Behind Revenge's Door

Interventions and Stalemates

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a doctor. I thought the world was filled with good people who got splinters that were too deep to take out themselves. When I grew older, I wanted to be a police officer. That phase was when I was around eleven because in school we had just begun to learn about the Holocaust. I wanted to believe people could be fixed, and could be better. I never, though, I never wanted to be some backwards leader of a motorcycle gang. I was juggling two worlds.
FP's gang became mine once he was incarcerated. I was their interim chief, I guess. I didn't really know what to do. I can even handle hiring an assistant, let alone running this gang that's now got its claws into children as young as Jughead.
Archie finally disbanded the Red Circle bullshit, I hope. He didn't talk to me much after the fight, because he was mad at me. Archie expected me to jump in and save his ass when he couldn't do it himself. If he wants to play big boy games, he needs to learn how to take a hit.
Jughead had stayed over at mine much more recently. I made him a quick breakfast of fruit salad and avocado toast, which he stared at for a solid five minutes before eating.
"I'll drive you to school," I smiled, patting his shoulder as I sat next to him with a cup of coffee and a piece of avocado toast. "I've got to stop down at my office anyways."

Jughead's POV:
I hoped it would be an easy day. I was tired of the melodramatic, perpetual drama that consumed the majority of the students of South Side High. Madison kissed my forehead before I left her car, and I walked to the group that held Toni and Sweetpea, sitting over the table.
Sweetpea, to say the least, was infuriated. He told me there was a fight last night, one I wasn't privy to. Madison never told me, and I knew damn well she knew about it.
"Nice article your girlfriend's mom wrote," the Serpent spoke.
"Yeah I saw that. Dilton Dooley said he was stabbed when a bunch of you guys jumped him," I rolled my eyes.
"Idiot stabbed himself with his own knife. And we didn't jump him, there was a fight."
Sweetpea pointed to the black eye he had. "Your boy Andrews gave me this. And of course, the North Siders got off scot-free, and the rest of us were hauled in by the police. I'm surprised we didn't all get taken in. Madison is the only reason we got released."
I can't believe this. Holy shit.
Sweetpea and his other cohort began to tell me their crack plan to create a pipe bomb.
"We're gonna shut the Riverdale Register down for good."
"This is insane. You think this is gonna make this better?" I asked him. "Creating a bomb is going to make this all go away? You think blowing up a building is going to make things better?!"
"It can't get any worse," Sweetpea defended
"Yes, it can! Madison is going to lose her mind," I spoke to him honestly. "let me talk to Madison, let me figure this out. Ok?"
Sweetpea shook his head. "Talking is your answer for everything. Talk and more talk. We don't even know who you stand with. Us? Like your mom? Or them. You can't be half a serpent."
I exhaled deeply. My head was swirling with thoughts and fears. Madison was their leader now. They knew that my step mom was more of a Serpent than I was, and that terrified me. At my lack of response, the group stood and left. Only Toni remained. "Great. Archie started World War III."
"The North Side has been dumping on us for years. Your dad, and now your mom is trying to keep the peace, avoid bloodshed. Now that she's not FP, the boys think they're stronger than her. Idiots like Sweetpea think there's only one path and one solution; violence."

Madison's POV
After spending an hour at the office, sending out the necessary emails, signing contracts and mailing publications, I was at the White Wyrm. The teenagers at South Side High were restless, and I really couldn't blame them. I sat in the back with my whiskey and a cigarette, watching the door. I was surprised when Jughead walked in, wearing a Serpent jacket.
Holy mother of Christ. He's wearing a Serpent jacket.
"I think this North Sider's lost," Sweetpea teased, standing up from his pool game. I stood, releasing a deep draw of smoke from my chest.
"I'm not," Jughead spoke, looking directly at me. "I'm over being half a Serpent."
"Wow, you really will do anything to protect your North Side buddies,"
"Sweetpea," I warned from behind him as he bumped Jughead.
"My father was a Serpent. He lead you. Now my mom is taking over. I wanna stand with you guys."
As much as I was terrified for my sweet boy, I was so proud of him.
"Tall Boy gave me this jacket. It's finally time I start wearing it."
Oh fuck.
"You wanna be a Serpent now, huh?" Jughead nodded at the man. "Let's see if you can survive initiation first."
I would lose my mind trying to save my boy, and I would be damn sure he survived his time.
*
I swear to god. The next time I get woken up in the middle of the night by a bunch of Serpent kids because Jughead has to take care of a dog, someone is getting killed.
I heard Jughead yelling, and grabbed my knife from the bedside table. I was in a sports bra and a pair of running shorts. But when I saw the gaggle of teenagers with dragon snake masks, I went back to bed with the roll of my eyes.
I'm getting new door locks, that's for fucking sure.

I wasn't allowed to lead Jughead's initiation. As my son, Tall Boy knew it would ruin the credibility of the imitation. I had no choice but to let Tall Boy call my son in.
My eyes closed, overwhelmed. I could hear the screams and sounds around us as Jughead repeated the Serpent laws.
"You know the laws," Tall Boy began. "Now, it's time for the next trial."
My breath hitches in my throat as Jughead sticks his hand in the box. I saw him get bit, but he retrieved the knife. I was proud of him. As he wrapped his injuries with Toni, I handed both of them glass bottles of soda and I sat down next to them with my whiskey.
"How you feeling, honey?" I asked him.
"A rattlesnake bit me. And it drew blood."
"You're almost a Serpent now," Toni said. "That's the important part."

Alice was a serpent. I will be damned, won't I? Seeing Alice's face on that paper made my body creak with shock. I really had no idea what to expect. I can imagine the shit Betty is getting right now. None of us knew she was doing this. But to say the least, I'm proud of her. I can imagine this was in an attempt to stick up to her mother.

I was forced to the Lodge-SoDale open house with my father. I was standing in an uncomfortable dress and looking around the room when I saw Hermione approach my dad. I wasn't too sure what they were talking about, but I was simply enjoying the whiskey I was sipping. I was here with an open bar, so I knew it would be successful.
I was talking to Hal Cooper when I saw Alice walk in. She looked stunning. Alice Cooper was here to kick ass, and I was proud of her. A smirk fell on my face as I nodded to her. She gave me a reciprocating nod, before taking the drink from her husband's hand, telling him to 'shove it'.
Hiram quickly made his way to the stage. He began his speech, encouraging the town to be excited for his "new chapter" for the town. I thought it was a bunch of bullshit. Veronica never formally introduced me to her father, but she didn't need to. People like Hiram Lodge, and like Clifford Blossom, never fit with me. It's like we spoke different languages.
Eventually, I ended up leaving. I planned to head back to Jughead's trailer to check up on him, since I hadn't seen him that day. I walked over to the trailer, but I let a small squeak from my throat. Jughead was getting absolutely obliterated by the group.
They started his initiation without me.
"I swear to god!" I screamed as I saw Jughead stand up. Toni handed him a jacket.
"How dare you act without me. All of you! You're lucky this wasn't my initiation or I swear to fucking Hell."
Toni took him inside and told me she would patch him up. I had a multitude of texts and calls from Veronica, Betty, Archie and Cheryl saying I was needed at the Five Seasons hotel.

To say I'm livid is an understatement. I might not be as loving to Cheryl as I used to be, but that poor girl didn't deserve to be roofied. She sat in my arms and sobbed as I brushed the hair from her face in the dark. Her whole body racked with sobs as her body got so weak and so tired. Shadows danced across the walls of the room, and Nicholas St Clair was nowhere to be found. He better hope it stays that way.