June 10th, 2018

Sweet Pea tried not to think of his former found family, especially since the hanging up of his Serpent Jacket (both in the literal-it was now hot as hell out and not a time to be wearing leather, and metaphorical-it was time to put that life in the past), but in times like this, it was inevitable.

In times when, as he stood out in the fields, the sun beating down on his brow and creating a tiny sheen of sweat on his forehead, leaning on his hoe and letting the smell of lavender from the gardens waft over his sleeves, rolled and cuffed, how could he not stop to think about them?

If you would have played the game of 'hey, what do you want to be when you grow up' with Sweet Pea and his friends, it would have been a very un-fun game.

Truthfully, none of them imagined they'd live to see what 'growing up' was all about. And that game quickly became a different game; how do you think you'll die?

Sweet Pea's bet for himself was always in a bar fight gone wrong. He had far too much anger not to say the wrong thing to someone one day and end up with a punctured spleen or some shit or bleed out on the pavement outside a seedy bar.

Toni always imagined it would be epic; a car crash bursting into flames, after a joyride in the Mayor's favorite car.

Fangs thought he'd be shot while trying to rob a luxury store.

Jedi and Vade were sure a hockey accident would befall them both, possibly at the same time.

Lann thought he would be in a shoot-out.

Jughead, when he dared to play once, told everyone he'd go crazy like all great artists.

And so on it goes.

People like FP, Mustang, and Birdie were the odd ones out. A few made it to adulthood, but it didn't seem like the grass was greener over there. Why wouldn't you want to go out in a way like that, when faced with debt, alcoholism, drug abuse, and violence in your future?

So Sweet Pea never had the luxury to even imagine, for one brief and brightly shining second, that he'd get a future. Most Serpents wanted to go out in a blaze of glory. They were never given the chance to dream.

Maybe Sweet Pea imagined dying young, but not young enough to have not gotten married. He would have done it dumb and gotten matching tattoos of each other's names somewhere really stupid. And he would have never imagined he would actually marry a girl worth anything because he thought the only gals that would take him would be losers on his level.

But here he was…just scarcely eighteen, engaged to a girl way out of his league that still wanted him, safe, contented, and alive with a better chance of surviving than he ever had.

Sweet Pea got to hang up his hat.

He couldn't even think of one Serpent that had gotten such a gift, such a luxury, such a momentous milestone.

So yes, how could Sweet Pea not wax poetics about all those that would never get here as well? And how could he not be angry at the universe sometimes, imaging that if he'd convinced Fangs to come with him to kill Hiram or if he'd stayed with the group or if fate had pushed him some other way, maybe he could have kept everyone else alive long enough that they would get this gift too?

As he said…he didn't know anyone else that was so lucky as he.

But that meant it was incredibly lonely.

This is something Betty would never understand. Out of anyone, he thought perhaps Octavia would know what he meant.

The end of the world was somehow still beautiful but really lacked conversation sometimes.

He remembered that Betty had told him that her old friends used to come to her. He wasn't sure if they still did. And he'd been a bit concerned, but now…?

Now he wondered if the intense summer sun was getting to him, but fuck it if he didn't want them to go just yet.

So he imagined a new world for them.

What they'd do here. How they'd all retire in peace.

Toni would fix up old cars with Betty. She'd also make a school for any kids in her spare time. She always was a sap for the young ones.

Fangs would go nuts with all the expensive clothes they had laying around. He'd always be dressed to the nines, even though he had no reason to be. But it was the end of time? Who cared if he wore Hermes ties every day?

Vade and Jedi would start up intramural sports teams. Get aggression out, you know? In the winter, they'd make a hockey rink and in the summer they'd teach everyone how to play lacrosse. They'd make their own hockey sticks and lacrosse sticks and make an art of it.

"Sweet Pea!"

Sweets startled up to see Jelly bounding across the field, careful to jog in the lines where there wasn't agriculture growing.

"Hey little bean," Sweet Pea said, ruffling her hair, "Betty kick you out of the house?"

"Yeah. Said I should come to bother you."

