This chapter spans episode 5 through episode 6.

She stormed through the halls of Southside High with a gravely serious frown and burning eyes, most knew the rumors or at least overheard the stories and they moved out of her way, the few who dared found themselves either tripping or shoved back by a wall of air. Finding the two she was after Lane stepped between them and raised her hands hitting them both like it was the most vicious game of tag.

Sweet Pea and Fangs looked down as she continued on and their furrowed brows smoothed as they sighed not needing her to tell them they were to follow. She cut a sharp turn into an empty classroom and Sweet Pea went in after her first with Fangs behind him, he hadn't even reached for the door before it slammed shut. "I see we're in a mood," he said under his breath as he turned to where Lane was fuming.

"A bomb, seriously?"

Sweet Pea scoffed shaking his head. "Jughead ask you to try talking us out of it?" He was getting sick of Jughead putting his Northsider friends over the Serpents, and now he was dragging Lane into it.

"Toni happened to be thinking about it when she brushed my arm." It would be the last time Lane wore anything other than long sleeves at this damn school. These were the things she was left out of because it wasn't her place, except now she was invested in these idiots.

Reaching a hand across Sweet Pea's chest to keep him back Fangs stepped forward, taking this one because he was the only one she sometimes listened to. "Look, babe, I know how this looks from the outside. And it's not your fault but you don't know enough to understand how much we need this," he told her, trying for a softer approach.

"I know exactly what this means to you, I feel it every time you guys are angry," Lane said staring them down with her arms crossed. "I'm not telling you to stop, I'm saying no to the bomb."

Sweet Pea scoffed again wondering where she thought her place was in all this, one night and a great morning didn't give her the right. "What's the difference?" he asked, challenging her. His eyes seemed darker when framed by a bruise.

Lane was so close to the end of her patience she'd forgotten the whole reason she wanted to talk to them, instead she was focused on the bomb he was so intent on using. "What exactly is the plan?" she asked now addressing only Sweet Pea. "Are you gonna assemble it there and hope you don't get caught, because that's enough to get tried as an adult? Or, are you gonna drive it there and hope it doesn't go off if you hit a pothole?"

They stared each other down, neither one willing to bend. But beside them Fangs exclaimed, "holy shit," having finally understood Lane's intention. He smacked Sweet Pea's chest. "Dude, she's the bomb."

"What?" Sweet Pea asked, his anger wilting in place of confused understanding. He looked at Lane to see her sighing irritably.

Fangs nodded excitedly. "Yeah, she's not telling us to stop she's just saying no to the bomb," he said repeating her words. "Because we have one." He moved to where Lane stood with her arms still crossed and he bent to kiss her cheek. "And you are the bomb." He saw the way she pursed her mouth knowing she was trying not to smile.

"You're lucky you guys are cute," she told them, looking from a grinning Fangs to a now guilty Sweet Pea who felt bad for the way he'd spoken to her, "and that you're halfway decent in bed. Otherwise I swear to god I'd go for Toni, she's the only one I don't have to think for." And with that she stormed back out.

Sweet Pea called after her, "the only one you don't have to think for?" the same time Fangs asked, "halfway decent in bed?"

…

The three lay in Fangs' trailer intertwined as they caught their breath, the boys shared a euphoric grin but Lane had her eyes closed trying to slow her racing heart. "You alright?" Fangs asked, hearing the way she nearly panted.

She nodded licking her dry lips. "It was just a lot," she answered breathlessly. She hadn't been able to tell what was her and what was them, and she hadn't been able to tell their feelings apart – it was all just so much good. Every nerve in her body had been filled with them, she felt like she could've died.

Taking a deep enough breath to catch she pulled herself up, knowing she was gonna be sore in the morning, and she turned so she was facing them as they both lay on their backs. Her legs were curled against Sweet Pea's side and he ran a hand over her calf, and she held an arm over Fangs' waist to hold herself up feeling him trail the tips of his fingers along the back of her hand.

