(Arthur Adams and Sam have been involved in a passionate affair for some time. Arthur lifts Sam up, and they are passionately intimate. Sam moans out loud, and Arthur puts a hand gently around her neck, kissing just under her chin.)
Arthur: You're so beautiful, Sam.
(He tosses her on her back on the bed, and lands next to her, tracing a finger down her chest gently.)
Sam: No one knows you're here, right?
Arthur: Not even Hermione. You know I'm supposed to be watching the Andrews kid. (Playfully) You could get me into a lot of trouble with the boss.
Sam: Trust me, you have nothing to worry about. Veronica is his world. Archie would NEVER cross Hiram Lodge.
Arthur: And you? What do you plan to do with the info I've given you about him?
Sam: Nothing. If what you tell me is true, Hiram Lodge won't be deterred by me, and I can't destroy him. And I wouldn't want to.
Arthur: I don't know about that. He was shocked at how hard you went at Nick St. Clair. It really did give him pause. You were savage and brazen.
Sam: Didn't anyone tell you? The girl that cockroach assaulted is my cousin, Cheryl Blossom.
Arthur: Cheryl Blossom is your cousin?! How?!
Sam: Everyone in the town wants to forget that my father and Cheryl's horrid mother are brother and sister. I thought you would have known that, being a local and all.
Arthur: Still, why did you attack St. Clair so harshly if you and Cheryl hate each other?
Sam: Regardless of how I feel towards her, blood is blood. No one deserves what that roach did to her.
Arthur: You actually care about her.
Sam: Well, someone should. Her own family threw her to the wolves after Jason's death. Penelope treated her worse than she ever treated my father. Clifford, too.
Arthur: They did a great job at acting like they weren't related before your dad's death.
Sam: Penelope didn't even come to the funeral. She wouldn't let Cheryl and Jason come, either. She never even explained to the two of them how they were related to us. She hated my father so much, I honestly think she pulled the trigger herself.
Arthur: What?
(Sam falters, lowering her eyes a fraction. She's never admitted out loud that her father was murdered, much less killed by a Blossom.)
Sam: It's true. My father was murdered by the Blossoms to shut him up and stop him from bringing them to justice.
Arthur: Wow. I guess you haven't shed any tears for Penelope or Clifford Blossom?
Sam: I have shed tears for NONE of the Blossoms. Not even Jason. His murder was horrible, but I didn't like him, because he bullied Jughead. The whole football team did, except Archie.
(Arthur suddenly thinks of something.)
Arthur: Wait. Doesn't that also make Betty Cooper your distant cousin?
Sam: Penelope and my father are related, not my father and Clifford. Betty's relatives broke off from the Blossom name. Penelope is a Blossom by marriage only. Betty and I are very distantly related, however not by blood.
Arthur: Is it weird for you that Jughead left you for a very distant cousin?
(Sam ignores the question, biting her lip at the sight of Arthur. She's incredibly attracted to him, almost unable to control herself. She climbs on top of him.)
Arthur: I'm guessing you're over talking about your family?
Sam: I mean, I'd rather be on top of you… NOT talking.
(Arthur reaches up, kissing her. He pulls off her shirt, and she pulls his over his head.)
Arthur: Why can't I stay away from you, Sam?
Sam: I ask myself the same thing about you.
(As they're kissing, he unbuckles her belt.)
Arthur: You know we have to end this eventually.
Sam: But not right now. So let's just enjoy this now.
(She unbuckles his belt. They start kissing again, and she pushes him down, taking control. She starts kissing his neck, but her phone rings. She looks up at it, exasperated.)
Arthur: Maybe… don't answer it.
(She looks at him.)
Sam: You know we don't get that luxury.
(She climbs over him, grabbing her phone and picking up. He runs a hand through her hair and then down her back, admiring her from behind while she's on the phone.)
Arthur(whispering): Beautiful.
Sam: She what?! Please tell me this is a joke. I'll be right there, FP. No, I'll come there. Just stay there.
(She hangs up, grabbing her clothes. He sits up, looking at her. They catch eyes, and she stops, jumping on top of him again. This time, they don't stop, and no one's phone rings. She is on top of him, grinding into him and moaning. When they finish, she collapses on top of him, kissing him gently. He locks his arms around her.)
Arthur: Don't leave.
Sam: I have to.
(He tucks her hair behind her ear, kissing her, not wanting to let her go. He looks into her eyes, and he's clearly in love with her.)
Arthur: There's no way this gets a happy ending, is there?
Sam: We're never that lucky, sweetheart.
(She climbs off him again, this time dressing entirely. He lays on his back, and she kisses him goodbye.)
(Sam arrives at the Whyte Wyrm, walking in behind Jughead. She is confused.)
FP: Sam, glad you could join us.
(Sam walks past Jughead but stops when she sees Penny Peabody.)
Sam: You're not very good at doing what you're told, Penny. I believe you were told to never step foot in this town again.
