{1} Tempest {Sweet Pea}

XXXII

Storm stormed angrily into the Sheriff's station, with Sweet Pea right behind her, and intimidating anyone, who even tried to stop either of them.

"But if the Sheriff doesn't press charges in the next hour, he has to let you go." Sierra was saying, just as Storm and Sweet Pea walked in as a unit.

"There are a lot of protestors outside, Jughead. His release is going to make a lot of people in this town very, very unhappy." Sierra says.

"We didn't come alone. We brought backup. A lot of it, hopefully." She says and looked outside to find everyone was protesting now.

While some were calling for Fangs' freedom, for every person who was callin' for it there was at the very least ten more, who were calling now, out loudly for his head.

"What do we do, man?" Sweet Pea asked as Jughead somehow made it into the station without losing a limb, eye, or anything else.

"I don't wanna die." Fangs was almost crying now and Storm shook her head as Jughead looked at her and she nods at him.

"Hey. You're not going to. Look at me Fangs, okay?" Jughead says quickly as held Fangs' face, but just until the boy nodded.

"Tempest?" Jughead asked and Storm steps forward.

"We won't die tonight. None of us will, do you guys hear me?" She asked, and all of them were listening intently her face changed. This was no longer the face of a friendly lawyer, who was the badass in the court, but a friend to all.

This was no longer a badass who could beat anyone at pool, who easily beat off bullies away, from all of the people who were the bullied.

This was the leader that only the Serpents ever saw, this was the Storm that comes. This was the Tempest, the rising Storm.

"What is the first law?" She asked and they all looked to her.

"No Serpent stands alone." They chant together and she nods at them quickly, as the crowds grew closer.

"Whenever a Serpent dies or is imprisoned, we will watch over and help their families."

"No Serpent, ever shows cowardice when confronted."

"No Serpent is left for dead."

"A Serpent never betrays his own."

Storm looked at them all and nodded as the chanting from outside grew all the more louder. "We know our laws, but this isn't our ball park anymore. I have outside help coming in, but we'll still have to get Fangs out. You guys with me?" She asked and they looked at her.

"We stand together now, so that none of us falls. In unity, there is strength." Jughead says.

"In unity, there is strength!" They all shouted forcing through the crowd immediately, with FP and Jughead all leading the way and Storm shoved her way through with the others.

Suddenly there was a gunshot and Fangs fell to the ground his hand over a gunshot in his stomach, and Storm screamed to be heard, but no one was listening anymore.

She saw Sweet Pea's eyes flare up with rage and grief beyond belief as he saw Reggie and Archie lying on the ground.

She ran off to go find Archie before Sweet Pea got to him. Her phone rang and she accepted the call.

"Archie, where the hell are you? I need to find you. It's Sweet Pea, he's gone off in a grieving fury." She said as she raced off.

"I'm at the high school. Hurry, I think he's here." The line disconnects and Storm picked up her speed.

She ran right into the middle of the confrontation and found Sweet Pea in the middle of a rant.

"And Fangs is clinging to life. Whether it was Reggie or Mrs. Klump who pulls the trigger on him, it was a Northsider who put him there!" Sweet Pea shouts as Storm looks between the two sides, and shakes her head.

"You took our friend. Our land. You'll take everything if given the chance to and now... now you'll get to watch as we burn your school to the ground."

He said and then suddenly he sent a huge metal garbage can, through the display case, causing glass to shatter, flying everywhere. "Sweet Pea! Stop it! Now!" Storm shoute at him and he stops, seeming to realize that she had been standing there, the whole damn time.

"You have to listen to me. I know you're upset and I am too. But this can't be the only way to stop this! I know that the Northside took all of it from you, and now Fangs is in critical condition from it. But we can't let rage and grief rule us!" She said and then he opened his mouth again.

"Are you sure that you're not a Bulldog sympathizer now Tempest? I know I said that you're one of us, but I think that you're just saying this, to keep us from killing your brother!" He shouted at her and she flinched at his words.

"Pea, I'm a Serpent like you!" She began but he shakes his head.

"I was a fool, we all were, to believe that a Northsider, a girl no less, was a good candidate to be a Serpent. We all thought you were really one of us. But maybe you were. But, now? We really don't know who you stand with." He says and her eyes widened when she realized what he was getting at. "We all know that you can't ever be half a Serpent." That was the final knife in the chest for her and Storm looked at the switchblade that was sheathed in her hand, and she looked at him.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm not a real Serpent." She says angrily, as her voice cracked with pain, and then she threw it to the side, as she would walk away.

Sweet Pea seemed to calm down after what he said, until he realized who he had said it to.