A/N: Welcome to the next installment of my Sweet Bee story arc. This follows my other fics Follow Your Heart Until it Sticks and Formalities.

Chapter 1: A flashback

It was the day before the winter formal and Jughead knew better than to plan on going. Even though most of his friends were excited about a chance to go to a school dance, he just had too much work to do. Tonight he had to go to the basketball game to cheer on Archie, he had an article due on Monday for the school paper that he would probably have to be writing Saturday night, and now his phone was blowing up in his pocket which means Serpent trouble. He was sitting in the student lounge with Toni and Fangs during free period trying to have a couple of minutes to themselves but the insistent buzzing in his jeans made him have to look. When he slipped his phone out of his pocket he could see he had three missed calls and two texts. He cleared the calls, all either members or friends of the Serpents, and read his messages from his dad.

Of course, he thought to himself, fucking Ghoulies again. Their rival gang was so different from them in every way. The Serpents were fine living in peace but the Ghoulies were just there for power and chaos, not a family like they were. And it seemed like Malachi was everywhere these days, that piece of crap who calls himself their leader, just popping his head in all over the Southside to say 'hi' and destroy something or someone. From the looks of things his dad needed him now but he still had one class left.

He looked at Fangs and Toni, thinking about asking for their help; but he hated to pull any of them out of school, especially when they were so close to graduating. Just then Sweet Pea and Betty walked into the lounge and came over to sit with them. As Betty settled into the couch next to Toni and her beau on the sofa arm, Jughead made up his mind that he should let them all be and head out himself. Toni and Betty had to cheer that night, which as he said he had to leave, he realized he was probably going to end up missing Archie's game. Thus was the life of the 'king'. The girls gave him a quizzical look as he grabbed his bag to go to the nurse and have his dad release him sick; he couldn't wait until he was 18 and could just sign himself out.

He texted his dad that he needed to stand by for a phone call as he went down the hall. He played his best 'I'm going to throw up' act and the nurse promptly got him sent home. This had been a pretty normal thing for him to have to do these days and he thought the nurse was actually starting to worry about him. Really she should be worried if he was going to even pass his last period math class so he could graduate. Math was his worst subject, the one he really couldn't afford to be missing as he was already taking it for the second time. But if is his dad needed him, he was going to be there.

He got on his bike to race over to the site of the old Drive Inn which was where his dad said to meet him. He held his breath as he turned the last curve and saw the scene that must have unfolded and hour or so ago. One of the older Serpents lay in the dirt and as Jughead got off his bike and got closer, he could see he had been beaten up pretty badly with some thing big like a baseball bat. There was blood spattered in the immaculate snow that surrounded them. FP was trying to help him to his feet while two other members where pulling his bike right side up.

"Boy!" FP yelled across the field to him. "Go get somebody's truck. He ain't walking out of here."

Jughead shook his head and ran as fast as he could to Fang's mom's trailer. When he pounded on her door, she answered in ratty sweats, looking like she had just been woken up. He asked if he could borrow his truck real quick ad that it was an emergency. Mrs. Fogherty grunted but still handed over the keys.

He drove the truck back over to the lot and help the other three men haul the man, Getty, into the truck bed.

"So where should I take him? Riverdale General or the Whyte Wyrm?" Jughead asked.

"Well," FP said trying to wipe blood off of his hands with a rag from his jacket, "I don't think I can stitch this one up myself unfortunately."

"So, the hospital it is. Are you coming with me?"

"Probably should. You will need help walking in there," he said shutting the tailgate. "Are you going to be OK back there, Getty?"

"I'll survive if you get me to the damn hospital before tomorrow! Quit your jabbering and get me the hell out of here!"

Jughead hurried into the passenger seat of the truck and slammed the door behind him. FP slid into the truck and started it moving in what seemed like one fluid motion.

"What the hell happened back there?" Jughead asked.

"Apparently Malachi just can't keep his hands clean, beating an innocent man senseless. What are we going to do about it? We can't keep being silent on the Ghoulies issue."

"I still don't know. I don't want everyone to know it's this bad, it will just cause a panic. We need to go in to this with a level head and a plan."

"Like your plan for Penny Peabody?"

"Since when did you of all people become opposed to a little violence?"

FP just grunted as a response and stared at the road for what seemed like hours. He could see the hospital right ahead and he moved into the parking lot. Both of them got out to carry Getty from the truck inside. Each took one side of him and luckily, the man had enough strength to walk with the help.

They got him inside and handed him off to a nurse with a wheel chair at admissions. They wheeled him away quickly while he and Jughead tried to fill out the patient information card. It was pretty standard things like name and address, birthday, insurance and next of kin of both which he had none.

