Hi guys! This is my first Riverdale-Fanfiction and it is Falice all the Way!
Watching Season 3 I think Alice has joined the Farm for reasons not mentioned (yet) and here's my take on how she and FP come to terms with the finale of Season 2.
2x22: Brave New World
It was time to talk to her. So much had happened since that moment when she had suddenly stood in front of his door.
Alice Cooper. Once Alice Smith from the South-Side.
Her hair no longer pulled up in a tight bun or ponytail, but open, flowing over her shoulders. Her blue coat open, revealing a shirt she had no longer buttoned up, but left purposely open, revealing her cleavage to him.
The moment she looked at him he was 17 again and she knew it. He could see it in her eyes just as she could tell it by his smile.
They hadn't spoken much and as he'd watched her sleep in his bed that evening he thought to himself that it had all been worth it. Prison. His backfiring retirement party. Burying the corpse for her. Every single argument with Jughead. Everything had been worth having her back in his arms again.
What's happening, handsome?
The way she had strolled into the diner as if she belonged there, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to call him handsome.
I'm in the high school musical. Can you believe it?
Nowadays he could believe it yes, but he also understood the irony that the former Serpent Girl who had been to cool for anything was now singing on the stage of the same school whose rules she hadn't obeyed for so long.
I was afraid our kids were going to make the same mistakes we did, but it turns out we're the ones making them all over again.
Those words had cut deep, because she was right. She opened up to him in all ways possible and he had brushed her up. Just like when they had been teenagers.
Maybe you'll come by? Check it out?
He'd heard the insecurity in her voice and he was sorry that he was the one to cause it. At the same time it made him feel proud.
So he had stopped by. Because he didn't want to make the same mistakes again, because he wanted to give the two of them of a chance this time.
He had seen her with Hal.
Hal Motherfucking Cooper.
He hated that guy, always had. FP was a South-Side-Serpent, he had experience in getting rid of dead bodies and dealing drugs. Yet, even as a high school student he had known he was the better man. The better choice.
I had your baby. I named him Charles. I had to give him up for adoption. He came to see me and I turned him away. And now he's dead.
That was the day everything had gone to hell. She had fallen apart and as he had held her he had felt something inside him shatter too. Once again the two of them had the effect on one another and were both young again. Helpless and young and desperate.
Betty, are you and your mum ok?
The two of them were so far from ok he couldn't think of a word for it. But they had to wait because Jughead was in deep trouble.
Finding him in the woods like that the former Serpent King had cried like never before. Because for a moment he thought he had lost two sons in his life.
But Jughead was going to be alright and he had finally become the priority in his fathers life. FP had been ready to leave Riverdale for good.
And now Hal was a serial killer.
If the situation weren't so dramatic FP might have laughed.
Of course one never really retired from being a Serpent. Juast as the ink on his skin wouldn't fade so quickly, his true self, his true heart would always belong to the South-Side. But if there ever was a time for him and Alice it was now.
Now that he was staying he was adamant not to make the same mistakes again. He had given up his crown and he was ready to step up for the girl he had loved and failed for so long.
He could only hope he wasn't too late.
Alice's thoughts were racing as her eldest daughters words repeated in her head.
I think I have someone who can help you, Mum. A friend of mine from the farm, who healed me when I was so broken, after Jason. If you're open for it, I would love to invite him to come visit and talk to you.
The Farm.
She had heard that term so many times before and for the first time Alice stopped seeing a cult. Stopped being scared and took in her daughter's appearance. Hal was gone. Charles was dead. Betty was half way out the door with Jughead and Alice knew that better than her daughter did, because she knew the lure of a Jones man. She had ruined things with FP by taking Hal back.
But Polly was here. Radiant, happy, free from the chains of grief that had enslaved her. Polly and her perfect babies.
She had finally seen the Farm for what it was. An opportunity. Alice could get her family back, if she did this right, she could have Polly and the children in her life.
That sounds nice, Polly.
So talking to someone who could heal her sounded like a solid plan. She had been an actress for 25 years. She would pretend to be interested in the farm and connect with Polly.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts and she felt fear creep into every inch of her body. The riots were other and the black hood was in jail. The Ghoulies were lose but no one who she feared would knock on the door anyway.
There was another knock and Alice pushed the memory of Darla the girlfriend of the dead drug-dealer out of her mind.
She had knocked.
Alice swung the door open and sighed deeply when she recognized the person standing before her.
"FP." She whispered.
The crooked half-smile that had already caused her heart to beat madly 25 years ago appeared on his face. But it didn't reach his eyes.
"Are you...ok?" His voice broke at the last word and in an automatic reflex the woman stepped forward to embrace him.
She pressed her face into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent. The smell of cigarettes and his aftershave had mingled in the air around her throughout her life and even her marriage with Hal. She would lie in bed at night and suddenly remember his smell, his breath and his touch.
Out of habit she wondered if any of the neighbours were watching, but what did it matter? She was the wife of the serial killer of this town. Who cared what people thought?
