8dr Whovian: Thank you! :) No worries I appreciate your feedback either way.

BellamioneForever2022: :)

BloodforInk: Aw that makes me happy!:) Nell would be very thankful for the hug! ^_^ Hehe I'm glad you liked it.

When Elena heard the apartment door open, she popped her head up over the kitchen counter to greet a red-faced Nell. She looked as though she was on the verge of collapse, which meant only one thing. "Did the elevator crap out again?" She herself avoided taking it when she could, as the death trap rattled like a shaky hand whenever more than one person was inside. However the only alternative option to get to your apartment involved quite a number of stairs to climb, which certainly helped to keep you in shape.

Nell confirmed the news with a grim nod, dumping her stuff on the floor as she hovered in the open doorway like a depressive ghost. She held out the boxed pie she'd been holding for Elena to come and retrieve. "Pie. Come. Get. Me. Die now."

Elena snickered, jumping to her feet to go help her. As she grabbed the pie and locked the door, Nell dragged herself over to the couch and launched herself on to it. "Ow!" She pouted, rubbing at her shoulder where her bag strap had been digging into her skin. "Hey what were you doing?" She called to Elena, as she went to store the pie safely away.

"Watching the lasagna." She explained, popping on over to check on the meal that was still cooking for the two of them. "I spent forever getting it ready, so it's not burning on my watch." When she'd finally gotten the hang of cooking after making a point of teaching herself how to, Elena felt as though she'd conquered her first step towards real, earned, no doubt about it self confidence. If she could do this, there were no other steps she couldn't handle in the journey to looking after herself.

Nell poked her head up over the couch, offering her a pride-filled nod. "We'll make a chef out of you yet Lodge."

"So..." Elena began, one eye still trained carefully on the oven, "My mom says she's gonna try and get a job a Pop's!" She grinned, her hands flying with excitement. "We'll get to see each other a lot and I can help ease her in and..." Elena shook her head to herself, her grin remaining firmly in place. "Well I think it'd be cool to have her there."

Nell grinned at the barely contained giddiness on her face, arching a knowing brow at her. "You're already planning to beg Pop to put you on shifts with her aren't you?"

Elena's mouth broke into a shameless grin. "Bonding will be had! I'm setting my mind to it!" She exclaimed, her determination clear as she strode on over to where Nell was laid. She poked the blonde in the stomach, eliciting an outraged cry of pain.

"Ow! That's it! No more morning coffee for you!" Nell joked, poking the teenager back as the pair laughed at each other. "You know, it's nice to see you so-" Nell waved a hand in the air as she searched for the right term. "-sparkly."

Elena continued to grin, amused by her word choice. "I'm sparkly?"

Nell nodded seriously. "You should consider changing your name to Tinkerbell. So..." She placed both of her hands on the top of the couch, readying herself. "I've got some good news! Patrick's finally decided to come back."

Elena's eyes widened in surprise, beaming with delight as she realised the implications of what that meant. "That's awesome! That's-" Elena made a face of sympathy as she realised something else. "He knows he'll more than likely get the mother of all cold shoulders, right?"

Nell made a similar face along with her. "Patrick's aware there's more than a few bridges that need fixing before they can hug it out," she confirmed, her leg bouncing for a few seconds as she speculated as to what Cheryl's reaction would be. Icy indifference? Pure, unadulterated fury that would threaten to burn him to a crisp where he stood? In all the times Cheryl had came by or stayed over at their place, the Patrick thing had never been brought up on account of Nell valuing her life. Hence her uncertainty.

"Also-" Nell offered what she hoped was an reassuring smile. "He asked to stay here while he's in town, so I wanted to get your thoughts on it. Would you be okay with that? If you're not comfortable having him here or just straight up don't want him to, please tell me, okay? Don't feel you have to say yes just because he's my friend, or because he's Cheryl's brother. I'll send him to a hotel without a second thought. This is our place." She made a point of emphasising, causing a lump to form in Elena's throat.

