Fate can be Fatal

Part 32: A Weekend Away, Section 3

Once Toni's pondering moment was over, she jumped into bed and tried to get a good nights sleep, ready for their first full day at the lake house. 

At approximately 9am the next morning, a drowsy and extremely hungover Betty Cooper emerges from her room and walks carefully downstairs. Her eyes still heavy and her head throbbing, she keeps her eyes on the floor, watching her feet. She heads straight for the kitchen and grabs a fresh glass of water. Rubbing her eyes and looking up she notices: 

"AHHHH" shrieks Betty, dramatically dropping the glass, the broken shards slicing a section of her bare feet. It wakes the rest of the gang and the boys hastily run down the stairs, followed by the girls. They stand just behind Betty and look up to the glass wall. 

"We warned you, return her" reads Jughead, checking on his girlfriend, sitting her up on the counter as Veronica grabs some bandages. 

"What in hell?" Archie questions, walking closer to the scene. "Who--- could've?" 

Toni stands there shaking slightly, Cheryl feeling her hand slightly tap her thigh. 

"Tons, you alright?" comforting her, "Fine, fine" she repeats, trying to be believable. 

Archie heads slowly to the glass, and wipes it finger across the words, hoping to figure out the liquid used. 

"Archie, don't" yells Jug, "now your prints at are on it" but not leaving Bettys side.

"Jug, guys, it's on the outside. We're fine, they weren't in the house" he reassures the worried gang, "plus the police in his town are useless" 

"Ok, lets all sit, try and wrap our heads around this" and everyone takes a seat on the couch. Toni still shaking. Cheryl checks on her again, "I'm fine, just the hungover shakes" she tells her, focusing their attention back on Archie.

"At least it's outside, but why-- who--- this makes no sense" he begins.

"Well, we've never come here as a group. Some stupid kids might've seen and are playing with us" suggests Veronica.

"No, this seems more serious than some dumb kids" replies the injured Betty. 

Toni realises she can't keep her revelation from them, it's too serious and worrying. She stands. "Guys" everyone looks her way, "stay here" and she quickly speeds upstairs, grabs the note and runs back down to stand in front of them all.

"I should've said" passing Cheryl the note to share around. Once everyone has read it she begins to speak. "It got posted to my trailer the day we left. Someone wants Cheryl. I don't know who, I just---" but is cut off.

Jughead stands, "Why Toni, you could've said, you literally put all in danger to keep your fun little secret" he says coldly. 

"Fun" she bites, "You think some stranger being after my girlfriend is fun. I've been terrified for days, like I'd think they'd threaten us here, hours away from Riverdale"

The room goes silent, "Guys, I'm sorry. Not telling you was stupid, but someone's after Cheryl and we've gotta figure this out" with the gang in full agreement.

Not wanting to argue, Cheryl takes the note once again, "C. C?" and continues to mumble the letter to herself. The gang listen in, hoping she'd realise something. 

"Who the fu---- Claudius" she figures out. 

"Who?" questions V and Betty. 

"My---my uncle. My fathers twin. It's the only name I can think of" she replies, looking around the room.

"Wait, I've got security cameras" says V, grabbing a laptop from a cupboard and opens it up. The rest of them hovering around the screen. "If we just--- and there we go. Cheryl if it's your uncle, could you tell?" looking her direction. Cheryl nods. 

V begins to pay the footage from the front camera, which covers the whole area near the front door. 

04:34, a grey motorbike pulls up. A man, supposedly. Of an average height and build. Dressed all in black, stereotypically. Still wearing a helmet and a black backpack. He hops off the bike and walks cautiously to the back door.

Veronica switches cameras. The gang barely blink. 

04:36, he puts the bag on the floor and kneels to its level. Retrieves a spray can and begins to work, having to write backwards since the writing would have to look in. 

Cheryls eyes squint, trying to see the person better but, nothing. "I really can't tell. It could be" she states. The teens still stare at the screen.

04:46, he leaves. 

"Well, that was helpful" says Jug sarcastically. 

"We have one grey bike Jug" Toni says turning to her friend. "Remember in that garage. It's the bike that serpents use when their own bike doesn't work. Its like the bike of shame but its easy to get a hold of since we don't look the garage" 

Jugs eyes widen at the realisation, "shit yeah" he replies as the gang wait. 

"Let me call Pea, see if anyone reported it stolen. Not that the police care about the south anyway" she picks her phone up and dials his number. 

"Pea, hey. Look real quick. Was there a bike reported last night. The Grey one?" she asks and the rest hear mumbling over the phone. 

"No, no ones checked yet, but he's checking now and going to text me" she feeds back to the rest of them.

"Look it's obviously my uncle, who else could it be? And it's in red" Cheryl tells them all. 

"Lets all go get changed and showered and come back to this in a moment, it'll all be there when we get back" V suggests, "I need a shower before I see Nancy Drew appear" gesturing over to Betty. They all agree and walk upstairs and into their own bedrooms. 

Cheryl sits on the bed, Toni walks in straight after. "Toni. Why didn't you say anything. I've right here the whole time" she tells her.

Toni sits next to her. "Look" she begins, her lips shaking. "Did I ever tell you about my father?" Cheryl shakes her head, listening intently. 

"When I was a child, my father was a massive asshole. He'd drink way too much, get way too fucked on drugs, and other... things. My mum eventually left him, but he wouldn't drop it. He used to----" she chokes up, "used to send letters, to our trailer, threatening my mum. She told the police but before they could arrest him. He found out and----- shot her on her way home, she was dead after a few minutes. A tear falls from Tonis eye, and another from Cheryl's. "I thought that if I told anyone about the letters, the person would find out and do the same and--- I couldn't live with myself if I let anything happen to you" taking Cheryl's hand, tears streaming down their face. 

Cheryl, unable to speak, simply brings her in for a massive hug, knowing there was nothing she could say in reply. 

"Look, no ones gonna do anything to you ok, they'll have to over my dead body" she tells Cheryl, "we'll figure this out, but first I need breakfast..."