#In that Jughead is a vampire stuck with out enough blood

[redcirce]

The Hunger, an amazing fic by @mistressofmalplaquet

[bonniebird]

Vampire!Sweet Pea x Reader

Requested by Anon​

Masterpost

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Halloween Event

Riverdale had been struck with a series of attacks. People bitten, claiming that they were used for feeding. When Alice Cooper had found out what was going on, you’d been with Betty at her house. She was working on a way to distract everyone from what was going on.

Alice had come in, pale faced, looking shocked or disgusted you weren’t sure. She’d sat at the kitchen table with you both and explained how she had just found out that the victims that died had no blood. That the ones who had survived had needed blood transfusions. The news had run through Riverdale the next day and you couldn't help but wonder if the rumors of southside vampires could be reality.

It was that reality that you were thinking about as you walked home. It had started raining before you left. Your umbrella had gotten so wet that it now dripped regretfully onto you as you tried to keep it from getting buffeted away with the wind. You paused when, over the howl of the wind, you heard someone shouting for help. 

“Bitch, I will eat you!” You heard the words called out. Fear stuck you to the floor. The attacks had stopped for a few weeks and while the cases had fascinated everyone, you’d been lulled into a false sense of security. From your posting on the path you saw someone run out of the woods up ahead. They were chased by something tall, quick and strong. It grabbed at them. Then a clap of thunder rolled overhead and lightning lit up the street.

It was Sweet Pea, close enough for you to see fangs, fangs coming from his mouth as he leered down on a person who had been tossed to the floor and was cowering beneath him. You gasped and a bolt of lighting, so bright you flinched, caused you to look away for a moment. The thunder that the lightning chased was so loud you didn’t hear him move. But when you blinked a few times and looked again, the person he’d been attacking was running away. You turned and walked smack into him.

“Swe… Sweet Pea!” You said, trying your best to not sound nervous. He smiled, the way he would have smiled if you’d tagged along with Jughead and Betty to Pop’s. 

“(Y/N)! You shouldn’t be out alone in the storm. It’s dangerous.” His smile faltered when he saw, for a moment, the withering look that you shot him. The two of you looked at each other for a second that felt like a lifetime. If your suspicions were correct then you needed to warn the others. You’d been on your way to meet Veronica and Archie.

“Oh. I know. I was just on my way to…” You trailed off. You wanted to seem as if you hadn’t noticed anything. That perhaps the rain was too heavy for you to see. Sweet Pea seemed to be thinking a similar thing.

“Well why don’t I walk you there.” He said with a grin that made you swallow. It did occur to you that you hadn’t told him where you were going. However, there wasn’t much he could do, seeing as you had people waiting for you.

“Sure.” You said as calmly as you could. He smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

[soyforramen]

“I’m not Jealous”

She wasn’t jealous.  She couldn’t be jealous.  Betty Cooper did not do jealous, especially not when it came to vampires she’d only known for a month.

And yet, it bothered her how close Toni and Jughead were.  The casual glances, the inside jokes, the hugging.  Ugh, if Betty weren’t careful, she’d turn out like her sister, chasing some incubus into the night only to return brokenhearted and bitter.  

It didn’t help how easily he’d turned on his charm - natural or supernatural though it may be - it was unnerving to see its effects on a grown woman.  It was even more disturbing to watch how quickly the nurse responded to him.  She was easily in her early sixties and yet she tittered on, fluttering her eyelashes like a schoolgirl and touching his arm ever so gently.  

His joke wasn’t even funny.

“Now remember, dear, no one but the doctors are allowed to see these.  I could get in real trouble if anyone found out, the nurse - Rosemary, according to her nameplate - faux whispered as she leaned closer to Jughead to hand him the thick file.  They were so close a puff of air would have brought them together in a kiss.

Jughead winked at her - winked? What was he, eighty? - and tapped the side of his nose.  “Our little secret, Rosie.”

He handed the file off to Betty and shifted to lean against the counter, effectively blocking her out of his little tete-a-tete.

Well, Betty huffed.  If he wanted to be like that.

She sulked past the hard plastic chairs of the records room and wandered further down the hallway into the bowels of the hospital.  When she found a quiet spot, Betty opened up the folder.  Glancing up every now and then to make sure she was still alone, she riffled through the papers of all the underground who’d been admitted to the hospital in the last three months.  Even though it was after two in the morning, something in her gut warned her of imminent doom.  Paranoid though she may be, shades and shadows had been growing at the corners of her sight, a portent that never turned out well for anyone.  