Though her face betrayed nothing of the momentary panic that flushed though Elena, her heart certainly felt the full effects, stilling for a few seconds. Not for the first time since she'd moved in with Nell and probably not for the last, Elena had the disconcerting sensation that Nell suspected what she had been hiding to herself. The day she couldn't think about anymore. The one she'd banished to the deepest recesses of her mind, that only Cheryl, Toni and her therapist knew about. But her panic fell away as Elena recalled one simple fact about her roommate: When it came to mental-health related topics she wasn't ready to talk about, Nell never pushed. So even if she did have an inkling, Elena knew literal decades could go by and she wouldn't say a word. Nell wanted her to feel safe and happy in their home either way.

"He- He's a good guy, right?" Elena took in some deep breaths, attempting to organize her thoughts. "You trust him?"

"With my life." Nell replied. "Yours too. He's an immature man-child most of the time who's sole goal in life is to give me an aneurysm, but he's also the kindest person I've ever known. He talks a good game, but the guy has a gentler soul than most Disney characters. Which is kind of a miracle really, considering the people who raised him. I can say with total confidence that he's one of the good ones."

A smile tugged at the corner of Elena's mouth. "Funny."

"What is?"

"He kind of sounds like you."

Nell softened at that, offering out her arms to give Elena a hug. The teen happily took her up on the offer, leaning over to embrace her friend whilst Nell contorted her body awkwardly in order to properly hug her rather than getting up. "Would he get my room?" Elena asked, her chin settling on Nell's shoulder.

Nell let out a loud scoff. "Oh honey, hell no! That asshole's getting the couch and he'll be happy about it."

Elena giggled, comforted by Nell's words. If Nell trusted this guy as much as she said she did, then Elena knew that she could put her own in this guy. Nell didn't compromise when it came to making sure she felt at ease, and the fact that she'd came to her about this said as such. She values my feelings. Elena thought, her heart growing three sizes larger as she thought about the consideration Nell had given her. She really does want me to feel safe. "Okay, he can stay."

"Really?" Elena couldn't help but grin at the clear excitement in her voice, a megawatt smile forming as they pulled apart. Nell really had one of the sweetest smiles she'd ever seen. "Ah! Oh you'll really like him I promise! You may get the urge to strangle him from time to time, but he's really great."

"Then I look forward to making his acquaintance." Elena bowed her head. "Hey Nell?"

"Yeah?"

"Did one of your legs seize up?" She snickered, pointing out that Nell was still leaning awkwardly over the couch.

"Yup." She squirmed painfully, gesturing for her to walk around the couch to help her out. "Mind easing me down? My body has officially given up on me." Elena did as such, snickering in amusement as she helped her friend back down on to the couch.

As Elena sat at the breakfast table Monday morning eating her cereal, she took a moment to marvel at how organised Nell could be. Scarily so.

She'd spent most of the previous night clearing out the trunk of her car (the guy apparently travelled with more luggage than most women), planning everything time-wise down to the second, as well as preparing the couch as a bed for her friend, all while muttering under her breath in military time about the hours she had left to set off for the airport and make it in time to pick up Patrick. He would have time to arrive, grab a small dinner, memorize the layout of the airport and write an album with the timeframe Nell was giving herself, though Elena didn't dare mention that to her stressed roommate.

"This looks good, right?" Nell stressed, pointing with her thumb towards the bed she'd made up for Patrick. "Safe, comfortable and all that?"

Having just placed a mouthful of cereal in her mouth, Elena merely offered her a thumbs up and a cheesy grin whilst her cheeks were puffed out.

"Ever the succinct speaker." Nell snorted, finally finished as she came over to join Elena at the table. "You may think I'm overreacting-" she rambled, taking the box of cereal Elena handed to her and beginning to fill up the bowl she'd laid out for her. "-but if I give Pat any source of humour from myself he'll make a joke out of it for years to come!" She grumbled, rolling her eyes good naturedly. "The bastard still makes fun of me for pronouncing the names from Star Trek wrong."

"He's a Trekkie?" Elena smirked.

Nell's eyes lit up in realisation. "Oh! Oh I can use that!" She grinned, so cheerful in her deviousness that it made Elena giggle. "So!" She declared, gently placing both of her hands on the table. "You have-" She waved her hand, gesturing for Elena to begin listing things off.

"Dr Summers before school." Elena supplied, "School, then work, then dinner at the Pembrooke, before finally finishing off my day by watching you turn into the world's biggest ball of stress as Cheryl's brother takes over the couch."

"I love that couch." She sighed mournfully, her expression one of comical sadness. "It's gonna reek of Calvin Klein."

