Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter One: House Hunting

It took a long time and more stories then normal, but Betty finally got her twin girls to sleep in her 2 bedroom apartment. Her sister Polly had been killed about a year ago and she had taken over guardianship of her nieces with the help of her mother. It didn't come naturally to Betty but she worked very hard to be the best parent she could be. It was even more challenging in such a tight space and she knew that it was finally time to settle into this new town and buy a home. She had moved to Chicago a few months ago with her mother. Alice had just bought a home near the north side of the city and Betty decided not to move in with her again. She was 26 years old with 2 small children and she needed a house of her own. Polly had left behind a large sum of money when she died and Betty still hadn't touched it. She knew now was the time.

Once she finished cleaning up her kitchen for the night, she finally had time to call the realtor her mother had used.

“ Sunnyside Realty” the voice of the other end answered. Betty made her way into her living room and sat down on the couch.

“Hi, my name is Betty Cooper. My mother Alice worked with one of your agents and I was hoping I could have her help me as well. I believe her name was Toni.” Betty explained, grabbing the notepad on the table next to her.

“Betty, hi. This is Toni. I remember your mother telling me you would be calling. It's so nice to finally talk to you. Are you free for coffee tomorrow morning? We can go over what you are looking for in a home and find you what you need.” the woman was definitely pleasant and helpful just like her mom had told her.

“I would love that. I drop my kids off at school around 9, could we meet after that?” Betty asked, nervous and excited about this next step in her life.

“That's perfect. There's a Starbucks right by our office. Meet there at 930?” Toni gave her the office address and they agreed to meet tomorrow.

She called her mom a few minutes later after she had changed into her pajamas for bed. They talked for a long time about home buying and the financial aspects of it. Her mother warned her to be careful and keep a low budget and Betty agreed.

She was surprised to learn that the polite, bubbly person on the phone was, in reality, a pink haired, leather jacket wearing, petite young woman. She had kind eyes lined with black and a tablet in her hands.

“Betty, good morning. I ordered you a hot chocolate and got us a seat over here. Let's get started.” she said, very professional despite her laid back attire.

“It's so nice to meet you.” she replied, taking a sip of her warm beverage and sitting next to Toni on the comfy leather couch.

“How about you tell me a little bit about what you're looking for in a home. What's important to you.” she asked, getting her tablet opened up to a notepad app to take down her response.

“Well, I have two little girls so I would like at least 3 bedrooms, and maybe an extra room to use as a play area. I love to cook so I'm hoping to find something with a nice, spacious kitchen.”

“We can definitely do that for you. How about bathrooms? I can't imagine you want to share one bathroom for the next ten years once those sweet girls grow up.” Toni joked, a dimple showing on her right cheek.

“That is a very good point. 2 bathrooms would probably be a good idea.” she smiled in response.

“Ok, and the best question of all. What kind of budget are we looking at?” she asked, pulling out her phone and opening her calculator app.

“Well, I got approved by the bank for 700k, but I would love to find something under 300. I'm not much of a spender and I don't need that much space. Just enough to be comfortable.” Betty explained, a little embarrassed by the talk of so much money.

“I think you and I are going to be fast friends.” Toni smiled, pulling up a house searching app on her tablet and turning it towards Betty.

They spent about an hour looking through homes and finding ones she liked and set up times to see some tomorrow. Toni assured Betty that they would find her something fast and affordable and it helped put her mind at ease.

“So what kind of house are we going to get?” her daughter asked later that day, rushing inside the door, her twin close behind her as they threw their backpacks on the kitchen table.

“Well, I'm not sure yet but I am looking at a few tomorrow and I promise you guys will like it. And we can take the weekend after we move in to make your rooms however you want.” she explained, pulling some pasta from the cabinet and a large pot, filling it with water and placing it on the burner.

“Can I come with you to look at them?” the older of the two asked.

“Sadie, you know you have to go to school. And your sister would miss you too much. Isn't that right, Sam?”

“Yea Sadie, come on we need to let mom have some alone time once in a while. We need her to meet a guy and get married before she's too old.” Samantha said, pulling her blonde hair up into a ponytail and pulling her homework from her bag.

“Wow, thank you so much for that. I'm not that old guys.” she laughed, adding noodles to the pot before grabbing a can of sauce. She drained the water and stirred in the sauce, keeping it warm on the stove while the girls finished their homework.

“Don't you like it being just the three of us? What makes you think I need to find someone else? I love you guys enough to make me happy for the rest of my life.” she said, the three of them eating a quiet dinner.

They were both only 7 years old but Samantha was always wiser then her age.

“We love you too, mom. But sometimes we talk about what it would be like to have a dad around.” Sam admitted, bowing her head a little and playing with her food.

“Sam! Don't tell her that!” Sadie said, kicking her under the table.

“It's ok. I want to know how you guys feel. But dating when you have kids is a lot harder. I don't want to bring just anyone home. I want to know they can take on the responsibility of dating someone who has kids. You guys will always come first. Now eat up. It's shower night for you guys.” Earning a groan from them both.

“Sorry I'm late Toni. My daughter forgot her backpack at home so we had to drive back and grab it.”
she explained as they pulled up to the first house they were seeing today. It was in a nice neighborhood on the south side of Chicago and no two houses looked alike. Every one was old and unique and she instantly felt at home.

“You're only 2 minutes late, don't worry about it. Plus, a friend of mine lives next door to this place so we were catching up.” she said, stepping to the side to introduce the two of them.

“This is my friend, Jughead. He actually told me about this place. It's not even online yet, they just put it up yesterday.”

“Hi, Betty. Nice to meet you.” he said, pushing his black hair back away from his face before extending his hand to her. “I hope you like the place.”

“Thanks so much. It's nice to meet you too.” she smiled, trying not to stare too hard. His eyes were such a deep green it wasn't easy to pull her gaze away.

“I'll talk to you later Jug. Come on Betty, let's go see how the place looks.” she took her by the arm and walked her to up to the front door.

“Well, I love it already. The outside is beautiful and I love the little porch.” she said, running her hands along the wood framing the deck.

“I love to hear that. Hopefully you like the inside just as much.” she unlocked the rustic blue door and let Betty inside first before joining her in the entry way. They explored the entire first level, Betty finding the kitchen to be absolutely perfect. It was original to the old home and she knew down the road she would make some updates but for now it would work without a problem. All of the bedrooms were on the second floor which they got to from walking up an old, dusty staircase. The hardwood floors were original throughout the house and Betty could already see the girls running wild on them. She looked forward to hearing their shoes walking down the stairs and she would find a small organizer for their backpacks and coats for right inside the front door. The rooms were small, as she expected for a Chicago home, but it was still more space then they had now. And she didn't need much, just enough for her and her girls to grow and play. There was a master bath and a smaller bathroom between the other two bedrooms that the girls would share.

“I feel bad for saying this, Toni but I don't really want to look at any more. This is the one. “ she said, a bright smile on her face as her mind raced with all the things she would do to make this place their home.

“Wow, that's fantastic! I'll have to buy a bag of gummy bears for Jughead.” she laughed, pulling out her cellphone. “Ready to make an offer? It's listed for 250 but I think we can get them down to at least 235. What do ya say?”

“Let's do it.” Betty beamed, following Toni outside as they talked it all through with the bank and the attorney.

Moving day was here in the blink of an eye and she didn't know who was more excited, her or the little girls who were currently exploring the new house.

“Mommy, Mommy!” Sadie screamed from the top of the stairs. “We have our own bathroom!”

Betty just laughed as the two girls continued to peek into every room with enthusiasm. “Wait here for a minute guys and keep looking around. I'm going to run next door really quick.” She threw on her pink converse and gray hoodie, jogging down the steps. She knocked on her neighbors door and waited patiently when she heard movement inside.

“Betty Cooper” a sleepy voice said as Jughead rubbed his eyes, leaning against the door frame.

“Did I wake you up? I'm so sorry. I just wanted to introduce myself again and let you know how much you helped me out. We just moved in this morning and we couldn't have done it without you. I was hoping you might let me make you dinner tonight to say thanks.”

“Don't be sorry, I should be awake anyways. I'm glad you guys found a place. You sure your husband wont mind me coming for dinner?” he asked, assuming her talk with the word “we” meant she was married or at least had a roommate.

Betty let out a louder then intended, genuine laugh and looked up at him with her bright blue eyes. “I assure you he wont mind.” she said with a smile that showed she was keeping a small secret to herself.

“Then I would love to come by. If you get to know me, you will learn I never say no to food. But I promise not to eat you out of house and home.” he joked, meeting her smile with his own.

“Great, come by around 5. We eat early.” she said, giving him a small wave before heading back inside her own home.

“So who was that?” Sadie asked, closing the curtains that she had clearly been spying behind.

“That's our neighbor that told us about the house. I was just saying thank you.”

“He sure is cute, mama.” Samantha said, sharing her own secret smile with herself.

“Well, maybe you can keep that opinion to yourself for now, Sam, because he's going to come over tonight for dinner.” she said, enjoying the girls faces light up at the idea of company.

“We don't even have plates or groceries yet! We just got here!” Sam said, looking worried at her mothers poorly thought out idea.

“Well I am going to get the TV hooked up and I thought we could watch a movie and order a pizza tonight. We can even camp out on the floor and worry about unpacking tomorrow. I have an entire week off of work so we have plenty of time to buy what we need and get the house how we all want it. How does that sound?” Betty said, wanting to make the girls feel at home.

“Living room slumber party!” Sadie squealed, running into her mother with such force she sent her stepping back to brace herself against the hug.

“Our new neighbor will be here at 5 so how about until then we sit down and make a list of all the things we need to buy tomorrow. We will make a trip to Ikea, and if you guys behave, we can get a cinnomon roll on the way out.” she bartered, knowing how excited, but stubborn they become whenever they shop at that particular store.

“We promise.” Samantha said, meeting her sisters gaze with excitement.

The list went by fast and consisted of much more then Betty anticipated. Thankfully, the city brought with it a good career and provided her with a comfortable lifestyle. She also was able to afford the down payment for the home herself without having to dip into Polly's money so she would use that shopping tomorrow for furniture and other essentials. 5 o clock came before they knew it and all 3 girls were dressed in their pajamas, ready for the slumber party, and to meet their new neighbor who they both anticipated seeing much more of.

The doorbell rang and the noise startled Betty, who still wasn't use to the new sound. “Sadie, can you get that!” she yelled from the kitchen. “I'm trying to find a pizza place to order from. Sam, you start looking for a movie on Netflix.”

Sadie rushed to the door in her pink, princess pajamas and swung it open.

“Hello there, small person.” Jughead said, looking down at the tiny blonde girl in front of him.

“Hi.” she said. “You must be our new neighbor.” she greeted. “You can come in. We are having a pajama day and camping out in the living room tonight until we buy furniture.” she rattled off with excitement.

“Can you do me a favor? Can you wait right here? I forgot something at home.” he said, smiling down at her.

“Sure! I'll stand right here until you come back.” she promised.

Jughead jogged home and took off his dark jeans and t shirt, replacing them with a pair of green, plaid pajama pants and a warm, over-sized, black hoodie. He ran back to the front door and it swung open before he could knock again.

“What did you forget?” Sadie asked, excitedly.

“My pajamas.” he said, gesturing to his new clothes. “If you guys get to all be comfy, I didn't want to be left out”

“Smart!” she said, closing the door behind him. “Mom, our new neighbor is smart!” she yelled to Betty in the kitchen.

Jughead chuckled and looked around the place from his spot in the entryway. It looked similar to his own house but he knew in a few weeks it would have all of their own personal touches to it. His home started to feel a little lonely at the thought.

“Thanks, small fry.” he said, patting her on the head and following her into the kitchen where Betty was leaning against the counter. She had on her own pajamas and he couldn't help his gaze as she was bent over the counter, reading a pizza menu on a small tablet. She had on a pair of light blue sweatpants and a long sleeve tee. Simple but beautiful.

“Hey Jughead. I hope I didn't mislead you when I offered you dinner. We don't have dishes or groceries yet so dinner will be in the form of pizza. Know any place good?” she asked, turning to greet him with a smile.

“Actually I do. What kind do you guys like?”

“Hold on, there's one more of us.” Sadie laughed, running to get her sister who was sitting in front of the TV scrolling through movies.

“Sam, what kind of pizza do you want!” her small voice carried back into the kitchen as she yelled her question with excitement.

“Wow, Betty. Two kids at your age? You're a warrior.” he said, genuinely impressed with her.

“They keep me on my toes that's for sure. I'll tell ya this for certain, they got distracted in there together picking out a movie and they both like cheese pizza, so we can order without them, I promise.” she smiled, getting her phone out and ready to order.

It only took a few minutes for their pizzas to be delivered, consisting of one extra cheese, and one with everything.

“Is your husband eating with us?” he asked casually, helping her bring paper plates and cups into the living room and sitting down on the floor with the girls.

Both girls started giggling. “Mom doesn't have a husband, silly.” Sadie said.

“It's just the three of us. Our real mom died and Auntie Betty takes care of us now.” Samantha said very logically, turning on The Incredibles.

“Ok, ok, Sam. He doesn't want to hear about all that. Let's just watch the movie and enjoy our fancy dinner.” she said, avoiding Jugheads gaze and digging into the everything pizza with him while the girls devoured their cheese one.

“Well, you guys are lucky to have Betty.” he said, taking a bite. He wasn't going to let her be ashamed of her situation when he knew she should be proud. “I was raised by a single father and he gave me everything I ever needed. Sometimes one parent is better then what some other kids get with two.” he looked at Betty until she raised her eyes to meet his, gifting him with a small smile at his kind words.

The twins almost made it through the entire movie but with only ten minutes left they were both passed out on the floor in a soft pile of blankets and pillows. Betty turned off the movie and quietly told her neighbor that she would walk him out.

“I appreciate you inviting me over, Betty. I had fun.” he said sincerely, grabbing his leather jacket off the hanger and putting it on in one fluid motion.

“A single father, huh?” she said, bringing up their earlier conversation. “That must have been hard. To be honest, sometimes I worry I am not enough for those girls. But I really am trying. And you speaking so highly of your father gives me hope that one day they will say the same about me.” she admitted.

“I'm sorry about your sister. I know they lost a mother and that's tragic, but you lost her too. And I'm so sorry.”

“No one ever calls her my sister anymore. It's always their mother, never my sister. Sometimes I feel like you might be the only one to really understand me. Which is insane because we just met and I know nothing about you.” she said with a laugh, pushing her hair back away from her face.

“Well, maybe we can fix that. Let me take all of you out for dinner this weekend.” he suggested, standing on the front steps of her porch, watching her wrap her arms around herself against the cold night air.

“All of us?” she questioned, confused at his wording. She had been asked out before but never like this and never so suddenly.

“Yes, you and your girls.” he said as if it was the most simple thing in the world.

“You don't have to do that, Jug.” she said shaking her head and looking away for a moment.

“I know that. And I promise I never do anything I don't want to do. It's caused me some trouble in the past, but it's a rule I like to stick to. So how about Friday night? I work until 5 but I can swing by with my truck and pick you all up after. Ask the girls where they want to eat and their wish is my command.” he said with a smile. “I left my number on the pizza box.” and just like that, before she could get a response out, he was walking across the lawn to his own home, giving her a small wave before disappearing inside.

“Oh damn, I'm in trouble.” she whispered, leaning against the cold porch railing before taking a deep breath, and forcing herself back inside.

Chapter Text

Chapter Two: Old Scars

Betty was woken up at 7am the following day when she heard Sadie in the kitchen getting a bowl of cereal, the only food they had in the house other then the leftover pizza in the fridge. They had the day off of school today for teacher meetings and were excited to spend the day at IKEA . She had two more days off from work and although she missed the hospital, she was enjoying having so much time to spend with her family. By the time she had gotten the girls in the car and ready to go, Jughead was outside strapping on his helmet, perched on a motorcycle. He gave them all a smile and a wave before he sped off down the street.

She had checked her bank account earlier in the day and moved some of her savings over from Polly to cover the cost of having to completely furnish their new home. The girls no longer had to share a room so each of them picked out new bedroom furniture and other fun accessories for themselves. Samantha stuck to mostly purples and blacks while Sadie was all rainbows and bright colors. They were almost impossible to tell apart, sporting the same long strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes, but when it came to their personalities, they couldn't be more different. They finished bedroom shopping soon enough and made their way to the food court where they ate a lunch of meatballs and chocolate cake. It wasn't long before they had finished up in the store, buying a kitchen table, bookcases, and 2 plush couches for the living room. Betty knew that Samantha had a tendency to fall asleep watching TV so she made sure they picked something comfy enough for her to rest on.

As promised, they were awarded a cinnamon roll on their way out of the store along with a list of all the items Betty had ordered to be delivered to the house. She drove a small Toyota Carolla and that didn't allow her to haul a whole lot home that day. They stopped at a nearby Target to pick up pots and pans for the kitchen and other household essentials. She knew the girls were exhausted so she decided to leave grocery shopping until tomorrow while they were at school.