"So what exactly is your initiation?" she asked, as she'd been wanting to ask since Jughead showed up at the Wyrm declaring himself ready to be a Serpent.

Fangs and Sweet Pea shared a look before turning back to her, watching her chest swell as she breathed. "You have to pass four tests, the first is taking care of the beast," Sweet Pea told her.

She looked to Fangs and he explained with a simple name, "Hot Dog."

Her brows drew together in amused disbelief. "Your beast is very sweet."

"Yeah, he doesn't usually take to people the way he did to you." He'd been on her the moment he caught her scent, they had to drag that dog away from her so they could give him to Jughead.

A small knowing smile curled on Lane's mouth. "What are the other three?"

Sweet Pea took over again explaining the second was reciting their laws which he didn't tell her, third was showing no fear – Fangs was the one to explain taking a knife out of a rattlesnake's cage – and the final test was a show of worthiness to be a Serpent as well as a willingness to die for them. After he was done Sweet Pea looked at her expression seeing she wasn't impressed. "What about you, is there an initiation for witches in Greendale?" he asked, his tone containing a faint edge.

"Yes, but I'm not part of their coven," Lane told him, not sure if the Church of Night even knew she exist. "My mother's from Mexico that makes me a bruja. But from what I understand we serve the same master."

Sweet Pea looked up at her not fully understanding, but beside him Fangs gasped and muttered, "oh my god it's the devil."

Lane chuckled faintly and nodded seeing Sweet Pea's eyes widen, his hand tightening on her leg. "From what I've gathered they sign away their name in the Dark Lord's book with their own blood, giving themselves up to a life of servitude for…something. I don't know that part." She had a guess but it was uneducated and she hated those the most, so she didn't try to elaborate. Instead she looked to Sweet Pea who watched her closely and told him, "So no, I'm not terribly impressed by your initiation."

He blinked realizing she'd gotten that from the hand he held on her leg, and he found her to be amazing and terrifying all at once. And as she smiled down at him he realized she'd felt that thought too. "Son of a bitch," he breathed. Before he had time to think, meaning before she had time to realize he was thinking it, he reached a hand to cup her face and pulled her against him kissing her.

"I told you she was great," Fangs said propping himself up on one arm as he grinned. "This could've been our last few weeks, but you were just so set on not liking her."

Feeling Sweet Pea's only mildly annoyed sigh Lane rolled off him smacking Fangs' arm, which he grabbed and brought her hand to his mouth kissing it. They talked together a little while longer, something soft and warm swelling between them. And they fell asleep each with an arm slung over Lane's waist as she lay curled on her side between them.

.^.

The shop was busy and loud as they shuffled around six cars, and in the midst of it all came a shaggy dog casually making his way to the back office. Tall Boy shook his head and turned back to the diagnostic report he was reviewing. About a minute behind him was an out of breath Jughead, and Tall Boy jerked his head in the direction the dog went.

Jughead found him tail wagging as Lane knelt in front of him scratching behind his ears. "Oh thank god," he sighed and cursed the dog in his head. "I was walking him, I'm not sure how he got loose." In his hand he held the leash, it was as if the clasp hadn't hooked all the way around the loop on his collar except for the fact that Jughead knew it had.

With a faint grin Lane whispered, "naughty boy." That seemed to amuse him.

Jughead watched her pat his head one last time before she stood looking at him curiously. "I actually wanted to talk to you, if you've got a minute," he said, seeing her nod. "I overheard Sweet Pea and Fangs still talking about bombing the Register. I was hoping you could get them to hold off, at least until I'm through initiation and can convince them," he assured her. "They seem to listen to you."

"It's not my call," she told him with an uncaring shrug as she sat behind her desk.

He shook his head not believing she wasn't at least considering the ramifications. "You're not from here, why do you care?"

"I don't," was her simple answer. "I care about Fangs and Sweet Pea."

