Author's Note: I hope you guys are having a great day! I am so excited for tonight's episode of Riverdale! Tonight all hell breaks loose and Riverdale breaks out in an all out war. I don't have too much to update you guys on, other than please keep reviewing! I love being able to engage you guys, and I want to be able to engage you guys especially with Season 2 coming to an end.
In the previous chapter, the Serpents need to pick their poison. They have the Bulldogs, the Ghoulies, Hiram, the Black Hood, it's coming at them from all angles. This all out war, pitting friends against each other and tearing families apart. It's clear that the Serpents need each other now more than ever.
In this chapter, the Bulldogs and a brand-new Sheriff turns the heat up in Riverdale and has their sights on Fangs. While Max and Jughead do everything in their power to protect their fellow Serpent, a familiar face returns to help and an event triggers an all out war...
Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN RIVERDALE OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN MAX LOGAN, HER FAMILY, MY STORYLINES, AND ANYTHING YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE!
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"I might be broken and beaten, but you guys have kept me from falling apart..."
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Chapter XXVII. In Unity, There's Strength
The next morning, Max was walking to her locker and saw Sweet Pea waiting for her. His arms were crossed and he had a serious look on his face. A look she didn't see very often. Sighing, Max walked over to him.
"Hey, what's up?" Max asked, concerned.
Sweet Pea stayed quiet as he watched Max open her locker. As she got her stuff for her first class, Sweet Pea spoke out, "You know, don't you?"
"Know what?" Max asked him confused.
"You know which Serpent was screwing Midge" Sweet Pea said alarmingly calm. Max felt like ice was thrown down her back. Max was always honest with Sweet Pea and never kept secrets from him. But it didn't feel right to violate Fangs' trust in her.
"I have no idea what you're talking about..."
"Don't bullshit me, Max!" Sweet Pea roared, punching the locker next to her's, denting it. "Whoever that Serpent was that screwed Midge, they wouldn't go to Jones, they'd go to you. Jughead is FP's kid but you're our leader. So, you better tell me who it is. I've never lied to you, so don't even think about lying to me..."
"I..."
"Guys! Guys! Did you see it?!" Toni exclaimed, running up to them.
"See what?" Sweet Pea asked, confused.
"Fangs was dating Midge and didn't tell Sheriff Kellar" Toni said, showing them a video on her phone. It was Midge and Fangs backstage before the musical.
"Where did you get this?" Max asked her.
"It was uploaded to the Register's website, somebody leaked it. It makes Fangs look as guilty as a sin..."
"It was Fangs, you knew it was Fangs?!" Sweet Pea roared at his girlfriend. "God, why didn't you say anything?"
"Would you have said anything to me if you knew, huh?!" Max challenged Sweet Pea. "You would've done everything you could to protect him, that's what I was trying to do! Protect him! So don't you dare try to make this my fault!"
"Guys, we don't have time for this!" Toni got in between them as Principal Weatherbee spoke out over the intercom, "Attention students, this is Principal Weatherbee. I need Fangs Fogarty to come to my office immediately..."
"Crap, we need to find him" Sweet Pea growled.
"Have you talked to him?" Max asked Toni.
"Not since last night" Toni said as the three of them scoured the halls for their friend. As they turned a corner they saw Jughead racing down the hall.
"Have you seen it?" Jughead asked them.
"Yeah, we just did..." Max revealed.
"We have to find Fangs before the Dark Circle does" Jughead lead them. As they turned another corner, they immediately bumped into Fangs, who was scared out of his mind.
"What the hell?! That video is everywhere, how did it get out?!" Fangs exclaimed.
"We have to get you out of here, alright" Jughead attempted to calm him.
"You're dead Vixen Killer!" Reggie exclaimed as he lead the Bulldog charge at Fangs.
"This way!" Max shouted as the four of them ran the other. Right now, their main prerogative was to get Fangs to safety. Fangs was officially a wanted man. As they ran the other way, the Serpents were met by the cops led by Sheriff Minetta. "Mr. Fogarty, I need you to come with us..."
"He didn't do anything!" Max bit back.
As they turned around, the Serpents were met by Reggie and Bulldogs. Fangs was cornered and the Bulldogs weren't going to let him get away. Reggie was about to rush Fangs, but was cut of by Sweet Pea. "Get out of my way..." Reggie growled.
