epilogue
the end.

THE GROUP END up going back to Josie's place. Archie, Betty, and Jughead wait impatiently in Josie's bedroom while Josie and Veronica make sure Cheryl's gonna be okay. And once they're sure she is, they both walk into the bedroom.

The trio look up at Josie when she walks in with Veronica, and they look uneasy. She's the girl that they've known forever, but she's also not. Not when she kept this huge secret from them.

"How did you do that?" Betty asks, her entire body rigid. She's known Josie forever, but she's never seen her do anything remotely similar to what she just did. "You broke the ice without even touching it... and what you did with the water-"

"I'm a witch," Josie cuts Betty off simply, her voice quiet. She's more scared than she's ever been. She doesn't want to lose her friends.

"That's not possible," Jughead shakes his head, not quite able to comprehend this. A witch in Riverdale? Impossible. "It can't be."

Josie then gives him an odd look. "Why is me being a witch hard for you to believe? This is Riverdale, Jug. Weirder things have happened."

"You really expect me to believe you're a witch?" Jughead questions, standing up and pulling a crumpled up receipt out of his pocket. "Prove it. Set this on fire."

She takes it from him hastily, and drops it into the metal trashcan in the corner of her room. Her mortal friends hold their breath anxiously as she focuses on it. "Incendia."

And as she says it, the crumpled piece of paper bursts into flames. Veronica gasps, Archie stares at it blankly, and Betty's eyes simply widen. Jughead, on the other hand, stands up and studies the area near the trashcan.

"I can't believe it," he whispers, staring at Josie in disbelief. "You're telling the truth, which means you've been lying to us this entire time."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Josie apologizes, silently begging him not to be mad at her. "But I didn't have a choice. This isn't my secret to tell. There are others, just like me. I wasn't just protecting myself-I was protecting them, too."

"I just need some time," Jughead states, pulling his jacket on and beginning to leave the room. "I need to think about this."

"Jug-"

"Your secret's safe with me," he assures her, his hand on the doorknob. "But I can't be here right now."

He leaves before she can say anything else, and she slowly turns around to face the others. She looks at them sadly, hoping they won't react the same way Jughead did.

"Look, Josie, I don't know about anybody else," Betty stands up and walks over to to Josie, taking her hands in her own. You're my best friend, okay? I love you no matter what."

"Aw, I love you, too, Betts," Josie whispers, relief flooding her as she pulls Betty into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry I kept this from you."

"It's alright," the blonde assures as she pulls away. "I'm sure Jughead will come around, but for now, I need to go check on him. I'll call you later."

Josie nods before she faces Veronica and Archie. Veronica has been ridiculously quiet, but it's just because she's waiting to be alone. Archie sees this, and pulls his phone out, typing what he wants to say into Siri. The robot's voice then begins to speak:

"How could you keep a secret like that for so long? I'm so sorry you had to go through that by yourself."

"Not your fault," Josie smiles at him, before it turns into a frown. "And I'm sorry I silenced you, literally."

He smiles at her face before heading out, leaving Josie and Veronica alone. Veronica is seated on the bed, so Josie tentatively sits down next to her.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"And I'm sorry about homecoming."

"So, we're both sorry for what we did, so clean state?" the Scratch girl raises an eyebrow, and Veronica nods in response. "Now that we've got that out of the way, I have a question."

Veronica wiggles her eyebrows playfully at her, pondering what the question is. Josie takes a deep breathe, hopeful that Veronica will say yes.

"Do you wanna be my girlfriend?"

"Yes. Yes. Yes!," Veronica beams, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree. When she came here, she didn't want anything serious, but now she wants something serious with Josie. "Of course. I'd love to be your girlfriend, Josie."

She then threads her delicate fingers into Josie's hair, leans forward, and kisses the girl softly on the lips. She smiles before pulling a talisman from her pocket, one that she'd spelled just for Veronica.

"Uh, I made this for you," Josie admits, a cheesy grin on her face. "It'll keep you safe from anyone or anything that'll want to hurt you."

Veronica smiles as Josie pushes her hair aside and puts it on her neck. "Is it spelled?"

"Charmed, actually," Josie corrects the girl, still surprised that her and Veronica are actually talking like this. "It's a talisman meant to protect its bearer."

"Well, I love it," Veronica quips, admiring herself in the wall length mirror by the bed. She then sees the time and suppresses a gasp. "But I have one more question to ask you."

"Shoot."

"The redh- strawberry blonde girl that came to Pop's the other night," Veronica breathes, looking at Josie questioningly. "Are you and her-"

"She's a witch, like me," Josie informs, shifting uncomfortably at the mention of Selene. She still has to call her. "And she's my friend. But that's all. Nothing's ever happened between us, and nothing will. In fact, I think she likes my brother."

"Mhm," Veronica nods, deciding to put her trust in Josie. She then looks at the clock on the side of the wall, and suppresses a gasp. "Oh, my God. We're gonna be late to the Jubilee. We have to leave right now."

"Nobody will care if we're a couple of minutes late," Josie insists, pulling the keys to her new motorbike out of her pocket. "But on the bright side, we can take my new ride."

"You got a new car?"

"No," Josie shakes her head as the pair head downstairs. They go through the garage which holds several cars that her mother has collected throughout the years. "My family has plenty of those. I got a bike."

She smirks as they come across the motorbike she just bought. Veronica's mouth drops open, and she gapes. "Where'd you get that thing?"

"Toni hooked me up with a guy who wanted to sell his," Josie shrugs like it's no big deal. She pulls two helmets off a foldable table in the corner of the garage before handing Veronica one. She pulls her own on and tightens it to fit as Veronica does the same. The pair then climb onto the bike, and head towards town hall for the Jubilee.

After a moment, Josie glances back at Veronica with a sweet, loving smile. The pair will have a hard future together, and their relationship will be tested multiple times. They'll separate and even dislike each other for a time, but they'll always find their way back to each other.

The pair are a classic story of forbidden lovers-a witch and a human. Yet Veronica is the only one who truly understands Josie, who loves her without hesitation.

Because Veronica Lodge is Josie Scratch's soulmate. Josie can't imagine a world where she won't love Veronica, heart and soul. There's no world for her without Veronica.

EDITED