Jughead took the clipboard back to the desk, admitting he did not know his social security number. The nurse said it was all right and would get it from him himself. Jughead sat back down with his dad in the waiting room. They had chosen chairs behind a large plant and were almost not seen from the door. This made it the perfect place to finish their conversation as long as they spoke quietly.

Jughead took off his hat, flattened his hair, and put it back on while sighing. This was the hardest part of being in charge of the Serpents. Every member was under his protection and he was not doing the best job right now. There had been a silent outbreak of crimes just like this in the Southside but he had chosen to not bring it to the whole club's attention. He thought maybe not doing anything about it would make the Ghoulies just leave them alone, but that tactic was not working. Most of the guys knew that there had been a few sightings of Malachi around town but it was to be expected as they had been in a turf war for months. Even at his dad's insistence, he had not done anything to retaliate, only to defend. Something more drastic had to happen but he was out of ideas.

Honestly, he just needed help. Under the leadership of his dad, most of the original Serpents who held offices in the club, who made up the Serpent council had passed away and instead of appointing new officers, FP had just started doing most of the work himself. The stresses eventually got to him and he started drinking and a lot of stuff started going by the wayside. He took more and more off the cuff jobs, anything for the money and with no council to say no, things started to unravel into the disorganized debauchery that the club had become when his mom decided to take his sister and move. This spurred more drinking and impulsive decisions. Jughead couldn't do it the way his dad did. He still had so many responsibilities outside of the Serpents that he just did not want to give up on, he decided right then and there he needed to reinstate a Serpent council; at least a vice president to help him and maybe a treasurer to do the book. Maybe a couple of older guys who could help give him input on making decisions so he didn't act out of desperation like he had with Penny Peabody.

"What would you say, if I reinstated the Serpent Council?"

FP looked at his kid. He looked tired. He knew this was a lot for a teenager, he had been a bit older when he took over the Serpents and it wasn't easy then. He threw everything he had into it, trying to impress his father who died shortly after, and tried to do it all himself. Maybe he could have been a better father if he had made time for his family instead.

"That might not be the worst idea. You'd have some help, people to bounce ideas off of besides your old man."

"I'd want you to be on it. I know your 'retired' and everything but you aren't. You handed the crown over to me but here you are running operations while I am in school. It makes it look like you are still just running everything and slapping my name on it. If you had a position, I think it conveys a different message."

"I'd do it. It just as to get voted on. Who else do you think you want?"

"I'm not sure. I need someone tough for VP; someone who would be my enforcer. Someone die hard loyal to the Serpents but will challenge me if they think I am doing something shitty."

"Now, don't be offended by this, but what about Sweet Pea?"

Jughead looked at his dad incredulously. "Really?"

"Hear me out: When you were off doing your own thing, he was the one of the kids that stepped up to help me out the most. He did anything I ever asked because he cares about the Serpents."

"I don't think he would even consider it. I think he still hates my guts no matter how I have tried to smooth things over."

"Eh he's just like that with everyone."

"No, he's not. Not with Fangs, not with Toni. Definitely not with Betty. It's so weird when he is with her, he's like, kind. I didn't even think he could be like that."

"He is loyal above all else. You might be surprised what he would agree to. Ask him. Don't just catch him off guard with a nomination."

"Fine. I will ask him."

Just then, Sheriff Keller walked into the waiting room and Jughead slunk into his seat. He didn't trust the man farther than he could throw him because he had not always been forth coming in some of his journalistic investigations. He took off his hat and headed up to the admissions counter. He and the nurse exchanged words quietly but you could see that her answers irritated him. She pointed over to Jughead and FP and tapped the desk twice before heading over to them.

"So, Jones, would you care to share what happened to your friend? He won't tell anyone what happened to him."

Jughead shifted in his seat uncomfortably as FP answered him. "I don't know, Tom. I just found him like that and I high tailed it here."

"How about you, Jughead? Do have any information to share about this being the third member of your gang you've admitted the hospital this month?"

"No, sir. String of bad luck is all. Wrong place, wrong time."

The Sheriff gripped his hat tight enough to crack it in half but his face remained composed. "Well if you have any problems that you want to share with Riverdale's finest, you know where to find me," he said putting on his hat and leaving the hospital in a huff.

"Great," Jughead sighed, "all we need it attention from the fucking Sheriff's office."

"Just keep cool, kid. But we have to act soon before this escalates. You know how this goes; the next person might not be able to walk out of this hospital."

"I know. I just have to get a handle on the situation."

"Better get that genius cap on fast, boy."