Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You have been warned

There is nowhere to run

You will pay the price

I will take your life”

Die Very Rough by Mario Judah

Trev Brown was terrified. That should go without saying as he is currently tied to a chair in a dingy basement.

What have I done to deserve this?!!!

He couldn’t think of anything that would warrant this.

It couldn’t be the dealing could it?

Killing someone over some reefer seems excessive to him but then…here he is.

Wait! Is it the girl?

That would make sense.

Looking around the room where he is being held, Trev finds it empty, so he begins to strain against the ropes that bind him.

To his despair, he makes no progress.

“Tt, tt, tt. Just what do you think you are doing?”

Trev’s breath caught in his throat and his blood froze at the voice. The voice belonged to the man who had imprisoned him and if Trev knew anything about humans, he would bet just about anything that the man standing before him is white.

“N-n-n-nothing!” Trev was ashamed of the stammer even as he was terrified of the man before him.

“Bullshit. You’re trying to escape.”

Yeah, of course I am.

Trev’s panic only worsened the moment the masked man reached into his pocket, the sleeve of his shirt riding up his arm at the movement revealing the pale skin below. The moment the hand was revealed to be holding a gun, Trev began to hyperventilate. The man walked up to him, holding the gun by his side all the while.

He felt the steel barrel of the revolver against his forehead and heard the last words that he ever would.

“You niggers need to stay in your own lane.”

With that, Trev Brown’s life ended.

“JJ?”

Jason hated that nickname, even though he didn’t have the heart to tell his twin to stop using it. Especially not today, the last day they will have together for the foreseeable future.

Today is the day he fakes his death to run away.

“Yes Cher?”

Jason turns his gaze from the opposite bank of the Sweetwater river that separates him from freedom and looks at his twin sister.

Cheryl’s eyes are wet with tears. That tugs at Jason’s heartstrings, even though he will not go back on the plan now.

“When will I be able to see you again Jason?”

Taking his hands off the oars and holding Cheryl’s, Jason spoke. “I think a year from now would be a good time.”

Cheryl began to whimper at that as the tears flowed freely. “B-but then I’ll miss the birth of your children Jason!”

That breaks his heart only for his resolve to harden into diamond. 

Jason pulls his sister into a hug. “I know Cher. I know. But this is the only way. Just know that I will always love you, no matter where in the galaxy I happen to be.”

Jason kissed his sister on the forehead as he pulled away from her before jumping into Sweetwater river.

His “death” would finally give him freedom. And that is a fair trade as far as Jason is concerned.

Emerging from the water on the far side of the river, Jason walked into the bright light of the future, sacrificing his wealth, his influence and everything he has ever known in the name of love.

Winding his way through the forest, Jason looks up at the canopy, the tall pines of Washington state absorbing as much light as they possibly can. Beyond the bounds of the woods the midday sun casts the world into a brilliant white as Jason walks through the forest, birds squawking above him, concerned by his presence.

The native fauna of earth long ago learned to fear humans and not without good reason. Within the shadows, beneath the trees, Jason begins to whistle.

As he does so, the birds take up his song and the entire forest sings of love.

Chapter Text

Betty I

When Betty woke up, she woke to pandemonium. Her sister Polly was shrieking while their parents were shouting at her, telling her to calm down, how what they were doing was for her own good.

Somehow, Betty doubted that.

Throwing her clothes on as quickly as she could, Betty made her way downstairs about twice as fast as it would normally take her.

Once she got down the stairs, she saw it. Two large men had Polly, one holding each arm.

“Polly!!! What the Hell is happening?!”

Betty had always done her best to not swear, and never around her parents yet it just slipped out.

“Elizabeth!!” shouted their father while their mother continued attempting to calm Polly down.

“Polly! Stop resisting them! It’s not good for the baby!”

“And taking them from their parents is?!” Polly shouted back.

“Elizabeth, Go back upstairs!”

Betty was frozen in place, her nails digging into her palms leaving cuts on her hands.

As her sister was dragged out from the kitchen and towards the front door, she called out for her sister’s help. “Betty!! Help me!”

That gets her moving and before she even realizes what she is doing, Betty finds herself standing before the front door.

