"Juggie?" Betty's concerned voice hangs in the air for several seconds as Jughead turns to focus his green eyes into her bright blue ones. They stare into each other's eyes for a moment, neither one daring to say anything, with nothing but the faint rustling of the wind echoing in their ears.

He glances back towards the group of Southside Serpents, and then down to his own leather jacket. Conflicted, he sighs, nodding towards the crowd of serpents before hesitantly stepping back into his father's trailer. Betty, still standing by the window, watches Jughead come inside with an expression of concern, surveying the black leather jacket that now hung over his shoulders. He stands in silence with his head ducked towards the ground.

"Jughead," Betty pleads again, not really sure what else to say. "Say something."

Jughead continues to look down and mumbles, "Betty… These people. They were there for my dad."

"I know, Jug. I know," she softly responds.

She steps towards him, lifting his head in both of her hands, forcing him look at her.

"But I just.. I don't want to lose you."

"And you won't," Jughead replies reassuringly, as he gently removes Betty's hands and envelops her into a hug. "I know what I'm doing."

He pulls away from the hug and places his hands on her shoulders. "Ok?"

Betty looks up at him and nods. But this doesn't shake the perpetual uneasiness that she feels.

XXX

"Betty, is Jughead with you?" Veronica's voice echoes through the phone.

Half asleep, Betty mutters something that she thinks could pass as a "yes".

She and Jughead were both crashing at FP's trailer, since it was the last night that Jughead would have before having to move into his foster home.

"Betty, you guys need to get to the hospital." The alarmed and urgent tone in Veronica's voice is what startles Betty into a more awake state.

"Veronica, what happened?"

"It's Archie's dad. There was a robbery at Pop's and… Just come quickly," she says quickly before hanging up.

Betty slips on the pink trench coat and boots that she had been wearing and moves into the living room, where Jughead lays sprawled out on the couch, sound asleep.

"Jug," she says as she puts a hand on his shoulder.

His eyes open slightly, but when he notices the concerned look on her face and the fact that she is in her previous clothes, he is jolted awake and begins to sit up.

'Betts, what's wrong?"

He sees not only fear, but hesitation in her eyes in the few seconds before she speaks.

"It's Mr. Andrews. Apparently there was a robbery at Pop's. Veronica didn't say much, but we have to get to the hospital right now."

Jughead's eyes fill with worry.

"It's okay, Jug. I'll drive," Betty tried to say consolingly, reaching for the keys. She knew the relationship that Jughead had with Mr. Andrews, and how much Mr. Andrews had helped him.

Grabbing his beanie, Jughead stays in the clothes he had been wearing. Despite the cold chill outside, he opts to leave the leather jacket behind.

XXX

Jughead and Betty rush into the hospital waiting room, which is surprisingly crowded and filled with police. An air of darkness waves over them as they scan the room and notice Archie, who is wrapped up in Veronica's arms.

"Archie? Veronica? What happened?" Betty asks as she runs towards them. Jughead lingers behind, distancing himself from his two grieving friends.

Between tears, Veronica shakily speaks. "Mr. Andrews got shot. He's…"

"Oh my god," Betty says as she lets out a sob.

Jughead's eyes widen at the news. Betty immediately turns to Archie.

"Arch," Betty cries as she puts a hand on his shoulder, "I'm so sorry."

Archie's eyes light up a little when he looks back at her, but doesn't say anything. They look at each other a for a few seconds before she turns and notices Jughead sitting by himself, a considerable distance away from the rest of the group. His hands are folded against his mouth and his eyes are directed towards the ground. Betty's hand lingers on Archie's shoulder as she gets up to go to Jughead. Without saying anything, she takes a seat next to him and leans over, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

The four friends are interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. Only Veronica and Betty look up, and notice it is Officer Keller.

"Archie, I'm incredibly sorry for your loss," Officer Keller said, "but I still have some questions that I need you to answer."

Archie looks up, removing his head from where it had been buried into Veronica's shoulder.

"Really? You're doing this now?" Veronica asks incredulously.

"This could help us find your dad's killer, Archie," the officer responded, ignoring Veronica's remarks. It was obvious that Officer Keller really needed some answers. "Do you remember anything else about what the man looked like?"

"I already told you and a billion other officers. The man was dressed in black and had a mask on. There was nothing about him that made him identifiable," Archie retorts, clearly fed up and tired.

But the officer presses on. "Do you know anybody who would have a motive to do this? Do you know of anybody whom you dad may have had conflict with?"

"No," Archie spat. "My dad didn't have 'conflict' with anybody."

"Ok, that's enough," Veronica announced. "We're gonna get you back home, Arch."

The group rose from their seats. Betty took Jughead's hand. Veronica held Archie. And with a new killer in town, none of them knew what the future would hold.

XXX

With each of the friends in their respective homes, Betty tried to get some sleep back in her own room. She was too shaken up to sleep, but she was too tired to think. It was an impossible conflict.

When her phone buzzes besides her, she reaches over and looks at it.

Archie: R u up?

Unsure of what he wants, she responds.

Betty: Yes.

A few seconds later, Archie texts back.

Archie: Can I come over?

XXX

Jughead pushes through the door of Whyte Wyrm and fidgets with his black leather jacket as he makes his way through the bar. The noisy atmosphere of the bar soon begins to quiet as the serpents take notice of an unfamiliar figure. After not much searching at all, Jughead finds the serpent who had given him the leather jacket standing by the bar table with a drink in his hand.

After hearing approaching footsteps, the serpent turns around and sees Jughead. "What brings you here kid?" His tone is one of curiousity, not threatening. The dark look in Jughead's eyes tell him everything he needs to know before he even opens his mouth.

A few seconds pass before Jughead responds firmly. "I'm in."

Author's Note: Thanks for reading this first chapter! There are lots more to come. This is canon compliant and is speculation for what will happen next season. Leave a review and tell me what you thought!