FP took a shuddering breath and stepped back blinking away his tears.
"I'm actually here because of you." He said, obviously uncomfortable with his own emotions. "Not me."
Tears burned in her own eyes as she took his face in her hands stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. The look in his dark eyes was broken. And she knew she must have looked similar and that the overwhelming longing she felt to fix him, he felt towards her too.
"Do you want to come inside?" She asked and it was her voice that broke now.
He nodded and she pulled her hands away as he stepped inside and closed the door.
"I'm so sorry about Jughead." She whispered.
"I'm sorry about Hal."
"Yeah. me too." She was sorrier indeed than she could put into words in that moment and hoped he understood.
Alice walked into the kitchen. She felt uncomfortable in the living room.
"Do you want something to drink?"
"Uh..." He stopped and ran his hand through his short hair and suddenly looked nervous.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't want a drink."
Alice nodded as if she had expected this answer from him, although she was confused. She sat down at the table and wished she could go back to before. Before Chik. Before Charles. Before Hal.
I also wanted you to hear it directly from me that I am done attacking and disavowing the Southside. It's where I'm from, and I should be proud of from now on, I will like my daughter, I will fight tooth and nail for it
His hands in her hair. Her blouse torn off her shoulders. Their lips crashing together as if they needed to kiss each other like they needed to breathe. To survive. She remembered how sure she had been around him and now everything was messed up.
"How is Jughead?"
FP bit his bottom lip and Alice remembered what it was like to kiss him and quickly stared at her hands.
"He's recovered." The traumatised father sounded surprised and Alice couldn't imagine what it must have been like for him to find his broken son in the woods like that. "He's back to his old self and well...I suppose he's celebrating."
She was missing something, she knew it. She couldn't imagine why Jughead was celebrating when they had basically lost the South-Side.
"Alice, I've retired from the Serpents." He finally said and it was the first time in what seemed like years that she felt hope. That she heard a good message.
"You...?"
"I'm no longer a Serpent." He repeated and as he said it she knew he would always be a Serpent. Her own life was proof enough of that. "Jughead is their leader now." He smiled. "Their king."
Many times in her new life she had fantasied about this moment. Had wished that things had gone differently. Had wished that he would step up, show up and be who she had needed him to be. That the two of them would lead a life on the right side of the tracks. And even if both of them would always be Snakes, he was here now and they suddenly had this chance.
Once again Alice felt tears burn in her eyes but she couldn't even say why at this point. FP took her hands in his, stroking her soft fingers with his rough ones.
"I wanted to visit Jug in the hospital." She whispered hoarsely. "But I couldn't."
"I know." He pressed her hand to his lips, kissing it gently and this small show of affection moved her to her core. "I wanted to come by earlier."
Alice shook her head. Of all the things so confusing right now she was glad he hadn't come earlier. "It was a disaster. I was a disaster."
"I'm sorry this happened to you, Alice."
"I feel like I'm being punished." It was the first time she was saying this to him and as she said it, she knew she should have said it much earlier.
FP shook his head and then asked directly: "Because of Charles?"
The name of their dead son stood between them for a moment and Alice didn't know what to say. One part of her was angry that he dared say his name like that, as if he had known the boy. Up until recently he hadn't even known about him. The other part was so relieved that she didn't have to explain herself to him, that he understood her better than anyone else at the moment.
"How did you find out?" He asked and looked up from their intertwined hands. She knew he was no longer talking about Charles, but Hal.
"He told us. Me and Betty. He told us about his childhood." Her voice was tense and she pulled his hands from his tugging at the hem of her shirt and stroking her neck.
The marks from where Hal had put his hands on her throat were gone. But the marks on her shattered heart would be a permanent part of her.
"Did he attack you?" The look on his face became harder.
She nodded, rubbing her neck subconsciously. He reached for her hand again as rage boiled up in him. The town had been in complete chaos, Fangs in hospital, the Ghoulies threatening the Serpents and then Jughead had decided to sacrifice himself.
And that piece of shit dared to put his hands on her?!
"I've made some friends in prison." FP said, more to himself than to her. "I'll make his life a living hell."
"Don't." She whispered and smiled sadly. "He's the father of Betty and...and Polly." A sob rose in her throat at the name of her eldest daughter and she leaned forward, towards him and he caught her in one automatic movement, as if he had been comforting her for years, as if he had been her husband for the past 20 years.
She sobbed in his arms and didn't want to, because she was supposed to be stronger than this.
"I should have been there." He whispered. "I would have protected you."
Alice had thought about that too, had imagined him bursting through the door and ripping Hal away from her, freeing her from the harsh grip he'd had on her. She'd imagined him battling him for her and saving her when she least expected it.
"I protected myself." She said and didn't mean say it to hurt him. "Betty and I – we protected each other."
FP tightened his embrace around her and she relaxed in his arms.
"I..." She gasped as she said the words because she was scared it would break this fragile connection between the former lovers. "I visited Hal. In prison."
"How did that go?" He stroked her hair and remembered the time they had spent together only a few weeks ago. His hands had been lost in her hair then too.