"Not a chance in hell" Sweet Pea refused to back down. "You want him, you have to go through me..."
Desperate to get away, Fangs tried to rush pass the cops, only for them to forcefully push him against the wall. "You have the right to remain silent!" Minetta read Fangs his rights as the cops pinned his hands against the wall.
"Leave him alone!" Max shouted as Fangs' switchblade fell out of his pocket. This was all the proof he needed. Tackling Fangs down to the ground, Minetta cuffed him and hauled him out of school.
"What do we do now, huh?!" Sweet Pea growled at Jughead.
An idea popped into Max's head. "You guys, go to the Sheriff's station and make sure Fangs is okay!" Max instructed as she ran.
"Where are you going?" Toni asked her.
"To go get help!" Max shouted as she stormed out of school. Once Max got on her motorcycle, she made a beeline to her trailer. Running inside, Max threw over her mattress and grabbed a stack of money hidden between the bedposts. It was her emergency groundhog fund, that she kept for life and death situations. Pocketing the money, Max ran outside and made a beeline to the Northside. Max drove as fast as she possibly could and probably broke several traffic laws in the process.
Arriving at Hart Oil Company, Max stormed into the building. "Ma'am you can't just barge in here!" the secretary shouted but Max didn't want any of it. Once she arrived to Nathaniel's office, Max barged in.
"Max..." Nathaniel breathed out.
"You say you wanna be there for me? Well, I need you now..." Max asked, steadying her breath.
"What's wrong?" Nathaniel asked, concerned.
"One of my best friend's just got arrested, and we need a pretty damn good lawyer. This is all the money I have" Max put her groundhog fun on Nathaniel's desk. "Do you know anyone?" Right now, Max was desperate to save Fangs, desperate enough to turn to her Northside grandfather.
"Where did you get all this money?"
"Does it really matter? Money is money, the only language that matters to you Northsiders." Max sneered. "Are you gonna help me or not?"
Looking at the money, Nathaniel pushed the money back towards her. "Keep your money Max, I know someone that'll help you and your friend, no charge."
"What's the hitch?" Max had a hard time believing that her grandfather would be doing this out of the goodness of her heart.
"No hitch..." Nathaniel put his hands up. "I'll take care of all the expenses, you won't have to pay a dime."
"You better not be playing me right now. Cause if you even think about double crossing me..." Max growled.
"No games, I promise" Nathaniel reassured her.
...
Later that night, Max and Sweet Pea were at the Wyrm. After Fangs' arrest, the Serpents had to stick together. They were losing men by the second and right now they were the most vulnerable.
"I get what you were trying to do..." Sweet Pea took a swing of his beer, as he and Max stood outside. "If Fangs had told me about him and Midge, we would've all been at risk. You were looking out for him, I would've done the same thing..."
"You should've seen how terrified he was. I didn't know what do. I just know I couldn't lose anyone else..." Max took another swing at her whiskey. "I went to my grandfather today..."
"What? Why?"
"Because Fangs needs a pretty good lawyer. Good lawyers cost money, more than what we scrap together."
"You really wanna trust that damn Northsider? You were the one telling him to get the hell out" Sweet Pea pointed out.
"What other choice do we have? Northside lawyers are slicker than snake oil, and right now that's what Fangs needs" Max rationalized. "God, what the hell is happening?" Max growled frustrated, kicking a dumpster.
Not knowing what to say, Sweet Pea wrapped an arm around her. This is probably the most vulnerable Sweet Pea has ever seen Max. The stress was hitting her from all angles and it was breaking her down. He has seen her be so strong for everyone, that he rarely ever see her crack under the pressure. Max held everything in, it was only a matter of time before she exploded.
From the corner of the her eye, Max saw Byrdie coming out to take a smoke. "Byrdie, you mind bumming me a smoke?"
Nodding her head, Byrdie handed Max a cigarette. Putting it between her lips, Sweet Pea lit her up.
"I thought you stopped smoking" Sweet Pea looked at her as Max passed her cigarette off to him. Smoking was a habit that Max had picked up in order to steady her nerves. But she slowly started to kick the habit when Rafe got older. She didn't want Rafe picking up the habit from her. But with the tensions in Riverdale getting to an all time high, Max found herself picking up the habit again.
