A/N

Takes place at the end of 2x21, where Jughead is found by FP and the gang. Please let me know if you want to see something in particular happen and I'll see what I can do! I just feel like Jughead's so-called experience near-death wasn't really that. He had a speedy recovery to turned out to be just fine. I feel like it shouldn't have been quite so simple…

-K

Chapter 1 We'll never get free, lamb to the slaughter.

FP's mind was racing, even faster than his motorbike. The drive from the White Wyrm to Fox Forest isn't usually a long one, but it felt like years as he drove through the streets, overtaking cars and speeding faster than ever before. Acquiring a speeding ticket was the last thing on FP's mind right now.

Betty's call shocked FP into reality, right from his ideas of revenge and fistfights and straight into Jughead. He knew he shouldn't have left his boy at the trailer, alone and seething. Jug was smart, smarter than FP could ever be, he knew that his son wouldn't have given up so easily.

FP skidded to a stop in the dirt of the forest. He ran directly past scuff marks made in the dirt, blood splattered throughout, and past the barely lit fire nearby. The deathly sound of choking forced FP into a sprint as he ran to find his stupid, reckless and… brave boy.

What FP witnessed then tore his heart in two as he kneeled to the ground, his tearing starting to blur his vision. A whimpered cry was all he could manage as he tried to get Jughead breathing. FP was praying for his years in the army to help him now.

Choking on his own blood. That's was what was happening. He turned his kid onto his side and a rain of blood began cascading toward the ground. But there was no gasp, no breath of air to follow. FP put his ear right up to the brutally beaten seventeen-year-old's mouth. Nothing.

"No…" FP muttered, slowly grew into a yell as he began a round of compressions on his son's chest, "No, no, no, NO! Jughead, breathe. Breathe, boy. C'mon."

After what felt like hours of continuous CPR, Jughead let out a splutter of breath and blood. His eyes remained closed, his small, uneven breaths remained raspy, but he was alive. That was the most important part.

The serpent king wedged his arms underneath his sons injured and broken body as gently as he could. He gripped onto Jughead and lifted him off the filthy forest ground and made his way toward the voices that he could hear nearby.

Betty lowered the phone from her face. FP had hung up so abruptly and now she was even more worried than before. After her conversation with Archie over the black hood that shortly followed, she didn't know how to feel. All she knew is that she needed her rock; she needed Jughead.

Suddenly, Betty's ringtone began to play out. She answered the phone hesitantly and put it up to her ear. Toni's voice filled her mind,

"Betty, are you there?" Toni asked.

"Yes, yea I'm here."

"You need to get to Fox Forest, now."

"Why? What's going on Toni?", a look of confusion covered Betty's face and the mention of a familiar name caused Archie's head to snap toward the girl next door.

"It's Jughead. We think he's in trouble… with a serpent charmer." That's all Betty needed to hear. She hung up her phone and locked eyes with Archie.

"Can you get us to Fox Forest?" her tone was flat but her teary eyes were filled with worry and concern. Archie nodded.

"We can take dad's truck." They then turned and ran down the steps of the Cooper house and toward the street.

A/N

Hi to anyone who read my story so far! Like I said at the start, if you want something to happen, let me know and I'll see what I can do for you. Also, I would love creative criticism and for people to let me know of any errors that I made so that I can fix them. Thankyou!

-K