The papers were heavy with jargon, seemingly routine, but there was nothing about missing time, missing organs, or missing people.  It wasn’t unusual for the underground to turn to human medicine.  After all, most of all the major medical discoveries were made by witches or the odd beneficent fae.  Betty glanced around once more and pulled out a thin disc in the shape of a four leaf clover and muttered the words she’d cobbled together long ago - Gaelic, Germanic, and Hindi - and cracked the charm over her head.  It dissolved into dust and she let it fall across her head and shoulders.

One more turn and there at the far end of the hallway was a nurses station.  Empty save for one sour looking man at the desk who most definitely did not want to be there.

“Excuse me,” Betty said with a smile.  She forced every bit of her exasperation with Jughead into it and tried her most innocent face.  “But the copier in Records isn’t working and Rosemary sent me -“

The nurse rolled his eyes and let out a deep sigh.  “Just one copy?”

Betty nodded.  “Yes, please.  I’m sorry to trouble you, it’s just -“

He held up a hand, more interested in his phone than in her explanation.  She gave him the file and watched as he disappeared into another door.  Betty waited, worrying at her already ragged thumbnail.

Jughead had never acted like that with her.  And they’d been intimate!  Well, as intimate as one could be under the influence of a lust heightening potion (Cheryl had a strange sense of humor, according to Jughead).  Even though the potions only enhanced the feelings on already had, Jughead hadn’t brought that night up since it had happened, almost as if he were trying to forget the whole thing.  

Perhaps he was trying to forget it.  Despite the lore, male vampires normally lacked the necessary blood flow for certain acts.  Feeding and abnormally warm temperatures could increase blood flow, as could certain spells, but -

The sound of shoes squeaking their way down the hallway sent a surge of panic through Betty.  Swallowing it down, she smiled at the doctor and noted how his eyes lingered on her face.  

Then again, perhaps she just wasn’t Jughead’s type.  Blonde, smart, and sport wasn’t really what those of the darker parts of the underground usually went for.  (Sporty.  Such a strange way to describe someone.  Blonde and smart were descriptors, but sporty?)  

And it wasn’t as if Betty was short on suitors.  So why in Gaia’s green earth was she stuck on a stupid vampire who didn’t have a sense of humor and wasn’t all that nice to begin with?  He was attractive, but every vampire was.  It was just a part of their nature.  And he certainly didn’t -

Betty almost jumped out of her skin as a stack of still warm papers slammed on the counter in front of her.  The man smirked.

“Your files, ma’m.”

“Thanks,” she said, despite wanting to slip a pepper in the man’s coffee.  “Have a good night.”

Walking back through the maze of hallways, Betty slipped into a bathroom.  Making sure she was alone, Betty shoved the copy into her purse.  With some effort, she slipped the strap over her shoulder.  As she walked out she was reminded of her spell crafting classes that required her to carry giant tomes to every class.  Somehow she managed to make it back to Jughead and Rosemary without toppling over.

“Sorry it took so long!” Betty chirped.  She set the folder onto the desk in front of Rosemary and let out a laugh.  “I got lost on the way to the bathroom.”

Rosemary smiled patronizingly and took the folder from her.  “It happens to the best of us, dear.  I do hope you found out what you needed for your mother’s case.  Your good friend Cody has been telling me about it.  How tragic that they left a sponge and a watch inside of her,” she said as she patted Jughead’s arm.  

He grinned and Betty wondered what part of the joke she was missing.

“Yes I did.  You’ve been ever so helpful.”  

“Don’t mention it.  You two stay out of trouble, and remember…”. Rosemary tapped the side of her nose and winked.

Disgustingly, Jughead mimicked her actions.  It was enough to make Betty gag.  Rosemary, however, giggled at the attention.  

Ready to be done with this, with him, Betty headed towards the elevator.  She punched at the button and tapped her foot.  Betty knew she was being needlessly irritated with this whole thing - still no polly still no answers stupid vampires and stupider succubi -

With his annoyingly long legs it didn’t take but a few seconds for Jughead to catch up with her.  Betty shifted her weight away from him, wincing at the strain on her back.  Without a word, he reached out and took the purse from her.  

“You’ll throw your back out like that.”

“Oh.”  A beat, then she remembered her manners.  “Thanks.”

He nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets.  The arrival bell dinged and they stepped onto the elevator.  As they neared the bottom, he said, “Wontons?”

A hint of a smile tickled Betty’s lips and she tried to remind herself of all the reasons why she shouldn’t be charmed by him.  Just because he’d remembered that her favorite restaurant was near here even if he himself couldn’t eat human food -

“Sure.”

[lilibetts]

for Tricks and Treats of Riverdale Theme # whichever freaking one involves spooky shit like possession or whatever.

“So, what are you going to be for Halloween, Jughead?”

It was the question Jughead dreaded the most, especially coming from Betty. 

He had just gotten an afterschool job at the Twilight Drive-In and he’d been working as many hours as he possibly could on top of school and babysitting Jellybean to afford costumes for both of them. But then it turned out they were behind on the phone bill, so he spent most of his money to make sure it was paid up through the next month.

“Uh, it’s a surprise. What about you, Betty? Are you going as Nancy Drew again this year?”

She bit her lip and looked down at her shoes. “No, I decided to change things up now that we’re in high school. So I’m going as a medieval princess, kind of like Game of Thrones but not character-specific.”

Jughead was sure her choice had absolutely nothing to do with how last month Archie had announced he was going as a medieval knight. Then their indecisive friend had changed his mind and picked Spider-Man after Veronica Lodge wouldn’t stop waxing poetic about how yummy Tom Holland was.

“Cool. I guess I’ll see you later tonight?”

“You’d better!” Betty chirped, pontytail swishing violently as she skipped away. She didn’t mean that as anything more than her usual staunch commitment to kindness and friendship. And Betty was friendly with virtually everyone. Jughead sighed miserably as he watched her turn off towards her home.

Ah, the pangs of unrequited love.

He had been living with his crush on Betty Cooper for the better part of four months, which was an eternity in the timespan of a fourteen-slash-fifteen year old boy. And he’d keep living with his crush until it granted him mercy and faded. Or he died of old age. 

Whichever came first.

******************************

Betty stood before her bed, staring down at the costume she’d bought when she thought she would complement Archie’s own, and felt monumentally stupid. What if Archie hadn’t changed his mind and she showed up in this medieval princess gown? She’d look obvious. Everyone would be snickering behind her back about Betty Cooper and her pathetic crush on Archie Andrews.

There was no way she could do this.

Pulling down the ladder, Betty headed up into the attic and started going through the boxes, looking for something radically different that she could pull together at the last minute. It was in an old trunk of her mom’s that she found it: a black leather jacket. It was the last thing she expected her mom to have ever owned but her curiosity was dashed by the figurative lightbulb going off above her head. 

“Yes!” 

Back there, on the clothes rack, there’d been...yes, Polly’s Homecoming dress from last year! It was long, just a shade off-white, and perfect.

Crushes made teenage girls do stupid things, that was true, but that only made moments of determined defiance like this all the more sweeter.

**********************************

“That...is not a medieval princess.”

Jughead took in her outfit with raised eyebrows.

“Well spotted, Jughead.” She smiled even as she rolled her eyes at him. “For your information I am Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It’s actually perfect because her name is Buffy Anne and Buffy is a variation of Elizabeth and—”

“—and your middle name is Ann.”

“I didn’t think you remembered my middle name, Juggie.”

“Well I do. Not much escapes this steel trap here.” He rapped his knuckles against his forehead. “Interesting prop you have there, Buffy Cooper.”

She held the wooden stake aloft. “I didn’t have a crossbow lying around, but I did find enough in the garage to fashion myself a stake.” Then she looked him up and down. “You do look rather dashing, Sir Juggie.”

She didn’t mention that his costume had been Archie’s first, one of the many acts of charity from the Andrews family. He was mostly grateful that Betty had changed hers, so that he didn’t seem obviously, pathetically in love with her by matching. 

They were two years too young for couples costumes.

And y’know...not actually together.

************************************

Betty wasn’t entirely aware of it happening. One moment, she was laughing and crossing the street with Jughead, Archie, and Veronica, surrounded by dozens of other trick-or-treaters, the next she was holding her stake at the ready and keeping a careful eye on the four year-old vampire hissing as he ran at a shrieking fairy. 

She managed to fly away and the baby vamp’s mother grabbed ahold of him. “I VANT TO SUCK YOUR BLOOD! I VANT! I VANT!” He screeched as he kicked and struggled in vain to free himself.