(Penny stands, walking straight up to Sam and slapping her. Jughead is so startled, he steps back. Once he recovers himself, he steps forward to defend Sam if needed, but Sam is undeterred. Sam cocks an eyebrow up, looking at Penny.)
Penny: Now, did you really think you'd seen the last of me?
Sam: You were never very good at following orders.
(Sam's fist flies through the air before Penny even knows what's coming. Penny lands on the floor, face first. FP grabs Sam, pulling her away.)
FP: Sam, stay out of it! This isn't about you!
Penny: This is about your son, FP!
Tall Boy: Show him, Penny.
(Penny yanks up her sleeve, showing FP the scar of where her tattoo used to be.)
Penny: This used to be my Serpents tattoo, until your son sliced it off me and left me in a ditch in Greendale.
FP: Jughead! You did this?!
(Sam jerks away from FP, stepping between him and his son. She is still protective of Jughead.)
Sam: I gave the order, FP! I told him to get rid of Penny for good. But since he's no killer just like his dad, I gave him a little creative license. He did this on MY order.
Penny: Well, that's convenient. If you gave your boyfriend the order, it can't come down on him, can it?! And it can't come down on you, because then we lose that famous Raines money train.
(Jughead grabs Sam's arm.)
Jughead: Stop. Don't take the fall for me.
Sam: You don't get to tell me what to do anymore, Jughead. And don't touch me!
(She yanks her arm away from him, facing Penny again.)
FP: Sam-
Sam: Watch it, Penny. Remember, you still owe me your law school debt, even if you're out of the Serpents. You know I'll get it back, one way or another. You've got some VERY useful… attributes.
FP: STOP IT! All of you! What do you want, Penny?
Sam: FP-
FP: Sam, I swear-
Penny: I want back in with the Serpents. Blood for blood. Jughead- I want him out. I want his tattoo removed. Oh, and I want to do it myself. With a dirty knife.
Sam: You touch him, and I'll kill you myself.
FP: Sam, shut it!
Sam: FP, you go along with this, and I will walk. Every dime. And if you think I'm joking, wait 'till you see my warning shot.
(Sam shoves FP off her, pushing past Jughead on her way out.)
(Several hours later, one of the Serpents starts yelling.)
Tall Boy: What is it?!
Serpent: My money's gone!
Another Serpent: My money's gone, too! How the hell am I gonna pay my damn bills?!
(One by one, every Serpent finds out that they have no money. Finally, FP discovers his and Jughead's bank accounts have been frozen.)
FP: Goddamnit, Sam!
(FP leaves the Whyte Wyrm to hunt down Sam.)
(FP bangs on the front door of the Hollow. No answer. He bangs again, and a disheveled, bathrobe-clad Sam answers.)
Sam: Can I help you, FP?
FP: Really, Sam? Freezing our accounts?! Revoking the guys' pay?!
Sam: That was just a warning shot, FP. You want to come in and talk like adults? Then come in. Stow the anger.
(She steps aside, inviting him in. He follows her into the kitchen, eyeing her bathrobe.)
FP: You got Jughead upstairs or something?
Sam: Jughead and I aren't together, FP. That's done. That story has ended. The door is closed. Fin.
FP: Then what's with the Desperate Housewife look?
Sam: I'm in my own house, FP! Can we talk sense, please?! Let's get real.
FP: Yes. I need to know. Did you give the order for Jughead to run Penny out of town?
Sam: Technically, no. I said Penny needed to be dealt with. I didn't explicitly ask Jug to do anything. When he found out she had you running drugs, he did what he felt he had to do to protect you.
FP: Jesus, Jughead.
Sam: He's not such a child anymore, FP. You going to prison grew him up a lot. He had to learn to survive. He knew if he joined the Serpents, he'd have to be a little cutthroat. He did what he thought was right. I only wish he'd called me. I would have loved slicing Penny's tat off her arm. Jughead did it for you, FP. But you should know, I would have backed him every step of the way. Right down to slicing Penny up. She needed to go. She broke Serpent law. You cannot let her back in.
FP: Do you think she's telling the truth about getting us out of being evicted?
Sam: I can find you another lawyer. And I happen to know that she's exaggerating how long she can draw it out.
FP: Ugh, the guys still want to vote.
(Sam has an idea.)
Sam: Put off the vote as long as possible. I want to avoid bloodshed right now, but you know if she touches Jughead, I WILL kill her and make sure she stays dead. I will not let her hurt him. She got what she deserved, whether you agree with what he did or not. We have been VERY strict concerning drugs, FP. You know that. Either they choose Jughead and she's out for good, or they choose her, and she dies the second she touches Jughead.
FP: We don't need this heat right now, Sam.
Sam: FP, you worry too much. I'll take care of everything. I always do. And I'll always take care of you and Jughead.
FP: Hey, uh, I gotta ask you something.
Sam: Anything.