"You all set for the airport drive?" Elena queried. The closest airport was a two hour drive away, which spoke volumes about how small Riverdale truly was.

Nell made a noise of confirmation, patting her bag which she'd placed on the empty lawn chair next to her. "Phone, cash, plus a flask in case Patrick gets too annoying. That last one was a lie. Oh no!" Nell's squirmed, her eyes closing painfully. "Why do I joke about stuff like that? I'm supposed to be all role model-ee!" She stressed, making Elena bite back a laugh at how much of a stressed toddler she looked like as her face contorted with worry. "It's not funny!"

"Somehow I don't think I'll turn to drinking with one joke." Elena retorted, giving Nell a light kick under the table. "Chill! It's gonna be okay."

Nell turned red, smiling sheepishly as she turned her attention elsewhere. "So have you heard from Cheryl?"

Elena nodded enthusiastically. "I got a string of texts while I was getting dressed, she's officially been allowed to re-join society."

Nell gave a short clap, reaching forward momentarily to poke Elena in the shoulder. "See? It all works out. So Dr Banner... Are you feeling a little calmer today?"

Elena rolled her eyes and gave her the finger as Nell fought back a smile, before sliding her now empty bowl to the side. She came to rest her head against her hand, her mind whirring as a million different thoughts floated through her mind at once. She drew a finger through their deep depths, pulling one in particular forth. "I'm gonna talk to Dr Summers about that today. It..." Elena blew out a breath. "The other night, before they found Jason, before well, everything- I had one foot on the pedal speeding towards a brick wall and I didn't even realise it. I'm angry Nell. I carry it with me wherever I go. I'm so angry and it comes out in all the worst and toxic ways, and I think if I don't get a handle on this I'll lose everything and everyone I love and end up like-"

Elena's eyes went as wide as saucers.

"What?" Nell stared in concern.

"Oh. Dear. God." Elena stressed, jumping to her feet and rushing to grab her things together. "I have to get to her office now. This is- Oh God!" Her face wrinkled with disgust. "I think I just realised who I subconsciously got all of my worst coping mechanisms from." She gave Nell a quick wave once she was ready, practically tripping over herself to leave the apartment. "I'll fill you in on the gory details later!" She called.

As Dr Summers came down the hall to where her office was located that morning, she almost sent her coffee flying to the floor as she caught sight of Elena who'd just poked her head around the plant that had been obscuring her in the waiting area.

"Elena!" The therapist exclaimed in surprise, clutching the armful of files she had in her free hand to her chest. "Well hey there! Aren't you prompt?"

Elena smiled sheepishly, apologetic as she rose to the feet. "I'm sorry, I know I'm a little-" She glanced at the watch on her wrist. "-okay a lot early, but if it's not too much trouble-" She trailed off, wringing her hands frantically. You shouldn't have come this early. I bet she's annoyed. She fretted, unease beginning to form within her. What had she been thinking, rushing over here when she had no idea what her early morning plans were?

Elena steeled herself, throwing up a mental brick wall as she did her best to remain firm. Even if Dr Summers is a little annoyed, who cares? Little things have irritated me before and then I've moved on seconds later, with zero grudges for the person in question. This is her job. She thought, recalling Nell's words from the first time she'd accompanied her to see the therapist. She's here to help you.

"Would you mind seeing me early?"

"Of course not." Dr Summers smiled, cheerful even with sleep still lingering in her eyes as she turned to unlock the door. She led Elena inside, nodding towards the dark green couch placed across from her therapist chair and work desk behind it. "Go on and take a seat sweetie." She urged, closing the door behind them.

After a thorough research process helped along by Nell, Dr Madeline Summers had been the therapist Elena had decided on over a year previously. She was in her fifties and had dark brown hair she kept mostly in nicely styled waves, though some grey was beginning to poke through. She had a soft, kind face that set Elena at ease even in her most anxious of states. It was like someone had moulded her from velvet, she was all soft angles and reassuring smiles, and even dressed in demure clothes.

Dr Summers brushed away some lint from her knee length wool skirt, pen and paper in hand as she strolled over to join Elena. "So-" She began, getting herself comfortable. "What is it you needed to speak with me about so urgently?"