A woman stood in the middle of the street, hysterically crying as she cradled a giant halved avocado. 

Demons, small skeletons, and ghouls of all sorts were running after confused and terrified adults, only for their attacks to be thwarted by a legion of mini superheros. A tiny Captain America with a star-spangled tutu flung her shield at a troll and knocked it out cold.

A bear wearing a blue-and-gold letterman jacket charged down the street and the strange boy crouched next to her...who was apparently Spider-Man...leaped away, slinging webs at the houses as he went. The bear continued to chase him and so Buffy shrugged and turned her attention to the zombies lumbering at a group of scared parents.

No sooner had she slammed one down into the concrete than a dashing knight with a black and gold cape and a sword came to her rescue and dispatched the second zombie. The third found himself floating in the air helplessly while a raven-haired girl with glasses, some kind of private-school uniform, and a purple/black tie pointed a wand at it.

Buffy spun her stake with her fingers and addressed the dark-haired knight wearing, of all things, a gray crown beanie. “Thanks. I’m not usually the damsel type, even if I’m frequently distressed. But if knights in shining armor look like you, then feel free to rescue me anytime.”

“You wouldn’t need to ask, my lady.” The knight bowed low. “If I may ask, what are you called?”

“Me? I’m Buffy Summers.”

“I wouldn’t dare be so familiar. I shall call you Lady Elizabeth.”

Buffy shrugged. “I don’t think anyone’s ever called me a lady, but sure, let’s go with that. And what do they call you, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Delicious?”

“Prince Forsythe Pendleton Jones, the third.”

She whistled. “Sounds like a mouthful.”

He sheathed his sword and gave her a wink and a charming smile. Butterflies erupted in Buffy’s stomach, and for once, it wasn’t monster-related cramps.

********************

Prince Forsythe could hardly tear his eyes away from the strange woman who looked like a princess and yet fought the droves of warped creatures at his side like a warrior. She was clever and very forward. 

“You know,” she said after sending a werewolf flying into some nearby bushes. “It’s kind of a thing around these parts for two warriors to share a kiss after emerging victorious in battle.”

Very forward.

After growing up around the palace and the constraints upon behavior between men and women, Forsythe found Buf- Lady Elizabeth refreshing. “That could be arranged, my lady.”

He tapped the pommel of his sword against the mangled gray skull of...hell, he didn’t have the faintest clue what that being was. But small as it was, it kept growling and trying to eat someone’s pet dog.

The witch with the indecent dress length stuck her finger in the air. “Merlin’s Beard, I’ve got it! I know who the Dark Lord is that’s casted a spell on all of us! You two, hold them off while I duel with Mr. Honey. You! Ginger girl with the candelabra? Keep on running across the lawns, lead the rest of them away!” 

Forsythe twisted around and spotted the lady with flowing red locks and an elaborate nightrail, rushing across the green holding a three-pronged candlestick aloft. 

Lady Elizabeth turned back to him. “FYI, I better be the only one you’re My Lady-ing, because I’m definitely a one-prince woman.” She executed a peculiar spinning kick that was all lethal grace and a sinister red-horned devil became entangled in an enormous spider’s web.

“Of course!” He shot back, insulted that she would think so low of him. “I’m no scoundrel!”

When Lady Elizabeth smiled at him then, it was as if the dark clouds that always followed him had parted, and there shone the sun.

They dispatched the last of the hostile creatures, with the assistance of other tiny, brightly colored warriors, and one very small princess with no qualms about using her scepter as a hammer.

The battle finished, Forsythe drove his sword into the ground and curled his arms around his Lady Buffy, dipping her backwards in a hard and exuberant kiss.

*****************************

Buffy curled her arms around her prince in gray beanie and kissed him back just as enthusiastically. Had she ever had a kiss like this before? Maybe it’d just been so long because of the pressures of being a Slayer. It was hard to have a normal dating life when you had to vanquish the forces of evil every other week, and then pass pop quizzes. 

His lips were so soft against hers, and she felt the tingling all the way down to her toes. Betty gasped against Jughead’s lips, her head feeling strangely fuzzy all of the sudden.

She froze.

Jughead’s lips?

Her eyes flew open, only to see equally startled blue ones staring back at her.

They sprang apart, gaping at each other as they tried to make sense of what had just happened. Betty wasn’t sure how to feel about this development—maybe she was still half in love with Archie, but right now she didn’t exactly feel horrified that she’d kissed Jughead Jones and liked it. A lot.