FP: You still, uh, send money to Jughead's mom and Jelly Bean, right? And to his grandparents?
Sam: Never stopped, not even when you were in jail. I even sent money for them to come see you, but they didn't.
FP: Yeah, well… I don't think Jughead's mom is coming back. Neither is Jelly Bean.
Sam: She's your daughter, FP.
FP: Their mom is a… strong woman. Jelly Bean does whatever she says. She's strong willed and smart, but she loves her mom. (Pause while FP collects himself emotionally) Listen, I'll put off the vote as long as I can. How long do you need?
Sam: Till tomorrow night.
FP: I can do that.
Sam: I promise I'm going to try to make it so that there doesn't need to be a vote.
FP: Hey, you're not gonna off Penny before tomorrow night, are you?
Sam: No. It would make Jughead look suspicious.
(FP looks sad that Sam and Jughead have split.)
FP: Sam, what happened? You two were perfect together.
Sam: We tried, okay? I loved him. But love wasn't enough. He couldn't get past Betty. And maybe he's better off with her. And I don't blame him. If he stayed with me, his life would just be more darkness. He's already a pro at misery, he doesn't need any more from me. Betty can bring him into the light. She's good to him, and she's good for him. I don't question it anymore. It was just clear that if he couldn't leave Betty alone, he probably shouldn't be with me.
FP: I'm sorry he hurt you, Sammie. I'm so sorry.
Sam: He is, too. I know he is. I'm not angry at him or Betty. I'm hurt at the situation, but I'd still anything for both of them. They're family to me. It doesn't change things. He has to do what's best for him, and so do I. But I'll never let anyone hurt him. Give me till tomorrow night.
FP: I will. But please give everyone their money back, Sam. Think of their families.
Sam: Already did. I made it look like you reasoned with me. Makes you look good. They'll listen to you more.
FP: You're a genius.
(FP hugs Sam and leaves from the kitchen. Arthur comes down the stairs in his boxer briefs. Sam can't help eyeing his body with lust.)
Arthur: He really cares about you, you know. Maybe you picked the wrong Jones.
Sam: No, I didn't.
(Arthur comes near her, pushing her up onto a kitchen stool and straddling her. He starts kissing her neck, reaching around to grab her ass. She locks her legs around him to keep him close.)
Arthur: Well, I have it on good authority that you DO like older men.
Sam: I'm sure it's just the absence of a father figure in my life.
Arthur: Is that FP to you? A father figure?
Sam: He saved me. I know it seems weird, someone who's been a terrible father to his own kids… but FP stepped in and saved me when no one else would.
(It's clear that Arthur knows what Sam has been through. He holds her close, protectively. He kisses her.)
Arthur: I wish I had been there to protect you. I would have killed him for you, Sam. I would do anything for you. I wish we could walk in public together holding hands. I wish I could tell the whole world that you're mine, and I'm yours. But the world around us would never accept us.
(Sam reaches up, brushing the hollow of his cheek with her thumb.)
Sam: I want that, too, Arthur. And maybe they would come to accept it. But it would be a scandal through the town first, and that is where all the damage is usually done in Riverdale. You know this. I know Hiram and Hermione would never stand for it. They wouldn't appreciate the negative publicity. We can't, Arthur. We'll never be able to. We'll never get our day in the sun. Not in Riverdale. I'm sorry.
(Arthur kisses her, and she doesn't let him pull away. He lifts her up, and she locks her legs around him. They continue kissing all the way upstairs, and he lands on top of her in bed. He kisses her chest, opening her robe to show her bra, and he grabs her breasts, kissing them and kissing up to her neck. She moans in pleasure.)
Arthur: This is so hard. Every time we have to say goodbye to each other, it gets more difficult and more painful. Being away from you feels like a hole I can't fill.
Sam: Arthur, please. We're here now.
Arthur: But you know I have to leave soon. I have to hunt down the Andrews kid. Hermione wants a report on him.
Sam: I'm sure it'll be the same. Archie Andrews is a stand up kid, and he's loyal. He will NEVER turn on Hiram Lodge, as long as he loves Veronica. She could stab him in the throat and he'd lie and say he did it to himself by accident.
Arthur: He would?
Sam: You don't remember what being in love at 16 felt like?
Arthur: I know what being in love right now feels like. And I get it. There is nothing you could do, no betrayal you could do me, that would change how I feel about you.
Sam: Don't say it, Arthur. It'll make things that much more painful when we finally have to end this.
Arthur: I'm going to drag this out as long as I possibly can. Losing you will hurt me in ways I haven't felt in ages.
Sam: Then why drag it out?
Arthur: I can't give you up. I know it's wrong, and it's just barely legal. I know that Hiram and Hermione will never approve. I know it's doomed. But I can't give it up. I can't let you go.
Sam: Arthur…
(She reaches up, pulling his mouth to hers. Their bodies crash together, and he is on top of her, pulling her robe off her.)