"Well, I am chronically unbothered by anything, so take your best shot," He said, winking. Jellybean had grown attached to both of them and liked to split her time equally with the pair. Though Betty adored Jelly, she had been knee-deep in projects lately, often sending Jellybean off to find Sweet Pea.

"What's that right there?" She asked, rocking on her feet and pointing to the sprouts closet to Sweet Pea.

"Lettuce. The butterhead variety."

Jellybean laughed, "That sounds like an awesome nickname."

"Yeah?" Sweet Pea said, throwing the hoe over his shoulders, "I'll keep that in mind if we need to name anyone else."

"And this one?" Jelly pointed as they began walking back to the house, a long trek, but one that always made Sweet Pea feel good. They had bountiful places to grow food. This winter would not be the same as the last. He'd started far earlier and already they had some veggies to prove it.

"Kale. The hipsters would be so jealous of us," He said, "And this one, before you ask, are tomatoes," He said, pointing further down the line. He turned, broadly gesturing at all the sectioned-off areas, relaying information, "Squash, cucumbers, peppers and that's just what we can see. You gunna help me harvest it when the time comes?" He asked.

"How do you know all of this?" Jelly asked, "You don't have those little sticks in the ground or anything."

"Well," Sweet Pea chuckled, leaning down to dig a cucumber out of the ground, "Sometimes, it's obvious." He said, throwing it at her. He made a motion for her to eat it. Fresh veggies right out of the dirt were a treat like no other, at least in Sweet Pea's mind.

"And for non-obvious ones? Well, it's my job," He said simply, "Just how Betty's job is to keep the house with lights and heat and water…whereas if I tried any wiring I'd probably burn us to the ground, my job is to know this all." He said, tapping his head, "One day, I'll teach it to you too."

"Do I have a job?" Jelly asked.

"Sure you do. Being a kid," Sweet Pea said as the house loomed in front of them. Jelly pouted.
"I mean like a real job."

"It is," Sweet Pea huffed, "Look, in Riverdale, every kid grew up way too fast. Just look and me and Betty. We should be in college, eating ramen in our lofted beds and partying on weekends. But it didn't shake out that way. When you're an adult, like eighteen, you'll get an actual job here. But until then, please, just be a kid." Sweet Pea said.

Jellybean's expression was set into a deep frown. Instead of saying whatever was bothering her, she inhaled.

"When do you go check for others?" She asked, switching the subject.

"No for another three days," Sweet Pea said. It had been only a few weeks since Octavia had gone. So far, no one is in need of help or a place to stay. Hopefully, that meant that most scattered, not that Octavia and Brad were failing or that it was already too late.

He watched Jellybean carefully. She tugged on the hem of her t-shirt, looking at the ground, cucumber still in her hand. At the water bucket outside, Sweet Pea took it from her and washed it and then cut it into slices, taking one for himself and giving her one.

"Do you want us to?" He asked. They'd questioned her before on this, and she said of course she was okay with it, but now Sweet Pea wondered.

"I…don't know," Jelly whispered, "I don't want things to change. Well, only if it's better. I don't want to lose either of you," She whimpered, "But I don't want girls to feel lost or unwelcome."

"You won't lose either of us," Sweet Pea assured, kneeling down, "We're pretty unbeatable at this point and we both plan on keeping it that way. If you feel uncomfortable with it, it can just be us three. We're okay with that."

Jellybean gnawed on the slice of cucumber, "No," She said after a long moment, "I just…I don't know what's going to happen. I don't think I like that."

"No one knows the future," Sweet Pea said, washing his hands off and taking his boots before he tracked mud through the house, "The best we can do is just…make plans, and be prepared."

XXX

This fear, of course, was something Sweet Pea and Betty had agonized over. They wanted to help those that had been taken prisoner by the Predators, but they didn't want to threaten anyone here or invite unsavory people into this house.

Between Sweet Pea, Betty, Brad, and Octavia, everyone had worked out a solid plan to assure the safety of everyone before any rescuing happened.

This was how it was supposed to go.

They'd found an old service building about ten miles away. A former maintenance building, not very big, but sturdy and secluded. They'd found beds and tables and blankets and board games and pillows and set up space in there, along with food for a week's worth. Octavia and Brad would give directions to that service building. They should be safe for a week, if they stayed inside and if no one turned while they were there.