“Leftover pizza for dinner okay with you guys?” she asked, pulling up to the house and helping the girls out of the car.

“Jughead!” Sadie screamed, running across the lawn as their neighbor was getting off of his bike.

“Hey kid.” he smiled, taking off his helmet. “Shouldn't you be in school?”

“Teacher institute day.” Betty answered, bringing Samantha with her to stand in his driveway.

“I just got off of work but why don't you let me cook you guys some dinner. I have to clean up real quick but if you're hungry, spaghetti is on the menu.” he said, brushing his hair back away from his face.

“That would be really nice of you. I have a ton of stuff to unload from the car. We had a massive day at IKEA and the car is packed. But we can come over after.” she smiled.

“My father is coming for dinner. We try to get together once a month to catch up. Is that okay?” he asked.

“We get to meet your dad?” Samantha asked, seeing very interested at that possibility.

“Yep. And he will probably have lots of embarrassing stories to tell.” he smirked, amused by her interest.

“Sounds great. Give us an hour and we will be back.” Betty said, giving him a small wave before leading the girls back to the car, asking them each to grab something to carry inside.

The big furniture wouldn't be delivered until tomorrow but they soon had the home filled with their other purchases. Their kitchen had a garbage can, each of the girls had a bookcase, and they had a few simple kitchen utensils and gadgets to get them by until she ordered more permanent sets of pots and dishes.

She gave the girls each a shower and got them into some clean clothes before getting in the shower herself and finally deciding on what to wear. She put the girls in simple jeans and long sleeve shirts, and got a pair of skinny jeans for herself with a dark yellow hoodie on top. She put her hair up in a ponytail before getting the girls out the door and walking across the yard to their neighbors house.

“Hey, right on time.” their host answered the door, stepping aside to let the girls in.

“Hey dad, my neighbors are here.” he called into the other room. His house was the same layout as hers but it seemed they had a basement, the stairs right off the kitchen going down.

An older man who clearly passed down the majority of the genetics onto his son, walked into the kitchen to meet the new guests.

“Betty Cooper?” he said, surprise in his eyes as he gazed upon his sons neighbor and her two daughters.

“FP Jones?” she replied, her eyes wide as she held both girls hands in hers, the three of them still standing right inside the entryway. She turned her attention to Jughead.

“Your father is the Serpent King?” she asked, looking at her new friend with a whole different expression.

“How do you know about the Serpents?” he asked, his eyes narrowed now with confusion more then anger.

“She is a Serpent.” Sam answered, reaching over to grab her moms arm, pushing her sleeve up to reveal a large snake tattoo, filling up her entire forearm. Betty quickly pulled her arm away and took a step back.

“That's impossible, I've never seen you before.”

“Alice Cooper is my mother. And your father and I are...close friends.” she said, trying to find the right words to describe their complicated relationship.

“Ok, well I definitely want to hear more about this turn of events. Girls, I have the TV all set up in there if you want to watch something while I start dinner.”

Sadie didn't need to be told twice as she rushed in to find something to watch. Sam gave her mom a sharp look before following her sister in to the living room.

FP and Betty took a seat at the round table in the kitchen while Jughead put a pot of water on the stove.

“It's been a long time.” Betty said, folding her arms across her chest and shrinking down in her chair.

“This was very unexpected.” she added, clearly uncomfortable.

“My son already knows what I did so you don't have to be afraid. We take care of our own and you were in trouble. I'm glad I could help and you don't need to worry about me telling the girls. Your secret is safe with me.” FP said, reaching across the table to grab Betty's hand in his.

“What kind of trouble were you in, Betty?” Jughead asked, joining them at the table while the water started to simmer.

“I really don't want to talk about this. I shouldn't have come tonight.” she stammered, shaking her head and pushing her chair out. “I haven't been an active member of the Serpents since I became a mother to these girls and I don't plan on going back. Things got really complicated and I'm so sorry I made you do what you did, FP. I think about it everyday and I feel so guilty for asking you for help.” she explained, tears glazing over her bright blue eyes.

“What the hell happened, Dad? What did you do?” Jughead asked, looking between the two of them.

“Remember about 6 years ago when I told you one of our own was being targeted by The Ghoulies?”
FP answered his son but never took his eyes off of the blonde across from him.

“Yea, a young girl whose sister had just been killed. Penny something?”

“Polly. Her name was Polly and she was my sister. Sam and Sadie's mom. One of The Ghoulies attacked her after work, raped her, and left her in the alley to die after beating her within an inch of her life. But by some miracle she survived. And 9 months later she gave birth. But once that monster found out she had his babies, he killed her.” silent tears rolled down her cheek as she avoided eye contact with both of the men seated beside her.

“And then he came for you, didn't he Betty?” FP urged her to continue her story.

Betty nodded her head harshly, trying to keep the memories from flooding her brain. “I took the girls immediately after Polly was killed and I stayed with my mom for a while for protection. She was a serpent and I knew she could protect us until I could find a place of my own to raise my new daughters in. Unfortunately, she couldn't be with us 24/7, and one day while I was waiting for Sam to get out of reading club at school, a man drove up and forced me into the car. He told me I was the only thing standing between him and the girls so I had to be dealt with.” The fear in Betty's eyes was as real now as it was the day these events occurred.

“What did he do to you, Betty?” Jughead asked, anger flaring up in the pit of his stomach.

“What didn't he do to me?” she whispered, shoving her chair back and standing immediately. “I'm really sorry but we have to go.” She went into the other room and practically dragged the girls out the door. Only a moment went by before she returned, alone, and flung herself at FP.

“Thank you so much. You saved my life and you gave Sam and Sadie a chance at a normal one.” she held onto him tightly as the older mans arms circled her back.

“It's ok, Betty.” he shushed her as her body shook. “I'm always only a phone call away.”

She pulled away from him and nodded. She turned her head to meet Jugheads stare. “I'm sorry.” she mouthed, heading back out the door and jogging to her own home.

A heavy silenced passed between the father and son before FP spoke up. “So... you're going to go after her, right?”

Jughead looked over at his dad with a quick nod before rushing out the door and following the blonde over to her home.

“Good man.” FP whispered to the empty room.

“Betty.” he called out as he rushed up the front porch stairs after her. “Betty, wait.”

“You girls go get yourself some leftover pizza and watch TV. I need to talk about some grown up stuff with Jughead.”

Her daughters gave her no trouble and rushed off to do as they were told, leaving the two adults outside the threshold.

“I didn't know FP was your dad. I'm so sorry.” Betty rushed to explain.

“Stop, stop. I'm not upset about that. I just want to talk. I just want to know you.” he said.

Betty narrowed her eyes at him and cocked her head to the side slightly. “Why on earth would you want to do a thing like that? I'm a broken mess of a girl.” Betty laughed humorlessly.

“I don't think that. I think you're strong, and resourceful, and so brave” he reached up to brush his hand against her cheek but she stepped back.

“You shouldn't waste your time with me, Juggie.” she said softly, causing him to smirk slightly at the new nickname. “I have so much baggage. Who would want to deal with all of that?” she shook her head at him, her eyes glazed over with tears that she refused to let fall.

“Maybe I don't mind.” he said confidently, looking her right in the eyes.

“Once you learn about what happened between your father and I, we wont even be able to be friends. It's unforgivable.”

“You'd be surprised with how understanding I can be. You forget that I'm a serpent too. I've done some terrible things I wish I could take back.” he told her honestly.

“That man that came after me.” she started, her voice low so no one else would hear. “I killed him.” she shuddered. “He broke into my mothers home, into the girls bedroom, and I just saw red. Took a baseball bat and beat him to death, right in front of the babies.”

“Good. He would have taken them and killed you. You were defending yourself. And I know my father helped you get rid of the body. And he would gladly do it again so you have to stop beating yourself up about it. You're a serpent. We take care of our own.” Jughead said, brushing a stray tear off of her cheek with his thumb.

“Out of all the houses I could have bought, how did I end up right next door to you?” she said with a small smirk.

“I just got lucky I guess.” he smirked back.

“Yea.” she hesitated. “Maybe I did too.”

“Gnight, Betty.” he said, bowing his head and heading back out of her front door. She watched him walk across the lawn and just as she was about to shut the door, he stopped and turned back towards her.

“Hey, do me a favor.” he shouted across the yard. She waited, leaning against the thresh hold with bright eyes. “Tell the girls we will have pasta all together another night. I don't want to disappoint them.” It was that moment that Jughead Jones earned himself a very rare, very genuine, Betty Cooper smile. Before she could respond, a small body crashed into the back of her legs and poked its head out of the door next to Betty's waist.

“Promise?” Sadie yelled, a big smile on her face.

“I promise, kid.” he gave the two girls a salute before crossing the property into his own home.

“Come on, Sades. Let's join your sister for some TV before bed. We gotta get up early tomorrow to get some actually groceries in this place.” she ruffled her daughters hair before joining them on the couch.

The rest of the week flew by faster then she anticipated and before she knew it, Betty was back at work and the girls were settled into their school routine and their new home comfortably. She was normally home by the time they got home from school but once in a while they would be there alone for a few hours if her shift ran long. They were old enough to handle themselves for a short amount of time, especially considering Samantha's responsible attitude in all things. Her first day back to work, however, turned into a 14 hour shift and she had called her mother to come to the house and watch the girls for the evening until she got home. She rushed the words out of her mouth to her mother about dinners and bedtimes before she was forced to hang up, multiple bodies being wheeled right passed her.

“Mom, I gotta go. Tell the girls I love them.” she put a clean pair of gloves on as she jogged after the gurneys and grabbed the clipboard from the first one. There was blood everywhere, covering the patients body and spilling onto the floor, leaving a trail behind them. Betty couldn't remember a time she had seen a gurney so caked in blood that it was almost black. When she read the name on the chart in her hands, her eyes shot up to the patients face half covered by the sticky red sheet.

Forsythe “FP” Jones II – multiple stab wounds

“What do we know so far?” Betty asked the older nurse she usually worked with, taking charge of the case as another gurney pulled up right beside him. She knew they would be going immediately to surgery but she wanted to be thorough. She needed all the information she could get while she was still on the clock.

“They found the other patient beside him, and the two others were dead upon arrival.” her associate answered, gesturing to the other body that was next to her her. She glanced over to see the other patient as FP was wheeled directly into surgery, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth. She didn't need a clipboard to tell her exactly who this was, but she looked anyways out of habit.

Forsythe Jones III – gunshot wound

She didn't let herself fall into a panic, even as blood continued to soak through the clothes of the familiar man next door. Instead, she took charge and worked faster then she had ever worked before.

“You're going to be okay, Jughead.” she vowed, brushing her fingers against his wrist as they wheeled him off behind his father into surgery. The other nurses immediately began mopping up the blood and redressing the gurneys but Betty's mind was somewhere else. She was on hour 15 now of being on her feet but that didn't stop her from ripping off her latex gloves and hauling ass up the stairs to the surgical floor. She hadn't forgotten her mothers relationship with FP, and she would be damned if she went home to her with no answers about the man she use to love.

And if she was being honest with herself in this extreme moment of adrenaline and mania, she needed to know that his son was okay too. She refused to believe that this would be the last image should would be given of her angsty neighbor next door.

Chapter Text

Chapter Three

It was many hours later when Betty finally got home, her hands stained a dark red even after the multiple scrubbings she gave them.

“Betty? I was starting to get worried. You've been at work almost a full 24 hours.” Alice said, meeting her daughter at the door the second she walked inside at 4am that morning.

“Mom, I have to tell you something.” Betty started, leading her mother over to the couch before she even took off her shoes. Alice sat right beside Betty's and held her hands.

“What's going on, sweetheart? Did something really bad happen at work?” she asked, knowing how stressful the young woman's job could be.

She nodded in response, taking a deep breath before she started her explanation.

She relayed all of the information back to her mother that she had gathered during her shift. Jughead had been shot in the shoulder, barely missing his neck. They were able to remove the broken pieces of metal and after giving him some blood, he was sleeping restlessly in the ICU. They had him on some heavy drugs for the pain and to prevent infection so she had left him in the hands of the doctors while she found out more about FP.

He was in much worse shape considering all the blood he lost. He had been stabbed multiple times, one of which was in his thigh, a very important artery nicked in the process. The blood came from the wound so freely that every doctor in the room couldn't believe he was still breathing. They stopped the bleeding eventually but he wasn't breathing on his own which was the main concern.

As Betty told her mother everything, Alice sobbed openly into her hands. “After everything he did for our family...” she stammered through the tears. “And then I never talked to him again because I was too afraid...”

“You should go to the hospital. Talk to him even if he's asleep. It'll help.” Betty urged, rubbing her mothers back.

She nodded fiercely, standing from the couch so quickly that Betty sat up in surprise. She headed right for the door, grabbing her purse as she went.

“Can you tell me how his son is doing if there's any news? I'm going to visit him in a few hours once I get some rest and get the girls to school.”

“Of course, I will give you a call if I hear anything.” and with that her mother was gone.

Betty finally took her shoes off and went into the kitchen to make Sam and Sadie their lunches for school. Once they were packed and ready she dragged herself to the couch and passed out within seconds.

“Mom?” Samantha had her face inches from Betty's when the older woman's eyes finally cracked open.

“What time is it?” she asked, sitting up with a start.

“7:30. I got Sadie and I breakfast and made sure she had her homework in her backpack.” Sam rattled off, grabbing her own backpack from the hallway hook and slinging it over her back. Betty stood up from the couch and immediately went to work helping Sadie with shoes, tying them snug.

“Sorry you guys. I had a really late night at work and I only got home a few hours ago. How was your time with Grandma?” she asked them, rushing them out to the bus stop, Samantha walking a few paces ahead and Sadie holding Betty's hand the whole way down the block.

“We had so much fun! She let us help make pudding and then we got to eat it after dinner!” Sadie replied with excitement, the three of them getting to the empty corner just as the bus made the turn down the road and started heading their way.

“I'm so glad. Samantha, are you ok?” Betty asked, the other twins silence making her a bit concerned.

“I have a big test today in math and I'm a little nervous.” she said, holding onto the straps of her backpack on her shoulders tightly.

“You were studying all night! You're going to do great!” Sadie exclaimed, giving her sister a sideways hug as the bus stopped in front of them.

“Just do your best. I'm so proud of you no matter what. Have a good day at school.” she waved to them both as they took a seat together and drove off.

“Love you!” Samantha yelled from the open bus window as it passed Betty walking back home. She smiled and waved at her again before walking up to her home and plopping herself down right on the middle step. She pressed her palms into her eyes, willing the exhaustion to go away for just a bit so she could clear her head.

“Betty?” a voice called from across the yard. A familiar pink haired woman came into sight as she jogged across the property line.

“Toni, hi. What are you doing here? Are you showing a house nearby?” Betty asked, scooting over to make room on the step for the other woman to sit. She patted the spot next to her and the petite woman sat down beside her.

“I heard Jughead got hurt during a job and was at the hospital you worked at. Have you seen him?” she asked, worried etched deep in her eyes.

“I was actually going to go in after I made some coffee. Do you want to come with me? I'll make sure they let you in to visit with him.” she explained, putting her hand on Toni's shoulder for comfort.

“Is he ok?” she asked in disbelief, her hand covering her mouth as tears pooled in her eyes. “He's never once been to a hospital when he's been hurt before. How bad is it?” Panic slowly seeping into her voice.

“He was shot in the shoulder but I'm not sure what other injuries he might have sustained. My boss forced me to clock out and go home so the surgery team could do their job.” she explained, leading Toni inside and starting a pot of coffee.

“Surgery?” Toni breathed, sitting down on the stool beside the kitchen island.

“I don't want to make any promises to you but they got the bullet out and he was sleeping when I left. His vitals were good, all things considered. He should be ok, Toni.” Betty grabbed two to-go mugs from the cabinet and filled them with the steaming black liquid. “Come on.” she urged. “Let's go see how he's doing.”

They barely made it to the line of rooms when her boss stopped her from going any further. “Cooper, what are you doing here? You worked a double shift last night you should be resting.” her boss was a stern older man who spoke harshly but had kindness in his eyes.

“Dr. Conners.” she greeted professionally, pushing her hair behind her ear as she spoke. “Two friends of mine were admitted last night while I was on shift to the surgical ward. I was hoping I could visit them.” she explained.

“The Jones men?” he asked with surprise, turning his back to them and walking down the corridor of the hospital. The two woman followed behind him, their steps quick to keep up with his long strides.

“Yes.” Betty said quickly. They stopped outside a curtained room and the older man grabbed a chart from the wall. He handed it to Betty and motioned to the area beside them.

“The father is in this room.” he said. “If anyone asks, I don't know you're in here off the clock.” he shot her a wink before walking away.

Betty looked at the chart intently while Toni rushed ahead and shoved the curtain back, hurrying to the patients side. Betty stepped beside her, moving one of the chairs right up to the side of his head and urging Toni to take a seat.

