To Be Strong
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and ocs. Enjoy and feel free to let me know what you thought.
Prologue
Every muscle in her body is tense, the words playing on repeat in her mind as the cell phone fell from her fingers.
"Miss Cooper? Betty Cooper?" The voice had questioned after she had picked up on the fourth ring.
"Yes?" her voice was still thick with sleep as she answered, reaching to turn on her bed side lamp.
"I'm sorry to be calling so early Miss. However it is in regards to your sister Polly Cooper. She was in an accident earlier this evening. I'm afraid she didn't make it," The voice had continued to speak, explaining their were difficulties during surgery, that they weren't able to stop the internal bleeding. Betty just recalled the phone slipping from her grasp as those six words played on repeat.
How was she supposed to tell her mother and father that Polly had been in an accident and didn't make it? How was she supposed to tell the twins, her niece and nephew who were in the bedroom bedside her own, that their mother wasn't coming home tonight? Black swam on the edge of her vision, she felt as if she couldn't catch her breath as she began gasping before she fell to her knees, the sobs shaking her body and waking her mother who came to check on her youngest daughter.
"Betty?" Alice Cooper rarely used this tone with her daughter, it was one Betty was familiar with. She knew something was wrong, just didn't know what it was.
"It's Polly Mom," she was able to gasp out between sobs, folding her arms around her waist in an attempt to hold herself together as she shook her head. Alice mirrored the action, denying what Betty wasn't exactly telling her.
"No, no, no, not my baby," Alice sobbed as she slid down the wall, tears falling down her cheeks as she continued to shake her head. Slowly Betty crawled until she was beside her mother, wrapping her arms around her shaking shoulders and sobbing with her.
Gladys Jones left Jughead when he was fifteen. She had just found out she was pregnant again and vowed to 'get it right this time.' She had said she didn't want to raise a child in that type of environment. In the middle of the night, she had packed her bags and left to her parents home of Toledo. Jughead had understood at the time. He was fifteen, and his intelligence was above average. She thought he had been a mistake and wanted to try to raise a child without the influence of F.P. He hated her for it, but he had understood. That was the year everything went bad. Jason Blossom had been murdered, his dad had confessed only for crime only to discover it had been Clifford Blossom and he had paid F.P. to clean up the mess. His dad was still doing time for those charges. He had been put in foster care, enrolled in Southside High, and joined the Southside Serpents.
He was still a member of the notorious gang at the age of eighteen. He was currently in his dad's trailer, enjoying a moment of peace after leaving the Whyte Wyrm. He shrugged off the heavy leather jacket before tossing it on to the beat up old couch before making his way towards the kitchen. However, before he could pull open the fridge door, there was a knock on his door, making him pause. Furrowing his brow he turned towards the door, confused as to who would be knocking on this door. Most of the Serpents knew he needed some sleep, they wouldn't be bothering him unless it was absolutely important. Inhaling a deep breath, Jughead released it on a sigh before making his way back towards the front door. Wrenching it open he narrowed his stormy blue eyes to slits, fully prepared to chew who ever was disturbing him out. The sight that greeted him however, wasn't one he had been prepared for. Standing on the front porch of the trailer was a two year old little girl. She looked exactly like Jughead had at that age, so he knew exactly who she was without having to read the letter gripped tightly in her hand.
The lawyer's office was thick with tension. The three Coopers sat across from Polly's lawyer as he shuffled through the papers on his desk. The twins, Jason Junior and Beatrice sat on a leather sofa against the back wall, coloring in the books Betty had brought for them.
"Will you tell us why we were summoned after just putting out daughter to rest?" Hal Cooper finally snapped, impatience evident in his voice as he glared at the older man across from him.
"I'm here to inform you of your late daughter's final wishes," the lawyer, Mister Kent, informed them after clearing his throat.
"Polly had a will?" Alice questioned, her voice thick with emotion as she said her daughter's name.
"Yes. It was more for the benefit of her children, the twins. In case anything were to happen to her, she wished for her sister, their aunt and god mother, to take them," Mister Kent explained, watching the reactions between the three family members.
"Of course," Alice and Betty stated together, refusing to allow the last bit of Polly to be taken from them.
"Absolutely not," Hal disagreed, shouting the two words and startling the two year old twins from their coloring.
"Excuse me? I'm eighteen Dad. I have a steady job. I just graduated highschool. I am more than capable of being their legal guardian," Betty argued, turning in her seat to face her father. Hal shook his head, narrowing his own eyes in return.
"No. You are living under my roof. I'll not allow you to raise those children in my home," Hal snapped, watching as Betty turned to the lawyer, quirking a delicate eyebrow as she challenged her father.
"Did Polly leave anything to either myself or the twins?" she questioned easily, watching one corner of the older attorney's lips turn up.