"Then you can't do this," he said stepping closer. And he looked down at Hot Dog who suddenly stood between them, as though guarding her. Shaking his head he turned back to Lane. "It would cause an all out war between the North and South sides. The Sheriff's office would be looking to round up every Serpent, Fangs and Sweet Pea included. So if you care about them, you cannot let them go through with this." From the unhappy way she looked at him Jughead was hopeful he'd said the right thing to convince her.

But from the doorway came a rough, "hey," and they both turned to see Sweet Pea glaring at Jughead.

So he stepped back, giving Lane one last long look, before he patted his leg turning to the dog. "Come on," he beckoned Hot Dog, who wouldn't move.

He turned his shaggy head to Lane and she nodded, and his head drooped a little as though to sigh as he followed Jughead out of the office. Sweet Pea glared down at Jughead as he left, and after he had Sweet Pea stepped into the office and made his way to Lane. "He try to talk you out of it?" he asked, his voice hardened and his hands fisted. She didn't look at him let alone answer and it had Sweet Pea shaking his head. "It worked, didn't it?"

"He made a valid point," was her quiet answer. She wasn't wearing the gloves and she could feel the anger coming off him, she still wouldn't look at him.

So he got a hand under her chin turning her to face him. "Jughead might be a Serpent by blood but he's never been one of us, he doesn't get it and he sure as hell doesn't speak for us."

"It wasn't about that."

His brows drew together. "Then what was it?"

Pulling his hand off her and dropping it like it burned she fixed him with an unrelenting stare. "I've lost as many people as I'm willing to, that now includes you and Fangs," she told him firmly. "It's nonnegotiable." And with that she stood snatching the clipboard off her desk and making her way to the back so she could take inventory.

She irritably flipped the first page and clicked her pen, still finding herself riled up and she couldn't figure out why. At his soft touch she stilled feeling his hand on her shoulder, and he bent pressing a soft kiss to the back of her head. "Alright," he relented. "You win."

He'd thought it over, considered the risk, and decided it was too small of an action to be worth it. She was what finally made him listen. And she looked at him out of the corner of her eye and told him, "you're a pain in the ass."

She jumped at his hand smacking her backside and turned on him only partially outraged. "You know it," he agreed, his mouth curling in a suggestive smirk. "You could barely sit on my bike this morning." He laughed at how quick she was to smack him and he grabbed the arm she raised holding it to his chest as he backed her against a shelf, the tip of his nose brushing her forehead as he looked down at her, feeling her breathing deepen.

"What'd I miss?"

They both turned to where Fangs stood in the door and Sweet Pea made a sweeping motion with his arm letting Lane take the lead. With a hard look aimed at Sweet Pea she turned to the other boy and told him bluntly, "we're not blowing up the Register."

Considering that a moment Fangs nodded, having already thought it through and arrived at the same conclusion Sweet Pea finally had. "Yeah, I kind of figured," he said having put two and two together, Jughead talking to Lane then Sweet Pea's rash anger.

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes at how quickly he caved, but an unusually soft smile graced Lane's even softer face as she looked at Fangs. "I knew I liked you first for a reason." They shared a warm look before she slipped her hand from Sweet Pea's grasp and smacked him again. "Pain in the ass," she reiterated, poking him in the chest as she moved around him to continue doing inventory. He surprised her again, his palm landing a particularly stinging blow that had her gasping quietly as she whirled on him hitting him with the clipboard as he went.

…

Lane sat alone on the couch in Tall Boy's trailer doing homework. She'd been informed that the Whyte Wyrm was off limits until Jughead's initiation was complete, which she supposed was fine, but then Sweet Pea not so quietly suggested she wait for them in Fangs' trailer and Tall Boy shut that down quickly saying when he got home he'd check on her every five minutes til she was snoring to which Fangs replied with a sweet naiveté that Lane didn't snore and Tall Boy had all but grabbed both boys by the throat and dragged them away from her. And so she sat alone, in Tall Boy's trailer, doing homework.

