"So, how'd you know her?"

It had been four days, and Toni still hadn't been to work. Honestly, the last few days had toyed with her emotions more than ever, and she knew that her mind would be far too preoccupied for her to not mess up at the bar somehow.

She would go back tomorrow evening. She would.

Nate was over, because of course, his curiosity was at an all time high. He had been texting her all day, bugging her to hang out with him so that he could get the details on what the hell was going on with her, and the hot redhead from across the hall.

"She's… an old friend." Toni told him, which was of course, the understatement of the year. Cheryl Blossom was much more than an old friend. Much more than an ex. Much more than a lover. She was the undeniable, fate stricken, love of her life.

"An old friend who you used to fuck?"

"Don't be crass, Nate. We dated, back where I lived before here." Toni didn't talk about it much. She had never actually disclosed the name of the town to Nate, because it wasn't important. It didn't matter. It shouldn't matter to her, except it does. Toni ran, but it was probably the biggest mistake of her life. Riverdale now looks like the perfect escape… Although, it would be too hard to turn around and go back.

"So, what? She track you down or something?" Nate asked, frowning slightly in confusion as he supped on a bottle of beer from Toni's fridge.

Toni scoffed. "Doesn't seem like it. She nearly had a heart attack, and ripped my head off when she first saw me. It's fucking crazy, out of all the damn places she could wind up in, why here? Why now? It's been two years, I don't even know how to feel."

"Guessing you ended on bad terms?"

"The worst. I didn't tell her I was leaving, or anything. I just left. Worst decision of my life." Her voice turned slightly quieter, as she reached for the packet of cigarettes on the table. "You know how stressed I am? This is my tenth one today and I've been up for two hours… Fuck." She huffed, bringing the cigarette to her lips and lighting it up before taking a long drag.

"She'd kill me for smoking."

"Antoinette Topaz! What on earth are you doing? Get that thing out of your mouth now!" Cheryl yelled over as she approached Toni in the parking lot at The Whyte Wyrm. She buried her face in the crook of her elbow dramatically, so not to breathe in any of the fumes.

Sweet Pea and Toni were in deep conversation, but they both lost their train of thought as soon as Cheryl came rushing over to the pair of them. Sweet Pea had a deep frown on his face, and he watched Toni closely for her reaction.

They had only known each other for a few weeks, and Cheryl seemed to be on her frequenting visits. It had never even occurred to Toni that Cheryl didn't know she smoked.

"Hey, I didn't know you were-"

"Put that thing out!"

"No? I smoke, Cher."

"Oh, so you're fine with killing yourself slowly?"

Toni chuckled. "I guess so."

"Well, your chances of ever getting a kiss from me have gone down to zero." And with that, Cheryl turned on her heels to enter the bar, to wait for Toni to return.

Eyebrows shot up in surprise at the words that tumbled from Cheryl's lips. Toni hadn't even considered… Well, she had, but she had never considered the possibility of Cheryl wanting to kiss her. Now that, was new information that she was definitely glad she knew.

She didn't smoke again, after that.

Well, that was until after she left and the stress of starting a new life became too much for her. Once, Cheryl Blossom had caused her to stop smoking and now she was the reason Toni was smoking so much.

"So, what's she doing here? She looks like damn princess. She won't survive… Well, unless Romeo protects her from the big, bad, drug dealers that is. Have you seen her today?" Nate hummed, a teasing tone to his words.

"No idea. I didn't ask. She didn't ask me why I came here either… Well, she sorta did but then she dropped it. It's just weird. I don't know how to act around her, she's different." She sighed. "I guess we both are, and no. I haven't seen her today, I wanted to check in but I don't want to rush things."

Toni went back to work the following evening.

She saw Cheryl again for the first time in days the following evening.

Fate had worked it's magic once, but it seemed it would keep throwing the girls together.

"Vodka cranberry please, no ice."

"I'll have to see some ID please." Toni said, a teasing smile playing on her lips.

Cheryl ignored her, and leaned in across the bar. "I must say Toni, you haven't really given yourself an upgrade. You've gone from one crappy bar to another. What exactly made you move here? The Southside is better than this place."

