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Blossom Vs. The Sisters of Quiet Mercy

Summary:

After having endured many traumas from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and struggled quietly with only the soft words of Toni Topaz to comfort her, Cheryl decides to shut the Sisters of Quiet Mercy down once and for all, freeing her from her past and saving others from the horror story that is the Sisters.

Notes:

alright, this is a rather odd fic, so bear with me. it'll be pretty short, probably with only eight or nine chapters. it follows the canon picking up at the beginning of season three (there's no gryphons and gargoyles bc i think that's stupid) the entire fic pretty much revolves around the court case and how it affects everyone in riverdale, meaning just about every character is utilized. kevin and moose (koose? mevin?) were not a ship i expected to ever write for, but given i felt their relationship aligns well with the plot they'll be given a pretty hefty spotlight at times, though, remember this is centered around cheryl's trial so she and choni will be in every chapter obv. i also am realistically in no way eligible for writing this kind of fic, i tried my best to learn how this type of accusation would go, but inaccuracies are very likely and i would greatly appreciate if you could point any glaring ones out to me so i can correct them, anyways hope you enjoy! also lots of mentions of conversion therapy, homophobia, etc. if that kind of thing triggers you, this prob isn't the best fic for you.

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Red shoes sit on the beach being covered in sand, discarded by their owner. Her heels are planted in the water, toes pointing toward the blue sky. Red hair cascades down her back in waves while pale fingers trace through the pink hair of the girl’s head resting in her lap.

Silence only is disturbed by the rush of the river and the birds singing. She stares down at the girl looking up at her, a smile forming on her red lips at the sight. She holds her thumb to the girl’s lips, softly tracing the shape of them.

“I love you,” she says quietly and the girl grins up at her, adoration gleaming in her eyes. She reaches up to caress her pale cheek, causing the other’s lips to curl up even more.

“Do you love me?” The girl sits up carefully, grains of sand falling off of her back. She lifts her hand up to the girl’s cheek, caressing it delicately and tenderly. Full lips are brought gently to her forehead to plant a soft kiss and then another kiss is brought down to her nose. She holds the redheaded girl’s face in her hands and she can see forever shining ever so brightly in her eyes. She brings her lips to the other girl’s, meeting for a gentle kiss. She pulls back and intertwines the other girl’s pale fingers within her own. Tracing circles on the back of her hand she smiles and says sweetly, “Of course not.”

Her red lips curl into a frown, confused by her response. “What?” She asks warily, the other girl smiles, caressing the frowning girl’s face. “You’re only supposed to say ‘I love you’ if you mean it. And how could I possibly mean it?”

The girl’s mouth opens and closes, searching for what to say. A strong wave rolls onto the shore and up her legs, sending a chill up her body. A brown hand finds itself on her thigh, it’s thumb moving carefully along her skin. “You don’t mean it either. You couldn’t possibly love anyone. Not since Jason.”

“That’s not true.” She lifts her knees up to her chest, the girl’s hand falling to her side. She closes her eyes hard, willing herself not to cry. The birds go silent, the waves stop roaring, and she no longer feels the cool breeze.

She opens her eyes and she’s no longer on the beach. She sits on the floor next to a bed made of nails. Concrete walls surround her, all four completely void of anything recognizable. Nothing but a small trace of blood on one of them. The room is tiny and there’s no door. She frowns, trying to work out exactly where she is.

She stands slowly. There’s a small window with metal bars in it to her left. She grabs the bars and tries to pull her head up to see outside. She jumps up, but there’s nothing outside. The window only leads to emptiness, void of any light.

She realizes suddenly that she’s trapped. She’s alone. Her eyes frantically search the room. She needs to get out.

She needs to get out.

She knows if she stays here something bad will happen. She doesn’t know what, but the way her hair stands up on the back of her neck and the way her palms start to sweat let her know that something will happen. She runs her hand upon the wall looking for something, anything to get out. There’s nothing. She drops to the floor looking to see if there’s anything under the bed. There’s nothing.