"Where do I start?" She let out a small laugh, glancing down at her clasped hands. When she'd first started seeing Dr Summers, opening up even just marginally had been one of the hardest things she'd ever done. Every instinct that had been ingrained in her since birth had protested. Never trust outsiders mija! Stop letting your emotions get the better of you! Lodges don't crumble at the first sign of failure. The persistent fear of judgement, the ever nagging certainty that Dr Summers would dismiss everything she'd gone through as her being ungrateful or overdramatic, or worse, that she wouldn't even believe her at all had plagued Elena incessantly in those first few sessions.

But with her mixture of gentle explanations and casual manner with her, Elena had felt the rock hard wall she'd built around her begin to chip away. She'd made a point of building trust with her, to prove she wasn't there to twist or use her trauma against her, which had made a world of difference to Elena. Since Donna, Nick St Clair, Elio, her father and everything in between... Getting to open up to someone who had the tools to help her get better was everything.

If she had ever dared suggest to her father about maybe getting help for his mile long list of issues, Elena knew he would have laughed in her face and turned her own insecurities on her. That was how she knew she was doing the right thing in that moment, as much as a part of her wanted to crawl into a deep, dark hole from the shame and embarrassment at what she'd realised.

And so she spoke. Detailing every bit of her angry outburst, leaving not even an ounce out. As she spoke, Dr Summers's face throughout was intensely focused on her, her gaze unwavering as she took in every word that left her mouth. The only time she looked away was to briefly scribble something in her notebook, though her eyes would flicker upwards as she did so, as though to assure her she was still listening. When Elena was done, the therapist took her pen between her fingers and arched a brow at her. "So your conclusion from this is...?"

"I think I know why I react like that sometimes." Elena sucked in a deep breath, counting under her breath. "I think I sort of modelled a lot of my coping mechanisms from my father. Not purposely, but..." Elena cringed, picking at her nails as she went on. "God I hate this. I pride myself on being nothing like him. Hell I told him just that the last time we ever spoke." She let out an incredulous laugh. "I pulled out all the poisonous plants, but the roots are still there under the surface."

"Children do model a lot of their behaviour from what they've seen and heard from their parents." Dr Summers agreed, calm and thankfully non-judgemental. "Good and bad, consciously and subconsciously."

"He'd do that a lot." Elena found herself explaining, years worth of memories pouring back into her brain like an unlocked time capsule. "When someone upset him, like truly, deeply so, he wouldn't cry or get emotional in any kind of way. He'd get angry. I'd see him wrack through his brain for the worst possible thing he could say or do to bring the other person down to his level, to hurt like he was hurting. Even if he didn't really mean it. Even if it was so over the line-" A lump formed in Elena's throat, cutting her off. "It's fucking insane behaviour and I've soaked it all in. Years ago he had this huge falling out with his sister. In retaliation for whatever happened between them, he sold off this fancy boat my grandfather bought when he became CEO of Lodge Industries. My Dad loved that boat. He never shut up about it. The whole family would go out on it during summers and vacations abroad, and my Dad and Tía Sofia with my grandparents before that. But he knew Sofia loved it too, so he sold the fucking thing to some German socialite just to get back at her." They'd both dared to step outside the lines of what Hiram Lodge deemed acceptable, and he'd thrown them both to the curb like trash. The realisation struck a chord within Elena.

"I didn't mean it." Elena met Dr Summers's eyes, pleading with her to understand. "I think- No. I know I was doing the exact same thing. Cheryl loves Jason, so I went for the jugular. I got angry with her, so I hit her where I knew it would hurt the most. I'm not glad he's gone. Not before and not after-" Tears formed in her eyes as she recalled Cheryl at her door, broken and defeated, like her entire world had been pulled out from under her. "I got lucky this time Dr Summers. People write Cheryl off as this bitchy rich girl, but she's all warmth and love when she lets you have a peek behind the curtain." Elena smiled fondly through her tears. "She forgave me. But if I don't work on this, I know I'll lose her, along with everyone else. I- I don't wanna be like him Dr Summers. I can't. I won't. Cheryl, Nell, my friends... They're everything to me. Please, can you help me get a hold of my anger?"

Dr Summers leaned forward in her chair, light green eyes hidden by her glasses completely unflinching. "Do you recognise that this is a toxic trait and needs to be addressed?"

Elena nodded.