Once a week, Sweet Pea and Betty would drive the white van out to see if anyone was there. So far, no dice.

In the case that someone was, they would ask for the code word that Octavia or Brad was supposed to give them.

If they answered wrong, Sweet Pea was of the opinion they should be killed. Betty was unsure. They hadn't hashed out that detail, praying it wouldn't come to that.

In the case that they did answer it correctly, they would be asked to put on blindfolds and get in the car. If they did, they'd bring them back to the house and they'd remain in the basement (it was a very nice basement, let that be known) until they were deemed trustworthy to be roaming about and see outside, or where they lived.

The girls were free to stay indefinitely or get a place to recover before heading on.

If they wanted to leave and hadn't earned their trust, they'd be put back in the van and be driven out in the direction of their choosing.

In the case that someone refused to get in the van with a blindfold, which might be a valid argument, they'd be asked to go back in the service room. Sweet Pea's amazingly smart girlfriend had made a door lock on a remote control; so they could drive away and not be followed, and they'd be let out when they were safely gone.

It certainly wasn't foolproof, but it was the best they got.

Really…it was the only option. If they wanted to be good samaritans of this time, and they did.

They might go back more often if people seemed to come more frequently, but even a week seemed like a lot right now.

As Sweet Pea lay in bed that night, he wondered for the first time to himself, if he wanted people to come and ruin the perfection that he had right now.

He would find it kept him from sleep and plagued his mind until the morning, with no answer found in all that time.

June 13th, 2018

The day before they were set to make their next check in the service box, Jellybean decided to be exactly what Sweet Pea had requested…a kid.

However, she'd chosen such a declaration in making a huge motion…she cut off all her hair.

They heard her sobbing in the afternoon and rushed to her side to find her surrounded by her own locks and a pair of scissors in front of a mirror. Once they'd decided that the only pain was emotional, Betty sighed.

"You know, the movies are right. This never goes the way you want it to." She said, running her fingers through Jellybean's uneven tufts of hair.

"Why little bean?" Sweet Pea groaned, "What made you decide?" He thought this was a problem for toddlers. Not pre-teens.

"We watched the Fault in Our Stars and I really liked how it looked on the girl character," Jellybean whimpered, "My mom never let me cut my hair or do anything fun with it, and I thought now that she was gone, I should try. I hate it, though! I look so ugly!"

Sweet Pea stifled a laugh. Betty sent him a glare, shushing her.

"No, no, you look beautiful. I just wish you'd asked me. I could have cut it, you know," She said, "I wouldn't have said no."

"You wouldn't have?" Jelly asked, wiping her eyes.

"No! Hair grows back, silly. If you wanted a fun haircut, why not?" She said, taking the scissors, "Here, just let me…maybe I can…" She muttered, surveying Jellybean's hair and making some quick snips, "Look, looking better already. Sweets? Mind cleaning up?" She asked, motioning to the hair scattered on the floor.

"Yep, sure," He agreed, glad Betty had so easily diffused the situation. Or, so he thought.

Jellybean was silent the whole time. He was impressed with how she turned the hairstyle around because honestly, Jelly had done about as well as you would imagine a kid doing.

"See?" Betty finally said, "You look great."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one with hair like a boy now," Jellybean pouted.

"You just need some styling, right?" Sweet Pea jumped in, "We can find a straighter or some gel…maybe some hair dye, and that'll…woah!" He looked up to see Betty grasping her ponytail with one hand and hacking it off with the other.

"What…what are you doing?" Jelly asked, her eyes wide.

Betty held her ponytail aloft, laughing as she ran her fingers through her short hair.

"You know what? My mom also never let me do anything fun with my hair. But she's not here either. And I want to prove to you that we can rock short hair and we don't look like boys. Hair grows back." She reiterated.

Jelly was staring in utter reverence as Betty continued to snip, cut, and shape her hair until it fell gracefully in a cute little pixie cut around her face, the same as Jelly's.

"Woah. Never thought I'd be into this, but hell," Sweet Pea grinned, "You'd make a potato sack look good, baby."

"Do you want to join in, Sweets?" Betty asked, her eyes glimmering.