With a dramatic sigh she tossed one textbook on the table and grabbed another, hearing a trashcan topple over outside but not really paying it much. There was near constant sound coming from somewhere in the trailer, she quickly learned to tune it out. But a loud bang on the window in the bedroom got her attention and she shot up staring at the dark backroom with bated breath. There was the faintest whisper of the window sliding open and her heart jumped in her throat as she moved to the center of the trailer, where she had the option to throw the cast iron or run out the door. There was another bang, this time within the trailer as something fell inside it. Raising a finger the light in the room glowed bright and Lane sucked in a breath at the sight of the long sinewy black figure.

At the sight of her wide green eyes it shrunk back out of sight, and she moved forward to stand at the far edge of the doorway nearly hidden behind it as she peeked into the room. And it stood against the wall peering down at her with pale glowing eyes. "Hi," she greeted softly.

It blinked down at her as though surprised. "You're not afraid of me?"

"I had a feeling," Lane answered with a small smile. It knew her, that she'd known the moment she first touched him, and its eyes narrowed slightly at the corners as though it too were smiling. She watched it pull tighter within itself as it shifted to a more familiar form, and Lane found herself looking down at a shaggy gray and white dog the Serpents called Hot Dog. "I've got to find a new name for you," she said reaching a hand to scratch his head. In doing so she caught a whiff of him and scrunched her nose. "First things first," she said moving to the shower and turning it on.

But he sat himself down refusing and she cocked a brow, he still didn't move. With an irritable huff she pulled her clothes off and pulled the door open beckoning him inside, and his head drooped sadly before he slowly shuffled his way into the shower with her.

…

It was late when Tall Boy got back, Jughead having successfully completed both second and third trials. The TV was off but the light in the room was on, it was unusual to not find her on the couch because she could barely sleep when he was there. But he quietly made his way to the back and found her curled on her side fast asleep with Hot Dog close beside her.

Tall Boy shook his head with a sigh. The second Hot Dog had disappeared then this one turned up less than a week before Lane came to town, and that wasn't coincidence. He moved to the side of the bed picking up the book she'd fallen asleep reading and set it on the dresser saving her page. Then he turned back to her sleeping face tracing her achingly familiar features, and he reached a hand to brush her hair back. Before he could touch her a low thick growl sounded and he looked to where Hot Dog had lifted his head from Lane's hip and was staring at him with gleaming eyes.

When he didn't move away the shaggy fur seemed to melt into its skin that darkened and then glowed a deep red through its ribs as though there were a fire in his belly. Standing over Lane it was nearly as long as the bed and it had a snout that resembled more a bear as it held its toothy mouth open to snarl – like a hound of hell.

"You made your point," Tall Boy said stepping towards the door, away from the girl still asleep on the bed. And as he reached a hand for the light switch he looked over his shoulder seeing Hot Dog with his shaggy fur settling once more against her.

.^.

Lane walked through the halls of Southside High with her bag slung on her shoulder as she rifled through her notes preparing for the test next period. Glancing up she saw Sweet Pea and Fangs at the other end of the hall and she wove her way between the mass of bodies to get to them. But the front doors slammed open and uniformed men charged in grabbing students left and right and Lane stopped in her tracks trying to figure her next move. She couldn't get either boy without exposing herself to everyone, Sheriff's office included, and they were too far away to run and an officer had already thrown Sweet Pea against the locker.

Reaching a decision Lane dropped her bag and turned on her heel marching for the back exit, and the door flung open crashing against the brick wall without her touching it. She stalked across the field her face a picture of fury and beside her Hot Dog fell into place beside her, having followed her to school and had been waiting outside.

There was a flurry of movement beside him and Tall Boy looked up from the engine he was working on to see a very irritable Lane. "What happened?"

He was seething by the time she finished, scrubbing viciously at the grime on his hands before he threw the towel aside. This could go a lot of ways for the Serpents but not many of them were well. When he'd calmed down enough to start formulating a plan, or rather reframing a plan he'd already been working on to fit this, he turned back to Lane to find her waiting patiently.

