Preview

Jughead awoke suddenly and looked around him, the sun had only just started to rise and he didn't know why he'd woken up. He got up off the sofa bed, groaning and made his way to the kitchen. He walked unsteadily and froze when he heard voices. Or maybe it was only one. All his senses went rigid and suddenly he was wide awake. He kept walking, much softer and much more alert this time, his ears trying to pick up what the voice or voices were saying. He kept walking, past the kitchen, the voices became louder and clearer as he kept walking towards the source. His hands clenched into fists, ready to take on whoever had entered his house uninvited. He came close enough to recognise it was his dad speaking in a hushed voice, he sighed, it was only his dad on the phone. He'd been too paranoid to even recognise his own father's voice. Jughead was about to turn around to get something to eat and maybe catch another hour of sleep before school started when he realised something...

Why would his dad be calling someone so early in the morning and speak in a hushed voice?

Jughead crept closer to his father's bedroom until he could press his ear against the wooden door and try to pick up as much of the conversation as he could.

"Please, please, just think about it." FP said pleadingly, his voice breaking, "You don't have to answer now or tomorrow. Just think about it….Yes, I know. But…"

Jughead nearly sank to his knees at his father's tone of voice. The king of the Serpents, the strongest man Jughead knew, his father was….Begging, pleading and desperate to the point of tears. Who could possibly reduce his father to tears? Jughead wasn't ready for the answer. He pressed his head closer to the door, trying not to miss anything.

"You could just come for a weekend, you don't even have to see me if you don't want to, just please, even if it's just for Jughead…"

There was a silence as whoever was on the other of the line spoke, Jughead held his breath as the silence carried on.

"You think I don't know that, Goddamnit!" FP said, almost shouting but his voice broke.

"I know," he said, "I know I was a mess but I'm fixing it. I quit drinking, for real this time, I cleaned up the trailer, Jughead's come back home, I'm working at Pop's. I'm fixing things, I'm being the father I know Jug needs. I'm there for him. He shouldn't have to pay for my mistakes, to never be able to see his family again for what I did."

Tears sprung to Jughead's eyes as he realised who his dad was talking to and what he was saying.

"I know it's too late," his father continued, "I know I can never take back everything I did but I…" There was a silence as FP tried to keep himself from crying, "I just want to see my daughter again. I want her to see Riverdale again, even if it's only once, only for an hour, I want her to see it again before it might change forever. I just want her to see Jughead again, I want you to see him again too. He misses his mother and sister. Please, Gladys…"

Jughead bit his lip to keep from sobbing as he heard his mother's name come from his father's lips. Something he hadn't heard in years and only in this exact moment did he realise how much he needed to hear it again. How much he needed his father to fix things with his mother, how much he needed to see his mother and sister again, how much he missed them. And how badly they'd abandoned him and weren't going to come and get him or even visit him, ever.

"Please Gladys," His dad pleaded again, "Let Jughead see his mother and sister again. Just…just think it over. I…"

He stopped mid-sentence and Jughead jumped in shock as a huge crash came from his father's bedroom. His father swore and Jughead knew his mother had hung up on him and they weren't coming to see him. And that there was nothing he or his dad could do about it.

The tears started streaming uncontrollably down his face and he couldn't take it anymore. He pushed himself off the door and ran. Not knowing that somewhere far away in another trailer, in another trailer park, at the other end of this phone call his sister did the same. Neither of them knowing the other flung open the door and ran, tears blurring their vision, with no idea what to do next.

"Oh shit, Jughead." His father swore again, realising the crash had probably woken his son. FP flung his bedroom door open but Jughead was already long gone. The open door of the trailer swung softly in the morning wind, which Jughead had hastily swung open mere seconds ago. The light of the rising sun broke through the open door, illuminating the dark trailer as FP swore once more. FP sunk into his sofa, cursing himself for letting his son down again and not being able to keep him from running out the door again. He cursed himself at failing to stick his family back together and letting Jughead be the one to take the blow.

Jughead ran and ran and just kept running until he couldn't find any reason to do so anymore, he kept running until the tears stopped. He didn't know where he was going, it was mid-spring but there was still a chill morning air and he had nothing but the clothes he'd slept in to keep him warm. He rubbed his naked arms, trying to warm them up and because he didn't know what else to do with his hands. He felt like punching something but he didn't have the strength to do so and he knew damn well it wouldn't fix a thing. He wished he had his beanie or at least something warmer than his sleeveless undershirt and jeans. He didn't know where he was going until he looked up, he looked around him and realised his feet had taken him to the one place in the world he needed to be right now. He was on his way to Betty's.

Hope you enjoyed. Send me any suggestions you have and note that this isn't au, Jellybean is simply older and the story is set between episodes 15-17.