“Jughead?” the pink haired woman whispered, pulling the sheets back to find his hand and wrap her fingers around it. She pulled it forward to rest on the side of the bed so she could hold it comfortably.

When she moved the sheet, Betty's eyes grew wide. He was shirtless, the bullet wound dressed and hidden behind a stack of bandages. The rest of his body, however, was littered with dark bruises and cuts, more of his skin black and blue instead of the tan it should have been.

“The chart says some of his ribs were broken and by the looks of it he was beaten within an inch of his life.” she said, sitting down in a chair beside Toni and brushing her fingers over his abdomen gently. She felt a sharp pain in her chest as she looked at the damage done to the man she had grown close to over the last week.

“Whoever did this is going to pay.” Toni seethed, tears falling silently down her cheeks.

“They already did.” his voice was so dry that the words were barely audible but the two woman heard them none the less.

“Stay still.” Betty insisted, pushing her chair back as she stood and moving Toni out of the way as kindly as she could so she could stand by his head. The dark skinned woman stepped backwards a few paces with a smile, beyond happy to see her friend awake when she had been worried hours before that he was dead.

“Whatever you say, Doc.” his voice cracked, his eyes glued to her face with a small smirk while her attention was on his injuries. She was just a breath away from him when she grabbed the stethoscope from the nearby drawer and listened to his lungs. She looked at the watch on her wrist while listening intently, and when his eyes dropped to her lips, Toni cleared her throat loudly from across the room.

Jugheads eyes flew over to hers and his best friend shot him an innocent grin.

“Your breathing sounds good. Are you nauseous? Lightheaded?” Betty rattled off, throwing the stethoscope around her neck and giving him her full attention now.

“Didn't know you were a nurse.” he said, ignoring her inquiries all together. Despite the pain that shot through his entire body, he forced himself to sit up and tore the tube of oxygen from over his nose, tossing it off the bed carelessly. Betty narrowed her eyes, one hand on her hip, the other on his chest trying to push him back down.

“Hey, be gentle. Some of us were just shot.” he said, swatting her hand away and sitting up completely.

“Listen to Betty, Jughead. You need to rest. You almost died.” Toni said her arms crossed over her chest with worry.

“And it wont be the last time. Where's my dad?” he asked, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and wincing visibly. His hand went to his ribs immediately, finding his feet none the less and staggering weakly across the room where a clear plastic bag was hanging on the back of a small bathroom door. Boxers were the only clothing covering his body and there wasn't a single patch of skin that wasn't marred in some way with a burn or bruise or cut.

“Get back into bed, Jughead! You shouldn't even be awake right now, let alone walking.” The young blonde could do nothing but watch as he ripped the bag open and dumped his belongings out on the hospital bed.

“Little help here, babe?” he asked, Toni rushing to his side to steady him while he pulled his filthy jeans on over his legs.

“Those are covered in blood, take them off and lay down.” Betty insisted, frustration making her entire body shake. She dealt with stubborn patients every day but this wasn't some stranger. Whether she liked it or not, she cared about this man and he wasn't giving his health the concern it needed right now.

“Maybe once I'm feeling better we can talk about it. But right now I need to see my father.” the joke fell from his lips so easily but the blush that crept up Betty's neck couldn't be stopped.

Toni grabbed the shirt from the bed, holding it up in front of her. It was no longer clothing, instead a bloody rag that was unwearable. She tossed it to the side while the older man leaned on her to slip his shoes on over his feet, pain etched in his every feature as he did so.

Betty knew that his entire body was screaming in agony right now but he wouldn't be stopped. As she watched him, she realized that his muscles were visibly flexing under the skin of his abs.

“Your abs, Jug.” she whispered with concern, shaking her head with disbelief.

“Pretty nice, right?” Toni joked, earning a strained laugh from her friend. She wasn't wrong, he looked powerful even in his weakened state, his muscles hard and on display in front of her.

“I'm talking about your ribs.” she said rolling her eyes and pointing to his stomach. “They convulse every time you take a breath.” She walked over and put her palm against his ribs, causing him to fall over against the bed in pain, Toni staggering away from him clumsily when he did. He had managed to get both shoes on before collapsing on the edge of the gurney.

“Damnit, Betty.” he hissed, covering her hand with his own against his stomach, squeezing his eyes shut. She would have to be blind not to notice his strength beneath her hand but she didn't let herself get distracted by it. He was hurt and if he left this room, he would be risking his life.

“Maybe you should listen to her and rest.” Toni said softly, her eyes wide with concern.

Jugheads eyes locked with Betty's as he laced his fingers through hers against his abdomen and held them tight. Her lips parted slightly under his intense gaze. “I'm okay.” he whispered, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand tenderly.

“You're not.” she sighed, her other hand settling on his thigh as a single tear rolled down her porcelain skin.

“Don't cry.” he begged, bringing his other hand to her cheek, brushing the salty drop of water away with the pad of his finger.

“I'll go see how your dad is doing. He's in the room right next to yours.” she pulled away from him and straightened her back. “Just please stay here. I'll be right back.” but before she could leave, Toni stepped in front of the exit.

“I'll go see FP. You make sure he doesn't leave.” she insisted, darting out of the room and into the one next door.

“Traitor.” Jughead mumbled, still sitting with his legs over the side of the bed instead of laying down the way he should be.

“She just cares about you. She came to my house absolutely terrified that something happened to you and asked me to take her to see you. So cut her some slack.” Betty snapped, sitting beside him on the bed and setting his chart down beside her.

“She knows I love her.” he grunted, reaching across her body to snatch the clipboard up in his own hands.

“How long have you guys been together?” figuring distracting him from the pain might help and not at all because she was curious about his relationships.

Jughead laughed in response, flipping the front page up over the clipboard and reading the lines quickly to himself. “I've known her since I was a kid. Her great grandfather was a Serpent and she joined the same time I did. We aren't together.” he explained, his eyes narrowing at the paper in front of him. “I hate how easy hospitals get all this personal information about me.” he grumbled, tossing the clipboard into the chair across from where they sat.

“Yea, those damn hospitals are evil what with saving your life and everything.” she rolled her eyes, the exhaustion setting in and making her irritable.

“I value my privacy.” he said, offering nothing else.

“Let me help you with that.” she snapped, standing up from the bed and walking to the curtain.

“That's not what I meant.” he said, his eyes narrowing with his own frustration.

“I was the one who did your intake, Jug. I saw them wheel you in covered in blood with a bullet in your shoulder and your injuries still fresh and untreated. I worked a 20 hour shift just so I could stay updated on how you were doing and if you were okay. Then I went home and got my kids to school and I still haven't slept. And I don't know if I'll even be able to because I am so fucking worried about you; a man I barely know. So when you sit there and act like everything is fine and that you can just walk out of here, you're really pissing me off.” she swore, pushing the curtain open and disappearing from view.

He pulled his legs up on the bed and leaned back against the raised headrest of the gurney. His hand pushed his hair back with annoyance, his eyes closing as he finally let the pain settle in to his bones.

“Let me guess.” Toni reappeared in the entrance of his room, her hand on her hip and a small smile on her face like she knew a secret no one else did. “You were your usual charming self and chased her away?”

“How's my dad?” he asked, patting his lap lazily with his hand while he continued to stare at the ceiling in pain.

The younger woman climbed up onto his bed carefully and settled herself in his lap, her face buried in his neck. His arms circled around her back as her body finally broke down, shaking with sobs.

“I thought you were dead.” she cried, holding onto him tightly, careful to avoid his new injuries. His arms tightened around her, pressing his lips against the top of her head.

“I'm right here, Toni. I don't plan on dying anytime soon.” he promised. She pulled away from his neck and looked up at him, her eyes red and her nose dripping with snot. She ran her hand under her nose to clear it with a sniff.

“You better not. Because I'll kill you.” she said punching him lightly in the uninjured shoulder. She got off his lap and laid down beside him, nestling up under his arm that he slung over her shoulder.

“He's in bad shape, isn't he?” the two of them staring up at the spotted ceiling tiles of the hospital room.

“Yea, he's in bad shape.” she replied, reaching her arm over his stomach lightly and hugging him as gently as she could.

“It was The Ghoulies. They were trying to recruit Serpents to sell Jingle Jangle and dad and I went to set em straight. Told them we weren't interested in dealin drugs or any of that shit anymore. Didn't take it too well.” he explained, feeling her tears on his bare shoulder.

“They just declared war when they did this to the two leaders of The Serpents. They have no idea how royally screwed they are.” she said with a humorless laugh.

“They never were the smartest bunch.” he agreed. “Is Cheryl okay?” She had been with the two men when it happened, staying outside as their secret lookout when they were shot, beaten, and left for dead. The Ghoulies had dumped FP and Jughead in the alley outside their warehouse to die. If Cheryl hadn't been there, he might not be either.

Toni sighed deeply before responding. “She's worried about you both. She had to wait until the place was clear before she could get to you. Can you imagine that tiny girl getting you both into the car and dropping your bodies at the hospital entrance?” she said with a chuckle.

“I've seen your girlfriend in action, Topaz. I'm confident she can handle just about anything. Especially if she puts up with you on a daily basis.” he joked, pulling her hair lightly making her huff.

Days passed and Betty restrained herself from going to the surgery floor and checking on the two gang leaders when she was at work. Her shifts grew longer and the holiday season came closer. Winter in Chicago brought with it an onslaught of crowded hospital lobbies and busy doctors and nurses. It had been a full week since the bloody incident and Betty told herself she was going to distance herself from her neighbor for her own good. The flutter in her belly told her to stay far away from him, knowing the hurt he would bring her was inevitable. In that same train of thought, Betty setting the table for dinner while the sound of running echoed from upstairs, there was a knock on her door. She had ordered a large number of items for their home and had been getting deliveries often so she opened it with no hesitation. When she saw the figure standing in front of the door she quickly closed it halfway, hiding her body behind it slightly, her eyes narrowed and confident as she spoke.

“Can I help you?” she asked. The person she was face to face with was a ragged looking man around her age. His hair was a dark blonde, the greasiness of it making it look as if he had just gotten out of a pool. His clothes were black and covered in various stains, some of which were easy to identify as dried up blood.

“I sure hope so. Word around town is you're friends with some snakes.” he said, leering at her with what was quite possibly the creepiest grin she had ever seen.

“Who wants to know?” she snapped back, reaching undetected for the baseball bat she kept beside her door. She gripped the handle tight with one hand while the other held the door closed against her body, shielding his view of her homes interior.

“My you sure are a rude little thing.” he mocked, tisking her with his index finger. He placed his hand on the door but made no effort to force his way inside. “But such a beauty. Wouldn't mind seein what's between those long, pale legs.”

“Yea, well, I save my manners for non Ghoulies, so if you don't mind.” she said, attempting to shut the door in his face. His foot shot out and wedged its way inside, preventing that action.

”So you're familiar with us.” he grinned, reaching his finger out to brush against her cheek. She reeled back in disgust. “That's why I'm here. See, this whole business with FP is a messy situation. And his son is proving to be quite a piece of work as well.”

“I wouldn't know anything about that. Just moved in.” she explained simply, holding her eyes steady on him, her grip still firm on the bat.

“Then let me do the honors of enlightening you.” He pushed all of his weight against the door, shoving her back and taking a step into the house. She took a single moment to deduce where the girls were, hearing muffled music and footsteps coming from their closed bedroom doors, and then she swung. Her knuckles turned white as she lifted the bat over her shoulder and brought it down behind the intruders kneecaps.

“Son of a bitch!” he screamed, grabbing his injured knee and stumbling a step back out of her home, tumbling down the three steps leading up to her house. It was dark outside now, the only light coming from the tiny lantern fixture that hung above her porch.

“Betty?” Jugheads voice called from his driveway, his helmet under his arm as if he was about to go somewhere or had just gotten home. He tossed it to the ground and stormed across her lawn.

“I got it. Go away, Jughead.” she called out, adrenaline pumping threw her veins as she stood over the man who had threatened her. Jughead had stopped his stride halfway across the lawn, holding his hands up in surrender as he watched the man pull himself to his feet.

“You just made a big mistake, honey.” he said, his face full of pain but a deranged smile on his lips. Jughead narrowed his eyes and continued his stride, coming right up to the attacker.

“What was that, Jinx?” Jughead shouted, towering over the man who was limping on his one good knee. “You came all the way to the city to threaten some girl? Sounds like you've been demoted to errand boy.”

“Mom?” a small voice called from behind her, Sadie peeking her head out from behind the door. “What's going on? We heard screaming.”

The greasy man let out a maniacal laugh, his eyes roaming over the small child. “You have kids. Perfect.” he grinned, his eyes on Betty again. Jugheads entire body filled with rage as he snatched the mans neck up in his hand and squeezed as hard as he could.

“Go upstairs with Samantha and lock the bedroom door. Do not come out until I come and get you.” she said,never taking her eyes off of the stranger. Sadie raced back up the stairs and did as she was told, the muffled sound of a door slamming confirming it.

The greaser clawed at Jugheads arms, trying to get an ounce of breath into his lung, but he wasn't loosening his grip for anything.

“You're threatening to hurt an 8 year old girl? That's what the Ghoulies are up to now, huh?” Jughead seethed, clutching his hand even harder around his throat. “Pathetic bunch of drug addicts. I see not much has changed.”

He crushed his neck one final time before shoving the man away with all of his strength. Even with his shoulder still healing, the thug flew a good few feet across the lawn in a heap, grabbing his throat and gulping in the air as quickly as he could. Jughead walked over to where Betty was and pried the baseball bat from her fingers, tossing it to the ground with a thud.

“Betty, look at me.” he begged, bringing both hands to her cheeks and cupping them roughly, urging her to give him some kind of response. The man who had threatened her was now on all fours, coughing up a small amount of blood from a no doubt broken windpipe.

“Betty.” he repeated, shaking her gently with his hands still cupping her face. They lived in a deserted area, their two houses the only ones for about a mile. It was dark but he could see the woman's bright eyes growing darker. She wrenched herself from her neighbors grasp and stormed over to the man on the ground.

“Don't even think about touching my kid.” she spat, grabbing the discarded baseball bat as she went and swinging it in full force for a second time, the tip knocking the assailant right in the jaw. The sound of the bone cracking was enough to make even Jughead cringe, wrapping his arms around Betty from behind and hauling her into the house, lifting her feet off the ground as she struggled against him.

He tossed Betty onto the couch carelessly before grabbing his cellphone from his pocket, punching in a line of text before sending it off and putting it back in his jeans. He listened for signs of the kids, hearing nothing but silence from the second story.

“Go be with the girls. I'll wait for the body to be picked up.” he said casually, peeking through her curtains as a van pulled up in front of the house. He knew it was Sweet Pea and Cheryl who he had just contacted.

“I can handle a body, Jughead. This isn't my first time.” her words surprised him but he didn't falter. He saw his friends loading the gang member into their van before speeding off.

“Well, it's already been handled. So how about you sit down and talk to me. Considering you've been avoiding me all week.” he snapped, pushing her shoulder down to sit on the couch, staying upright to pace in front of her.

“I haven't been avoiding you. I've been busy at work and I didn't think it was worth it to waste more of my time begging you to take care of yourself.” she barked back, folding her arms across her chest, a small but adorable pout on her lips.

“I shouldn't have been so impulsive and tried to walk out of the hospital after being shot. There, are you happy? I'm sorry.” he said with a snarky attitude, rolling his eyes at her as he continued to walk back and forth in front of the coffee table she was seated behind.

“Oh, excuse me for giving a shit about you!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up and slamming her back harder against the couch, slumping down in her seat.

“You barely know me! Maybe you should spend more time worrying about people who actually need your help. I'm doing fine on my own.”

“Looked like you needed help when I saw you covered in blood at the hospital just a few days ago, half dead.” she muttered.

Jughead had just come back from the hospital where they had informed him that the chances of his father ever waking up were slim to none. It had been a long and emotional day and his patience was all but non existent at this point. But instead of telling Betty that; Instead of talking to her calmly the way that she deserved, he exploded with the weight of the day still on his shoulders.

“You're right, let me rephrase that.” he said through gritted teeth. He slammed his hands down on the coffee table and stared her straight in the eyes, his arms shaking with rage. “I don't need the help of some stuck up single mom with more baggage in her life then anyone I've ever known. You think I want to be over here on a Friday night cleaning up your mess? You think I want to get involved with some plain looking girl who has two brats she has to chase after? I have enough to deal with without having to listen to the advice of some nurse who is too stupid to know when to mind her own god damn business. I can take care of myself.” Betty felt the anger drain from her body faster then she thought possible. He waited for her response but noticed she was looking passed him, over his shoulder to stare at the staircase.

“Sadie.” she whispered, her eyes looking across the room to the little girl sitting halfway down the stairs. “Sadie, no.” she shook her head, flying off the couch to stand at the bottom of the steps.

