldn't comprehend the idea of not going to school. "Yeah that doesn't work for me. I'm top of every class, I'm part of the student council, I do 4-H and peer tutoring. I'm gonna get into any college I want and it'll be as far away from this damn town as I can get and I won't look back. Not going isn't an option." She said all of this plainly, matter-of-factly, too stuck in her own stubborn head that was still refusing to think killing a man was anything more than necessary. A small part of her that never seemed to go away just wanted her dad.

But Tall Boy shrugged, she wouldn't have come if she didn't already know. "You go back, kid, the only way you'll leave is in a body bag." He waited her out seeing her eyes harden as she inhaled sharply, irritably, before sighing heavy enough her shoulders slumped. "I'll trade you keys," he said pulling his from his back pocket and holding them out to her.

She sighed wondering what the hell she'd done before getting hers out of her purse and exchanging them for his. She watched him unhook the car keys and toss them to a woman, telling her to put her car in the shop out of sight. A timid hand on her arm had her flinching and she turned seeing a guy donning the same leather jacket as everyone around him, but his face was kind and he offered a small smile as he led her outside.

"Long day?" he asked as they walked in silence. Looking over at her he saw her blank face and laughed uncomfortably. "Stupid question."

She looked back to the dark street ahead of them with deeply furrowed brows before she released a breath and turned back to him. "I'm Lane," she told him offering her hand to shake.

With a wide grin he shook her hand and said, "Fangs."

There was a short pause as she processed that, realizing that yes that was what she was supposed to call him. "It's nice to meet you," she said, and they shared a small fleeting smile as he agreed.

They fell back into uneasy silence and this time Fangs didn't try to break it, he glanced at her every so often to see her arms crossed and her eyes on the ground. She was pretty, with her dark hair and pale green eyes, but there was something unnerving about her steady quiet – like the calm before a storm.

The trailer home didn't look like much from the outside, but she didn't realize how small until she unlocked the door and they stepped inside. The living room, kitchen, and dining area were all in one open space, there was a bathroom and a bedroom to her right; and that was it. It was cluttered and messy, and it wasn't home.

"Oh sweet, Tall Boy's got cable," Fangs said more to himself as he sat on the couch flipping through channels. "You wanna watch something til he gets back?" he asked turning to where she still stood in the doorway.

"Sure," she said finding it hard to catch her breath. "I'm gonna use the bathroom." Rushing to it she threw the door shut and stood with a hand on the counter to keep from sinking into the floor feeling tears burning behind her dry eyes. She grit her teeth and held her breath looking at the ceiling until she felt it subside and as the feeling passed she released a stuttering breath letting her head hang. She was doing her best, that's what she told herself over and over until breathing became easier.

She settled on the couch beside him and he snuck a glance at her to see her frowning. "You okay?" he asked, not sure what he was supposed to do. He shouldn't like her, he knew that much from how hostile Sweet Pea and everyone else was and it wasn't as if Fangs liked the Northsiders more than the next Serpent. But she wasn't as sure of herself as she'd been in the bar, now she just looked…lost.

"Yeah, just," she looked at the TV as if it might have the answer, it didn't, "not today."

They were quiet again, this time the cartoon he'd found broke it up a bit so it wasn't so stifling. Fangs had just started dozing when the door opened and he leapt to his feet stepping in front of where she sat and sighed at the sight of Tall Boy setting down the suitcase he'd grabbed from her closet.

"Think you can handle her tomorrow?" he asked a dazed Fangs who rubbed one of his eyes as he nodded. Jerking his head to the door, he told him not quite gently, "get lost," and waited until he closed the door behind him before turning back to Lane. "Got some clothes, your bed sheets. Figured you wouldn't wanna sleep on mine."

"I can take the couch," she said already feeling like she was intruding.

But he shook his head. "I'm not gonna let a little lady sleep on the couch while I take the bed."

"Well I'm certainly not that."

They both smiled in agreement but it quickly fell as they stood on opposite sides of the trailer with something impossible between them. He'd seen what was left of the man that'd come to kill her, shrunken with his skin stretched tight over his skeleton frame, her small handprint over his face like a blackened brand. He knew nothing entirely human had done that. And she watched him knowing he'd purposefully gone by himself, as though he knew what he'd find. She didn't know what she'd done anymore than he knew how she'd done it, so they said nothing.

Sitting on the ends of the couch with a gaping space between them their eyes stared at the television. Neither of them watched it. "So what's the plan, kid?" Tall Boy finally asked, needing to know how much she knew. And if she was here it meant she didn't know everything.

"I don't have one yet," she told him honestly. "Getting away was the first step and I didn't know if," she paused weighing her words carefully, knowing if she said too much to the right person they'd easily figure out who she was talking about. "They have a far reach, I guess it's a desperate hope it doesn't extend here."

There was a big name attached to this, someone with a lot of money. And she was scared, he could see it in the way her arms were wrapped around her knees because there was no one else to hold her. "You can stay as long as you need," he told her with a gentle hand on her narrow shoulder. He met her unsure eyes that were more vulnerable now that they were alone, but he watched her take a breath and nod resigning herself to this. Kid had guts, he knew she'd be alright.

.^.

The next day they found her in the laundromat sitting on a bench with Tall Boy, who sat with an arm stretched along the back of the chair behind her. She was smiling at something he was telling her. It split her normally serious face wide open making her already round cheeks impossibly rounder, so wide her eyes squinted. It was a good look for her, and it was a shame she didn't do it very often.

Toni noticed the way the two boys with her paused, it was such a different look from yesterday, open and almost sweet. Sweet Pea swallowed heavily and cleared his throat catching their attention.