"Go home," he told her, seeing her immediate refusal. "I know they're your boys but this goes a lot deeper than you know. I'll handle it, you go home and wait for me."

She wasn't happy with the plan or how useless she was in it, but she had very few options given she had no idea why they'd been arrested or even where they were. So she did as told and she went home. But come nightfall when Jughead stormed into his trailer after meeting with the Ghoulies and Tall Boy he stopped short at finding Lane sitting on the couch with Hot Dog at her feet. "How'd you get in here?" he asked her.

"I opened the door," she answered in a dry clipped tone. "What happened?"

She wasn't who he wanted, he wanted Toni because she'd know what to do or at least she'd make him feel like he knew what to do, or hell even Sweet Pea because he at least was a Serpent. But Lane, he didn't know her and what little he knew of her he didn't really like. "Look, I know you're close with Fangs and Sweet Pea but this doesn't really involve you," he said trying to turn her away as politely as he could considering how infuriated he was.

Losing the little patience she had Lane stood tearing a glove off and grabbed his hand: the Serpents were currently being held for possible drug paraphernalia that the Ghoulies were responsible for, and Tall Boy wanted to align the Serpents with the Ghoulies and that was apparently betrayal. "Son of a bitch," Lane muttered realizing this was Tall Boy's way of 'handling' it.
Jughead watched her with deeply furrowed brows as she shoved his hand away from her, wondering what the hell that was all about. She ran a hand through her hair considering that and their options and when she'd reached a decision she turned back to a curiously cautious Jughead. "You and Archie deal with Tall Boy and the Ghoulies and I'll get our guys out." He sputtered trying to figure out how she knew about any of that, but as she reached the door she turned back to him. "Excuse me, I'll get your guys out since I'm not really involved in this." Giving him a scathing look she walked outside throwing the door shut behind her.

She was on the couch when Tall Boy got back and he looked to her briefly before turning away. "So what's going on?" she asked, giving him a chance.

There would be no lying to her and there was so much of this she didn't understand, that she wouldn't understand because her point of view was shaped young Serpents who didn't know better. "Unless Jughead pulls through not much."

It wasn't exactly what she expected, and in fact she didn't know what she did expect, but it was close to the truth and that meant something. He sat beside her on the couch nursing a beer and his throbbing head, but he reached a hand to her knee squeezing it gently.

She figured it was better to go around dawn, when there was only one deputy working, when Tall Boy was still asleep and couldn't try to stop her. Grabbing the keys to his truck she snuck out of the window Hot Dog had used to sneak in several nights ago and the two stole away in the still dark morning heading to the Sheriff's office.

As she'd known there was only one officer at the front desk when she breezed in, and he looked up tiredly and found himself frozen in place when he met her dark eyes. "You've got something I want," Lane told him as she leaned against his desk. "And you're gonna give it me." He swallowed feeling his mouth grow dry as her gaze fell to his half full coffee mug, and a devilish grin curled on her mouth.

…

Sweet Pea and Fangs moved past the dazed young deputy that stood at the cell door. "You're free to go," he told the Serpents who walked around him too cautious to hope.

The group left holding and made their way to the front and they stopped at the sight of their strange girl leaning against the desk with Hot Dog sitting at her feet. She looked up at Sweet Pea and Fangs with a faint smile and told them softly, "hello boys."

A mirrored grin spread over their mouths at the sight of her and they turned to each other sharing a too warm look. An hour later they were left with the echo of what they'd done to each other as they caught their breath, Lane lay sprawled on top of Sweet Pea's chest with Fangs collapsed over her back and Sweet Pea lay under them holding them both. "Now that is a welcome home," Sweet Pea said out of breath.

"You weren't even gone a day," Lane mumbled too tired to add any bite.

With his mouth against her neck Fangs told her, "close enough."