"Are you prepared to listen, be patient, not just with the methods but with yourself and work on being that version of yourself you're always talking about?"

She nodded once more.

A pleased smile split across Dr Summers's face. "Then we can do something about it. There's no quick and easy fix for anger issues Elena, but if you're prepared to take the time anything is possible." Hope bloomed in Elena's chest at her promising words, and for the first time in days she felt like she could breathe a little easier. She was going to unlearn everything her parents had planted within her, no matter what it took. "Well no time like the present. How about we make a start now?"

Nell tapped her foot against the floor as she waited for Patrick to emerge from customs, her eyes glued all the while to her phone for any updates. Elena had texted on her way to school, telling her all about her realisation at where her anger issues stemmed from -or more specifically who. Her shrink had worked out a whole plan for them to work through and had sent her away with some worksheets detailing good coping strategies to implement in the heat of the moment. All in all her roommate seemed enthusiastic about the new development, which let Nell breathe a little easier.

As though sensing her train of thought, Nell looked up just in time to another person she always worried over making his way past security. She tucked her phone into her jacket pocket, rising to her feet as she determined that yes, it was in fact Patrick, who had just spotted her as well.

The pair froze in place for a moment as they registered the others presence, before all hell broke loose.

"ELEANOR!"

"OMG DID YOU DYE YOUR HAIR?"

As they met Patrick abandoned his suitcase as Nell leapt into his welcoming arms, the two best friends laughing boisterously as they embraced. Patrick swung her around like a ragdoll, making Nell cry out in alarm. "AHHHHH!" She screeched, earning the attention of people passing by.

Patrick merely snickered as he let go of her, earning himself a sharp poke to the ribs. She could see that Patrick had indeed dyed his hair. Since ridding himself of his natural red hair, he'd alternated between various shades of brown and a few colours of the rainbow depending on how much he'd drunk on a rowdy weekend over the years. This time around though his hair was a nice light brown, complimenting the pricey looking borg collar jacket he was wearing. Other than that he was dressed pretty casually by his usual standards, clad in jeans and leather boots, one of which he knelt down to lace back up as he spoke.

"So now that I've graced this shit-hole with my presence-"

Nell rolled her eyes at his harsh tone. "It's not that bad."

All smiles, Patrick hopped to his feet, gesturing with one hand dramatically towards the great distance. "Behold! The great abyss!"

"Elitist scum." Nell snickered as Patrick threw an arm around her, his suitcase trailing noisily behind them as they began to walk.

They made some small talk for a while as they made it outside the airport, but as they neared her car Nell finally voiced what had been playing on her mind. "So... You and the Mrs had a fight."

"Among other things." Patrick shrugged, his eyes conveniently not meeting hers as she opened up the trunk for him to dump his suitcase in. Nell couldn't help but notice how his body language morphed from boyish giddiness to stiff and cold within seconds. "I love the Barbiemobile by the way, if you ever went missing they'd have no trouble finding your car."

"Patrick." Nell slammed the trunk shut. She arched a knowing brow, silently urging him to talk. "Come on. What is it? One minute you two are fine, the next minute you freeze the second I bring her up. If you can't tell me who can you tell?"

"Look I-" Patrick folded his arms, blowing out a heavy breath as he sorted out his thoughts. "This was just the straw that broke the camel's back, but it's a pretty god damn big straw. I was gonna tell you on the ride back but..." He dug into his jacket and pulled out his phone, glancing all around before nodding towards her car. "Inside the Barbiemobile."

"It's not a fucking-" Nell grumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes as she followed him into the car.

Once the two of them were settled Patrick pulled up a series of messages between him and his wife, most of which were pretty angry in tone on her end and defensive on his. He widened each of the images for her to read as he silently flipped through them all, his face hard and unflinching as Nell tried to make sense of what he'd just shown her. "That doesn't make any sense!" She frowned, as Patrick stuffed his phone back in his pocket. "Why does she think you narked on her father to the cops?"

Patrick squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, meeting Nell unflinching stare with what he seemed to think was a charming grin. "Weeeell..."

"Oh God."

He began to tap a forefinger against the dashboard, erratic and loud as he began to explain himself. "You remember how I got my first job after leaving home?"