Jughead didn’t look grossed out either.

They were still staring at each other when Veronica came storming out of a yellow craftsman house down the street, fuming. “Honestly, if you’re going to go around calling yourself ‘Mr. Honey’ that’s pretty much a giant advertisement that the one thing that’ll defeat you is summoning a spray of vinegar!”

Archie limped over to them, mask in hand and his costume torn in several spots. An embarrassed Moose Mason, shirtless save for his ripped jeans and letterman jacket, was a few paces behind.

**********************************

Jughead was doing his best to not be too hopeful about the shy smiles Betty was shooting his way even as they were joined by their friends. Even Cheryl, who glared at them as she stomped past.

“Oh, Bettykins,” Veronica murmured, hugging her best friend. “I’ll never make fun of you and your love of sleuthing ever again.”

“Vindication!” Betty playfully hissed out.

Archie groaned. “I don’t know about you guys, but I think I’ve had enough of tricks. Let’s go back to mine and treat ourselves to more greasy pizza and fizzy pop.”

Everyone else readily agreed and they started the trek back to the Andrewses. Jughead fished his cell phone out of his pocket and called his mom to check in on her and Jellybean. Both were fine, but his mom was exhausted from chasing ‘Jelly-cat’ all over the Southside.

One block away from Elm street, Betty dropped behind the other three and linked arms with him. Something fluttered in his chest when she grinned over at him.

“So, Prince Forsythe, any regrets about your choice of costume?”

“You know, all things considered, I have to say none at all, Lady Buffy. And you?”

“I don’t know, I have a feeling I’d still have kicked ass as Princess Elizabeth of House Cooper,” she mused.

“No question about it. Shall we, my badass lady? I’ll share a cheese pizza with you.”

“Have more romantic words ever been spoken?” Betty giggled, her arm tightening in his. “Lead on, my brave prince.” 

All in all, it wasn’t that bad of a Halloween. Everyone was mad at the Daeneryses who had ordered their tiny dragons to burn a bunch of the candy (and some houses). The mayor blamed the incident on hallucinogenic drugs being leaked into the water system. Veronica did not handle the lack of recognition for her efforts well. Archie and Moose winced whenever the word ‘bear’ were so much as mentioned. 

And Betty? Starting the following Monday at school, she started waiting at the corner of Dillon and Main for him, so they could walk the rest of the way together. 

Maybe hope wasn’t just for fools after all, even ones named Jughead Jones.

[constant-fandom-migrator]

Sweetwater Revenge: A Choni AU

A Riverdale AU in which the Blossoms are a very old vampire family and the serpents are vampire hunters. With a peace treaty between the Blossoms and the serpents, all seems calm. That is until the ghoulies, an insane breed of vampires, begin to push their way into town. Shocking murders rock the town, but is it vampires, or is it someone out for revenge? On the other side of things is the Lodge family, still buying up land with a different, but sinister, plan.

Choni is the main focus of the story, enemies to lovers type deal. All other characters are treated appropriately.

ao3

CHAPTER 1

Riverdale was the town with pep! At least that’s what the faded sign on the town border said. In reality, the town was far more ominous than advertised. Darkness clung to everything in sight. The people, the places and, of course, all the ill formed alliances, were all shrouded in mystery. That mystery being several hundred years in the making.

Over the years the town became divided as more people failed to see eye to eye. It was understandable, given the circumstances. While most towns grappleed only with politics and poverty, Riverdale was forced to deal with something far more sinister, death.

The sprawling Thornhill Mansion on the highest hill served as a constant reminder of the terrible truth. Etched on the rusting gates was the phrase“Radices Currere Abyssi.” It was an old Latin phrase for Roots Run Deep. Those roots were deeper than anyone but the Blossom’s knew. As the founders of the town, the Blossom family owned much of the town, including Thornhill.

Most people considered Thornhill to be a home of horrors, haunted not by ghosts, but by the living. Though, some would disagree with the word living. It didn’t really apply, at least not to the Blossoms.

The town, and more specifically the residents of Thornhill had a secret. Vampires were not only real, but they owned most of the town. They weren’t vampires in the sense that they glittered in the sun and were tentative friends with werewolves. Rather, they were the sort that had a blood cellar instead of a wine cellar, and were remarkably old. No one had an exact number, but they founded Riverdale nearly 250 years prior. They also had been rumored to be around several centuries before then.