"Respectfully, I sorta like my hair." He said, taking a step back.

"Maybe you can grow yours out! Like, reverse!" Jelly asked, grinning widely.

"You know what? I've always wondered how I'd look with a pony," Sweet Pea chuckled, "Sure. Why not. Some change, sometimes, is good."

Betty helped Jellybean finish styling her hair, and by the end of it, the girl was grinning ear to ear. As they helped to brush up the locks from the bathroom floor, Betty sighed, looking up at Sweet Pea. Jellybean had vanished to see what makeup she could do with this to 'complete the look'.

"You really like it?"

"I always like you," Sweet Pea said, leaning in for a kiss, "That was really nice of you."

"She's a kid, and we've all done stupid things. Plus, I'm not lying. My mom never did let me do anything with my hair. Granted, I just wanted a stupid emo feather when I was in middle school, but hey…" She offered a tiny smile, "If she's happy…I'll take it."

"Well, maybe it's not bad. New era, new names, new hair." Sweet Pea pointed out, "And maybe this means we'll find something tomorrow."

Betty clutched the broom, swallowing slowly, "Yeah. Maybe."

June 14th, 2018

"Avatar! It's Avatar, right?"

Sweet Pea eyed the trio of girls in front of him and nodded to Betty and they slowly lowered their guns.

Who stood in front of him were three women that looked gaunt, sickly, hungry, and battered. Even if they hadn't said the right thing, hardly about to attack them and overtake their van or food.

"How long have you been waiting?" Sweet Pea asked, fingers still on the trigger, cautiously.

"Two days," The one who had given the codeword said. Whether it was that she was the impromptu leader or that she was the only one with the bandwidth to communicate, Sweet Pea wasn't sure yet.

"I'm Ari, and this is Cadmus," Betty said, a bit more gentle, though from the way her eyes flickered, Sweet Pea knew she wasn't turning off her suspicions just yet, "You were rescued from the Predators?"

The watery, jerky nods from the girls made Sweet Pea's heart clench. If it wasn't for Betty or Jelly, he'd be out there too, he reckoned, bludgeoning in the heads of these monsters.

"Have any of you been bit?" Sweet Pea asked.

Once again, head shakes.

"We do want to believe you, but we have to protect ourselves. So, Cadmus is going to restock the locked room and tidy up a bit and I'm going to ask you all to strip so I can check you. After you've cleared and dressed, I'm putting a blindfold on you and helping you into the van and we'll take you to a safe place."

"What happens…" One of the girls croaked, "If we lied and we have been bitten?" From the way she was also regarding the two other girls in her pod, it was clear they were thrust together recently by circumstance, not a long-standing loyalty.

"We will either give you food and leave you on your way or offer you a quick and painless end." Sweet Pea said, patting his gun.

"How do you know you'd kill us right away?" The same girl asked, jutting her chin out, a sudden burst of confidence, "And you wouldn't just prolong our suffering?"

As Sweet Pea considered how to tell them about his less-than-moral past, the first girl swallowed.

"I think Octavia said he was a former gang kid. He'd probably know," She said, eyes watching his reaction.

"She's not wrong."

Sweet Pea saw how the girls hesitated. He nodded to Betty, grabbed out some new cans and fresh food, and went into the room. As he opened the door, he heard the first girl say with forced bravery, "Look, Octavia trusts these people and I trust her. So I'm going to strip and get in there. You're free to follow or not."

Sweet Pea was relieved. He didn't want to have to leave anyone behind.

By the time he made the beds, reorganized the game shelf, and put the food in its place, Betty was finished, leaning against the door of the van.

"Good?" He asked, assuming since no one was crying on the side of the road.

"We're good. Their names are Bree, Kelsey, and Amanda. I'm just glad that some people are getting rescued."

Sweet Pea nodded slowly. He wasn't sure how to navigate this sudden, but also almost predictable, change. They'd be boarders from now on. People might choose to stay forever, and was he really going to kick them out? No!

Life was going to be different. A weird mirror universe of society pre-apocalypse, a little community living like a bunch of weirdos in a cult. Except it wasn't a cult. It was a survivalist group.