Nell nodded, jabbing Patrick in the chest and gesturing for him to put on his seatbelt along with her. "You passed on a bunch of secret Blossom Maple Farms info on to some rival of the company." She recalled, beginning to pull out of her parking space. "Some suit who hated your dad."

Halfway out of the parking spot Nell slammed on the breaks, turning to her friend wide-eyed in realisation.

"Jesus Nell!"

"That's her Dad!?"

"Yeah! And if he doesn't kill me first I think you will!"

Nell shook her head in disbelief. "You said you met her through work- Oh god. Are you in trouble?"

Patrick shook his head, adamant in his belief. "I've been distant with Hermosa lately. With work and Jason-" He tapered off, eyes trailing to the floor. "We've been arguing. A lot. And with her Dad being a full-fledged psycho... I'm kind of over being in a three person relationship, you know? Guy was like a Dad to me and he turned on me the second we started going out. They're convinced I "turned on them" all because the FBI caught him with his pants down and he doesn't want to own up to it." He air-quoted, rolling his eyes. Though Nell didn't miss the barely concealed hurt in his voice. "I'm good. Don't worry. Hermosa put some spyware in my shit though to see if it was me -hence the blowout- but they've got nothing so I think I'm in the clear."

Hermosa Reyes was the love of his life. She was a private eye who lived out in Miami, who'd met Patrick not long after he'd fled the gilded cage that was Thornhill to live out there for a while. They were the very definition of opposites attract, with Hermosa being so poised and self-serious and Patrick being... Well Patrick. And yet they somehow worked. They'd married three years ago in London where they now lived primarily and had seemed to be doing well for themselves. Nell liked Hermosa, but she'd always felt as though the two of them had a bit too much contempt for talking about their emotions sometimes. Neither of them did feelings or mushy stuff, which Nell had thought at times could possibly lead to their demise one day. Not to mention the semi-truck worth of trust issues between the two of them.

"Patrick..." Nell stared, causing him to meet her eyes once more. "Why didn't you tell me? That's- That's-"

Patrick merely shrugged, handwaving her away. "Insane yeah. I'll be unpacking it all in therapy for years to come." He forced himself to meet her eyes, fidgeting as he struggled to speak. "Look between me and Charlie-Boy we've been trauma dumping on you for years. You've got your own shit going on, plus watching out for your kid roommate. I can deal with my marriage imploding and my sister hating my guts on my own."

"Well you're not gonna deal with it on your own." Nell poked him in the arm, before she all but forced Patrick into a reluctant hug. "I'm your best friend. Sharing crap is what we do. You listened to me whenever I needed to talk about the Sisters or my idiot brother, so I'm here, okay? We're gonna go home, I'm gonna use you and Elena as taste testers for my latest batch of cookies, you're gonna find a way to talk to Cheryl and you're not gonna bottle up, ok? Please just-"

Patrick sighed, letting out what seemed to be months worth of tension at once. He gave her a soft squeeze. "Look I won't bottle. I- I'm not going down that route again I swear."

"Swear on all your vintage cars."

"Even the Bentley?" Patrick quipped.

The two pulled apart so Nell could give him a gentle shove to the shoulder. "I mean it. You-" She clenched her fists to keep herself a little more stable, swallowing the lump in her throat. "You're more like my brother then my actual brother Pat. So please just..." She frantically waved her hand.

Patrick softened at the display of emotion, holding out his hand for to grasp. "Okay, I swear. I won't bottle about Jason or Mo or any of the other shit. I'll get in touch with all my inner feelings, blah, blah, blah, I'll even write it all in my diary with a pink feather pen. I promise."

"You've not got any fingers crossed have you?"

"Take my fucking hand you dipshit." He snorted, a soft hint of an English accent creeping into some of his words. It made the corners of Nell's mouth creep upwards despite herself. Nell placed her hand in his, with Patrick offering his best attempt at an I'm alright kind of smile. Nell knew his wife's distrust in him hurt more than he was letting on, but some things just weren't her place to interfere in. Hermosa would either apologise and talk, or the two of them would keep on burying their issues in the sand. Though she wasn't holding her breath, Nell hoped the former would come to pass in some shape or form for Patrick's sake.

"I ah..." Patrick scratched at his head. "It's good to see you Nell. Despite the circumstances. I really fucking missed you."

"I missed you too buddy."