"It helps me calm down" Max breathed out as Sweet Pea took a swing of her cigarette before passing it back.
"It's just..." Before Sweet Pea could say anything, they heard a loud crash. "What the hell..." The two of them looked up to see several Bulldogs slashing their tires.
"Hey!" Max shouted at them.
"You Serpents are going down!" Reggie exclaimed as he threw a match into a dumpster and lit it on fire, before running away.
"He's dead..." Sweet Pea clenched his fist.
"Not if I beat you to it..." Max growled as a bunch of Serpents came out.
"What happened?!" Hogeye exclaimed.
"Mangy Bulldogs that's what happened" Max pulled out her cellphone. "Jones, what the hell?!"
"Max, calm down..." Jughead tried to simmer down Max's temper.
"Your Northsider said he would tell the Dark Circle to lay off!"
"He did..."
"Well, they came to our turf! Lit a dumpster on fire and slashed all our tires! They're begging for an ass kicking!"
"Damn it, Archie" Jughead sighed. "I'll talk to him, Max. Don't do anything stupid..."
"No promises Jones..." Max hung up her phone as she helped the Serpents put out the fire. This was a declaration of war from the Bulldogs.
...
The next morning, Jughead was outside the Police Station waiting for Max. Before he had to deal with Fangs, Jughead had a bone to pick with Archie. The Serpents had a lot on their plates already, they didn't need to be worrying about the Bulldogs right now.
"Jug, what's up?"
"You and you're Dark Circle went wilding on the Southside last night, that's what's up!" Jughead growled at him.
"Wait, hold on that's impossible..."
"Unless it was some other vigilante group in letterman jackets who set a dumpster on fire and slashed our tires! Archie, Max and Sweet Pea saw you guys!"
"Jug I swear I don't know anything about this..."
Before Jughead could say anything, Max came running up to him. Deciding to deal with his friend later, Jughead hung up the phone. "Where's the lawyer your grandfather hired?" Jughead asked her.
"He said they were coming..." Max said as an expensive Rolls Royce pulled up. Coming out was Nathaniel and former Mayor McCoy.
"Attorney McCoy is your lawyer?" Max looked at her grandfather.
"The only one I can trust" Nathaniel looked at Sierra. "The best in Riverdale..."
"We have to hurry, they're probably questioning him right now" Sierra suggested.
Nodding their heads, the three of the made a beeline into the Sheriff's office. Storming in, Sheriff Minetta was in the process of interrogating Fangs. "Don't say another word" Sierra said to Fangs. "I'll be representing Mr. Fogarty from here on out and I'd appreciate it if you stop harassing my client." Fangs looked at Max as she gave him a reassuring smile as Sheriff Minetta escorted him back to his cell.
"You're being held because you were in possession of a weapon on school property" Sierra explained to Fangs.
"My switchblade is for protection" Fangs explained.
"Yes, well they have twenty four hours to make something stick. In the meantime, you exercise your right to stay the hell silent" Sierra explained to Fangs.
"We have to be at school soon" Jughead stood up.
"You guys go, I'm gonna stay" Max turned to them.
"You sure?" Jughead asked.
"I'm sure..." Nodding their heads, Sierra and Jughead left. Turning back to Fangs, Max chuckled, "It's usually the other way around. I'm the one usually in a cell and you guys are the ones trying to get me out..." Max tried to lighten the dreary situation. Max had a cell at the Sheriff's station with her name on it, and usually it was the Serpents that were visiting her.
"Max, I'm freaking out..." Fangs trembled.
"Hey" Max held Fangs' hands. "We're not gonna let anything happen. I won't let anything happen to you. You heard Attorney McCoy, there's no way they're gonna make anything stick. And if anyone thinks about coming after you, they have to deal with me. That's a battle those damn Bulldogs aren't going to win..." Max gave Fangs a reassuring smile.
"Hey, at least I've gotten the honor of making Max Logan smile" Fangs remarked.
Max couldn't help but laugh. There were only a few people that had the power to make Max smile so effortlessly and Fangs was one of them. Leaning their foreheads against each other's, Max was praying for a miracle. Max was tired of watching the people she loves slip away. She wasn't going to give up Fangs without putting up a fight.