Toni rolled her eyes, knowing that Cheryl had a point. It really was no better. It was actually a hell of a lot worse, and if Toni knew… Well, she probably still would have moved. Wanting to escape The Southside wasn't her only reason for leaving, but they would get to that.

The pink haired girl placed Cheryl's drink on top of the bar for her, and took a crumpled up five dollar bill from her pocket and placed it in the register. "It's on me. I get off at eleven, you can get me one back then." Toni said.

"You wish."

It gave them both a feeling of nostalgia, being back in a bar together. Cheryl spent so much of her time at The Wyrm, keeping Toni company. It reminded her of when things were simpler. If only she knew how much would change in a couple of short years.

"What are you doing in a place like this anyway, Bombshell? You only used to visit The Wyrm because I was there, if my memory serves. You always said you were far too good for these kind of places, and that a cocktail bar was more your style."

Cheryl rolled the straw for her drink in between her fingertips. Her eyes wandered for a moment, as she took everything in. It was still surreal to see Toni, and it still felt as though she was dreaming. She cleared her throat before she spoke. "We don't have many fancy cocktail bars in Riverdale. They're more of a city spot. It's a shame I couldn't afford to move there, actually. But Mumzi drained all of my accounts."

"I see The Evil Queen strikes again… Is that why you're here?" Toni asked.

"Well, why are you here? Hm?"

Toni ducked her head, shaking it from side to side. "We're not getting into this now."

"You owe me an explanation, Toni. You can't just leave me wondering for the rest of my life. I don't care if it's going to hurt me. You hurt me enough when you left, so believe me, I can take it."

"You got everything you needed in the letter I sent you." Toni snapped at her, trying to keep her voice down. She was at work after all, but still. Toni knew Cheryl was angry, but so was she. She attempted to make amends, but Cheryl ignored her.

"What letter?"

"Don't act dumb, Cher. It doesn't suit you." Toni couldn't contain the scoff that escaped her. What letter? Toni had never been so honest in her entire life. Sure, she left out a few minor details but she gave Cheryl the explanation that she needed. What she said was the truth, it just wasn't the entire reason. She also told her exactly how she felt about her, so that Cheryl didn't blame herself.

"Do I look like I have any idea what you're talking about, Topaz? I told you. I didn't get your letter."

"I'm not doing this right now, Cheryl. I'm working, we'll talk about it later." Toni had two years to think about everything that she wanted to say to Cheryl, should she have ever seen her again, and now her words were lost. Honestly, they could have had the conversation right then and there but she didn't know what to say. Of course, she still felt all of the same things and she had spent so long on that letter that she could probably recite it, but… She just didn't know what to say. Or how to say it.

"You don't get to call the shots anymore. You're going to come to my apartment as soon as you get off, and you're going to give me an explanation. Believe me, Toni, it better be good."

Well, Toni was in for a fun night.

Cheryl sat on the beat up sofa in her apartment, wishing that she was anywhere else. Even Thistlehouse, where her abusive Mother resided, would have been better. She had put up with her torture for years, she could handle it for a little longer.

She was regretting leaving.

Partly, because she wouldn't have had to run into Toni Topaz. She wouldn't have had to face her feelings head on once again. Feelings that she had tried so hard to push down to the bottom of her core since Toni left her.

See, Cheryl Blossom didn't handle feelings very well at all. It's part of the reason why she appeared so cold to everyone on the outside. She liked it that way. It kept people away from her, people who could possibly hurt her. She had taken a chance on Toni, and let her in. Not that she had much choice in the matter, because she was definitely thinking with her heart when she met Toni. And just as Cheryl should have expected, Toni left. Toni hurt her.

"You really oughta lock this door, Bombshell." Toni announced as she went crashing through the door to Cheryl's apartment.

"Most people aren't rude enough to just come barging in."

"Oh believe me, around here they are."

She tapped her nails impatiently on the side of the couch, and glared at Toni from across the room.

Yep, she thought, this is going to be awesome.

"...Okay." Toni said, smiling awkwardly as she shrugged her backpack off her shoulders and dropped it onto Cheryl's kitchen floor. She made the short walk over to the living room, and sat down, a fair distance away from her, on the couch.

She didn't know how to start.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a while.

"You know what's funny?" Cheryl asked.

"What?"