A series of impatient car horns erupted from behind them, diverting the friends attention elsewhere. Both Patrick and Nell glanced behind them, Patrick's shoulders shaking as he turned back around laughed boisterously. "You know you should probably go, you're blocking off about a dozen cars."

Nell shrieked in alarm, launching into action as Patrick kicked up his heels on the dashboard. "Alright alright!" She cried, frantically moving the car around and setting off so fast Patrick jerked forward suddenly.

"Oh god I forgot what it was like being in a car with you!"

"You wanna walk?!"

"I wanna live Vin Diesel!"

"You won't live if you don't put your feet down! And put your seatbelt on!"

"Yes Mom!"

Elena hummed Blank Space under her breath whilst she waited for Cheryl in the greenhouse, her nose buried in the worksheets Dr Summers had sent her away with. Elena had spent the last twenty minutes carefully reading the advice offered on the pages, twirling a pen between her fingers as she paused occasionally to underline and highlight certain parts. She was seated on an unoccupied metal table, legs swinging as she absorbed all the information. Though there was an intimidating amount, Elena was eager to take it all in even if the words were a little blurry. She was in dire need of reading glasses, but she'd opted to persevere through the blurriness rather than admit she needed some. If that involved squinting her eyes a little sometimes and looking like she was giving papers and books the evil eye, then so be it.

That was how Cheryl found her as she covertly slipped into the greenhouse. A fond smile tugged at the ends of the redhead's mouth, a welcome sight to see after a weekend spent hauled up in her room with no access to the outside world. "You know if you squint your eyes any further I fear you'll make yourself go blind Ellie."

Elena jumped at the sound of her voice, a huge grin splitting across her features as she caught sight of her. "Cheryl!" She sat her worksheets down next to her bag and jumped off the table, running towards her girlfriend to happily embrace her.

"Hi." Cheryl beamed, welcoming Elena's embrace as the other girl threw her arms around her.

"Hi." Elena greeted, content as ever as she felt Cheryl rest her head on her shoulder. "Long weekend? You okay? How are you?"

"The longest. And I'm... coping." Cheryl plastered on a brave smile, pulling back from her just enough to place her hands on either side of Elena's face and kiss her. Every tense muscle in both of the girls bodies seemed to ease at once, a deep sense of calm flooding through them as they simply enjoyed the others lips. Cheryl's lips always tasted of some variation of strawberry or cherry flavoured lipstick, true to her brand in every sense she could be. But most of all always so soft and inviting, as though she was pulling her forth into a world of their own that Elena was tempted so many times to get lost in. But just as things were beginning to grow a little more heated, Elena pulled away from her, taking huge gulps of breath along with her girlfriend. Cheryl thankfully hadn't seemed to notice how she'd tensed up for a second, as they'd swiftly been approaching a point Elena just wasn't comfortable in trying to climb.

They both giggled as they continued to hold the other, dizzy and a little drunk on the other. Elena found herself relaxing once more, content to simply hold her girlfriend and drink in how happy she looked to see her. "Missed you." Elena murmured, bringing Cheryl's hand into hers and guiding her over to the table where she'd been sat.

"I missed you too." She snuggled into Elena's side as they both hopped on to the table, Elena's arm settling around Cheryl's waist. "You know you need only to say stop when we hit the peak of our ah-" Cheryl smirked, wiggling her eyebrows as she met Elena's gaze. "Activities."

Elena froze, her face turning crimson as Cheryl soaked in her reaction. "You're trying to kill me."

"You're adorable." Cheryl's shoulders shook as she laughed, bumping Elena's old blue converse with one of her cherry red heels. "I mean it though." Her voice took on a more serious, reassuring tone. "Don't feel bad that we haven't consummated our relationship yet. I for one find delayed gratification good for the soul."

If Elena's face could have gone even redder, it would have at that moment. A deep stretch of laughter flung free from her mouth. "I love the words that come out of your mouth Cheryl." She grinned, as Cheryl shifted a little to soak in the patch of sunlight that was pouring through the roof.

"I'm nothing if not a wordsmith." Cheryl retorted, her head leaned back momentarily. Whilst she did so she took Elena's hand into hers, firm and unwilling to let go. The sight made Elena's heart swoop as she showed off her long and creamy neck, a move she suspected was entirely on purpose.