They stayed that way, warm and content, but eventually Lane pushed Fangs off of her and climbed off of Sweet Pea heading for the shower. They weren't far behind and afterwards they sat at the table eating cereal as they talked amicably together, it was a good morning.

When the time came to leave Lane stood away from them wearing one of their shirts that fell too low on her chest. "I'll be at home," she told them.

"Too good for a street race?" Sweet Pea challenged.

She cocked a brow. "I come from curses and blood sacrifices," she told him, the things she'd use to control the Ghoulies, "so yes, I am too good for a street race."

A wry smile pulled at the corner of his mouth as he shook his head, because he had to give her that. But beside him Fangs piped in with, "someone should stay with her, you know just in case."

"See what you did," Sweet Pea said turning hard eyes on Lane, "you're rubbing off on him."

Lane looked up at him smirking. "One down, one to go," she told him, reaching a hand to pat his chest as Fangs threw an arm around her shoulders. As they walked away she looked over her shoulder at Sweet Pea to see him where they'd left him, and she didn't have to touch him to know he wanted to stay.

They'd spent most of yesterday and all of last night sitting against a cold wall in a cell, Fangs almost sighed relieved as he lay on the couch stretched over Lane's lap with his head on her chest and her hand in his hair. He fell asleep within minutes and he dreamed of kind things that felt like her, and Sweet Pea, it felt like home if home meant being cared for. And she pulled him closer, held him tighter, as though she could absorb him through her skin.

The door was thrown open startling the two teens and the dog lying at their feet, and they all turned to see Sweet Pea who was caught between rage and worry. And behind him came Jughead who wore a similar expression though his was laced with question.

"What happened?" Fangs asked climbing off of Lane.

Sweet Pea looked from Lane to Jughead, whose eyes were on Lane not knowing why Sweet Pea brought him here. "Tell her," he demanded harsher than he meant, but his hands wouldn't let go of the fists they were curled into. "Tell her what your boy did."

"He called the cops to get Malachai arrested," Jughead told them, looking more to Fangs who gave a short outraged exclamation.

But Lane was looking at Sweet Pea reading his volatile expression. "You're worried the Ghoulies will retaliate."

"And cause world war three," Jughead replied, realizing she knew more than he thought. "We're outnumbered and they're gonna be looking for payback, we need a way to call them off. At least temporarily." That still didn't answer why Sweet Pea brought him here, to her. She was weird, but weird wasn't gonna help them.

But still Lane's eyes were on Sweet Pea, seeming to have an entire conversation within that long look. She knew what he wanted and she knew she could get them what they needed. "If I do this there's no going back. Are you okay with that?" she asked, needing him to be absolutely sure before they opened this can of worms.

And Sweet Pea thought about it, had been thinking about it as he drove over here. She was their best option, their only option at the moment, and they could figure out the rest later when things were calmer. "Yeah," he told her without an ounce of doubt.

They both turned to Fangs, who was less sure because he knew this meant Lane would be their first thought to solve every problem. Saying yes meant throwing her in with the Serpents, and he knew she might be able to get back out. He touched her hand letting her feel this, and he nodded. "If you're sure."

She squeezed his hand in answer and dropped it turning to Jughead. And she told him in a very simple matter of fact tone, "I'm a witch. A full-bloodied, spell casting, potion brewing, witch," not giving Jughead a chance to move past the initial surprise she turned to Sweet Pea informing him very seriously, "and I need a Ghoulie to possess." And without explaining anything further she walked out the door.

I'm sure this is the last thing on anyone's mind after leaving it hanging like that, but I was thinking of having Lane calling Hot Dog something else (because I don't like Hot Dog), it's something only she would call him. And I was wondering what you guys thought. I could keep it hot dog themed, call him Mayer (for Oscar Mayer) or Sabrett (another brand) - or I could be very unoriginal and call him Cabra, since I made him a mix between hellhound and Chupacabra (loosely but that's another shoutout to Lane being Mexican). Or if anyone has any other ideas, I'm all ears and would be very grateful.