...
Later that night, Max was still at the Sheriff's station with Fangs. She was counting down the time until her fellow Serpent could be released. Checking her phone again, there was one more hour until Fangs had to be let go. As Max sat with him, Jughead and Attorney McCoy came in. "Did you hear?" Jughead asked her.
"Hear what?" Max stood up.
"I just got off the phone with Betty, the Black Hood made an appearance at City Hall. He turned the Mayoral Debate into his own shooting gallery" Jughead told them.
"I know this sounds messed up, but that's good thing right? Fangs was here with me all day, he couldn't have done this" Max added. At this point, she didn't care about everyone else at the town hall, she cared more about her best friend.
"Yeah, why are they still holding him?" Jughead asked Sierra.
"What happened tonight and what happened to Midge are being treated as separate incidents. But if the Sheriff doesn't press charges in the next hour, he has to let you go..." Sierra explained as Fangs let out a sigh of relief. "There are a lot of protestors outside, you two and his release are going to make a lot of people very angry..."
Before they could say anything, Max and Jughead got a text from FP.
"My dad text you too?"
"Yeah..." Before Max and Jughead could leave, Fangs pleaded, "Max, don't go!" During all of this, Max was that steady pillar of support for the young Serpent.
"We'll be back, okay? I'll text Toni and Sweet Pea, have them meet you down here. Don't worry, we'll come back" Max reassured him as she and Jughead left. As the two of them left the Sheriff's station, the mob of protesters was getting bigger by the second.
Once they got to Jughead's trailer, FP was packing a go-bag for Fangs. At this point, the only option there was is to take him out Riverdale.
"We just got back from the Sheriff's station, Fangs is getting out tonight" Jughead informed him. Noticing a figure in the shadows, it was Joaquin DeSantos.
"Joaquin..." Max breathed out in relief as she ran into his arms. The last time she had seen Joaquin was on a bus to San Junipero.
"Long time no see Queenie..." Joaquin joked, hugging her back. "How you holding up?" FP had recapped the entire situation and the toll that it had taken on Max. Joaquin knows Max is strong, but she's not invincible.
"I've been better..."
"What are you doing here?" Jughead asked
"I called him, he's gonna help Fangs disappear" FP zipped up the go bag, handing it to Joaquin.
"Is there really no other way?"
"He's not safe here, Max" FP put a hand on her shoulder. "Better he disappear than him ending up in a body bag..."
"I can sneak him up to San Junipero, I got a place up there..." Joaquin told them.
"Maybe, but first we need to get him out of that Sheriff's station in one piece. There's an angry mob outside with pitchforks, yelling for his head" Jughead informed them. Joaquin was about to go with them but FP put his hand on his chest, making him stay back. With his involvement in Jason Blossom's murder, it wasn't smart for Joaquin to go the Sheriff's station with everyone out for blood.
When they got to the Sheriff's station, the angry mob had quadrupled in size in the small amount of time they had been gone. The charge was lead by none other than the Dark Circle. "Where did all these people come from?" Max shouted.
"This has be the Dark Circle" Jughead deduced.
"How do we get Fangs out of here?" Max yelled over the angry mod.
"Okay!" FP put his hands on either one of their shoulders. "Max you go inside and make sure Fangs is okay! Jug, you call Red and get him to call this off! I'll stay out here and make sure no one gets inside! We can do this!" FP instructed the young Serpents. Understanding the plan, Max and Jughead nodded their heads. FP wrapped his arms around Jughead and Max "No Serpent stands alone! In unity, there's strength!" FP shouted.
"In unity, there's strength!" Jughead and Max replied as they all split up.
Max pushed through the crowd and made her way into the Sheriff's station. Inside, Sweet Pea and Toni were already there. "God Fangs" Max ran up to him, giving him a comforting hug as he hid his face in her shoulder.
"It's getting wild out there The mob is getting bigger by the second!" Toni looked out the window.
"Me and Jug just talked to FP, we got a way to get Fangs out of Riverdale but we got to get him out of here first" Max told them as Jughead came in the station.
"Well?" Max turned to him.