Lane looked up from Tall Boy to see the three behind them. "Hey Fangs," she greeted, the only one she actually knew and even then not much.

"Hi Lane," he said with a small smile before the sharp point of Sweet Pea's elbow dug into his ribs and he quickly straightened himself.

With a groan Tall Boy patted her knee and climbed to his feet. "Fangs is gonna take you from here, I'm gonna head to the shop for a bit. I'll bring dinner back." He passed the three and looked to Fangs. "You can take her to the Wyrm, but keep outside to a minimum."

He left and they stood there awkwardly while Lane sat on the bench with her legs crossed delicately. When no one moved Toni huffed and threw herself on the seat beside her. "I'm Toni, you're Lane, and yes it is nice to meet me," she said by way of hello with a rather cheeky grin.

Lane looked over at the pretty girl with the pink tinged hair feeling a pull at the corner of her mouth. "Okay," she said softly, not sure yet how to take this girl. If she'd be like Fangs or like the one with the dark eyes who currently stood glaring down at her.

Her walls were back up, her face once more empty and her voice uninviting. Whatever familiarity was between her and Tall Boy didn't extend to the rest of them, and Toni glanced at Sweet Pea who watched her closely. "I'm guessing this is your first time in a laundromat," she said with a smile that wasn't entirely nice.

"It's my second."

Toni blinked waiting for more, but Lane continued watching the spin of the dryer. "Care to elaborate?"

"If you want," Lane said knowing she should try to play nice. With no plan she didn't know how long she'd be there, it'd be easier if they liked her. But she'd never been good with people. She turned to the girl next to her to find her waiting expectantly, and Lane sighed turning back to the dryer. "Our washer broke when I was young, I remember my mom letting me put the quarters in. They were playing some Marvin Gaye album and we danced to it."

Her voice was as empty as her face and Toni looked to the boys, Sweet Pea leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and Fangs beside him with his hands in his pockets. Sweet Pea shrugged not really caring to know more about her. It left Toni turning back to Lane. "That seems like a good memory," she said, not understanding why Lane still sounded so distant.

There was a loud buzz as the timer ran out and Lane looked to Toni briefly telling her simply, "it's not," before she stood and moved to the dryer.

With a short unamused laugh Toni gave up trying to be nice when it was clear Lane wasn't making an effort. "I'm with Sweet Pea," Toni told a sincere Fangs. "Look, I don't know what you saw last night but she's got the same 'better than thou' attitude as every other Northsider."

But Fangs wasn't convinced. Seeing how open she was with Tall Boy, who she clearly knew in some way, was enough proof for him to know there was a person hiding somewhere under her obvious baggage. So while Sweet Pea and Toni hung back Fangs moved forward and leaned against the machine next to the one she was folding Tall Boy's clothes on. "What happened?"

Holding the half folded shirt to her chest Lane turned to him thinking once more he had a kind face. He wasn't probing like Toni, looking for any reason to keep hating her, he asked because he wanted to know. "She left," she answered with an honesty she didn't feel safe enough to give. Finishing with that shirt she set it on the pile and grabbed a pair of jeans. "FP found me, took me home."

"Is that how you know him?" Fangs asked, thinking FP was easier to talk about.

Lane shook her head, looking up at him briefly before she made a pile for jeans and was pulling something else out of the dryer. "No, they were friends in high school."

"Your dad was a lawyer," Toni said stepping forward. "Larry Vivian, I thought your last name sounded familiar. He represented almost every Serpent, got most of them off too."

"I guess," Lane said with a shrug. "I was too young to understand it. I just remember FP came by a lot. He'd bring Jughead sometimes."

While she bent to reach into the dryer Fangs looked to Sweet Pea and pointed at her mouthing, see. But Sweet Pea only scoffed rolling his eyes. He didn't care who her father was, she'd come to Southside country and started making demands like she had a right to it.

Fangs looked back to Lane, who he was officially assigned to guarding after school. Sweet Pea had laughed at his so called misfortune, but Fangs didn't think it'd be too bad. "You want any help?"

"No you'll do it wrong, I'll just have to come after you and refold everything," Lane stated simply. Behind her Sweet Pea laughed bitterly, looking to both Fangs and Toni as if he'd just made his point. But Lane set the shirt down and turned to Fangs frowning. "That didn't sound as rude in my head."

Leaning on the washer on the other side of her Toni said with a grin, "as long as you're aware." She looked at the side of Lane's face watching her fold; she had pretty hands, and a pretty mouth. If only pretty things would come out of it. She'd been surprised by how forthcoming Lane was with Fangs, her answers were still short and carelessly given but she gave them more freely. "You don't make friends easy, do you?"

She turned with a brow poised in question. "Thought that would've been obvious by now," she said with a faint smirk that Toni returned.

"Well that's something you and Sweet Pea have in common," Toni told her.

"Sweet Pea?" She followed Toni's thin finger to the unhappy boy with the dark eyes and sighed. "Okay," she said sounding almost disappointed before she turned back to Tall Boy's clothes.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Sweet Pea demanded, and seethed when she didn't even look up to acknowledge he'd spoken to her.

"It means," Toni said sidling up beside him, "we have a new friend."

Unhinging his clenched jaw Sweet Pea said through grit teeth, "like hell I'm gonna be friends with a Northsider."

But Toni still watched Lane, who carried on as unconcerned as she'd been at the bar last night. Toni was starting to see it, the line between steady and reckless that Lane casually walked upon. If nothing else this was gonna be fun. "We'll see."