This was a difficult concept for newcomers to grasp. As such, most of the town consisted of the original families that settled there just after Riverdale’s founding.

The main families were the Blossoms, Coopers, Andrews and Lodges. The Lodge family was the sole family to actually leave Riverdale, but like most others they returned.

Riverdale was a magnet forged by demons themselves. It didn't matter that most town’s didn't have vampires or mysterious deaths. It was a town comparable to no other, a piece of it living inside each resident. No one stayed gone, not for long.

                                                         * * *

It was an exciting day for the people of Riverdale. The high school specifically was abuzz with rumours of the new arrivals. The Lodge family, though one of the original families of Riverdale, had been in New York for nearly twenty years. It marked the longest departure of the original families.

Hermione and Hiram Lodge had a daughter, Veronica, while in New York. After some legal trouble, the disgraced family decided to return to their humble roots. That's what was exciting people the most. The older folks in town knew Hermione and Hiram, but no one knew what to expect from Veronica.

Betty, of the Cooper family, was first to break the news in the school paper. It didn't take long before all of Riverdale followed the peppy blonde’s lead, trading rumours like it was a new form of currency.

It was no secret that the Blossom family both owned and ran the small town, located on the scenic edge of Sweetwater River. However, the Lodges had made a name for themselves in New York, and a showdown was inevitable.

People already knew a lot about the Lodges. For instance, Hiram and his wife started Lodge Industries together. Carefully and over time, they wove a tangled webb of various businesses, some legitimate, some not.

It was some of their earlier businesses that finally caught up with them, landing Hiram behind bars. Though, just like with everything else, money was key. After only six months in jail, he was released. Following the advice of their many lawyers, they decided to start over in Riverdale.

It wasn’t until eight thirty a.m on a breezy Tuesday morning that the news finally felt real. With the front door to Riverdale High slammed open, in came a girl with dark black hair, a neatly pressed skirt matched with a ruffled blouse and elegant string of pearls around her neck. Veronica Lodge had arrived.

Silence engulfed the crowd of onlookers until Betty stepped up with an outstretched hand and her swinging signature ponytail.

The two could not have appeared more differently. Betty with her pink cardigan and comfortable jeans, next to Veronica and her oversized sunglasses and razor sharp high heels. Anyone who knew Betty would tell you she wasn’t afraid of anything. So with a smile, she announced, “Hello, I’m Betty. Welcome to Riverdale.”  

Veronica made a show of removing her glasses and gripping Betty’s outstretched hand. “Hello to you. As I’m sure you know, I’m Veronica Lodge.”

With a smile, Betty released her hand. “Yes, we were expecting you today. Can I take you to the office? You can pick up your schedule and locker number there.”

“Of course” She responded quickly, with an eye on something behind Betty. “Maybe along the way you could tell me about that red hunk of handsome.”

Turning, Betty saw none other than Archie Andrews. He was her best friend and nextdoor neighbour. He was sweet, and the closest thing to selfless a person could be. She didn’t much like the idea of introducing the two just yet.

On the way to the office, they ran intoto Kevin Keller, king of snappy comebacks and stating the obvious. He was a good friend of Betty’s, but as Veronica so animatedly offered to take him in as her best gay, she grew quickly weary of the newcomer.

It wasn't until after escorting her to the office that they ran into her worst fear, Cheryl Blossom.

Everybody was aware of who and what the Blossoms were, but generally didn’t speak on it. It was best to stay out of their way and, when necessary, give them what they wanted.

Cheryl’s striking red hair seemed to light her milky white skin on fire while her eyes felt as if they went through anything she chose to glance at. She moved abnormally quickly, but not enough to make obvious what she was.

What gave her away the most was the way she seemed to float rather than walk. Sure her fit actually touched the ground, but did so in a way that Cheryl appeared weightless.

Stepping to the side, in order to not be between them, Betty made quick introductions.

“Veronica, this is Cheryl. She is captain of the vixens, our decorated cheer squad.”

Cheryl chuckled menacingly, lacing her fingers together. “Oh sweet Betty, you know I’m far more than a mere cheer captain. I run this school and my family runs this town. Be warned, daughter of a sleazy conman, no one gets in my way.”

Crossing her arms, Veronica fired back, “I didn’t realize you and the rest of your blood thieving family could even venture outside during the day.”

