Start Again | Choni

time to go to war

Cheryl's POV

Toni and I decided to stay away from Hiram and Veronica, we didn't want him to know I'd been released without any charges. That would certainly make him angry. Instead, we headed to Hermione's hidden cabin near Fox Forest and were staying with her until we felt safe. "Honey, are you okay?" Hermione asked. "I honestly don't know, Hermione. Hiram just tried to get me arrested for stuff I didn't even do, and now I have to lie low until Jones gets something on him." "Well, I'm just glad you're okay. I don't want to lose you, Sweetie. You are my niece, and the closest family I have left." I hugged her before heading to the kitchen.

"Tee-Tee, you want something to eat?" I asked. "Don't tell me you can cook too." Toni said as she joined me. "Well, I did have cooking lessons back at the sisters." I grinned. "Well then, surprise me." She winked and headed to the bedroom. "Um...." Hermione thankfully took the hint. "I'm just going to run to the store, you guys want anything?" "Ice cream." We yelled at the same time and then burst out laughing.

Five minutes later, we were both undressed and lying on top of her sheets. The cooking had been abandoned and we'd started kissing as much flesh as we could. "Oh my god. Toni, I missed you." I breathed. "Babe, I saw you like a half hour ago." She said. "I'll be more precise. I missed your body, your touch, and most of all those luscious lips of yours."

I was straddling her when a large crash caught our attention outside the cabin. "What the hell was that?" I asked, standing up. "I-I don't know." Toni grabbed her sweater and I pulled on a shirt. The crash was then followed by shouting and then silence. Confused, we crept slowly into the kitchen to steal a glance outside.

"I can't see anything babe." I whispered. "Wait here." Toni said and picked up a knife. "No, wait, where are you going?" "To find out what's going on." She replied with her hand on the doorknob. "No, don't. Let me come with you." I said and picked up a blade. "Fine. Just stay behind me." Toni sighed and opened the door slightly. I had no idea what we'd find outside but I just didn't want to leave Toni in danger by herself.

Toni's POV

"H-hello?" I called out. I felt Cheryl close behind and immediately went into alert mode. A few branches cracked and I stopped moving. "Babe?" Cheryl asked. Suddenly several people came running out from the trees in all directions. Some were serpents and some were wearing black masks.

"What is going on here?" Cheryl called from behind me. Some of the serpents stopped. "That thug Hiram has his capos running all over the place, including Fox Forest. We're protecting you guys." The men in masks started charging towards us and Sweet Pea came out of nowhere, knocking us to the ground. A blade was pressed hard into his abdomen and he groaned as he hit the floor. I rushed to side. "Oh my god, Sweet Pea, you're hurt."

Chaos erupted around us as the serpents took their anger out on the masked men and Cheryl rushed inside the cabin to fetch a first aid kit. She pressed some cloth into my hands and told me to push down hard. "It'll hurt but he needs to apply pressure." She explained. I just stood helpless as she fussed over him, dabbing at the wound and applying a bandage. "Toni, I'm sorry." She said afterwards. "It's not your fault." I sighed.

"How long is it going to take for this to all be over?" She wondered aloud. The men had taken off with the serpents in hot pursuit. Hermione arrived back just as we were carrying Sweet Pea inside. "Toni? Cheryl? Care to explain?" We looked at each other before starting to answer. "Hiram ordered an ambush and the serpents drove them away. A guy with a knife ran at me and Sweet Pea pushed us over, taking the hit instead." She listened intently and nodded. "Well, I do have some good news." Hermione said afterwards. "What?" "Well it wasn't Hiram's doing because he was just picked up by the police on my way back. He was hassling me and then FP arrested him on the spot. Apparently the FBI is now involved." "So now his capos are running lose? How is that good?" Cheryl suddenly shouted. "Because, Cheryl, the FBI are here, which means they're taking it seriously. And it'll only be a matter of time before they arrest all his associates too. Now I'll drive Sweet Pea to the hospital and he can file a report to get even more evidence against him."

I looked to Cheryl who was processing the information. She then just nodded and sank onto the couch. Her body was just exhausted. "I-I'm not sure how much longer I can stand this." She admitted. I snuggled up to her. "You've got this, babe, you're strong. And we're all going to be here for you, the Serpents included. It's time to go to war."