She needs to get out.

She starts breathing heavy, her heart racing. She hears a girl scream somewhere far away and footsteps echo in the distance. Her hands are shaking and her knees feel like they might buckle at any moment.

She jumps up to the window again. Nothing. She traces her hand on the wall again. Nothing. She looks under the bed again. Nothing.

God, these perfectly white walls are so ominous, so terrifying. The blinking light on the ceiling seems to be laughing at her, perfectly in sync with her rapid heartbeat.

She hears the scream again. Louder. Longer. It isn’t stopping. She isn’t stopping. Her screaming is shredding her ears. There are footsteps right outside the wall. They’re so loud. Why are they so loud?

The girl is still screaming. Why won’t she stop?

The window. Nothing. The wall. Nothing. The bed. Nothing.

She needs to get out.

There are more people screaming now. She can’t hear anything but them. She puts her hands to her ears desperately. She drops to her knees, pressing harder into her ears. The footsteps are back, barely audible above the screams. They’re close.

They’re coming .

She screams as loud as she can. Her throat is sore, her ears feel like they’re being torn apart. She screams louder. She quickly jumps up and starts banging against the wall desperately.

Her fists are starting to bleed but she can’t stop.

She needs to get out.

Everything goes quiet. The voices stop. The footsteps are gone. She stops screaming and stops hitting the wall to listen. Her breathing is still heavy, her hands are still shaking, but it’s silent.

It’s calm. She leans against the wall in a feeble effort to steady herself. She’s okay. It’s okay. It’s silent.

She turns around and there are two people in her room. She knows them. They’re going to hurt her. She knows it. She frantically looks for something to help her, but there’s nothing. She tenses up and starts rubbing her earlobe in an effort to calm herself. She closes her eyes desperately as though that would stop whatever’s about to come next.

They’re yelling at her. She can’t understand them. They’re yelling and yelling and yelling. The sound is deafening, their words like daggers in her skin, vibrating among the room, shaking the walls. She can tell they’re getting closer, and she’s backed up in the corner. She tries to scream, but she can’t make a sound.

They hate her. They hate her. Oh God, they’re gonna hurt her.

She needs to get out.

One grabs her roughly and pulls her face towards him, her eyes instinctively open to see an unshaven face with unkempt hair and yellow, crooked teeth. “You’re disgusting. You’ll never be happy living like this. You must follow the light of the Lord.” She shakes her head, tears streaming down her face. She looks at the ground as he shakes her harder. He pushes her against the wall and she cries out in pain. “You need to wake up! Cheryl, you need to wake up!” She braces herself for what’s about to come next. She closes her eyes and tries to scream but no sound comes out. She’s shaking hard, she can’t breathe.

“You need to wake up!"

She screams and this time she can hear herself. Her eyes are still shut. Arms are wrapped around her.

Oh God, they’re gonna hurt her.

She desperately tries to leave their hold. Something bad is going to happen. She’s shaking so intensely she may as well be having a seizure, but she needs to get away. There are words being spoken in her ear, but she can’t hear what they’re saying because she can’t fucking breathe. She keeps screaming, growing louder with each stroke down her back, and there’s snot running down her face. There are still arms around her and she swears they’re suffocating her. She kicks and desperately tries to wriggle out of their grip.

“Sweetheart, you’re alright, okay? Shh, you’re okay.” She opens her eyes and sees her girlfriend worriedly staring at her, arms around her comfortingly rubbing her back. She’s not there anymore. She’s on a bed, somewhere else. Thistlehouse. She’s home.

“In and out, Cher. With me. One big breath in, and one out.” She follows Toni’s instructions, breathing with her.

In for four. Hold for seven. Out for eight.

In for four. Hold for seven. Out for eight.

She grabs Toni tight and buries her head into her neck while Toni continues whispering sweet nothings into her ear, occasionally kissing her sweat-covered forehead.