“There is a lot you don’t know about my family, and if I were you, I would keep it that way.”

Neither looked like they were going to back down when, like a saint on a mission, Jughead Jones swooped in. Flannel shirt around his waist and pin decorated beanie cut in the shape of a crown, made him stand out in a crowd. His distracting presence was sorely needed.

“Whats up ladies?”

“No one was talking to you, hobo.” Cheryl replied coldly.

Veronica took a different route, with a sickly sweet voice and fluttering eyelashes.

“You are a welcome break from the Anne Rice novel I seem to have gotten stuck in. Hello there, I’m Veronica.”

“Charmed” Jughead said, failing to hide the sarcasm. “Betty, are we still on for Pop’s later?”

“I’ve lost interest in this sidebar.” Cheryl flipped her hair and floated away.

Betty chose to ignore them and only answer Jug, “Yeah, and how’s your dad?”

“Oh he’s fine, you know him, not even a Ghoulie can take him out.”

“That’s good Jug, I’ll see you later. I’m going to show Veronica to her first class.”

“Yes, dogooder Betty, on her first mission of the day.” Jughead gave an awkward bow and narrowly avoided Betty’s playful smack.

When they finally arrived at the classroom, Veronica boldly asked, “What’s a ghoulie?”

Betty thought for a moment, trying to figure out a short but accurate answer. “They are like the Blossoms, but much worse. Compared to them, the Blossoms are basically as human as you or I.”

Veronica nodded, but still looked confused, as she should be. Even Betty, who lived in Riverdale her whole life, couldn't fully explain or understand the ghoulies. They were vile, insane creatures that masquerades as a local gang. Of course they were not to be confused with the serpents. Sure they also wore leather and caused their fare share of chaos, but they were human and,  most, had morals.

For the moment, that was all Veronica needed to know. After all, she was new and not many people should be trusted in Riverdale.

                                                         * * *

Toni’s day was going much like any other. Wake up, go to school, cause a bit of mayhem, and end up at the south side bar, The Whyt Wyrm. Even being in the serpents had become more about going through the motions than anything else.

She had been lured into the gang because of her grandpa’s tall tales of vampires running wild and the small group of indigenous people that fought back with the only known weapon, the venom of a massasauga. Only the venom of that particular serpent could take down even the strongest vampire. For safety, a group of men began to gather regularly and used to the venom to take out any vampire preying on their tribe. They called themselves the serpents and her history began.

After the peace treaty with the Blossoms, nearly forty years prior, things quieted for the serpents. The peace treaty only covered the Blossom family, all other vampires that came near their land were still up for grabs.

Toni had never met a Blossom, mostly because the peace treaty only meant a cease fire, not that old wounds were healed or that there was even any understanding. They were still the enemy, and that was fine by her.

The ghoulies were both a whole different story and breed. While the Blossoms drank only from blood bags and willing donors, the ghoulies drained anything human. Whether it was a man, woman or child, they weren’t picky and never left an ounce of blood to spare.

The serpents managed to keep them out of Riverdale, both the north and south side up until that point. Rumours of them growing restless, however, had been confirmed when several ghoulies were spotted circling the perimeter of Riverdale.  For the moment, all the serpents could do was keep a close eye on them. Some members wanted to go after them, but most realized their dwindling numbers would not produce a victory for them.

Her days of checking on ghoulies and pouring beers were shaken up when FP, king of the serpents, announced they had been paid off for a simple job. They were asked to takeover and trash the drive in theater. It was true that the job wasn’t exactly usual for them, but it seemed simple enough and they were all low on cash. Toni figured it was as good a job as any. She could use a break from the monotony, and trouble was her favorite extra curricular.

For the north side, there was nothing better to do than a movie at the drive in and a milkshake at Pop’s. For the south side, there was nothing better to do than bother the north side. They had a funny relationship that way.

Unlike a lot of the southside, Toni didn’t hold any ill will against the people of the north side. Sure they were annoying, stuck up and had a nasty case of tunnel-vision, but they never did anything specifically against her.

So while she was happy to pester them in the name of fun, thats where Toni drew the line. She joined the serpents to protect people from the ghoulies, not deal drugs and rob the north side. The serpents had lost their way, and she wasn’t yet in a position to point that out.

Instead, like the good soldier she was, Toni marched into the drive in, large bucket of popcorn to toss and orders to bug as many people as possible.