“Brat?” the strawberry blonde repeated, her lip quivering as she looked at Jughead. Tears pooled in her bright blue eyes but none of them fell, the look of agony etched into her innocent face.

He opened his mouth but found no words would come out. His throat was dry and his entire body felt like it was being crushed underneath a train.

“He didn't mean that, Sadie.” her mother tried to rationalize, taking the next couple steps up to wrap her arms around the small girl.

“Why were you pretending to be so nice if you didn't like us? Why were you being so nice to my mom if you think she's stupid and plain?” Sadie asked, the words rushing from her mouth as she threw them back at him.

“I..” he stuttered, walking closer to the stairs very slowly. He ran his hand over his entire face in agony, pushing his fingers up into his hair and pulling in frustration.

“I set the table, Sadie. Why don't you go tell Sam that it's time to eat and we can talk about this all tomorrow after we get some rest.” The older woman composed herself so well and so swiftly that he almost couldn't believe her emotional strength in that moment.

The little girl nodded and went to get her sister, the two of them coming down hand in hand and disappearing into the kitchen without looking at him. Betty looked down as a single tear escaped her eye and slid down her cheek, Jughead clenching his fist in physical pain at the sight of her so broken. What she said next only furthered his anguish and self loathing.

She raised her head shyly and bit the inside of her lip when she finally found the strength to look him in the eyes. “I never meant to be any trouble.” she said just above a whisper. He shook his head, begging her not to finish that thought and let him apologize and tell her she's wrong; Tell her that's not at all how he sees her.

“I just wanted to buy a nice house in a quiet neighborhood for my kids. I didn't know that Toni was going to show me my perfect home next to yours and that my purchasing it would have such a negative impact on you. I'm just a nurse, Jug.” she said, her eyes pleading with him to understand her actions. His heart ached at the nickname that fell so easily from her lips. “I was just doing my job. I'm sorry.” she finished with a shrug, turning her back on him after he watched more tears tumble down her cheeks. She had dismissed him, going into the kitchen to take a bubbling pan of lasagna from the oven and leaving him to stand motionless in her living room. He waited a full minute before finding the will to open her front door and shut it softly behind him.

“What do you guys think about spending the weekend with Grandma?” Betty asked as she sat on the edge of the tub, watching the girls brush their teeth before bed. “One of her closest friends is very sick and I think spending time with her two favorite kids would cheer her up.”

“I love sleepovers at Grandmas!” Samantha said in a rare outburst of excitement, spitting into the sink. “She always let's us stay up late with her.”

“That's sad her friend is sick.” Sadie sad with a frown, spitting into the sink as well and jumping down from her mermaid step stool.

“I'll call her tonight and see if she's up to it. Now, let's get into your pajamas and I'll tuck you both in for bed.” Betty ushered Sadie into her room first to help her pull on her rainbow striped pajama set. She tucked her into her brand new bed full of multiple blankets and pillows of all shapes and colors.

“Do you want to talk about what happened earlier, Sades?” Betty asked, sitting on the edge of her daughters mattress and brushing her hair back gently.

“It's ok mama we don't need anyone else. I like how things are with just the three of us.” the little girl said, although her words a few weeks ago voicing her desire for a dad one day contradicted that.

“People deal with pain in different ways. Sometimes they get very sad and cry when they're alone. Other people get so angry that they try to push people away.”

“Are you going to let him push us away?” she asked, snuggling under her pink comforter with her stuffed cat.

“I think so, sweetheart. You should never force someone to be in your life if they don't want to be. But you have so many people in your life already who love you so much.” Betty explained brightly.

“I'm very lucky.” Sadie yawned, rolling over and closing her eyes.

When she made her way into Samantha's room, she was already in her dark purple pajamas, witches brooms and hats all over the fabric.

“Do you want me to braid your hair how you like it? So it'll be all wavy in the morning?” Betty offered, her daughters silence worrying her. She nodded in response, grabbing her hairbrush and handing it to Betty. She sat on the floor in front of her bed while Betty sat on the mattress behind her, running the brush through her strawberry hair.

“What happened tonight, mom? Sadie came in my room and said there was a man outside and there was shouting. Is everything ok?” she asked, wringing her hands in her lap as the older woman separated her hair into three sections.

“You know how I always tell you and your sister not to talk to strangers? Even if they come up to you and offer you something you might want?” she started to braid her hair from the top, adding more hair as she went.

Sam nodded in understanding.

“Well there was a stranger at the door tonight and I had to tell him to go away when he tried to come inside.” she explained simply.

“I always make sure Sadie knows not to answer the door when you aren't home. We know not to let strangers inside.” Samantha said confidently.

“I'm very proud of you for always being so smart. You do such a wonderful job helping me when things get chaotic and I really appreciate everything you do. I see you help Sadie with her backpack in the morning and when you do the dishes without being asked. I just hope you know how much it means to me. And I'm always here if you want to talk about anything that might be going on with you.”

There was a moment of silence before Sam responded.

“I didn't have a test at school like I told you I did. That's not why I was nervous.” she revealed, pulling at a loose string on her pajama bottoms.

Betty turned her to the side to start on the second french braid on the other side of her head.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Betty asked, not wanting to pressure her.

“My teacher wants to have a meeting with you before the end of the school year. She thinks I should skip third grade.” the small girl answered.

“How do you feel about skipping third grade?” This didn't come as much of a surprise to Betty. She had spoken to her teacher a few weeks ago and she had mentioned that possibility.

“It would mean leaving Sadie behind. What if she needs me because she doesn't understand something or someone is picking on her?” It was then that her mom was starting to see just how anxious her mature daughter really was. All these concerns swirling around her head at such a young age made her heart ache.

“Sam, I love that you care about your sister so much but you have to remember that I am her mother and I am responsible for her too. I can help her with anything she needs. I would hate for you to stay in third grade and lose interest in school simply because you're bored. I want you to be challenged and be the absolute best you can be.” Betty said, finishing her hair and pulling her up onto the bed with her. She tucked her in under the dark comforter and handed her the stuffed elephant she kept neatly on her nightstand.

“I would really like to skip ahead if my teacher thinks I can handle it. Second grade was really boring for me.” she confessed, her eyes growing heavy after such a long day.

“I'll set up a meeting with her and we can all talk about it together. How does that sound?” she kissed her daughter on the forehead and turned off the light.

“You're a really good mom.” she said sleepily, turning over and falling asleep.

Betty smiled to herself as she closed her door and made her way back downstairs. It was 9pm and she knew her mother would still be awake. She grabbed her cellphone from the counter and went outside to call her. She dialed her number and held it to her ear, closing the front door behind her. Her mother answered at the same time Betty clenched her chest in surprise. Jughead Jones was sitting on the middle step that led up to her porch, bathed in the shadows of the night sky.

“Elizabeth?” her mother said, sounding like it was for the second or third time.

“Sorry mom, I'm here.” she said, sighing deeply before taking a single step down and sitting beside the dark hair man who was currently hanging his head in shame. “I was wondering if you wanted to have the girls sleep over this weekend. I hear FP isn't doing too well and I thought you might like the company.” Her eyes were on Jughead as she spoke and as the words left her mouth, he slowly raised his head to lock his sad gaze on hers.

“I wasn't going to tell you.” her mom said with an audible sniff. “How did you find out? You're not at work are you?” she asked.

“No, I'm not at work. Jughead came over though and I could just tell by the way he acted that something must be wrong.” she said, her focus never leaving Jughead even with her words directed at someone else.

“I would love to have the girls for the weekend. Are you sure you'll be okay at home all alone?” her mother asked, her voice loud enough that her neighbor could hear the concern through the small speaker.

“I'll be fine, mom. I always am.” she said sadly, biting the inside of her cheek under his intense glare.

“Ok honey. I'll come pick them up in the morning around 10.” They said their goodbyes and a weighted silence fell between the two young adults.

“Why are you here, Jug?” she asked, turning to the side to lean her back against the railing, bringing her feet up to rest beside his thigh on the wooden step. She reached back with one hand and held the top of the banister, preparing herself for whatever was to come next.

“I never left.” he breathed, reaching over to grab one of her bare feet in his strong, calloused hand. “I can't believe those words came out of my mouth. The way I hurt you...” he trailed off, so disgusted with himself as he shook his head and avoided her gaze. He dropped her foot and stood up abruptly, pacing in front of her now at the bottom of the stairs.

“The way I hurt Sadie...” he muttered, kicking his foot into the grass beneath his feet.

“You don't owe me an explanation. I promise I heard you earlier. I'll leave you alone. We don't need to talk about it anymore.” she said, standing up and walking to the hanging bench swing tucked away in the dark corner of her porch. She folded her legs under herself as she sat down, peering inside the living room window next to her.

“We do need to talk about it, Betty. I am so incredibly sorry for the things I said.” he didn't deserve her forgiveness. Hell, he didn't deserve to breathe the same air as someone as good and pure as she was. But he was begging for it anyway. He kneeled in front of her, both hands finding the outside of her thighs to hold her legs in his grasp as he willed her to lift her head and look at him.

He rubbed his hands up and down her legs and stared up at her from his spot on the ground. “Just look at me.” he pleaded. She shook her head, tears falling from her eyes. When she finally raised her head he almost had to look away. He had never seen such heartbreak in someones eyes before.

“Everything you said was true, even if you worded it cruelly.” she shrugged, more tears spilling down her cheeks as she shook her head. “I am a plain looking girl with a lot of baggage. And you made it very clear that's not who you want to spend your Friday nights with. So, why are you here, on a Friday night, talking to me?” she wanted to understand but her heart ached from the spiteful words he had spoken to her just hours earlier.

He moved his hands from her legs up to her face, brushing her tears away with him thumbs as they continued to fall. The light hanging near the front door flickered as it zapped the bugs that dared to touch it, both their faces covered with shadows in the darkness of the night. Despite that, her bright blue eyes shined in front of him clear as day, and it took everything he had not to lean forward and kiss her.

“I never should have said those things to you. You are the furthest thing from stupid. You are resourceful and intuitive and you deserve so much more then some gang member that lives next door to you and says horrible, hurtful things when he's upset. You deserve someone who's going to bring you flowers and cook you dinner and teach your kids how to ride their bikes and take them to soccer practice.” she narrowed her eyes at this and shoved his hands away.

“I don't need someone to take care of me.” she snapped. “And to be honest, I really liked that gang member who lived next door. He was smart and kind and ambitious. But then he screamed at me and broke my heart in half and now I think maybe he was never any of those things in the first place.” she whispered, walking back inside without another word. The sound of the door clicking shut hung in the air for a long moment before he was able to force his legs to move and carry him back across the lawn to his own home.

Chapter Text

Chapter Four

Saturday morning in the Cooper household was full of laughter and smiling faces. Betty woke up early to make french toast which the three girls ate together at their worn, round table near the large window in the kitchen. Sadie drowned hers in syrup while Sam and Betty both used a dash of cinnamon sugar and nothing else. Alice let herself in at 9am, an hour earlier then they discussed, voicing that she “just couldn't wait any longer.” She joined the family at the table with a cup of tea while Betty grabbed the girls overnight bags and loaded them into her moms SUV. As she closed the trunk, a stunning redhead appeared suddenly at her side.

“You must be Betty.” she said with a brilliant, white smile. She wore a tight red leather jacket and a pair of black jeans that hugged every inch of her curves. “I heard my lovely girlfriend showed you this house and I thought I would introduce myself.” She stuck her hand out towards Betty with an easy air of confidence. “I'm Cheryl Blossom.”

“It's nice to meet you.” Betty shook her hand cautiously.

Cheryl eyed the loaded SUV before returning her attention to Betty. “Going on a trip?” she asked casually.

Before she could answer, Alice came outside with both girls in tow, walking towards the car with excitement.

“Grandma said she's going to take us to the park today!” Sadie bounced up and down while Samantha stood stoically near her car door.

“Who's this?” Sam asked, looking at the red headed woman.

“Oh, I like her.” Cheryl grinned, giving her a small wave. “My name's Cheryl.”

“Hello Cheryl. It's been quite a few years. Last time I saw you, you were just a little girl.” Alice coming up last, joining the conversation with an easy smile.

“Alice Cooper, I remember you. You were the only one who knew how to do my hair the way I liked when I joined the Serpents.” she smiled fondly, boldly going up to the oldest Cooper and enveloping her in a hug. Alice laughed lightly and hugged the young girl back.

“Two long braids, I remember.” she smiled warmly, touching Cheryl's hair lightly at the memory before helping her grand kids with their seat belts.

“Wait, does that mean...” she trailed off, looking between the two young girls through the car window. “Are those Polly's daughters?” she asked, her face softening with sadness, touching Betty's shoulder gently.

“Yes. Polly was my sister. I've been taking care of them since she passed.” she replied, comforted by Cheryl's sympathetic words.

“Betty Cooper.” she said sounding impressed. “You aren't what I expected.”

Betty kissed both girls goodbye and reminded her mother to take it easy on the sweets before they disappeared down the driveway.

“Spend the day with me and Toni.” she said suddenly, her voice indicating it wasn't up for discussion. Cheryl linked her arm through the blondes with a familiarity that came with years of friendship even though they had just met moments ago.

“That's so sweet of you but I have some errands to run today and a lot of cleaning to do.” It wasn't a lie. Betty had planned on doing both of those things.

Cheryl let out a soft, feminine laugh. “One thing you will learn about me is that I don't take no for an answer. I'll text you my address. Come over tonight once you've done all you need to do. We can order a pizza and drink some wine and get to know each other a little better. Toni and I are always looking for more girl friends. As you probably already know, the Serpents is a bit of a boys club.” she said with a roll of her darkly lined eyes.

“That sounds nice actually. I don't have many friends with my chaotic life.” she replied with a shy smile, rubbing her elbow nervously.

“That changes today.” she smiled, her long legs carrying her back to the car in Jugheads driveway. Toni was leaning against the drivers side door and waved when she saw Betty. Cheryl walked up to the pink haired woman and placed a soft kiss on her lips before getting into the passenger side.

She saw Jughead standing outside his front door, shooting the two woman a sarcastic salute as they pulled out of the driveway in their bright red Camaro.

Before he turned back to go inside, his eyes found hers across the property line. She shot him a soft smile before bowing her head and heading inside to get ready for her day.

She started another pot of coffee before jogging upstairs to grab a shower. She stripped out of her clothes and took her time standing in front of the mirror. Normally, her mornings were so chaotic that she didn't have the luxury of taking her time to get ready. Her eyes roamed over her own body, Jugheads words nagging in the back of her mind. Plain. She knew that was how most people saw her. She had always been more comfortable wearing jeans and a simple t shirt instead of fancy blouses and skirts. Her waist was slim and her chest a decent size but the trauma from her past conditioned her to hide her body so no one would notice her. She was ok with being perceived as plain if it kept her safe. She stepped into the steaming glass shower and let the water beat against her skin, loosening her tense muscles. When she eventually exited the shower, she took the time to blow dry her hair to fall straight and long down her back before pulling on a pair of light blue cheeky panties and a matching bra. When she went to her closet to find an outfit to fight the cold Chicago weather, she grabbed a pair of light blue jeans and a thick yellow hoodie that hung off one shoulder. She shoved her feet into her black low top sneakers and headed downstairs. Once her travel mug was filled with her third cup of coffee for the day, she grabbed her keys and purse before heading to her car.

Her afternoon was spent shopping for groceries and going to the hardware store for hooks to finally hang all of her frames. She wanted to put the effort in to make their house feel like the cozy home she knew it could be. When she got back it was close to 3pm and she was carrying way too many bags at a time inside.

“Need any help?” a voice called out from across her lawn where Jughead had stopped a safe distance away from her car.

“I'm fine, thank you though.” she said politely. She went back to her car and grabbed the rest of the bags, dropping them on the kitchen island before walking back out and closing her trunk. He stood in the same spot, pulling his worn, crown shaped beanie down over his ears.

“Is there something else, Jughead?” she asked patiently, reaching into her front seat to grab her purse before locking the car up with two short beeps. She wrapped her arms around herself as it started to snow around them, shoving her hands in the back pockets of her skinny jeans.

“I was going to go see my dad.” he finally said after such a long silence she had thought he wasn't going to answer her. “Was wondering if you might want to come with me. I know you work there and probably don't want to spend your weekend off at your job but-” she put her hand up to stop his apparent rambling.

“Come inside.” she sighed, leading him into her kitchen while she unpacked the tremendous amount of bags that littered the counter. He hovered nervously near the side of the room, doing his best to stay out of the way. “Here.” she said, handing him a bag from the hardware store. “Think you can install this for me on the front door?” she asked. He peered inside to see a video doorbell and a new coded lock. His eyes narrowed in concern.

“Yea, I can put these up right now. You worried?” he asked, standing beside her at the counter, breaking open the plastic packaging of the door handle and lock set.