She’s okay. She’s with Toni. No one can hurt her. Toni is here. She’s on her bed in her home. She can leave if she wants to. The door is open. She can see a light on in the hallway. The light is on because Toni is afraid of the dark. And Toni is afraid of the dark because when she was younger someone broke into her trailer and shot her dad. Toni lives with her now.

She’s home .

She can leave if she wants to.

She’s fine .

 

~~~

 

“So, Veronica, how are things with Archie?” Cheryl asks from inside a booth in Pop's. Cheryl has started spending more time with her friends. She finds their company much more enjoyable then she had previously thought they would be.

“Weird.” She pauses briefly to take a sip of her milkshake. “He’s in juvie . What do you expect?”

“I suppose it would be rather weird dating a prison rat.” Veronica laughs, though there’s a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“Enough about me and my prisoner beau, how are you and Toni doing?” Cheryl smiles brightly. She adores talking about Toni, which just about everyone in town knows. Cheryl constantly talks about Toni, from the silly face she made while they were playing Monopoly to the way she kicked some Ghoulie’s ass. At first, her excessive gushing was her trying to desperately fake her pride despite her painful lack of it.

Now, it was simply because she utterly cherishes Toni. Cheryl practically worships Toni, just about kisses the very ground she walks on. Toni is just so heavenly, the perfect example of purity and sacredness, she’s simply the very definition of divinity.

“Toni and I are doing wonderfully. She’s… absolutely spectacular. She makes me feel so many things. Just so happy .” She pauses, thinking carefully about her next words, “It’s like, I look at her and nothing else matters. It’s like time stops and the only thing I think about is her. Her pretty smile and prettier eyes. And she’s so passionate about everything, even the mundane. And so fiercely loyal and caring. She’s just… I just… I think I’m in love with her, Ronnie.”

Her proclamation of love is said quietly and quickly. Her vulnerability obvious in her worrisome eyes and tense posture. Veronica eyes her carefully, grinning widely. She is clearly delighted to see the redhead admit her love for her girlfriend. Veronica has and always will be the number one choni shipper, as she proudly tells everyone.

“That’s the least shocking thing I’ve heard in weeks,” she says, giggling. Cheryl rolls her eyes at her amusing response. Veronica regains her posture, growing serious. “Have you told her yet?”

Cheryl frowns. She and Toni have been dating for almost three months, and Cheryl’s been sure she loves her for about half of that time. She just isn’t quite sure when the proper time is to tell someone those words. She’s never been in a relationship, and Google just tells her to trust her gut, which to Cheryl is ridiculous as her gut is completely baseless and often irrational.

“I have not. I’ve been wanting to for a while, but I’m just worried she won’t feel the same way, and I don’t want things to be like you and the ginger stooge.” She dips a fry into her milkshake and takes a bite.

“Oh, spare me the self-deprecation. Antoinette Topaz is madly in love with you, Cher. Anyone can see that.” Cheryl smiles at the thought. She really hopes Veronica is right because she doesn’t know how much longer she can keep it in.

“Either way, I’ve been super stressed lately. I don’t want to accidentally profess my love to Toni too early. I don’t want her to think I have an obsession of sorts.” The last thing Cheryl needs is a repeat of the Josie incident. She’d rather die than go through the guilt associated with that mess again. “Loving someone is far from obsession, Cheryl.”

Sher rolls her eyes, “I, of all people, am quite aware of what defines obsession, Veronica.” She takes another sip of her milkshake. Veronica shifts uncomfortably in her seat.

The two sit like that for a few moments, before Cheryl breaks the silence, “Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and my mother.” Cheryl leans back in her seat, while Veronica leans forward, frowning.

“What do you mean by ‘thinking’? Because if you think that loving Toni is wrong then I am going to have to-”

“No, you buffoon. I am perfectly content with my same-sex attraction. I am offended, however, that you would assume such a thing despite me being in a relationship with Toni for months and confessing my love for her mere seconds ago,” she interrupts annoyed by Veronica’s assumption.

“I was just making sure, okay?” Veronica says, putting her hands up innocently. “Anyway, what I was trying to say is that I went through years of listening to my mother berate me and was sent to a ghoulish nunnery all for loving someone.” She sighs dramatically. She can easily see the compassion in Veronica’s eyes forming from her statement.

“And now, I’ve lost everyone in my family, except for cousin Betty, respectively. And, I don’t know, it’d be impossible for me not to feel some way about that.” She takes another sip of her strawberry milkshake, relishing in the flavor, rather than the look of pity and concern in Veronica’s eyes. Veronica stays silent, waiting for Cheryl to continue.

“It just feels as though I’ve lost, somehow. And from that, it’s caused me to reflect on the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and the cruel happenings there, and… I want to shut them down. I don’t want other kids to go through the same thing I have, and I think it could bring me some closure, perhaps.” Veronica’s eyes widen in surprise, not at all expecting the conversation to take that turn.

“I think that’s a great idea, Cheryl.”

 