Hal started to move towards her but was cut off by a woman Betty had never met. The nun walked calmly at Betty, speaking equally calmly.

“Elizabeth dear, your sister is very ill, and we are simply trying to help her. Please, come here. Let us help your sister.”

Despite the chaos surrounding her, the woman in question exuded serenity and Betty couldn’t help but feel drawn to her.

When the nun held out her hand, Betty moved to take it and Polly screamed her betrayal as she was removed from the house.

How am I going to go to school after this?

Truth be told, she had no idea.

That afternoon, Betty found herself in the office of the Blue and Gold, attempting to get her mind off of what had happened this morning.

At least her sister isn’t the subject of gossip, even if it is only a matter of time.

There is bigger news to gossip about.

Jason Blossom has died, though they have yet to find a body.

No matter how crazy it makes her feel, Betty can’t shake the feeling that Jason’s death is connected to the…incident this morning.

They weren’t dating, were they? Betty didn’t think so.

“Polly! Stop resisting them! It’s not good for the baby!”

Someone must have gotten her sister pregnant. That is how things work.

But Jason Blossom?!

Betty refused to believe it.

At that moment, there was a knock on the open door and when she turned to face the intruder, she saw that it was Jughead standing in the doorway.

“Hey Betty. I thought you’d be here.”

His concern brought a smile to her face for the first time all day. “Am I that predictable?”

Jughead suddenly seemed nervous. “Only to me.”

They both blushed at his words.

“Why are you here Jug?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Jughead tried to appear nonchalant. “I’d like to help you with your investigation.”

It was her turn to play nonplussed. “Investigation?”

“Oh come on Nancy Drew, we’ve been friends for too long for you to hide things from me.”

That made her nervous. “I don’t know…”

Her parents were going to hate this. But Betty really didn’t care what they thought anymore.

“Heck, let's find Jason and Polly together.”

Jughead’s smile made her stomach flip.

Veronica I

Veronica Lodge wasn’t certain exactly why her mother of all people opened a homosexual bar (predominately lesbian, gays welcome her mother said), and doesn’t think she wants to know.

That would open an entire can of worms that is best left alone.

Yet here she is, across from Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe, for the grand opening of La Bonne Nuit.

Its clientele was supposed to be secret, yet word had gotten out, which really wasn’t surprising in a town as small as Riverdale.

As the ribbon is cut and the doors pushed open, Veronica makes her way over to a pair of her schoolmates that she had noticed in the tiny crowd that had gathered.

(The crowd of protesters was significantly larger.)

Two members of the Blossom family are divided between the two groups, with Penelope among the protesters and Cheryl among the clientele, standing next to Kevin Keller.

Hermione spoke to the crowd, her voice raising loud enough to be heard over the din. “Welcome to the ground opening of La Bonne Nuit!”

Both crowds roared for very different reasons. The protesters began to push up against the police presence provided courtesy of Sheriff Keller, to which the officers reluctantly pushed back against them.

Veronica turned away from the crowd and followed her mother into the bar, despite being too young to do so legally.

The Lodges have never cared about legality.

Despite that, Veronica doesn’t really want to be here, so she makes her way towards her mother.

Finding Hermione Lodge wasn’t difficult as she was predictably behind the bar.

“Mamá, I’ll be heading back to The Pembrooke.”

Her mother looks her in the eyes for a moment before nodding her approval. “Of course. Take care.”

Veronica returned the nod before leaving through the back door in an attempt to avoid the mob outside.

The walk was a nerve racking forty five minutes and she spent most of it looking over her shoulder. 

It was like her father’s trial all over again.

The moment she sees the apartment building, she sprints across the street and through the front door of the building.

Taking the elevator and sprinting down the hallway to apartment 205, Veronica couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was happening.

The entire journey home, she had gotten the sense that people were watching her. (They probably were.)

Unlocking the door, she made her way to the kitchen only to notice something off about the table.

Walking over, Veronica saw what it was. The newspaper.

The Riverdale Register

“Prince of Riverdale” MISSING, Presumed DEAD

And there it is. Veronica thought. The gossip is true after all.