“I'm a single woman living alone with two pretty, young girls. Yea, I'm always a little worried.” she answered sadly, busying herself with chopping up two boxes of fresh strawberries and putting them into a small glass bowl in the fridge.

“I'm going to run home and get my tools for this.” he said, disappearing for a moment before she heard him begin working on her front door. Once her kitchen was organized, bags discarded, she leaned against the far wall of the kitchen and slid down until her butt hit the floor. Betty brought her knees up and hugged them against her chest, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill over her eyes. She knew the Serpent life would catch up to her eventually but now that she had kids to worry about, it hit her so much harder.

“Everything's set up if you want to -” Jugheads voice cut off when he walked right past her and had to turn around to see her sitting on the floor in a ball.

“Hey, what's going on?” he asked softly, crouching down to her level and pulling her hands away from her face. Her eyes were red when she looked at him and she shook her head, refusing to answer.

“Is it about last night because I really am so-” she cut him off, putting her hand flat against his mouth.

“I absolutely hate how you make me feel. I see you and I feel safe for the first time in my life and I shouldn't because all you fucking do is hurt me. You hurt me, Jughead.” she enunciated, tears finally escaping from the corner of her bright blue eyes.

“Fuck all that stuff I said. You're this perfect woman and I didn't want to ruin you by being in your life. I should stay away from you.” he said mostly to himself, grabbing her hands and pulling her up off the floor.

“Don't you dare.” she breathed, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing too tightly. Jughead wrapped his arms protectively around her back, enjoying the feeling of her small body in his embrace.

“Come on,” he started, pulling away from her and taking her hands in his once again. “Let's go to the hospital. I hear you have a date with two friends of mine later this evening.” he brushed the tears away from her cheeks before they went outside. She locked her door carefully before she leaned into his side, his arm draped over her shoulder, as they walked to his driveway. He lifted open the garage which was surprisingly bare except for a large, black pickup truck. It looked sleek and new like it hadn't been driven yet.

He saw her reaction and let out a laugh. She smiled in response, convinced it was one of her new favorite sounds. “I usually take my bike but I figured I wouldn't make you freeze this late in the evening.” he explained, walking over to the passenger side and opening her door. She grabbed the handle inside the car and lifted herself up, taking the few seconds she had to look around before he joined her in the drivers seat. A pack of cigarettes and a single pink, metal lighter covered with kittens were all that adorned the inside of his immaculate vehicle. When he joined her, she already had it in her hands, lifting the lighter in front of her with a raised eyebrow and a smile. He grinned in response, snatching it from her hand playfully and tossing it back in the cup holder between them.

“Toni gets me a new lighter every year for Christmas. She's been doing it ever since we were kids. Cheryl told me she spends the entire 12 months trying to pick out the most embarrassing, feminine one she can find. She outdid herself last year.” he recalled fondly, driving them the short distance across the city to the large hospital that had housed his father for the last two weeks.

“The three of you are pretty close, huh?” Betty questioned with a smile, loving the way his face lit up when he spoke of his friends.

“Cheryl had a pretty rough go of it. I wont go into it because that's her story to tell.” he started, his hands gripping the steering wheel just a bit tighter as if he was remembering a particularly awful memory from Cheryl's past. “She found us at a pretty young age all beaten up and bloody from her parents abuse, so we took her in. She was just a kid. She use to tell me Alice Cooper would treat her like a daughter and brush her hair for her every night before she went home to her own family. See, Cheryl lived with my dad and I growing up and your mom spent a lot of time there.” he said, walking with her side by side through the hospital doors.

“Yea, it seems us Coopers really know how to pick 'em.” she joked, taking his hand and leading him to the ICU where his dad had been moved. They stopped outside of his room, Jughead's feet stuck to the floor.

“They told me he probably wont wake up. He hasn't opened his eyes since it happened. I don't know why I keep visiting, he doesn't even know I'm here.” he was talking to himself but she heard every word.

“I don't believe that.” she said confidently, her fingers still laced through his. “I had a patient a few years ago who had a stroke and fell into a coma. Hadn't moved so much as a finger for over 6 months and was barely breathing on her own. She didn't have any family to visit her and I always saw her room completely empty. Broke my heart. So I found out she had this big, fat, white cat that she lived with. Mean old thing.” she said as she recalled the memory. Jughead looked over at her, waiting for her to continue.

“Well, as you probably know pets are under no circumstances allowed in the hospital...” she trailed off with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

“So naturally you snuck the cat into work with you to see this poor old lady.” he finished for her.

“Sad thing was, she wasn't old at all. She was this frail little teenage girl. Apparently she was bounced around the foster system so much that she was living on her own in some run down apartment on the bad side of town. But you know what happened the second I brought that cat into her room?”

“It bit her?” he guessed playfully, opening the door to his dads room as her story came to a close.

“She woke up.” Betty revealed, causing her neighbor to look over at her in complete surprise.

“Just like that? All at once just sat up and started talking?” disbelief laced his words but she only smiled, the memory being one that brought her a lot of light during the dark moments of her job.

She took a seat beside Jughead near FP's bed and placed her hand on his leg comfortingly.

“I set the cat down on the floor and he jumped right up on the patients chest, purring louder then I've ever heard an animal purr. He sat there, unmoving, on her chest for a full hour while I checked vitals, switched out IV's, all that stuff. Then right when I was about to take the cat and leave the room, her eyes flew open. So talk to your dad, Juggie. I believe they can hear us.” she said, leaning her head against his shoulder while he found his fathers hand.

The youngest Jones talked to his dad about everything that had been happening the past few weeks.

“Cheryl is super worried about you dad, so if you're going to wake up, I would do it now. You know how she hates to be kept waiting.” Betty smiled as he spoke, sitting beside him silently in support.

“I need you to wake up too. Got some girl problems that I need your advice on and I know you've been waiting for that day to come for a long time.” he joked, the hand not holding his fathers went to Betty's thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Betty was ready to make a sarcastic comment when she stood up from her chair instantly, racing around to the other side of FP's bed.
“What is it?” Jughead asked, letting go of his fathers hand and standing up as well.

“I swear I just saw-” her words were cut short as a low growl came from the older mans throat, his head turning to the side as he tried to cough. His eyes remained closed but he was definitely awake.

“Go get a doctor.” she instructed frantically, pushing her friend out of the room.

“FP, it's Betty. Can you hear me?” she kept her voice soft and low while she she rubbed the side of his face, doing her best to coax his eyes open.

“Betty.” he gurgled, his eyes open just a sliver before closing once more against the harsh light.

“You're at the hospital. You're alright, just stay calm. The doctor is on their way.” she rubbed her hand up and down his arm, tears filling her own eyes.

“Jughead...” he breathed, the words catching in his throat and turning into a full on coughing fit. She backed up slightly, giving him room to breathe. “Is he alive?” Fear etched into his every feature when he was finally able to get the question out.

“I'm right here, dad.” the young man raced back into the room, the doctor right behind him followed by another nurse.

“I can't believe it.” the doctor breathed, a radiant smile across her elderly face. Her dark gray hair was up in a frizzy ponytail while she hurried around the room. “Good evening Mr. Jones. You have been asleep for a few weeks. Can you tell me your birthday?” she asked, wanting to make sure he had his faculties.

“Betty.” he said, ignoring the question as he pulled himself up to sit. “Are you ok?”

“Of course I'm ok, why...” She trailed off before Jughead cut in.

“I didn't tell her about that, dad. Maybe we save that talk for when your feeling better and can get out of this place.” his son coerced, holding his fathers hand again briefly before they were ushered out of the room to give the doctors the space they needed to work.

“I'm not even going to ask what that was about, I'm too happy to care.” she said, tears falling freely from her eyes as they walked back to the car.

“I can't believe he woke up and just started talking.” he muttered, opening her door for her before slipping in behind the wheel.

“And we didn't even need a cat!” she laughed, wiping the tears from her cheeks. They had already left a stain down her face but she didn't care. She owed that man so much and now that he was awake, she was going to make sure they had the friendship she always wished they could've.

“We didn't even need a cat.” he repeated with a smile, pulling into Betty's driveway and shutting off the car. Neither of them made a move to get out.

“They should be done getting him set up in recovery soon. You can go back to the hospital and stay with him.”

“I'm going to head back. Just wanted to make sure you got home safe for your fun night ahead with Cheryl and Toni.” his tone suggested sarcasm laced with affection.

“I think you make fun of them so much because you care.” she smiled, making the first move to exit the car and walk up her front steps.

“Nah, can't stand em.” he joked, watching as she input her new code into the lock and opened the door.

“You're going to have to tell me what you and your dad were talking about back there. Am I in danger?” she asked, concern on her face as she allowed him to follow her upstairs to her bedroom. She tossed her jacket on the bed and sat down.

“When FP gets home, we will all talk about it together. You and your mom need to hear what happened when we faced off with The Ghoulies. They have been watching you for a while now.” he explained with unease.

She nodded calmly, letting the words sink into her brain. “It's nothing my mom and I can't handle.” her words causing Jughead to laugh.

“As if my father will leave Alice to handle this on her own. He's only been in love with her basically his entire life.” his laugh was so genuine and light, she couldn't help but smile back.

“Knock it off, you don't know that.” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, I do know that. But that can be a discussion for another time. Once he's home we will all sit down and talk about what to do to keep everyone safe. It's not just you guys. Cheryl has been getting threats too.”

“I should get ready to head over there. Let me know how your dad is.” she said, going over to her dresser and pulling out her pajamas.

“Don't even have your phone number.” he said with a smirk, running his fingers through his hair and pushing it back out of his eyes.

“Is that your way of asking for it?” she held her hand out for his phone, raising her brow.

“I would love to have your number, Betty. Please and thank you.” he feigned begging, passing his phone over to her.

She punched her number in as a new contact before handing it back to him.

“Have a good time with the girls. They were so excited to spend time with you.” He ran his hand over her straightened hair affectionately before showing himself out.

“Thanks for coming with me today.” Jughead called out from the driveway as she smiled her response, waiting until he was down the street before closing the door and going back upstairs to get ready.

It was dark inside the house now as her phone lit up to show the time. It was 6pm when she Facetimed Cheryl and let her know she was heading over. She changed into her pajamas, consisting of a pair of warm, flannel bottoms and a tight gray boyfriend tee.

“Hey Cheryl.” she greeted when the redhead answered her video call.

“Hello!” she said with a blinding smile. Toni came up behind her shoulder and waved to her as well. “You on your way over?” the dark skinned woman asked.

“Yep, I'm leaving the house now.” she said, holding the phone in front of her face as she headed downstairs to grab her tote bag and keys.

She arrived at the beautiful, expansive home on the north side of Chicago within half an hour. It looked like something out of a gothic novel and she couldn't help but feel intimidated.

Before she could knock on the front door, it was thrown open by a tall, slender blonde woman. She looked to be in her 40s and had a pair of kind brown eyes that immediately put Betty at ease.

“You must be Miss Cooper. Please come in. My name is Mora and I'm Miss Blossoms housekeeper.” she introduced, taking the younger woman's jacket from her and hanging it in the closet nearby.

“Go right upstairs to the first door on the left. The girls are in there.” she was professional but warm, patting Betty's back as she headed for the pristine, oak staircase. “Thank you.” Betty replied, still feeling entirely out of her comfort zone in the museum type house.

She took her phone from her pocket as she took the stairs up slowly. “You could've warned me that your friends live in a palace.” she sent to Jughead before opening the door she was instructed to.

“Betty Cooper.” Cheryl greeted. The two woman were laying on the large dark colored bed reading a pair of magazines side by side. They both stood when she entered and Cheryl took her by the hand to sit with them on the mattress.

“I'm so glad you could come tonight. Toni and I are always looking for more girls to hang out with.” she said with a smile.

Betty's anxiety quickly faded away as the night went on, learning more about the two girls as they sat on the floor of Cheryl's room eating a large mushroom filled pizza.

“So, how are you liking the house so far?” Toni asked, taking a large bite from her slice before flipping over to lay on her stomach.

“It's absolutely perfect.” she beamed, pride swelling in her chest at the amount of work she had put into making it a warm, cozy place for her family.

“I'd love to come see how you decorated it sometime.” Toni said.

Cheryl looked over at her girlfriend with so much love Betty couldn't help her own smile at the site of it.

“Toni loves her job. She's always been interested in real estate, even when we were younger. Always wanted to go into open houses just to see what they looked like.” Cheryl started.

“I loved seeing the family photos and personal touches on the walls. It turned an otherwise empty, cold space into such a beautiful place to live.” Toni added.

Cheryl wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, placing a firm kiss on her cheek. “Even though she hates it here.” she said with a laugh.

“It's a very large home.” Betty commented neutrally.

“It's cold and unfeeling in here.” Toni countered, laughing when her girlfriend huffed her disagreement.

“Not to mention haunted.” the redhead teased, poking Betty in the side with a wink when Toni shuddered.

“Haunted?” the blonde questioned.

“It's most definitely haunted, I'll give Toni that one. I killed my parents in this house.” she said casually, holding her hand out in front of her to examine her nail polish.

Betty sat, stunned, at her laid back demeanor.

“It's okay, she doesn't mind talking about it. She went to therapy for a long time to learn how to cope and move on.” Toni explained, reaching out for her girlfriends hand that she was currently inspecting and bringing it to her lips to place a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

“From what my mother has told me about the Blossoms, you must be a very brave, resilient person.” Betty said with a sad smile, reaching her own hand out to touch Cheryl's leg gently. The redhead covered her hand with her own and gave it a soft squeeze before it fell from back to her side.

“Thank you Betty. They were two of the worst human beings to walk this earth. I count myself lucky every day that I was able to find the Serpents. They took me in as one of their own and taught me what it was like to be part of a real family. And led me to this beauty over here.” she said with a smile, gesturing to Toni who had her mouth stuffed full of pizza in a very unattractive manner.

The three girls burst into laughter as the large, antique clock chimed 10pm, vibrating through the entire house. They moved downstairs in the sitting room, snow coming down gently as they watched it through the many windows. The three of them were huddled under blankets on the plush, L shaped couch in front of a crackling fireplace, sipping their second glasses of wine.

“So.” Cheryl began, pouring them all another glass full of the sweet, white blend. “What's going on with you and the broody Jughead Jones?” she asked with a grin. Toni nodded enthusiastically from behind her glass, wanting to hear every detail.

“Not much.” Betty answered vaguely, taking a long sip from her crystal chalice. “We've spent some time together but that's about it.” she shrugged.

“Really? So I went and dragged a dead body into a van because you guys were just 'spending some time together'?”Cheryl air quoted with a raised brow.

“Yea, well, turns out The Ghoulies aren't too happy with me being friends with The Serpents.” she explained with a hint of sadness.

“But you are a Serpent.” Toni pointed out.

“I don't think they know that. That guy you disposed of, thanks for that by the way.” she added. “He came by late at night to threaten me for spending time with so many snakes. I hit him once in the knees with a baseball bat and was going to leave it at that but he threatened my daughter, Sadie. I just saw red after that.” she explained, ducking down more under the white fur blanket she had surrounded herself with on the couch.

The other two girls scootched closer to the blonde on the couch in solidarity. They each took a long pull of their wine before refilling their glasses again, the alcohol doing its job in relaxing them all.

“We have been trying to take out The Ghoulies for years now but they keep coming back like cockroaches.” Toni spat in disgust. “But after what they did to FP and Jughead, it's a full on war. We have the numbers.” she started.

“Not to mention a hell of a lot more intelligence then those morons.” Cheryl huffed in annoyance.

“We should be able to wipe them out for good finally. It'll just take some time to put our plans into action.” the redhead explained.

“I heard what Jughead said to you, by the way. He called me after it happened and said he was just sitting on your front steps, physically unable to move. I've never heard him sound like that.” Cheryl said with a sad sigh. “Men, I swear. Their emotions turn them into such assholes. I told him it served him right to feel that way and he should go home and leave you the hell alone.”

“Then she hung up on him.” Toni laughed, squeezing Cheryl's bare foot under the mound of blankets they were all buried beneath.

“You guys have all known each other a long time, huh?” she asked, effectively changing the subject.

“Too long.” Cheryl said, rolling her eyes and downing the rest of her wine. “But I guess I owe him my life so I can't walk away now.” she joked. “When I was just a little kid I came to school with my usual expensive clothes and perfect hair, but I was completely covered in bruises. None of the teachers did much because my parents were very rich and well respected in the community.” she rolled her eyes as she went on. “I had almost gotten through the entire day without anyone saying a word to me. Then this weird, quiet kid sat next to me outside while I was waiting for my parents to pick me up and didn't say a word. Eventually an hour passed and I realized they had forgotten about me yet again and I would have to walk all the way back home. Turned out, Jughead wasn't waiting to be picked up at all. He lived just a block from the school and walked home every day. He was waiting with me just to see if there was someone at school who had given me those bruises. When he found out it was actually my parents, he basically dragged me home with him. FP had been furious, being no stranger to abusive parents himself.” she explained. “I warned them that I was a Blossom, and with money brought with it power, and was very dangerous to go up against. But all he did was laugh and wrap me up in this big hug.” she smiled fondly while she described the memory.

