Make You Feel Your Love

I can't live without her. I just... can't.

I snuggle up into her and every part of me tingles at the feeling.

We might be broken up in public, but in my heart and in here, the two of us couldn't be closer. Well, we could, but we agreed to hold off on anything like that until we actually get out from under the insane stalker. But once we are, things are going to change with us.

We're going to have to officially come out. We might have been playing for whoever our stalker is, first pretending to be together and then pretending to break up, but we aren't pretending anymore. Not with each other anyway. The only question now is how long it is until the rest of the world knows. We'll have to tell Archie and Jughead first. They deserve to know the truth before anyone else.

Her fingers caress my arm, tracing themselves over my skin and it makes me tingles even more where she's touching me.

Then our parents and friends, and eventually everyone else. But we can't do any of that until our stalker finally comes after us. And the waiting is probably the worst part.

All I know is that there's no going back for us. We can't live without each other.

"What are you thinking about?"

I turn my head up to look at her as she speaks so I can look at her without losing my position in her arms.

"Us..."

She smiles at my simple answer to her question.

"Really?"

I nod at her with a bit of that pout I know she likes.

"Yup."

"What about us?"

Snuggling back into her, I reach out and snake my fingers in between hers before gripping it firmly as I feel her squeeze back.

"I was just thinking about how nice it's going to be when this is all over and we can stop pretending to hate each other."

"I thought you liked the way we pretend to be enemies."

That makes me smile even though she can't see it.

"Oh I do. Trust me it's very hot the way we fight when we're in public. But honestly? I don't like yelling at you, or glaring at you or sitting far away from you. I much prefer what we're doing now."

I bring her hand up and kiss her knuckles then take a deep breath.

"I am just ready for this all to end."

"It will V, I promise. Whoever this stalker is, they can't be happy with us. There's no way they've been enjoying the way we've been fighting the past few weeks. It's just going to be a little longer."

That has me sitting up so I can look right at her. It makes her nervous that I'm making a dramatic move, which I am.

"I hope so B. I don't know how much longer I can wait. You make me want to scream at the top of my lungs how much I..."

"I KNEW IT!"

Betty and I look at the entrance of the bunker to see Cheryl standing there.

"I knew it was all an act."

I look at Betty and she looks just as confused as I am about our sudden interruption.

"You had to be faking it. There's no way the two of you could resist each other."

Okay...

"What are you doing here Cheryl?"

"And more importantly, what are you talking about?"

"I mean, you put on a good show, I'll give you that, but there's no way that whole drama school break up was for real."

Again Betty and I look at each other for a second.

"Cheryl..."

"It was all a show... for me."

What?

I get up from the bed and Betty is quick to follow, both of us facing Cheryl.

"What are you talking about Cheryl?"

She looks at us, a mixture of anger and confusion on her face.

"Oh come on. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Is she kidding us?

"It was you? You're the psycho stalker?"

"Not so psycho if what I just walked in on was real. Obviously I was right."

"Why Cheryl? Why would you do this?"

She gets even more confused by Betty's question.

"You don't know? God cousin, I thought you were supposed to be the smart branch of the family tree."

Neither of us say anything, waiting for her to continue.

"You two were meant to be. How can you not see this?"

Again we wait for more.

"I've seen it ever since your lack luster performance auditioning for the cheerleaders. The way you tried to be cool with your pretend faux lesbian kiss. It was obvious that was more than just a queer bait thing. You were totally into each other."

Betty and I look at each other and I decide to take the risk.

"It was just a kiss Cheryl. You said you wanted fire so I gave it to you."

She backs me up although less enthusiastically.

"Yeah, the fire of something that would get your attention."

"Right, just like your totally real break up that's in no way undermined by me finding you here in each other's arms."

Is she actually trying to justify herself to us?

"So that makes it okay to have us drink blood and send us a heart in a box? What the hell Cheryl?"

For some reason the insanity she's done makes her smile at us and in a really creepy way.

"I had to make you feel it."

The happy tone of Cheryl saying that makes me look at Betty and she's as weirded out as I am.

"Feel what Cheryl?"

"Your love. You two were clearly meant for each other but you obviously couldn't see it. So I had to find a way to make you see it."

"And us drinking blood was your way of making us see it?"

"Heart blood. The most beautiful of all types of blood."

"Blood isn't beautiful Cheryl, it's... it's creepy and weird and..."

Betty stops short of pointing out the obvious.

Oh my god, she really is crazy. If Betty won't, I will.

"Crazy. It's crazy. You're crazy Cheryl."

"It's only crazy if it didn't work. And it did... didn't it?"

What the hell?

"The fact that you think that makes sense means you're crazier than we thought."

Betty decides to do what she does best.

"You need help Cheryl."

At least we agree on that.

"Betty's right. You need to turn yourself in and get some real help."

The suggestion makes Cheryl upset.

"You mean like my mother tried to at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy?"

"No, Cheryl we..."

"We wouldn't do that to you."

"Or maybe I should go join the farm like your mom?"

God she really has been screwed up by life hasn't she?

"Cheryl, we promise, we'll find you something real. Someone who will actually help you."

She gets this confused look on her face.

"Don't you get it?"

Betty and I look at each other confused.

"That was you. You were the help I needed."

Neither of us says anything, waiting for Cheryl to add to it.

"Knowing you were destined to be together, that helped me. It kept me sane during all the insane things with JJ, my mother and every other crazy thing that happens in this town. I had hope because of you."

I can't help but look at Betty who keeps her focus on Cheryl.

Okay Betty, do that empathy thing you do.

"Cheryl, we're so sorry for what you've gone through. Obviously we didn't know how hard it was. But don't you see that what you did tainted the thing you care so much about?"

Suddenly Cheryl gets this desperate look on her face.

"What?"

"You forced us to confront feelings we weren't ready for. Made us feel things we didn't want to. V and I can never know for sure whether we're together because we wanted to or because you forced it on us."

Cheryl's desperation to turns to despair.

"No.. I... I didn't want that."

Wait, does Betty actually feel that way? What is she saying?

Betty moves closer to Cheryl as the redhead starts to cry from Betty's words.

"We know you didn't Cheryl. You wanted us to be happy. You wanted someone to be happy because you didn't think you could be."

Cheryl's knees buckle as she starts to speak through sobs.

"I'm... oh god... I'm... I'm so sorry... I..."

Betty kneels down to meet Cheryl on the floor, reaching out and holding her as she cries. That makes me move closer to them both, kneeling with them.

"We know Cheryl, we know."

I put my arms around both of them as Cheryl cries.