"As a matter of fact, Miss Cooper left you the deed to her home. You will take over payments, however it is yours to do with as you please," Mister Kent stated carefully, watching Hal Cooper for the corner of his eye.
"I will disown you Betty. I refuse to allow you to throw away your life just like your sister did," Hal warned, eyes narrowed as Betty merely shrugged.
"I'm sorry you feel that way Dad. But those two? Those two beautiful children are half of my sister, a sister I just lost. I refuse to allow you to dictate whether I raise them or not. It's not a choice for me," Betty argued, pushing to her feet and clenching her hands into fists. She could feel the familiar bite of her nails digging into her palms, could feel the warm blood that was slipping over her fingers.
"Alice, talk to your daughter," Hal demanded of his wife, turning his furious gaze onto her. Alice merely shook her head, turning to glance at her husband as she carefully thought over her words.
"No, Hal. Betty is right. Those beautiful children are half of our daughter, a daughter we will never see again because we just laid her to rest. I refuse to push them out of my life. If you can't accept that, well, I guess there is no reason for me to go home with you. Betty and I will be by later this week to retrieve our things," Alice stated firmly, a calm settling over her features.
"You are absolutely insane," Hal spat before pushing to his feet and storming out of the lawyer's office, slamming the door and startling the twins from the conversation of baby babble. Inhaling a deep breath, Betty turned to her niece and nephew, allowing her mother time to talk to the attorney about whatever she needed to.
"Hey you two, are you ready to go home with Auntie Betty and Grandma?" she questioned, watching the bright smiles that stretched across their chubby cheeks before they began to babble happily. Betty fought the tears that were threatening to fall. She could allow that right now. She needed to be strong for the twins, for her mother, she needed to be their anchor.
"Let's go home you two," she whispered, reaching for each of their hands and helping them from the sofa before packing away their coloring supplies.
Jughead was pacing as Joaquin read over the letter Jellybean had been holding when she arrived on his door step. He could recite the entire thing, word for word, and it pissed him off.
F.P.
This is Jellybean, your daughter. I thought I was ready to be a mother to her the way I wasn't for Jughead. I thought I would be able to handle it. But I can't. It's all to much. She's all yours now.
Gladys
Joaquin released a slow whistle, shaking his head before glancing at the sleeping two year old on the couch.
"No one informed her he had been arrested? That he would be in lock up for ten years max?" Joaquin questioned, watching the younger Jones man shrug lazily.
"It would appear she wasn't on any of the mailing lists," he stated with a lazy drawl, before running his long fingers through his raven mass of curls.
"What am I going to do man? I have no idea how to raise a kid, let alone a toddler," Jughead spoke, catching his beanie as it fell from his head. Joaquin leaned back against the arm chair he had sat in, pressing his lips together as he thought over the next course of action.
"Get a stable job, somewhere respectable. Make sure she has everything she needs. Whether you like it or not Jug, this kid is your responsibility now. She's family, we don't turn away family. Time to man up and take care of business," he stated carefully, knowing his friend hated when he was told what to do.
"You're right. You're right. I think I can get a job, Fred Andrews told me I would always have a place on his crew. Archie left for New York with Veronica Lodge, so I won't run into him. It's respectable, no one would question me working there, especially since Fred is an old family friend," Joaquin could already see the wheels turning in his friend's head as he thought of everything he would need to do for his baby sister.
"I need to look into getting a bigger place. This trailer was okay for just me, but it won't be for the both of us, help me out with that man?" he questioned, watching Joaquin nod in agreement before he began thinking of everything else he would need.
"Relax hermano. You've go this. This little chica is going to be blessed with you looking after her," Joaquin stated before pushing to his feet and making his way towards the door.
"I'll see in the morning Jug," Joaquin called before leaving the trailer, knowing Jughead wouldn't answer him, to caught up in his own mind to even realize his friend had left. Jughead had understood when Gladys left him. He was fifteen, he was intelligent. He understood her not wanting him, being a mistake she couldn't erase because his dad wouldn't let her. However he couldn't understand her leaving this little girl. He couldn't forgive her for abandoning Jellybean as if she wasn't worth fighting for. He would. He would be strong for her, fight for her, protect her. That was what older brothers did, and Jughead vowed to be the best older brother to this sleeping angel he could be.
"I've got you Jellybean," he whispered, before dropping a kiss to her forehead and sliding to the floor until he was sitting next her, even if she was on the couch. He rested his large hand on her back and smiled softly as he felt the rise and fall of her breaths.
A/N: So, I recently discovered Riverdale. I'm absolutely in love with the show and sadly finished the first season in two days. I love the relationship between Jughead and Betty. This is obviously an au where they break up after Jughead joins the Serpents. Jellybean is two rather than ten, but she and the twins do age in the next chapter. I needed them to be the same age for reasons. Enjoy and feel free to let me know what you guys thought!