“FP got a group of Serpents and came right over to this big fancy house that same night.” Toni continued while Cheryl went to the kitchen to grab a big bowl from the fridge filled with fresh fruit, setting it on the table in front of them. Toni popped a grape into her mouth before saying any more.

“Looked her mother right in the eye and told her that Cheryl was going to live with him from now on. Said that is she had a problem with that, he would take her to court.”

“I'm so glad you were able to have a safe place to get away from them. You deserve that.” Betty said. “And don't be mad at me for not telling you sooner, but FP woke up.”

“Really?” Cheryl shrieked, setting her glass down and looking to Toni for support.

The blonde girl nodded happily. “I went with Jughead to the hospital earlier. Saw it with my own eyes. He's there with him now and you guys will be able to visit tomorrow. Hopefully they discharge him and let him go home soon.”

Cheryl broke down in tears while Toni rubbed her back. “This is the best news, Betty.” she cried, moving to hug her new friend almost a little too hard.

“We will go see him first thing in the morning.” Toni promised, grinning from ear to ear.

The dark red Iphone rang from across the room, Cheryl untangling herself from the group to get it.

“It's Jughead.” she said, swiping to answer his Facetime

“Hey kid.” his voice rang out through the vast living room as he smiled through the screen at Cheryl.

“Betty just told us your dad is awake! How's he doing?” she asked excitedly, wiping the back of her hand over her cheeks to clear the tears. When he passed the phone to the older man, her smile grew even wider.

“Why you cryin, Butterfinger?” FP's face now in the center of the screen, new tears forming in the young girls eyes.

“That was her favorite candy as a kid. She use to steal them from the gas stations around town.” Toni whispered with a smile, leaning closer to Betty who nodded in understanding. The two of them watched the exchange with absolute joy.

“Because I was worried about you, dumbass.” she cried, her eyes narrowing in a stern manner.

“Doctors just left the room. Said I'm healing up good and should be able to go home in a few days. I don't want any of you to come to the hospital though. We all need to have a long talk when I get out of here about what happened with Jughead and I. I know you've been getting letters, Cheryl. When we saw them two weeks ago when everything happened, they talked about you in pretty graphic detail. Betty too.” he explained, the redhead and the blonde locking eyes for a moment.

“What do you mean? I thought they were just fucking around, trying to scare me.” Cheryl question with worry in her voice.

“Turns out it's more serious then that and we don't want you going out alone until we talk. I'm getting released on Monday with any luck and then we will all sit down and figure this out together as a family.” he had his authoritative dad voice on, leaving no room for argument.

“Ok, I'll stay home and be extra careful.” she vowed, nodding her head at him through her camera.

“Make sure you are. I don't want anything happening to you girls. I already called Sweet Pea to come over and stay with you and Toni for a few days until I can get there myself.”

She nodded again with respect and understanding. “Ok.” she whispered.

“Give the phone to Betty for a minute.” he said, turning his head away from the screen to cough violently for a brief period.

“Here she is. I love you.” she said, blinking back her tears to keep them from falling.

“I love you too, honey. I'll be home soon, don't worry.” he said, smiling warmly at the glossy haired woman.

“I'm here, FP. What's up?” Betty asked, taking the phone and sitting back on the couch next to Toni who came over to her shoulder to wave at FP.

“Topaz.” he grinned. “My favorite troublemaker.”

“Hi Mr. Jones.” she greeted before giving Betty room. She made herself busy going with Cheryl, the two of them going upstairs to calm down for a few moments.

“I talked to your mom already but I wanted to tell you as well. The Ghoulies know about the girls. They know you're Polly's sister and they know you killed a handful of their crew.” he explained carefully, speaking clearly and slowly so she didn't miss a word.

Betty was stunned into silence for a brief moment before she found her voice again. “What... how?” she stammered out, holding the phone closer to her face, pushing her hair back in a mild panic. “I only killed them because they attacked me.”

“Hey, hey, hush now. You don't have to justify your actions to me. I know first hand what they did to you. I was there when it all fell apart. You did the right thing and protected yourself. Don't for a second think that was a mistake.” He pointed his finger at her through the screen in a strict manner.

She nodded, wiping the tears from her face.

“We plan on taking care of this problem, permanently, within the month. But until then, those girls can't be alone. No more taking the bus, no more running into the library to pick up a book, nothing.” he enforced, asking her if she understood.

“Of course. I'll make sure they are with someone at all times..” she agreed, thoughts overwhelming her brain.

“I don't even want them sleeping on a different floor then you, Betty. Doors open upstairs, windows locked, ok?” he warned, genuine warmth and concern in his voice. She heard Jughead mutter something from the side.

FP turned his head off screen to talk to his son for a moment while Betty composed herself.

“Jughead said he'll put alarms on the windows in the morning before you go to work. Wants to make sure you're safe.” he said, clapping Jughead on the shoulder.

“Ok.” she said quietly, trying to slow her breathing and prevent a full blown panic attack. Her own safety was one thing, but her girls were at risk. She had never felt more afraid.

“You're not alone in this anymore, Betty. Once a snake, always a snake. You're one of us and we will make sure nothing happens to you or those girls.” he promised, Jughead unknowingly nodding off screen in agreement, his muscles tense with rage.

“I'm not afraid. I'll do whatever I have to do to keep those girls safe.” Betty's eyes were dark and angry, her body alert and ready to protect her family.

Jughead grabbed the phone from his dad, his olive skin and jet black hair filling the screen in front of her.

“So will we.” he vowed.

She never for a moment doubted it.

Chapter Text

Chapter Five

“That should do it.” Jughead said, pulling the bottom of his shirt up to wipe the sweat from his face. Betty couldn't help her eyes from roaming over his exposed stomach for the briefest moment before it was covered again.

Betty had woken up early that Sunday to let him inside so he could install alarms on all of her windows. She was still in her pajamas when she looked out the front window. Her mom had called to let her know she was on her way home with the girls and would stay to watch them while she went to work.

“They will be loud enough for me to hear in the middle of the night?” she asked, wanting to be sure of her children's safety.

“Yes, there's no way you wouldn't be able to hear them.” his assurance put her mind at ease.

“Have you reconsidered letting me drive you to work?” he asked, putting his tools away and setting them near the front door where they stood.

“I'll be fine, Jughead. Don't you have to get to work?” she laughed lightly at this. “I don't even know what you do.”

“We never really got a chance to sit down and get to know each other.” he let out his own huff of amusement. “Our relationship was pretty chaotic right from the start.” he opened the door to find Alice's car pulling up the driveway. “How about we play 20 questions over dinner?”

Before she could answer, two little girls were running towards her at full speed.

“Mom, we missed you so much!” Sadie screamed, barreling into her as she crouched down to greet them. Sam hugged her as well with a more collected smile.

“I missed you both. Did you have fun with grandma?” she asked, kissing them both on the head.

Jughead subtly left her porch, making his way towards Alice who was standing near the car, watching the girls interaction with a proud smile.

“Jughead.” she greeted, not looking at him but still at Betty. “It's been a long time. Last time I saw you, you were just a kid.” she said, her words laced with sadness and possible regret.

“He's been missing you, Alice. I know it's been years but it's true.” he said, looking at Betty as he spoke, both of them with their arms folded across their chest as they spoke.

“It was hard to stay away.” she said simply. “I had to protect my family.” she explained, waving at them. “You guys go inside, I'll be right there.” she called out, watching the three girls she loved more then anything disappear inside the large farmhouse.

“We could've helped you.” he said, facing her now.

“I didn't want to risk anyone else getting hurt. I was on the run from a notoriously violent gang that killed my daughter and tried to do the same to the other. I didn't want FP involved. He had a little boy who I happened to care about very much.” she gave him a light punch on the shoulder. “I didn't want anything to happen to them because of me. I didn't know they would eventually become a thorn in the Serpents side.”

“You don't have to stay away anymore.”

“Promise me you'll look after her.” she begged, looking back at her daughters front door, her entire heart living inside those walls. “I know I don't live far, but I certainly don't live as close as you.”

“FP knew Betty was the one buying that house.” Jughead explained, running his hand through his hair in frustration as he went on. “Toni told him that she helped you buy your place a while back and that your daughter contacted her to help find her own home. That place,” he pointed towards Betty's home. “It was a run down shack. It had been vacant for years, too damaged for even an advanced crew of carpenters to fix. But when he heard your daughter, a girl he loved like his own blood, needed a home somewhere safe to raise those kids.” he trailed off, Alice's hand now covering her mouth, tears clouding her vision.

“What did you guys do?” she whispered, her other hand clutching her chest.

“It was all hands on deck.” he shrugged, looking down at his feet. He started kicking up a rough patch of gravel to distract himself from her intense gaze.

“Jughead...” she urged him to continue, taking her hand and grabbing his shirt near his shoulder.

“Got all the Serpents over in the middle of the night for a few weeks to fix the place up. Didn't cost nothin because we got all the supplies in our own way.” he said with a smirk, trying unsuccessfully to downplay the incredibly selfless thing they had done. “Ripped up the carpet and put in hardwood.” he started his list. “Installed new windows, heavy front door. Fixed the lawn. Built the porch.” he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, never wanting this information to have come to light. This woman in front of him deserved to know the truth.

“You built a porch?” she asked, still in disbelief at the magnitude of this gesture.

“My dad actually built it when we had finished up everything else. The last two nights right before Betty came to see it, he was out there building the whole thing from scratch. Painted it and made sure every nail was pressed down so no one would get hurt. Little fingers he would say.” Jugheads eyes followed Alice's as she looked towards the porch with new eyes.

A long moment passed between the two before she reached between them and grabbed his hand in hers. “Why?” she whispered, tears falling freely down her cheeks.

“He loves Betty.” he said as if it was the simplest thing in the world to explain. “He wanted her to have a place to sit outside and read. To have time to herself at night after a long day.”

She was full on sobbing now, her body shaking before Jughead pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

“He loved Polly too, Alice. You were the most important thing in his life. Which made your family, his family.” he said, rubbing her back up and down.

“I miss her so much. When I see him it just brings it all back. I know that's not fair.” she cried, soaking his shirt with her tears.

“Nothing about this is fair. You lost a kid. But you have to ask yourself if maybe feeling that pain is exactly what you need to do to help put it behind you.” he spoke with wisdom beyond his 26 years. Alice had been like a mother to him once upon a time, and he would be damned if he let her walk away from his father again.

“I miss you both so much. I'll go see him today.” she wiped her tears away and nodded her head vigorously.

“Bring the girls. He would love that.” he touched her shoulder one more time before heading back to his own home. When he was halfway across the lawn she called out one more time.

“Sadie told me what you said.” he hung his head in shame, stopping in his tracks but not turning around. “Fix it, Jughead. You make it right.” she was stern and it made him finally look back.

“I promise.”

She nodded, the two looking at each other for a full moment filled with understanding before going their separate ways. And when Alice disappeared into her daughters house, she ran her hand lovingly over the porch railing as she passed.

Betty was 8 hours into her shift before she had a chance to sit down and take a much needed break. She grabbed a steaming cup of coffee from the hospital cafeteria before finding a secluded spot in the corner to scroll through her phone. She had two texts from her mother, both making her heart lighter after such a stressful day. It had a picture of FP smiling with both the girls at his side, each with a large plate of beef stroganoff on their plates. They were sitting at a picnic table at what she was assuming was FP's backyard. The girls were grinning from ear to ear; even Samantha whose smile normally didn't reach her eyes.

The next was a picture of her mom with the girls back at home. The girls were posing in front of the bathroom sink, each of them in their pajamas with toothbrushes in hand, the caption telling her that it was bedtime, and warning Betty not to work to hard.

Betty typed out a quick response to her mother, letting her know how much she loved the photos and promising that she was having a busy but good day at the hospital.

Before she could pocket her phone and get back to work, another text came through.

“So, you never got back to me about dinner.” it read, Jugheads name at the top.

She took one last sip of her coffee before tossing it in the trash as she walked back up to her floor. She called him instead of typing back a response.

“Betty? Everything ok?” his voice like gravel, making her heart fall into her stomach.

“Can't a girl give her friend a call without something being wrong?” she joked, sitting back down at the nurses station and opening up her patient charts.

“Not at our age.” he said with a laugh.

“I felt this warranted a call instead of a text.” she said, her friend sitting at the computer next to her giving her a raised brow and a smirk.

“That doesn't sound good.” he sighed, setting the book down he'd been reading and giving her his full attention. “You could've rejected me over text, I don't mind.”

“It's not a rejection. But after what happened with Sadie...” she trailed off, not sure how to put it.

“I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but when I asked you to dinner, I actually meant all three of you. I wanted to talk to Sadie one on one and then I thought if she was okay with it, I could cook for you guys at my house.” he clarified, stunning the blonde into silence.

A long moment went by before he got a little worried.

“Betty? You still there?” he asked, standing up from his couch and heading into his kitchen. He looked out his side window, across the lawn to her home. Alice was sitting on the porch, a giant blanket wrapped around her and a mug of something warm in her hands. It had just begun to snow and it was too dark for her to be out there alone. Jughead grabbed his leather jacket from the chair and slipped on his work boots, holding his phone to his ear as he walked out the door.

“I'm here.” she said finally. “I think that's a perfect idea.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “When are you free?” he asked, crossing the lawn and waving at Alice, letting her know he wasn't a stranger when she looked at him with a bit of panic. She quickly relaxed and scooted over on the steps to make room for him to sit.

“I work the next few days but I'm off Friday.”

“It's a date.” he said, hanging up the phone and letting her finish up the rest of her shift.

“A date, hmm?” Alice threw half of her blanket over Jugheads legs, the two watching the snow fall around the house. “Not some slut you met at a bar I hope.”

“Still as blunt as ever, I see.” Jughead laughed, putting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward.

“Just making sure you're not going to catch something and then bring it around my kid.” she said with a smirk, sipping from her steaming mug.

“I haven't met a slut in a bar for quite some time, Alice.” he promised, patting her covered knee with a laugh.

“Good to know. Betty has been hurt before. I don't want to see it happen again.” she stared at the young man beside her, hoping he understood how serious she was.

“Got an interesting call from my father a few minutes ago. Seems he had a pretty fantastic day with some old lady.” he smirked, steeling himself for the punch she readily delivered to his arm.

“You watch it, Forcythe.” she warned, his name making him surrender and scoot away from her with a grin.

“He loved seeing the kids.” he told her truthfully, watching her try to hide her own smile behind her cup. “Said Sadie drew him a picture to hang on his fridge, and that Sam helped him cook dinner. Couldn't get him to shut up about it.” he joked, the two of them laughing side by side.

“Sadie talked about you today. Asked me if you still hated her.”

“She did not.” he said, the words like a knife through his chest making it harder to breathe.

“She did.” she repeated sadly.

“Fuck.” he mumbled to himself, pushing himself up from the steps and marching through the front door.

“Jughead, they're sleeping.” she said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back.

“I'm waking her up. I can't wait any longer to talk to her. It's killing me.” he pulled his arm from her grasp and took the stairs two at a time until he stood outside Sadie's door.

“She holds a grudge like her grandma.” Alice warned from the bottom of the stairs.

“Good. She's a smart little girl and I deserve it.” he whispered, pushing her door open slowly and making his way over to the brightly colored bed.

“I'm already awake. You and Grandma are pretty loud.” her tiny voice said as she rolled over to look at him.

“Sorry,kid. Mind if I sit?” he asked, motioning to the foot of her bed.

“I guess.” she whispered, sitting up and crossing her arms in front of her. She had a pair of pink, fleece pajamas on, mermaids scattered over the fabric.

“Haven't had a chance to talk to you since that day I was such a jerk to you.” he started, folding his legs up and facing her on the bed.

“And my mom.” she added, her small, bright eyes narrowed angrily at him.

“You're right. I said some really hurtful stuff to both of you and I'm so sorry for that.”

“Mom said your dad was really sick and that's why you were being so mean.” her eyes softened a bit as she pulled the rainbow comforter up higher on her legs.

Jughead shook his head in disagreement. “That's not an excuse for what I did. And you should never let someone talk to you that way no matter what their reason might be. If someone really cares about you, they wouldn't be mean to you on purpose.” he wasn't use to talking to little kids, but he tried his best to make her understand how she deserved to be treated.

“So, you don't really care about us then?” she asked, looking down at her hands, wringing them in her lap.

“I do. So much. I made a mistake and I want to make it up to you.” he begged, reaching out to hold her tiny hand. She didn't pull away, just looked up at her with unshed tears in her eyes.

“Mommy says people make mistakes sometimes and we get to decide if we forgive them or not.” she seemed to be debating her decision out loud. He waited patiently while she thought about what else to say.

“Do you think my mom is ugly?” she asked, referring to his comment about her being plain.