~~~

 

There are three things Moose loves: his family, his friends, and football. He loves running on the open field, the feel of the ball in his hands, people cheering loud as he scores a touchdown. He loves it.

Football courses through Moose’s veins. The game provides a team, a family. The bond Moose has with his teammates is one only football players understand. They’re loyal to each other. They know everything about each other, all the ins and outs. They need to be able to tell whether someone is going to turn right or left, and exactly when they’re going to speed up. They practically have to read each other’s minds.

Football isn’t just a game, it’s a life.

It’s hours spent on the couch yelling for your team. It’s pantsing the freshman in the locker room. It’s getting a free dinner from the local diner for being the town heroes. If you play football, you have to be all in.

And Moose is. He spends all of his time playing football, watching football, and hanging with his teammates.

Well, when he’s not with Kevin.

Moose has an admittedly weird relationship with Kevin. They first started their thing at the beginning of sophomore year. Moose and Kevin had found themselves alone at Sweetwater River - a position they’d find themselves in many times in the future - when Kevin kept brushing against his arm and Moose kept staring at his lips and then they made out. They started meeting there more often, having casual makeout sessions by the river’s edge.

Moose hated it. He really hated how he felt for Kevin. It wasn’t how he was supposed to feel. For fuck’s sake, he was a football player. And gay guys are just so different from Moose. He’s all-American and they’re just so girly . Moose just couldn’t be grouped with them, he’s got a reputation to uphold, a future, a dream. Kevin gets in the way of that.

And so, Moose dated Midge for a while. It wasn’t uncommon for Kevin to accuse him of faking his relationship to stay in the closet, and it wouldn’t be a total lie to say he wasn’t. Their first date did stem from Moose needing a girlfriend to remind himself of who he is. Or rather, who he wants to be. And maybe he didn’t like her much at first, but that was only the beginning. He did really like Midge after a few weeks. He cherished her actually.

They went on weekly dates to Pop’s and Midge would come over to his house after and watch stupid movies on Netflix. She did this thing with her nose when she was annoyed that Moose absolutely savored. She always talked about musicals. She constantly made him watch them even when he refused. He ended up growing to love them.

The two would sing and dance to the Grease soundtrack and he’d spin her around and she’d smile in this way that made his stomach do flips. He’d always make her swear to never to tell the boys he liked musicals and she’d pinky promise before he’d take her hands and kiss her lips softly.

He doesn’t like them now.

When Midge died Moose had never felt so much pain. Every time he so much as breathed it felt like his heart would burst out of his chest. For so long, he’d go to his room and just sob into his pillow. Sometimes, his dad would knock on his door and try to cheer him up in the way dads do. The number of times he’d been called ‘sport’ that month was uncountable.

He couldn’t get the image of her out of his head. He’d think about a date at the Bijou and then he’d see her up on that stage dead. All those knives, God there was so much blood . Midge’s ghost haunts him, she’s just always there.

But, yet, Moose is still ever so alone.

That’s why Moose went back to Kevin. He just needed someone, anyone, to keep him on Earth. To get Midge out of his head. He needed a shoulder to cry on and lips that sometimes felt like Midge’s. And Kevin knew that he was a rebound and - bless his heart - still didn’t care.

