Title: Ours Now
Fandom: Riverdale
Relationship: Cheryl/Veronica
Characters: Cheryl Blossom, Veronica Lodge
Rating: T
Word Count: 560
Notes: Written for my free space using the prompt "AU: Apocalypse" at trope_bingo Round 9. Card here. Also on AO3.
Summary: Cheryl and Veronica team up to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Cheryl sat on a pile of hay inside the barn, eating peanut butter straight out of the jar. She’d been hoping to find survivors at the farmhouse, but there weren’t any. Fortunately there hadn’t been any zombies either. And, as a bonus, she’d found plenty of food in the cupboard. Which was good, because her backpack was nearly empty.

The redhead was just finishing off a jar of peanut butter when she heard a noise coming from outside the barn. For a moment, she froze in fear. Then, her survival instincts kicked in and she grabbed the crossbow from where it rested by her feet. Throwing her backpack over her shoulders, she slowly made her way towards the barn entrance

Just as she was about to ease open one of the doors so she could see who (or what) was outside, the door swung open. Cheryl jumped, and nearly fired her crossbow at the brunette who stepped into the barn. “Christ!” she said, lowering her crossbow when she realized the other girl wasn’t a zombie. “You scared me half to death.”

The brunette gave Cheryl a small smile. “Sorry” she said. “I would have called out, but I was afraid that might attract zombies.”

Cheryl nodded her head. “I know what you mean” she said. “But I think this place is clear.”

“Really?” said the brunette, her smile becoming a grin. “That’s great. You don’t mind if I crash with you, do you? I don’t have much, but I’ll share what I’ve got.”

Cheryl grinned back at the brunette. “Actually, I would like that. I’ve been alone for weeks now, and I’m feeling pretty lonely.”

“Thanks” said the brunette. She flopped down in the hay where Cheryl had been sitting earlier and pulled a bag of chips out of her backpack. “I’m Veronica, by the way” she said, as she began to eat.

“I’m Cheryl” said Cheryl sitting down next to Veronica. “Nice to meet you.” Then, eyeing the bag of chips, she said “Where did you manage to get those?”

Veronica smiled again. “I found them a few weeks ago” she said. “There was a truck full of the stuff. Must have been making a delivery when everything went to Hell.” She held out the bag to Cheryl. “Here, have some. I’ve got plenty.”

“Thanks” said the redhead, taking a handful. “I haven’t had chips in forever.” She ate one, savoring the flavor. Then she said “There was a lot of food in the farmhouse here. It's ours now.” She emphasized the word ours , hoping that Veronica would agree they should stick together.

“Ours” said Veronica thoughtfully. “I like the sound of that. I’ve been feeling pretty lonely, too.” She polished off the last of the chips, then said “Are you tired? I can keep watch while you sleep, if you want.”

Cheryl knew the polite thing to do would be to offer to take first watch, but she was so tired she didn’t think she could keep her eyes open for much longers. So she nodded her head, then lay back the hay. “Wake me if you feel like you can’t stay awake any longer” she said.

“Oh, I will” said Veronica. “I’m selfish about not wanting to get eaten.”

Cheryl chuckled. Then she drifted off to sleep, having her first decent sleep since the world had ended.