“No way. The opposite really.” he started, hating himself for what he'd said to the contrary a few days earlier. Alice had made herself comfortable outside Sadie's door, listening in from the very beginning. She had her knees pulled up to her chest as she waited for Jughead to continue.

“I think she's absolutely beautiful. I never should've said anything different.” he apologized profusely.

“You called me a brat.” she whispered this time, tears staining her tiny cheeks as she choked back a sob. Alice's hand flew to her mouth to keep her own tears at bay.

“I did. There's no excuse for it.” he said, wiping the tears from her face with the pad of his thumb.

Her small body shook with sobs as she struggled to get the next string of words out. “Do you wish mommy didn't have kids so you could date her? Would you like her more without us?” she asked, her voice going up an entire octave as she cried.

“Oh God, no, no , no.” he repeated over and over again. “My favorite thing about Betty is that she's your mom. I want to date her because it means I get to be in all three of your lives. Sure, I would've noticed a cute girl moving in next door to me, but the thing I like most about her is that she has two really great daughters that I hope I'll be able to spend a lot more time with.”

Sadie wiped her hands over her face, sniffing the drip back from her nose before tossing her comforter to the side and throwing herself into Jughead's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight, the older man patting her back affectionately.

“I want to spend more time with you too. We've never had a boy in the house.” she revealed, much to Jughead's delight.

“Never?” he clarified, Alice rolling her eyes in the hallway as she wiped away her own tears.

Sadie shook her head as he tucked her back into bed. She pointed to her stuffed alligator on her bedside table which he then grabbed for her, sliding it underneath her arm as he covered her with the colorful blanket.

“I forgive you. Just be nice to my mom. She's had a lot of people be mean to her.” Alice stood up from her spot on the wall, ready to stop where this conversation was headed.

“I promise to treat her with the kindness and respect she deserves.” Once she was all ready to go back to bed he turned on his heel, ready to say goodnight before asking one final question. “Who hurt her, Sadie?”

“How's it going in here?” Alice walked in with a smile plastered across her face.”You should be getting back to bed little miss, you have school in the morning.”

There was suddenly a loud crash from downstairs, Jughead pushing Alice carefully towards the little girl and running out into the hallway. He took his gun from the back of his pants and held it out in front of him as he descended the stairs one at a time. When he saw what made the commotion he immediately switched the safety back on and pocketed the weapon.

“A gun? Really Jughead?” Betty asked, sitting on the couch and unlacing her shoes, exhaustion clear on her face.

“Sorry, I was upstairs and heard a noise. What happened?” he asked, looking around for the source of the sound.

“It was me.” she said with light huff. “I tripped over the rug and dropped my bag.” she pointed to her large tote near the front door whose contents were spilling out all over the hardwood floor. “What were you doing upstairs? It's late.”

“I was talking to Sadie. I woke her up to apologize. I just couldn't go another day without telling her how sorry I was.” he explained, clearing up the mess while Betty put her shoes in the tiny hall closet.

“How does she seem?” she asked, heading upstairs to peek in on her daughter. She was already back asleep, Alice closing the door as she left her room.

“She's a big fan of his. I'll come by again tomorrow afternoon to pick the girls up from school while you're at work.” her mother said, giving her daughter a kiss on the head before heading back to her own home. “Good night Jughead.”

“Come on.” Betty said, waving her hand over her shoulder for him to follow her. She lead him into her bedroom, closing the door quietly behind them. Jughead took his time looking around her personal space, from the butter yellow walls, to the clean white quilt covering her king sized bed. She left him standing in the center of the room while she went into the bathroom and changed into her pajamas. It had been a long day and she was so looking forward to falling into bed. When she came back out in her short pink sleep shorts and white tank top, he couldn't help his eyes from roaming her body all the way down her long legs to her bare feet adorned with purple nail polish.

“What did you and Sadie talk about?” she asked, inviting Jughead to sit on the edge of her bed beside her for a few minutes before she let herself rest for the night, the clock on her nightstand reading 10:00pm.

“Told her I didn't mean any of the terrible things I said. Then she made me promise to be nice to you. Said you've been hurt in the past.” Betty's body visibly stiffened.

“Is she talking about The Ghoulies? Does she know about all that?” he asked, curiosity making him ask the questions he probably shouldn't be. She shook her head in response before falling backwards on her bed, staring up at the ceiling with a sigh of exhaustion. She ran her hands over her face, pressing her palms into her eyes before collecting her thoughts enough to reply.

“She's talking about my dad.” she groaned. “She overheard my mother and I talking one night. It was a subject a little girl shouldn't be listening to.”

“What happened with him? He use to hit you?” he asked, letting his hand grip her knee protectively as rage filled his tense muscles.

“He use to do a lot of terrible things. Things I'm not ready to talk about.” she said, shutting down the topic and moving up on the bed until her head rested on her pillow. “I've had a really long day, Juggie.” she said, the nickname bringing a smile to his lips even as his mind raced with all the terrible possibilities of Betty's earlier confession. “I really need to get some rest. If you want to come over tomorrow morning, you're more then welcome to.” she offered, bringing her hand to his wrist sweetly.

“I wont let anyone hurt you again.” he whispered, leaning across the bed to kiss her forehead firmly.

“I know you wont.” she breathed back, her eyes already shut as she snuggled up under her thick blanket.

Chapter Text

Chapter Six

It made the most sense to get together at Betty's house, since she had two kids asleep upstairs. It was well into the evening, the group of snakes sitting together around the large bonfire in Betty's backyard. Cheryl, Toni, and Sweetpea sat on her left while her mother, Jughead, and FP were on her right.

“I know you guys have been anxious to hear about what's going on with the Ghoulies after what happened with Jughead and I.” FP started, interrupted already by an angry red head.

“Anxious?” she laughed. “We're pissed. You guys almost died.” Toni reaching over to grab her hand gently. Cheryl took a deep breath and waited for FP to continue.

“And that's why we are here. The Ghoulies have been a thorn in our side for a long time now, but they've never made a move on us like they did that night. Why don't you tell em all what they said to you, son.” he turned his attention over to the younger Jones.

“Some of the Serpents have been getting threats.” he explained to the group, running a hand over Cheryl's hair lightly. “We don't take that type of shit lightly. When FP and I were attacked, they told us in pretty graphic detail what they had planned. We aren't a sexist gang; we treat everyone in our family with dignity and respect. However, there are much fewer woman among us then men. And it seems the girls are all the Ghoulies are interested in.”

“Seriously?” Alice questioned, looking around the fire at the rest of the snakes. “What's their reasoning behind that type of threat?” FP put his hand on her knee before directing his answer at the entire group.

“They aren't just dealing drugs anymore. They've started a small, but fairly lucrative, underground gambling club. Most of it is your standard, sleazy betting type shit, but they have plans to expand...” he trailed off, not sure how to word the next part. Thankfully, Jughead bit the bullet and said it outright.

“They want to sell us??” Cheryl hissed.

“More like a renting situation. Just a few hours at a time to the highest bidder of the night.” he explained, matching her anger with his own as he ground his teeth. “We have no intention of letting such a disgusting thing happen to anyone in our crew.”

“Why target us? We're protected by the gang. Why not try to take a few random girls off the street?” Betty asked. “Seems a lot easier.”

FP answered this time, gripping Alice's knee even tighter as he spoke. “It seems their clientele have particular interests. Ghoulies and other rival gangs would pay top dollar to hurt a snake. And even more if that snakes was a child...” Betty's eyes flew to the Jones men.

“My kids?” she asked, astounded that she was even hearing such a thing.

Jughead nodded, knowing how horrendous this was. “Apparently.” he confirmed.

“That's sick!” Sweetpea shouted, slamming his fist down hard on the wooden lawn chair he was sitting in.

“It is. Which is why we are going to wipe the Ghoulies out once and for all. Their numbers have been getting larger so it's best we take them out now while we still have more snakes.” FP reasoned.

“They are just little girls. Who would pay for such a thing?” Toni asked, her voice distraught.

“You'd be surprised how fucked up some people are.” Cheryl said, her own memories making her even more angry. “We wont let anyone so much as look at those little angels.” she vowed, earning nods from everyone around the fire.

“What's the plan then? How do we take em out?” Betty asked, ready to do whatever it took to protect her daughters.

“They seem to have the most interest in Cheryl.” Jughead started, shooting the redhead a sad smile. She grimaced in return.

“Why?” she asked with a sneer.

There was a uncomfortably long silence as the young woman looked around for someone to speak up. “Well?” she prodded with annoyance.

“Not to sound disrespectful but...” Even Sweet Pea had trouble getting the words out. After another moment, Toni put him out of his misery by jumping in.

“Look at you.” her girlfriend said simply, motioning her hand up and down towards her person.

“I don't know what that means.” Cheryl crossed her arms over her chest, fuming with frustration. “Does one of the Ghoulies know me? Know my parents? Is it because I'm rich?”

Jughead threw his head back, pushing his hair out of his face before turning all the way towards his friend and taking her pale hands in his darker ones.

“They don't need your money. The reason they want you the most is because you would make them quite a lot of their own in sales. I know it upsets you to hear this, Cheryl, but you're very beautiful. And from what those assholes said while they were kicking our asses, you're quite the trophy worth a lot to the right buyer.”

She visibly gagged at his words. Jughead shushed her and moved his chair closer to hers, puller her against his side in a tight embrace. “We'd never let it happen. You deserve to know what's being said about you though so you can protect yourself.” She nodded enthusiastically in agreement. “I'm glad I know. I'll kill anyone who tries to touch me like that.” They all knew she was more then capable.

“If this is leading up to a bait situation, then the answer is absolutely not.” Toni interrupted, already knowing where this was going.

“It's ok, TiTi, let's hear them out.” she reached out to take her girlfriends hand gently, setting them in her lap when Jughead moved away from her and back to his position of authority.

“One of their members in particular is already willing to pay top dollar for you.” Cheryl laughed before FP could finish.

“Top dollar for those bottom feeders is like 50 bucks.” she said, rolling her eyes.

“More like half a mil.” FP continued, the redhead showing genuine fear for the first time that night.

“Shit.” Cheryl mumbled, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on her now.

“Best way to get the jump on them is for you to go to their club and do what you do best.” FP said with a proud smile in her direction.

“Are you saying what I think you're saying?” she asked, her face turning from fearful to playful in a matter of seconds, her eye brow raised in a perfect arch.

“No better person for the job.” Jughead added, looking to his side, Betty's confusion evident.

“Arson?” Toni clarified, watching her girlfriend's white teeth shine behind her bright ruby lips.

“Her biggest one yet, if we can get them all in the same place.” FP said, watching the group of snakes for signs of any qualms.

“How do we do that?” Sweet Pea asked, ready to put this plan into action. He had many nieces and nephews, his heart pounding with rage at the thought of anyone wanting to hurt his friends or their innocent children.

“The only way to guarantee they are all in one place is to kill one of their higher ups. Whenever a leader is killed, they throw a big party to honor them. Everyone gets hyped up on tons of shit and it lasts all night.” FP turned his attention to Betty, who straightened up in her chair, waiting to hear what he had planned.

“Their leader, Nathan, is the one who has his eyes on Sadie and Samantha.” FP explained, Betty's fingernails digging into her palms as he continued. “And from what he said to us a week ago when he tried to kill us, he thinks you're quite the prize as well.”

“To put it lightly.” Jughead muttered, his fists shaking against his knees.

“What exactly did he say about her?” Alice asked, the rest of the group wanting an explanation as well.

“Well, lucky for us, they know nothing about our Betty. And since she's stayed under the radar and they have no idea who's been taking out their members with baseball bats.” FP smiled knowingly at her. “Nathan seems to think you're... what did he say?” he looked at his son who was growing angrier by the minute.

“A sweet slice of cherry pie.” he spat out, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, kicking the dirt up beneath his feet in animosity.

Betty surprised everyone with her slow, genuine smile, biting the inside of her cheek and appearing deep in thought. “Perfect.” she drawled out, fire in her eyes.

“Oh, I knew I liked her.” Cheryl smiled, ready to burn the Ghoulies down to ash right beside her new blonde friend.

“You want my only remaining daughter to lay it on thick for this Nathan guy, let him take her home, and then murder him without anyone knowing it was her?” Alice asked, dread simmering deep in her stomach.

“Essentially.” Jughead muttered, earning a wrathful glance from the eldest Cooper.

“She wouldn't be alone.” FP said, looking at his son and urging him to put Alice's mind at ease. “Betty's reputation as some naive little girl is going to be our biggest advantage. No one suspects her to be as deadly as she is.”

“I wouldn't say I'm deadly.” she huffed, crossing her arms with a hint of offense and she leaned back in her chair.

“I'd be there the whole time. I wouldn't let her out of my site.” Jughead promised, locking his eyes with Alice's.

“Sounds like a solid plan. Where do I find this guy?” Betty didn't want to waste anymore time. Her daughters and her new friends were in danger and she would do whatever it took to take these men out.

“He hangs out at the strip club most nights, but he wouldn't believe you showing up there.” FP thought out loud, trying to find a plan that made the most sense. Sweet Pea turned out to have the best suggestion.

“The hospital is right down the street from the club, isn't it?” he asked Betty, earning a nod in response.

“Maybe you're walking home alone one night in your scrubs....” he suggests, earning an exasperated sigh from Alice.

“That's my kid! I don't love the idea of her being the bait in all this.”

“Mom, this Nathan guy wants to take my kids, your grand kids, and sell them to pedophiles. I'm doing this.” Betty said sternly. “You'll have my back?” she turned to Jughead who nodded immediately.

“Me too.” Cheryl chimed in. “I'm the resident sneak. I'll stay far away and make sure everything stays on track.”

Betty went around her chair and stood behind her mother. “I'll be fine, mom. I have to do whatever it takes to protect the twins.” she put her hand on her mothers shoulder, Alice reaching up to squeeze it lovingly. “And I want you and the rest of the Serpents to be safe too.”

“I will not lose my other daughter, FP.” she enunciated, staring the older man down. “I can't.”

“You have my word on this, Alice. I'll protect her with my life.” Jughead said, earning a prideful smack on his shoulder from his father.

The girls knew they shouldn't be alone with everything going on. Sweet Pea stayed with Cheryl and Toni while Alice stayed with Betty and the girls. FP decided to stay with Jughead for the time being, wanting to be closer to the Coopers in case of an emergency. Betty had an abundance of vacation time saved up and she figured now was a good a time as any to use it. She was working one final shift on a cold Friday night when a blizzard rolled into Chicago unexpected. The streets were covered in over a foot of snow but this didn't change a thing. The plan was still set to begin tonight when her shift ended, 2am coming almost too soon as she swiped her badge and clocked out. She stayed in her scrubs and pulled her maroon jacket tight around her waist. She was already halfway down the street when she pulled on her red hat and gloves while she walked. She felt safe knowing her mother and FP were both at her house with her daughters and that Jughead and Cheryl were cloaked somewhere nearby.

It was almost too perfect the way the timing worked out when Betty passed the rundown strip club, Nathan smoking a cigarette outside with a small group of his fellow Ghoulies. She pulled her jacket up around her neck and looked down timidly, playing up the vulnerable, wide-eyed act as much as possible.

“Look at this sweet little thing walking all alone.” she hadn't even gotten passed yet when they called out to her. One of the Ghoulies let out a high pitched whistle as she crossed her arms over her chest and walked faster down the street.

“Ain't that the pretty snake?” she heard one of them mumble, Nathan flicking his cigarette butt across the parking lot and stuffing his hands into his pockets. There was no denying he was a good looking man. While the rest of the gang were usually greasy, drugged out douchbags, Nathan looked tall and muscular with a handsome face and clean brown hair that was cut stylishly to fall just away from his face. However, when he smiled at her with that predatory grin, she was reminded that he was still just another gang leader looking to rip her apart with slow fascination.

“Elizabeth Cooper, I think her name was. That your name, sweetheart?” Nathan advanced on her quickly, two of his friends jogging passed her, stopping to stand in front of her,blocking her path, until she gave their leader her full attention.

Betty wanted nothing more then to pull her fist back and slam it into the towering figure behind her, but she had to be smart. She blinked her eyes innocently before turning around to meet Nathan's stare.

“It's Betty, actually.” she said, her voice small with just the right amount of fear laced though.

“Betty.” he mirrored, her name dripping from his lips like sweet, sugary candy. “Why don't I walk you home? Don't want you gettin lost in this dreadful storm.”

“Just you?” she asked, shooting him a smile with her bright blue eyes.

“You heard the lady, beat it. I'll catch you guys later.” he smirked, highfiving one of his friends before tossing his arm around her shoulder and leading her the rest of the way down the block.

Betty felt the weight of his arm around her like chains on her wrists. His hand dropped down casually to run his fingers across the top of her breast, dipping beneath her coat with practiced ease. She looked up at him with a shy smile before letting him push her deep into a deserted alleyway.