Betty sat with the girls in the back, a more welcoming presence. If she could do this without him, Sweet Pea was sure she would, as he knew the presence of a man probably was the last thing they wanted. He hoped Octavia really sold them on his personality because he didn't want anyone to think he was a Predator or make him feel unwelcome in his own house.

Which was a really rude thought, because they'd gone through hell, but here he was, worried about feeling strange while giving them asylum. But then again, he'd helped build this place up. Shouldn't he be able to feel at ease with his fiancee?

Social norms were hard to figure out in the collapse of society.

"Do you know where you all came from?" Betty asked.

"Well, I grew up near Chicago, but I'm guessing you're asking where we were found."

It was the first girl. If Betty had given him their names in any logical order, he assumed the 'leader' with the strawberry blonde hair was Bree, the sightly prickly one was Kelsey, and the one who hadn't muttered a peep was Amanda.

"Yeah. Just want to know where my friend was, as of a few days ago."

"Michigan…I think," Bree frowned, scowling, "I knew Octavia back in the day. I was taken from her camp and sold off quickly."

"It was," Kelsey confirmed, "I saw road signs."

"Okay, okay. And well, were you the…only ones?" Betty asked, almost fearfully.

There was a long, quiet moment.

"Yeah, there were some others of us. Amanda's sister died. They tried to kill us when they heard Octavia and Brad were coming for them. Get rid of the evidence. But it also wasn't a big outpost. Not hundreds. Less than 10. But…" The way she trailed off said it all.

Sweet Pea felt bile rise in his throat and his fingers clenched hard on the steering wheel. No wonder Amanda was near comatose. He didn't have any illusions that those girls were killed with any kindness or accuracy. If the kid who tried to slice his throat was like these, which was more than likely, as the Predators weren't anything more than kids with weapons of destruction, a flash of girls choking on their own blood played in front of his face. And that idea, before he shoved it away, was probably one of the more PG thoughts.

"I'm sorry. I won't ask anything else," Betty said, stumbling over her words, "Did Octavia tell you they took me too?"

"Yeah," Amanda finally whispered, the only voice Sweet Pea hadn't heard, "And that you almost died."

"It's what made me decide to trust you," Kelsey added, "And she mentioned that Cadmus helped kill a lot of those fuckers."

He could almost hear the smile on her face as Betty replied, "He sure as hell did. You're safe with him. I swear it. His gang days are far behind." "Is it weird that this makes me feel way better?" Bree asked, "That he might actually know what he's doing with a gun?"

"Naw," Betty replied after a moment, "You're right. That's not weird at all."

XXX

Jellybean was eagerly waiting for them to come back. All the girls were infinitely kind to the curious pre-teen that bounced around them.

She shadowed Betty as the girls were taken downstairs and given the tour of where they'd remain, at least until they wanted to leave or they had gained some trust.

"So we can stay here?" Amanda said, looking around with awe, "For..forever?"

"Sure," Betty shrugged, "We certainly have the room, and there is strength in numbers." And though Betty didn't say it, they were all thinking of the Predators. One whacko with a gun is…well, not great, but still just one person. A whole hoard of them, spewing their ideas and intimidating through sheer force, was obviously an issue.

Still, there was no reason they couldn't flip this around and strengthen themselves with the creation of a homestead.

"I don't plan on staying long," Kelsey announced, "I got taken from my mom and little brother's car. I was told they weren't killed, so I want to find them. I just need a place to..rest for a bit."

"Then where are you going?" Jellybean asked, eyes wide and innocent.

"Hebe," Sweet Pea hissed, warning.

"Naw, it's fine. I think they're out in California. That's where we were headed. I have family that way. I was taken near Kansas." Kelsey said, "I have some bruised ribs, a few other areas that hurt, and I'm just so…so…tired." She admitted.

"And are you staying?" Jelly turned to Bree.

"I don't know. Maybe I'll try to find my friends again, but Octavia mentioned she wants to eventually make her way back…" She turned, frowning, "Can I just…play it by ear?" She asked quietly.

"Of course. No need to make decisions when you're probably exhausted, hungry, and dirty. Take a shower. Take a nap. We'll bring dinner down soon."