"I'm sorry for not being ready it's just-"

Cheryl's head shot up at once. "You don't ever have to be sorry for that."

"I know." Elena offered her a reassuring smile, touched by her words. "I just-"

Cheryl placed her other hand on top of Elena's, her brows scrunched together with deep set concern. "Not ever. You're utterly delectable and I'd love nothing more than to ravish you." Her smile was silky smooth and so full of promise that Elena was certain her heart skipped more than a few dozen beats. "But we should both get to enjoy it." When people said Cheryl Blossom didn't have a heart, Elena would think to moments like right there and then and just laugh inside. So much love and care was oozing out of that heart of hers and Elena knew that being handed it to take care of was no small feat. And she would honour that gesture, just as Cheryl did with hers no matter what it took. "Besides," she shrugged, picking up Elena's worksheets to inspect, "I can certainly take care of myself in the mean time."

Elena buried her face in her hands and groaned. "Trying. To. Kill. Me." Cheryl smirked as she skim-read through the texts, arching a brow as Elena emerged from her hands.

"I take it you'll be dissecting every inch of this." She commented, a proud smile tugging at the ends of her lips.

"I will." Elena nodded. "And I'd just like to say once more-"

"You're sorry."

"Very sorry."

"The gargantuan sized homework from your shrink tells me as such." Cheryl teased, squeezing her hand. "Enough Ellie, I accept your apology as you accepted mine. We're both on the road to bettering ourselves." Cheryl straightened herself up, proud and dignified as she excitedly informed her: "In fact, I passed by Betty on the way over here."

"Oh?"

"I said hi."

"Wow!"

"And not a single mean comment passed from my lips. I'm practically a whole new woman." She swished her hair over her shoulder. "Are you proud?"

"Incredibly. And- Thank you for listening. It really means a lot." She pressed a small kiss to Cheryl's lips, affectionately tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Oh and by the way she heard me arguing with you over the phone and kind of knows about us now."

A deep set scowl filled Cheryl's face so quickly, that Elena was convinced she heard a thunderclap somewhere outside. "I-" "You-" She clenched her fists together. "Elena!"

"Cheryl!" Elena replied, awkward and unsure as to what to say.

Cheryl rolled her eyes at her. "Oh good god- What- What if she-" Panic set in at once, her breath coming fast and her eyes blinking rapidly as she registered the implications of Elena's confession. "What if that godforsaken mother of hers finds out Elena? She'll tell my mother and-"

"Cher!" The single use of her name stopped the redhead short. Her big worried eyes made Elena grip her hands a little tighter. "Do you trust me?"

Cheryl's whole body slackened. "No, I only entrusted my deepest hopes, desires and fears to you because I think you're pretty! Of course you goof."

"Then trust that Betty and ahhhh..." Elena laughed a little nervously. "Veronica-"

Cheryl eyes flew skyward. "Subtle slipping that in there."

"Are both people that wouldn't do that to you, or me for that matter. I know them and they know what it would mean if this got out too soon." Elena explained, pleading with her to understand. "Betty was an honest accident and Veronica... I came out to her. I needed to truly be myself with her and you not coming up was kind of unavoidable."

Cheryl's eyes searched hers. "Ellie I know you think the world of your sister and new bestie but-" Her shoulders sagged, a look of pure fear filling up her face. She was scared. She believed Elena's promises were true and yet she was still terrified all the same. She took a second to compose herself, taking a moment as she tried to stop herself shaking. She glanced down at their hands as Elena used some soothing motions against hers, finally calming them to a mere tremor.

"Cher they're two of the best people I know. I don't exactly want to shout about my sexuality from the rooftops right now either, but I'm completely calm in knowing out of all the girls to bare my soul to and accidently come out to it was Veronica and Betty. They won't tell a soul about me and I know without a shadow of doubt that no matter what you've said or will say to them they'll do the same for you. You can trust them."

Cheryl snuggled back into her side, legs tangling with hers. "Perhaps I'll give this trust thing a trial period." She huffed, her voice a little shaky but her usual confidence slowly beginning to creep back in. "Since you feel so strongly about the subject."

"Thank you." Elena smiled, bringing her knuckles to her lips to kiss before setting them back down in her lap.

A/N: And the big three are finally all in Riverdale! It only took me ten chapters lol. Stay tuned!