{1} Tempest {Sweet Pea}

XXIX

Storm looked at her mother, who seemed angry with her for a reason that she couldn't figure out. They were both in the garage, and Storm was listening as her mom was sounding very angry at her.

"Mom, what did I do?" She asked as she fired the eight ball into the pocket and finished off her game, against her well herself anyways.

"Your father needed your support at his announcement for his intention to run for mayor. Neither of you were so inclined to help out or even show up."

Her mother exclaimed and Storm looked at her, with eyes blazing at her mom. "You don't understand Mom! I wanted to be there, I really did. I had something come up that couldn't wait, for anything." Storm says, her tone of voice breaking at the anger in her mom's.

"Hey Tempest, I... oh." Sweet Pea was at the door, ready to knock on it and a quick thinking Storm, she wiped tears off of her face. "Is this a bad time?" He asked and Storm shakes her head.

"Nope. My mom, she was just heading back home to Chicago, come on in." At once a cold tone was icing on over her voice.

"If you're sure." Sweet Pea said, as he had a lot of uncertainty in his voice as he looked at Mary, who looks at Storm who was promptly ignoring her again.

"This must be Sweet Pea." Mary said to him and Sweet Pea looked at Storm, who walked over to stand next to him, in a silence, that gave nothing away to anyone who wasn't a close friend.

"Yeah I am. You're the lawyer Mom, then." Sweet Pea stated as Storm stood next to him and then Mary holds out a hand to him.

"I hope you're taking care of my daughter." She said as they shook hands and Sweet Pea looked at Storm as they retracted their hands away.

"I don't need to Mrs Andrews. Your daughter takes care of us more then anyone else. She could very well, be our next Serpent Queen." He said and Storm stared at her mom.

"I would request that you take off the jacket, but I have a feeling that Fred is the one who has already tried that. He is your family, you know." Mary said a bit worriedly.

"I know Mom. You're still my family too. You want to know the reason why I missed Dad's announcement?" She asked and Mary looked at her.

"I would like to, yes, if you could tell me. I'd like to understand." She says, a tone of voice indicating lawyer modes were incoming.

"I was helping the Serpents and the Coopers. The Coopers were under the threat of being forcibly moved out of their home, and Jughead asked me to help. I would've gone anyways, but if they hadn't let me know... the Coopers could have been on the street."

She says and then Mary hugs her extremely tightly, as soon as she had finished speaking. "You need to take care of your self. You hear me?" She whispered and Storm looked at her.

"I know Mom, and I will. But I'm not alone anymore." She says and looking at Sweet Pea over her mom's shoulder and smiles slightly. "It's not just me on my own against the world anymore."

She murmured and Mary wiped her eyes. "Take care of yourself honey. I'd die if anything bad happens to you yet again."

She said and Storm flinches, and shook her head at Sweet Pea at once, but the damage it had already been done.

"If you don't mind me asking now, whatever do you mean by that Mrs Andrews? What do you mean... about something bad?"

Sweet Pea asked and Mary's mouth was open slightly in realization and Storm's eyes, they were moving down to the floor.

"Honey, I'm sorry..." Mary began and Storm lifted up a hand to stop her and Mary stopped, from where she was in for a hug.

"It's time for you to leave now Mom. I think you and I both know." She said a bit coldly, but there was pain, beneath it all.

"Bye Stormy." Mary says as she walked out the door and Storm shakes her head as she slams the door behind her mom, and punched the wall.

"Storm stop it!" Sweet Pea caught her wrist before she could punch the wall again, and Storm shut her eyes. "What did she mean?"

He asks her gently, and instead of an answer, she gave him a hug. She leans against him, shaking hard as she cried and he hugs her.

"It's okay." He murmured and she said nothing in response to his question. "I won't laugh, I promise." He said as the two sat down on the couch bed.

"I can't. I can't tell you." She said and she was still trembling from whatever was mentally destabilizing her and he hugs her again.

"When I asked you what was keeping you up for all those nights, why you're only drinking coffee and water... Your response was always that it was just a law school. Always law school. But the school wasn't it, was it?" He asked and she shakes her head.

"We'll talk later." She murmured and he looked at her. "After opening night, we can talk. I promise I'll explain, if I can get through it all, without crying, while I do it." She mumbled.

Storm had wiped away all tracks of tears by the time she walked into the auditorium with Sweet Pea and a few other Serpents following her.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked quietly as she sat down in silence and she nods.

"Where's Fangs?" She asked and he looked around quickly as he was still standing up, standing taller then most of the students. "Isn't he, the assistant director this year?" She asked.

"That's what he told me anyways. I'm surprised that he isn't here already." It was barely a whisper, as suddenly, all of the cast was on the stage to sing the opening number, except for Midge.

"Don't you sing? Why aren't you up there?" Sweet Pea murmured and she shakes her head. "I won't ask I guess."

He murmured and then when Alice Cooper was singing and then it went all downhill, when she cued Midge to come onstage and then the curtain, it went up.

Storm ran up onto the stage immediately when she saw that Midge had been killed.

She completely ignores the message written from the Black Hood in Midge blood, and she was joined right after by the Sheriff and the other Serpents.

Who all seemed rather determined to be a help to her, even, if they were all also trying to keep their food down.