"A shower?" Amanda perked up, "Like…with soap?"

"Yes," Sweet Pea grinned, "And even a sugar scrub if you feel so inclined."

Amanda turned, brightly smiling, "Guys, this is incredible!"

"Let's let you all get settled," Betty said, bringing them to the bunkroom they'd been building for people to sleep and stay while they were earning their stripes. Everyone seemed so relieved to not have to sleep with one eye open, they all sort of just took a bed and there were no complaints.

They stayed out of the basement for a while, trying to let the girls get acclimated. Jelly, upstairs, talked a thousand miles a minute about her opinions of them, switching topics so quickly it seemed even Betty was having a hard time keeping up. It seemed, overall, she liked them, which made Sweet Pea feel better about all of this.

When they came back down with dinner, all the girls looked freshly showered. Amanda and Bree had changed, Kelsey was still in the same shirt she had on; an almost comically out-of-place Mexico vacation tee with an iguana drinking a mojito on a beach. Perhaps it was sentimental? Either way, Sweet Pea wasn't going to say anything. Not his place.

If Betty noticed, which he was sure she did, she had come to the same conclusion.

Everything was going fine until mid-dinner when Kelsey's finger slipped and her stew splattered onto her shirt.

"Oh, come on!" She growled, slamming her fists down on the table. Jellybean jumped and Amanda flinched hard.

"Kelsey!" Bree frowned, "Woah."

"It's just…I'm just angry," Kelsey snapped, "I mean, I'm grateful to be here, of course, but they took so much time from me. And hurt me. And somehow I thought a stupid shower would just fix all of this but it hasn't and-," She pressed a hand to her mouth, holding back a sob.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, shh…" Betty jumped up, "Hebe, can you clean up and get Kelsey more stew? And I'm a master at the laundry. I'll get the stain out of the shirt right away."

"It's not even my shirt," Kelsey gasped, trying to hold back her tears, "They tore mine off and I don't have anything else. It's what they gave me because I was a 'fat pig' that couldn't fit into the stuff they had," She said, "And I fucking hate this shirt but…but.."

"That's so unfair," Bree murmured, "You're not fat, you know that right?"

Kelsey whimpered, wiping her nose.

"Okay, okay, just…wait here," Betty said, raising a finger, "I have something."

"Will it fit me?" Kelsey asked expression hard and guarded, ready for hurt.

"It actually will. Just…wait."

Sweet Pea helped Jelly mop up the stew as Betty bounded up the stairs. She returned quickly, carrying a bright yellow cotton tee in her hands.

"You can take this and keep it." Betty said, "I don't ever wear it. An ordering mistake. But I was a freshman, and quiet, so I just took the XL and never corrected anyone." She explained as Kelsey unraveled it.

"It looks like a school shirt," Kelsy said, and Sweet Pea caught the Riverdale logo in bright blue on the front, "I can't…take…this." She tried to hand it back.

"I have plenty of school shirts. Ones I like far more. Yellow really isn't my color," Betty said with a wink, "And we can burn the shirt you had on."

Kelsy looked up, "Really?"

"Yeah, who knows what germs are on there? Probably the sanitary thing to do." Sweet Pea agreed.

"Can I burn the stuff they gave me too? I'm okay with only one set of clothing. I never want to have to slip back into…that." Bree agreed with a shudder.

"We'll make sure you have other options," Betty promised, "And yes. We'll burn all of it. I can't say I have any claims to be a therapist here, but, well, it's not the worst idea I've ever heard."

So that night, as the sun set, the six current residents of the Wisconsin Cabin padded out to a place in the woods where they could burn their things.

Everyone carted something.

The three new girls in the outfits they'd arrived in.

Betty in the shirt she'd worn in her captivity; a former favorite, but now a sour and bitter memory.

Jelly with the dress that one of the Predators had given her.

And Sweet Pea with the bloodstained shirt; Betty's blood, from when he'd cradled her head in his lap, thinking she was dead.

It was a silent affair.

And every one cried, just a bit.

As he realized that his cheeks were wet, tears slipping down his face before he even realized it, Betty's dainty hands slipped inside of his.

Somehow, it felt a whole lot like the start of healing.