"When I ran into you again, I thought you might be different. I thought two years might change you, but no. It seems you're actually the same. Keeping me out of the loop, not being honest with me. You're exactly the same, Toni." Cheryl said, her eyes fixed on the wall, not even glancing in Toni's direction.

"Don't you dare. You have no idea… You-You have no idea how different I am." Toni turned to face Cheryl on the couch, and her expression was from happy. "Being away from Riverdale, from you… It changed me. I've been stuck in this hell hole, alone, for the past two years."

Cheryl finally looked at her, eyes wide and arms crossed. "And that's on you! That's your choice! You were the one who left. You were the one who left everything behind, including me, without a word. I have no sympathy, Antoinette. You brought everything on yourself."

Toni could feel her hands shaking, and she clenched her fists and attempted to keep herself calm.

"Only because your nightmare of a Mother forced me to!" Toni exclaimed.

And there it was. There was the real reason why Toni Topaz left Riverdale, and with it, the love of her life. It was all Penelope Blossom's fault.

Cheryl shouldn't have been surprised, but she was.

It was definitely a Penelope move.

Like her Mother hadn't done enough to ruin Cheryl's life, she had taken the only person who made Cheryl think that everything might be worth it. The only person who gave Cheryl the strength to keep pushing through it, after Jason.

Cheryl sat with her mouth open in shock for a few minutes, and her face turned sour once more as she processed exactly what Toni was telling her.

"Did she… Did she pay you?" Cheryl know if she could handle the answer.

"What? Is that seriously what you think of me? That I'd take some handout, and just leave you that easily? Do you know me at all, Cheryl?" Toni was more than offended that Cheryl would even think for a second that Toni would choose money over her.

Toni continued. "She said she was going to hurt you, and god knows, she's done enough of that already. She said if I didn't leave, then she'd… She'd send you away, to fucking conversion therapy, Cheryl. I couldn't let her do that to you. I knew me leaving would hurt you, but that crap would have left you scarred."

Cheryl, for once in her life, was at a loss for words. She just… Gazed at Toni, as if she were the most amazing thing in the entire world. Toni had really sacrificed everything to make sure Cheryl was okay. To make sure that she was safe. Toni hadn't hurt her, well, she hadn't meant to at least. She wasn't the monster that Cheryl had painted her as for the past two years.

The only monster was her Mother.

Toni stood to her feet. She huffed and shook her head at Cheryl, still extremely bothered by the fact that Cheryl thought she was bought. "Well, now you know." She said, helplessly as she turned around to leave.

"No." Cheryl said, standing up to follow her. Fingertips reached out to gently grab the shorter girl's biceps. "You don't get to walk away from me again."

Toni felt like her skin was on fire, it was the first time Cheryl had touched in her two years… It was the first time anyone had touched her in two years. She glanced up, and realised just how close Cheryl was to her.

Mere inches apart.

She hadn't seen her so clearly for two years and she was a lot to take it. Breathtaking, really. Toni felt her mouth go dry. She felt her heart racing like it only did when she was around Cheryl Blossom.

Cheryl swallowed thickly, and god, it was like everything was happening at once. Toni went from not being there, to being there, and it was like an overload.

It was no surprise that, out of instinct, Toni's hands moved to cup Cheryl's cheeks as she had done so many time before. Screw everything that held them back. Screw the past two years. Screw Penelope Blossom.

All that mattered in that moment was Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz. Two lovers who through no fault of their own had been broken apart, but only to come back together in the strangest of places.

Toni never believed in fate, but she was starting to.

So, as the pair finally drew into a close embrace, they both felt at home for the first time in two years.

Lips collided with force and passion, as if nothing had changed between them. In the kiss was everything. It was everything they needed to say, without words. It was everything they felt. Toni's lips brushed against Cheryl's, and Cheryl didn't even have to think about reciprocating. She kissed her back hungrily, the feeling of Toni's lips better than she ever remembered.

Kiss after kiss, and they were lost in each other. Hands exploring territory that both have them had only dreamed of for for the past two years.

Hours felt like minutes, and when their lips finally parted, they were on the couch. Breathless and so in love.

"I uh… Didn't expect tonight to turn out like this." Toni said, chuckling breathlessly.

"Oh, TT. You always know just what to say."