"Archie's coming but we don't have a lot of time" Jughead sighed before going to Sheriff Minetta. "We can't take Fangs out the front. We have to take him out the side entrance."
"Crowd's out there too. So pick your poison, Serpent" Minetta coldly replied before walking away.
"You son of a-" Max was about to rush the new Sheriff but was held back by Toni.
"What do we do man?" Sweet Pea asked with nerves laced in his voice, as the crowd outside got louder.
"I don't wanna die!" Fangs cried out, legitimately afraid for his life.
"Hey, you're not going to. Look at me, okay" Jughead put his hands on either side of Fangs' face. "We stand together, so none of us falls" Jughead puts his other hand on Sweet Pea's shoulder, as they stood together. Jughead, Max, Toni, Sweet Pea and Fangs had to stand together. They had to give each other strength.
"No Serpent stands alone, in unity there's strength" Max rallied her family together.
"In unity, there's strength!" they all cried out together, putting they arms around each other as they brought their foreheads together.
The five of them left the Sheriff's station together in arms, with Fangs in the middle. The crowd shouted and chanted against Fangs, but the Serpents pushed through the sea of people. Jughead and Max lead the way, as FP made him way over, helping them clear through the crowd. The Serpents weren't going to allow anyone hurt Fangs.
As they made their way through the sea of people, they failed to notice was Reggie making his way towards them, with a gun in his hand. Having mulled over it and some encouragement from Hiram Lodge, Reggie was going to take the law into his hands.
The struggle to get through was harder and harder and as Reggie was about to pull out the gun, Archie tackled him to the ground. But as they fell, the gun went off, causing the crowd to grow silent. As the gun went off, Max felt Fangs stumble. She looked down to see blood staining her gray tee shirt. Fangs looked down to see that he was shot the abdomen. Suddenly time had stopped as Fangs sunk into Max's arms.
"Fangs, god! Fangs!" Max cried as she cradled his head in her arms. Max placed her hand on Fangs' gunshot wound, noticing it drenched in blood.
"Max, it hurts..." he cried as FP, Joaquin, Jughead, Toni, and Sweet Pea surrounded them.
"Hey, you're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay, do you hear me" Max held Fangs' cheek, talking through her tears as Toni held onto his hand while, Jughead and Sweet Pea tried to stop the profuse bleeding. "FP! Jughead!" Max had reached her boiling point.
"Get help!" Jughead shouted into the crowd as FP swore under his breath.
Sweet Pea felt his heart sink as he watched Max cry and Fangs fight for his life. But that was quickly replaced with anger when he saw Archie and Reggie on the ground with a gun.
Both sides broke down as the Serpents delivered blows to every Northsider they could lay their hands on, as Max's shrieks resonated throughout Riverdale.
The powder keg had officially exploded and Riverdale was about to be enveloped in flames...
Author's Note: Well, that made my heart drop a little bit. I'm seriously hoping, Fangs doesn't die! I feel like Midge's killing was an act just to turn the heat up on the Southside Serpents. And right now, whoever had done this has Riverdale exactly where they want it.
There is a lot to unpack here...
First, Max and Sweet Pea. It's clear that he doesn't appreciate Max lying to him. Even though they are on the same page, I feel like Sweet Pea will hold this against her. Do you think Max did the right thing by keeping this to herself? Or does Max have a point in if Sweet Pea knew about Fangs/Midge, he would hide it from her too?
Also, Max going to her grandfather for help was surprising. But desperation to protect the people you care about would drive you to do things you never think you'd do. I mentioned the groundhog fund earlier in the story, but Max keeps emergency money for life and death situations. It's clear that this is a life/death situation. What do you guys think of Max going to Nathaniel for help?
Also, the Serpents. The Fab Five (Jughead, Max, Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs) they are my faves! That moment at the police station when they put their arms around each other and connected foreheads, seriously got me in the feels. Even though they might not see eye to eye, at the end of the day they are family.
Finally, the moment Fangs was shot, I felt my heart drop. But you guys could only imagine how Max feels. She did everything she could only one of her best friends to be shot in front of her. Max has been holding everything in and this may be her tipping point.
Overall, what do you guys think of the chapter as a whole? Yay? Nay? Any/all feedback is welcome!
Riverdale has officially broken down and all hell has broken loose...
Please Read&Review