Her weapon was safely tucked away in her boot, giving her a sense of calm before the panic could set in. She knew this was the plan, but it didn't make the assault any less painful to endure.

“Always liked blondes.” Nathan mumbled into her neck as he licked a thick ribbon from her collar bone all the way to her jaw.

“Oh yea?” she whispered, lifting her leg to rest against his hip, pushing herself against him. He grabbed it suddenly, pulling it even further up his side before pushing her jacket open, and slamming her harder against the cold, stone wall.

Before he could say anything else, Betty slipped her hand into her boot and grabbed the hilt of her knife, the blade only a few inches long but enough to do the trick. His hands pressed against her bare stomach, inching up further when she drove the blade into his back, right below his shoulder blade.

He reeled back in surprise, his eyes wide as he pushed away from her. His shock turned to anger in the blink of an eye, his strong hand wrapping itself around her throat with enough force to lift her a few inches off the ground. Thankfully, it only lasted a second before she drove the already bloodied blade deep into his chest this time. She tried to pull it out again but it was stuck, panic attacking her mind. She didn't have any time to react when he drew his own knife and stared at her with a grin that had no business being on a dying mans face.

“If I'm dead, you're dying too, darlin.” he whispered, blood flowing from both wounds in a heavy stream. He slashed through the air in a clumsy, dizzy manner, faltering with each move. She crouched down easily to avoid it the first time but with her back against a wall, there was nothing she could do when he attacked the second time around, the blade effectively buried in her thigh before he dropped to the ground, dead.

She pulled as much air as she could through her gritted teeth, sliding down the wall until her butt hit the pavement.

“Betty!” Cheryl called out, her red hair hidden under a black hood as she ran to her side. She slid across the pavement until she was right next to the injured blonde, lifting her leg up for her as she closed her eyes in pain.

“You're the nurse, do I take it out?” she asked, pulling her hood back and examining the wound as best she could in the darkness.

“No, no. Leave it in.” she said, calming herself enough to speak through the pain.

“Jugheads gonna flip.” Cheryl muttered to herself.

“Where is he?” she asked, accepting her friends help to stand and leaning on her as they walked to the familiar red Camero.

“Some of Nathans guys tried to follow you. He had to make a distraction to keep them away. Do you want me to take you to the hospital?” she asked, earning a exasperated shake of her head from Betty.

“No way. I'd have to file a report, plus I work there.” she explained, letting Cheryl wrap a blanket around her from the backseat before speeding off into the night.

“So... home?” she asked, earning yet another shake of the blondes head.

“I don't want the girls to see me like this. Or my mom. Can I go to your place?” she asked, clenching her fists at her side with each bump in the road.

“Of course.” she said lovingly, reaching over to pat her uninjured leg. They were still a few minutes away when Cheryl's cherry covered phone rang loudly through the car.

“Can you get that for me?” she asked, zipping in and out of city traffic with severe concentration. The snow was falling in thick sheets and it was damn near impossible to see the road. Thankfully, the Blossom estate was only a few more miles away. Betty let her friend worry about the dangerous roads while she answered the Facetime call. Jughead's face filled the screen, the young Jones man looking to be walking down the same street she had been on moments ago.

“Betty? Where's Cheryl?” he asked, looking away briefly from the phone before jogging across a crosswalk, getting into his black Ford truck a moment later.

“I'm here, Jughead. Taking Betty back to my place.” she said, pulling onto her block with a sharp turn that made Betty visibly wince. He saw it immediately, flooding with concern as he narrowed his eyes at her through the phone. He slammed his cell onto the dash mount and took off towards Cheryl's house.

“What happened?” he demanded, his eyes not meeting Betty's as he focused on the white, foggy road in front of him. She watched his featured grow sharper, more dangerous, as he followed the same snowy path they had traveled a few minutes prior. Cheryl pulled the car into the U-bend driveway and kicked the door open, hurrying over to Betty's side to help her out. She snatched the phone from her hand and spoke quickly to her friend on the other end.

“Just get here, now.” she said hotly, hanging up the phone and leading Betty inside as the snow grew thicker and the wind harsher.

“Son of a bitch.” Jughead exclaimed, slamming his fist into the steering wheel and tossing the phone across the car onto the floor of the passenger side. He pulled into the Blossom estate just as Cheryl and Betty got the living room. The girls had just sat down on the sofa when he threw open the door.

“We need the full med kit. It's upstairs in my bathroom.” Cheryl said, giving him no time to ask questions. He nodded calmly, taking the stairs two at a time before sitting on the coffee table in front of them. He tossed the large first aid kit at Cheryl before giving Betty his full attention.

“He stabbed you?” he snapped, putting his hands on her knees carefully, looking at the injury before dragging his gaze up to her face. She was surprisingly calm for having such a painful wound.

She took a deep breath before responding. “It'll be fine. It looks worse then it is. But the blood is going to gush out once I remove the knife.” she said, her voice as steady as she could manage it.

“I've got towels.” Toni said, barreling down the stairs with half a dozen cream colored towels. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head as she raced over, setting the items next to Jughead on the table.

“You don't have any less expensive towels? These will be ruined.” Betty said, her nursing degree doing wonders for keeping her calm in an otherwise overwhelming situation. The people around her, however, were not so relaxed.

“Betty Cooper, I do not care about towels!” Cheryl exclaimed, her hand on her hip as she paced the length of the living room in a fit.

“It's still a good idea to do this outside. Can one of you call my mom to let her know I'm ok?” Betty asked, pushing herself up with an immediate grimace, pain flooding her body as the adrenaline wore off.

“I've got her.” Jughead said, lifting her easily into his arms before she could crumple to the floor. “You guys call Alice and FP. Tell them we'll be back once the snow stops.” The couple nodded, Toni following Jughead outside with the towels while the Facetime ringtone flooded the first floor of the large home. Toni raced back inside to help her girlfriend while Jughead set Betty down gently on top of a large glass table inside the enclosed back porch. Snow covered the windows and ceiling above them as they moved quickly to mend her.

“How did this happen?” he asked, still in a mild panic as he watched her grab the knife handle. He had two towels in his hand all ready to go.

“I stabbed him twice and he didn't go down.” she said, pulling the handle straight up and tossing it to the side. She hadn't been exaggerating, blood spurted out from the wound before flowing heavily down her leg. He pushed both of the thick pieces of cloth to her thigh.

“You gotta press down with all your weight or it wont stop bleeding.” she instructed, pushing back on her hands while he did what she said, looking up into her eyes as she squeezed them shut in pain.

“Sorry.” He pressed down hard on her leg, only stopping to toss the soiled towels to the side and replace them with fresh ones. It took a good 20 minutes before the blood flow was slow enough to pull the soaked material away.

“I should've been there.” he muttered, pressing a fresh towel to her skin while she worked on threading a needle. He'd yelled for Toni to bring the med kit out earlier and now he wondered what he should be doing to help her.

“What would you have done? Maybe you could've protected me but he would've gotten away. We can't ever know. You stuck to the plan and that's what I wanted so don't go there. Don't beat yourself up over me getting hurt. This is probably one of the least painful injuries I've sustained in my life.” she said casually. She took a deep breath and steeled herself for the pain that would come as she unbuttoned her jeans and carefully slid them off her legs, pausing in pain as the wet fabric stuck to her wound.

“Jesus, Betty.” he hissed, watching helplessly as she shook in pain.

“I'm ok, Jughead. I promise. It hurts like hell but I'm fine.” she gave him a small, unconvincing smile before she tossed her ruined jeans to the side with the knife. “The bleeding has almost stopped. Think you can help me inside before we both freeze to death?” she asked, shivering as it continued to snow around them.

“Good call.” he smirked, putting his arm around her, leading her back into the main house.

Toni and Cheryl both bolted up from the couch the moment they walked in the door, ready to help however they could. Betty smiled at them, urging them to relax. “I'm ok you guys. It's just freezing out there.” she said, still shivering as Jughead brought her back to the couch. She sunk into the plush cushion while he ran out to get the med kit. When he returned she was already three stitches in on her leg, the girls watching in curious fascination as she worked so calmly on her own mangled flesh.

“I'm a nurse you guys. I do this all the time” she laughed, finishing the stitches and relaxing against the sofa.

“Not on yourself.” Jughead snapped.

“Come on, I'll help you clean up.” Cheryl led Betty to the large bathroom across the first floor of the house, leaving Toni and Jughead to talk.

“Don't do this to yourself, Jughead.” Toni said, following him as he moved into the expansive kitchen and began to pace across the floor.

“Do what?” he said, feigning ignorance.

“You're blaming yourself. I know she got hurt and that breaks my heart too but the plan worked. Nathan is dead and in a few days, all the Ghoulies will be in the same place and we can end this. It's what Betty wanted.” She reasoned, sitting down at the marble covered bar, watching her friend's anxiety rise.

“I hate seeing any of the Serpents get hurt.” he replied, running his hand over his face before sinking into the bar stool beside her.

“I know you do.” she whispered, putting her hand over his. “I remember how you were when Cheryl got hurt really bad last time.”

“Fuck, don't even bring that up. I still think about it every fucking day.” he said, the memories flooding his brain of her bloody face just a few years ago.

“You can't save us all, Jones.” she added in a hushed tone, reaching over to give him a tight hug.

“I'm sure as fuck gonna try.” he said, kissing the top of her head before they broke apart, hearing footsteps coming into the room. Only Cheryl appeared.

“Where's Betty?” Toni asked, looking passed her girlfriend to see if the blonde was on her way behind her.

“She had a minor episode in the bathroom. I gave her some space.” Cheryl told Toni sadly.

“What set it off?” Toni asked, Jughead already down the hall on his way to the extravagant first floor bathroom.

“Nathan touched her. And I think it brought some stuff back to the surface.” she explained in a hushed, sympathetic tone. She pulled Toni with her upstairs to find Betty something to wear.

Jughead tapped lightly on the door before her muffled voice told him to come in. He opened the door slowly to find her in a heap on the floor, her head leaning against the bathtub, her injured leg elevated on a small side table. She was still in only her winter jacket and a pair of tiny black panties.

“I didn't mean to yell at her.” she whispered, tears staining her pale face.

“Cheryl knows that.” he nodded, pushing his inky hair out of his face before joining her on the floor. “Did something happen with Nathan?”

“It's not a big deal. I just lost a lot of blood, I'm a little out of it.” she tried to convince him but the fear in her eyes along with her shaking body did nothing to ease his mind.

“We don't have to talk about it. We can just sit here.” he offered, leaning back against the wall beside her, squeezing her uninjured knee with his calloused hand.

“I just don't want you to look at me different.” she whispered, looking over at him from under her thick lashes.

“Someone hurt you real bad. And I'd be willing to bet anything that person is a deranged, psychotic monster. Only person I'd judge is them. I'd never look at you any different then I do right now.” he vowed. Cheryl knocked on the door lightly before peeking inside.

“I brought you some clothes, Betty.” she said with a knowing smile, putting the stack of fabric on the edge of the sink.

“Thank you so much. I'm sorry for-” Cheryl waved her hand, effectively cutting her off.

“None of that.” her voice was stern. “You stay in here as long as you need to. Toni and I will be upstairs in our room. The guest rooms are right down the hall for you both. We can all get some breakfast tomorrow morning and talk about what to do next.” she took a half step inside, leaning down to pat the top of Betty's head lovingly.

Jughead stood up to grab the clothes before wrapping his arms around Cheryl. “Love you.” he muttered, pressing a kiss into her hair with familiar, friendly affection.

“Love you.” she repeated, having needed that hug more then she knew. “See you both in the morning.”

He put the clothes closer to Betty on the edge of the tub before taking his seat back beside her.

“You want some privacy to get dressed?” he offered, his hair falling in his face.

She shook her head. “My father was exactly the kind of person you described. Saying he was a psychotic monster is almost too kind.” she blanched, memories flooding her brain all at once.

Jughead sat beside her in silence, ready to listen and respond if she needed him to.

“I can handle getting stabbed in the leg.” she said simply, wiping her nose with the back of her hand and steadying her breathes. “I've suffered much more dangerous injuries then that.”

Jughead gave her another moment to collect her thoughts, busying himself with searching under the sink for a washcloth. When he found one, he leaned over her and wet it briefly under the bathtub faucet before running it down her calf where a thin ribbon of blood had left it's trail. She shot him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

“You're a very strong person, Betty.” he offered, setting the cloth down and touching her leg gently.

“You asked me in bed that night about my father. I was so tired from work and overwhelmed that I didn't get a chance to thank you.” she reached over and laced her fingers through his.

“For what? Prying into your personal business?” he scoffed, brushing off her apology and squeezing her hand even tighter.

“For asking me even though you know exactly what happened.” she whispered, her bright eyes meeting his dark ones. He opened his mouth to say something but immediately shut it again. Her smile disarmed him.

“It's ok, Juggie. I know your dad must have told you. My mom and him were so close when it all happened. You still asked me, and accepted my response when I told you I wasn't ready to talk about it. That was a kindness and I want you to know how much it meant to me.”

He shook his head, doing all he could to convey that her gratitude wasn't necessary with something as gruesome as her past. “My dad did tell me, but I don't know a damn thing until I hear it from you. And you can tell me, or not tell me, whenever you want.” He stood up then, offering both of his hands which she gladly took. He unfolded the pair of baggy, red sweatpants from the porcelain tub and laid them on the ground for her to step into. She balanced with one hand on his back, leaning over to pull them up over her hips, still faltering on her injured leg. He made sure she was steady against the wall before turning around while she stripped off her filthy top and replaced it with the over sized, white Adidas hoodie from Cheryl.

She tapped him on the shoulder when she was finished, walking beside him with a subtle limp as he lead her towards the guest room.

“You can sleep here. I'll be right next door if you need anything. We can head back to your place when the snow stops and they get the roads cleared.” He pushed the door open for her, stepping back to let her inside the large bedroom. A king sized bed took up the center of the room, covered with a white feathered duvet. There were cream colored nightstands on either side, a stack of books on one while a vase of sunflowers sat on the other.

“So.. since it's Chicago, we may never get home.” she smirked, leaning against the door frame, taking the weight off her bad leg.

“Hey, at least we're trapped in a rich persons house.” he gave her his signature smirk before crossing the hall to the next guest room. One he'd slept in many times before.

The two of them were laying in bed, wide awake, with only a hallway separating them. It had been two hours since they parted ways and neither of them seemed able to sleep. Jughead was two seconds away from throwing the covers off and going into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee when his phone rang. He rolled over and snatched it up from the nightstand, silencing the awful sound as he answered it.

“Everything ok?” he sat up in bed, swinging his legs over the side.

Betty's soft voice flowed out of the speaker barely loud enough for him to hear. “I'm ok. Did I wake you up?”

“No, I haven't been able to sleep.” he sighed.

“Me neither.” her voice was sadder then it had been before. Silence fell over them for a long moment before he spoke.

“Tell me.” he urged her, his hand already on the doorknob, ready to throw it open.

“Come to bed with me, Jug.” she whispered, tears falling freely down her face in the next room, her small body buried beneath the white blankets when he got there. They both hung up the phone at the same time, Jughead throwing his on the nightstand before sliding into bed beside her. She curled up under his arm instantly, crying into his shirt as her body shook with sobs.

“I can't stop thinking about his hands on me.” she stuttered the words out so unevenly that she had to take a deep breath after saying each one.

He hugged her even tighter to his chest, rubbing his hands up and down her back in the dark room. The moon offered enough light to see one another but just barely. “You took him out like the badass snake you are. He can't touch you ever again.”

She let out a humorless laugh, shaking her head before burying it deeper into his chest. “Not him. Hal. He's still very much alive.”

Jugheads body went still at her confession, concern for her filling him up with rage. “Has he tried to contact you?” he asked, pulling her away gently by the shoulders so he could look at her. She wiped her eyes quickly before telling him no.

“Sometimes I see a car waiting for me at work or parked down the block from my house. He's just waiting for the right moment. He's not a foolish person. He thinks everything out, that's why he's so dangerous.”

“The black Lexus?” he asked.

She nodded.

“You've seen the same car at the hospital?” He was fully awake now, leaning up on his elbow to hover above her.

“It's always parked in the employee garage and drives off right when I get there.”

“What makes you think it's him?” he brushed the back of his hand over her cheek, her eyes closing briefly at the contact before staring back up at him from under the covers.

“I made him a Christmas ornament out of popsicle sticks when I was a kid. It's hanging on the mirror.”

His mind raced, thinking of a million different solutions and how to execute them before he was drawn back to reality by her gentle caress. Betty ran her hand over the back of his neck, pulling him down until his lips pressed against hers. He groaned into her mouth, wrapping his arms around her back and pressing his chest down against hers. He kissed her slowly, the air thick between them.

“We'll figure this out.” he promised, pushing her hair back before pulling her back into the safety of his embrace. He kissed the top of her head, listening as her breathing evened out and she drifted off to sleep.

Jughead's eyes stayed wide open that night.