Now it’s been four months. Midge doesn’t stare ominously at Moose when he’s trying to take a math test, and Kevin doesn’t feel like a distraction anymore. In fact, now, not having Kevin around is a distraction. Moose thinks he may have fallen for him in the last few months.

Moose really likes Kevin. He really does. He likes everything about him. He likes how it feels to kiss him. He likes how he feels in his arms. He likes his hair and his eyes. He even likes his nerdy action figures and obsession with Dungeons and Dragons.

Kevin has been trying to get Moose to come out, and Moose doesn’t have the heart to fight with him, but he can’t let their relationship be anything but a secret yet. Moose can’t stand the idea of his friends thinking of him differently, of them not trusting him as much as they did when Moose was dating Midge. Trust is the most important part of football after all.

Football isn’t just a game, it’s a life and the last thing Moose wants is Kevin ruining that for him.

He’s not scared of whether or not his friends will support him (he’s pretty sure they will to some extent), he’s scared of the small things. He’s scared of locker room talk excluding gay jokes when he’s around or his friends watching their tongue. When Moose walks into the locker room he doesn’t want his teammates to stop talking about who bangs what chick or trying to decide who the hottest girl in Riverdale is or betting on who could get a threesome with Cheryl and Toni.

He doesn’t want things to change.

He wants to be out and proud with Kevin. He wants everyone to know how much he likes him. He wants to go to parties with Reggie and Josie without Reggie trying to find him a girl to “get down and dirty with.” He wants the guys to tease him just as much as they would if he was head-over-heels for a girl. He wants everyone to ignore the fact that he fell for a boy.

Kevin and Moose sit at a Burger King table that’s two towns over from Riverdale. They each are eating a burger hungrily after having an eventful afternoon in Kevin’s bedroom.

Kevin sets his food down warily and takes a deep breath.

“Moose, I don’t know how much longer I can keep this a secret.” He grimaces at those words. He’s pretty sure that Kevin wouldn’t break up with him, but he also knows how much their arrangement hurts him. He knows that what Kevin wants more than anything is to flaunt their relationship. He knows that he wants to brag to Betty about how his boyfriend is hotter than hers. Kevin wants to walk down the hallway arms linked and heads high. Fuck, Moose wants that too.

But he just can’t.

“I know, Kev, and I will… but I just need some more time-”

“That’s what you always say, but I can’t keep this a secret for much longer. Please understand that I need to be able to talk to you at school, and I need to be able to complain to someone about you when you do something wrong. I can’t be your dirty little secret forever.”

Moose feels as though he’s being ripped in half, his fear of judgment and his need for happiness are pulling him apart. “Look, I’m just scared, okay? I don’t know how my parents will react and I don’t want my teammates to think I’m some gay freak”

“But you are! They’re going to think you’re some gay freak because you just had your tongue down my throat five minutes ago!” Kevin shouts, drawing attention to their table. Moose frantically searches the joint to make sure no one he knows is there before he says anything.

“That’s the problem, Kev. I just want shit to be the same as when I was dating Midge.” He tries to keep his voice down, hoping Kevin will follow suit. The last thing he needs is for Kevin to shout more embarrassing things.

“It’s not going to be that way, Moose. You need to learn to put your happiness over people’s opinions of you.” Moose sighs, unable to respond. Oh, how Moose wishes he could just be . He just can’t stop thinking about what people will think, what people will say. “Kev, can we just focus on right now, us together,” he says brightly and reaches across the table for Kevin’s hand. He tries to cast Kevin a smile in an effort to lighten the mood. Kevin doesn’t respond, merely interlocks their fingers and eats a fry with disappointment dancing in his eyes.

He does want to be with Kevin, but everyone else wants different things. His dad has his whole future essentially planned out. His teammates, his family, everyone, they all want him to be someone else. They want him to play football and date girls. But that’s not what he’s doing right now.