"Ok I think." She leaned back out of his embrace and wiped her tears away gently. "I don't know. Everything is so messed up."
"I know." He stroked her hair, her cheeks, her hands and wanted to kiss her and wished he had come earlier. Wished everything hadn't come together at once.
She smiled sadly, leaning away from his embrace. "This is one of my good days." She tried to joke, but he didn't smile.
"You're not being punished." There wasn't much he could do to make her feel better, there was little he had power over, but this was a truth he wanted her to know. He wanted to free her from her guilty conscience. "Do you hear me Alice? This..." He leaned forward. "This is a chance for you, you're free of him. You get to start over."
Alice blinked as she took in his words. She wasn't entirely sure what he was saying. They hadn't spoken about the two of them and the last time they had spent time together he had been so distant and cold towards her.
He had an intense look in his eyes as he leaned forward, closer towards her.
"Do you want to start over?"
She did. She wished she had left Hal years ago. And she also knew what FP was asking her so she leaned in and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against his.
Again it was as if they had been doing this forever and his arms embraced her, pulling her closer and as she was melting in his arms she felt all of her problems disappear.
All but one.
Someone who can help you, Mum.
A friend
I was so broken.
FP stroked her hair, as he poured all of his emotions into this kiss.
That sounds nice, Polly.
She wished she could give herself entirely to him, take him upstairs and stop caring about everything.
That sounds nice, Polly.
Her hands were pressed against his strong chest and she could feel the steady fast beating of his heart under her fingertips.
That sounds nice, Polly.
She pushed him away harsher than she had meant to and he looked at her surprised. Both of them were panting, their hair messy.
"I'm sorry." He said and stood up. "I should go."
After Jason. If you're open for it. And talk to you. I think I have someone who can help you, Mum. When I was so broken. I would love to invite him to come visit. Who healed me. A friend of mine from the farm. The Farm.
That sounds nice, Polly.
The Farm.
"FP!" She was almost too late. He was already at the door. "Don't go."
Her mind was a complete mess. This was the only coherent thought she had. She wanted him to stay. He was confused and so she said the one thing that she couldn't let go:
"The Farm."
"What?" The confusion was still written all over his face.
"Polly." She added in a desperate tone. "She's living on a farm with these people and she said they healed her and...I need to reconnect with her. She and Betty are all I have left and I just can't let her go and she wants to introduce me to someone from the farm and..." Finally she spoke the words aloud that had been in her mind all day now "I think I need to join."
The man who had been a part of her life for so long was looking at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.
"Ok." He said and walked back inside the kitchen. As if he lived there he walked past her and she stood frozen for a moment before following him.
He sat in the same chair, waiting for her.
"What do you now about this farm?"
Alice sighed and sat down, telling him all she knew. About the snippets Betty had told her, about Juniper and Dagwood, about the healing and forgiveness. About a man called Edgar.
As always he saw right through her.
"They're a cult." He said keeping his gaze locked with hers. "It sounds dangerous, Alice."
She nodded. She knew the dangers. She knew that she was longing for the peace that Polly had found.
"I need to save her."
And maybe along the way she would figure out a way to save herself. Maybe it wouldn't even be so bad.
"I know." He said calmly and she knew it was the truth. He had found his son beaten half to death. He had retired from his beloved Serpents, his family to clear the space for his boy. He had sent away his wife and daughter.
FP Jones knew all about saving your kids.
"Be open." He said leaning forward and taking her face into his hands. "Tell them everything, pretend like you trust them, so they will trust you. Let them get into your head, before you can get into theirs."
Alice nodded.
"You can do this." The look in his eyes was surprisingly soft, maybe even loving. "If you get in too deep I will get you out." He kissed her forehead tenderly. "I promise, Alice."
"Thank you, FP."
They continued to look at each other and she found herself thinking about all the things she wanted to do, the time she wanted to spend with him. The things she wanted to tell him.
"I need to do this." Once more she felt tears burn in her eyes. She felt torn between her children and him and she would always chose her family. She just wished he was a part of it. "And I can't start over until I know that Polly and the twins are safe. I need to try to get them back. And..." Now she blushed and wanted to avoid his gaze, but didn't. "I don't think the Farm will approve of this."
FP's eyes were wide as he understood what she was saying and he nodded.
"Play the sad, grieving wife." He ordered. "Tell them you're disconnected, lonely. Seek their comfort and their community."
She nodded. It wouldn't be hard. She was longing for peace and forgiveness. She was lonely and disconnected. She sought comfort.
"Give it some time for them to trust you." He continued. "And don't trust them." His gaze was stern. "No matter how they make you feel."
It was almost as if he had been undercover in a religious cult himself once before. But that was just FP Jones. He had a plan for everything and he knew how to handle every situation.
"I will wait for you Alice." Then he kissed her and she was 17 years old again and lost track of everything around her and all her priorities vanished. He stopped the kiss and left without another word.
Let me know what you guys think :) Do you think Alice joined the Farm for herself? Or to help Polly?