Everyone told him he could get hurt. But he was too far in to realize. Fp was worried for his son. It had been a rocky road. His and Jughead's relationship had been broken. His drinking ruined their family. He regretted everything. He just wished he could go back. Take back the one mistake. The one that took his son's life.
The Night Of Homecoming
Jughead was taking the long way home. He looked up at the sky and tears fell from his eyes. His father was in prison for murdering Jason Blossom. He couldn't believe his father was capable of such horrific things. He heard heavy footsteps behind him. He sensed a cold feeling rush through his blood. He moved his feet quicker and then his vision blurred. He knew something hit him. He felt strong hands crushing him. He felt like he was going to die. He fought as hard and as long as he possibly could. His eyes begged for light. He couldn't open his eyes. He was afraid if he did. That would be the end. He wouldn't see Betty or his father again. He didn't care about his father hurting Jason. He just wished he was there to save him.
Everything started spinning, his lungs caved with loss of air and his legs felt as if they would just snap off. The dark consumed him and his last thought before he fell to the dark was... how am I going to get out of here?
10:34pm, Betty stared at the her phone hoping Jughead would answer her texts. She groaned in frustration as another text read as delivered. She sent that text an hour ago. Something wasn't right. Was he really that anger with her? He did say he was going to pass up a move to Toledo to be with her. She really did fuck up. She arrived at Pop's shoppe hoping she would find him there. He was always known by Pop Tate as Night Hawk. But when she got there. Pop Tate shrugged his shoulders and lowered his eyes. He hadn't shown up. That confused Pop Tate and Betty. He always chows down a burger.
Three blocks away, Archie looks all over streets for his former best friend. He feels like the worst friend. He hurt him so badly just to prove that Fp was involved somehow. He didn't think he was actually killer. The gun wasn't there when He and Veronica broke in. Someone had planted it there after they left. Knowing that Archie and Veronica has snuck in. But the answer was who. Who had enough motive to pin the murder on another person?
Three hours later, The gang got an interesting call. Archie, Betty, Veronica, Kevin and Cheryl all met up in Archie's garage. Betty wanted Cheryl to be there. She didn't trust the Blossoms and her and Cheryl had gotten closer since Polly was having the Blossom twins.
Betty who was sitting on the other side of the couch spoke up after everyone arrived. "So did anyone else get this weird text?" Betty asked with suspicion in her voice as she pulled out her phone.
Everyone looked at the text in disbelief. Archie took Betty's phone and examined the words throughly. "If you want the truth meet by the docks- J." This didn't make sense. Archie looked over at Betty. Her eyes were red and puffy. And then Cheryl gasped. She already knew.
"Oh my god! We have to go now!" Cheryl's voice startled the group as she went for the door. Everyone exchanged worried looks before following Cheryl's direction.
A short drive to the docks in Cheryl's car made everyone's stomachs twist and churn. Betty spent the whole drive digging her nails into her palms anxiously as they arrived at the docks. Archie was the first to exit the car and follow the lit up path. Cheryl looked at the lights and had a gnawing feeling in her stomach. Veronica and Kevin slowly followed Archie. Archie looked forward and noticed a small crumped up paper on the stone. He picked it up and unfolded the paper and his stomach sunk into a bottomless pit. Cheryl and Betty held hands tightly as Archie's voice shook as he read the note.
"Hello who ever found my pathetic life. He was too close to the truth. I'm sorry he knew too much." Archie read the final words before he choked on his tears. But what did he know?
Lying next to the note was a cold lovable beanie wearing boy. His face was a ghastly white color. Jughead Jones was gone. Betty dropped to her knees as she looked at her lovers face. Jughead Jones was dead. Her Juggie was gone. She fisted her nails into her palms and pressed deeper and deeper until her hand was reddened by the crimson colored blood dripping down her wrists. Even in the dark Cheryl could see the true struggle he had went through. Veronica gasped as tears flooded her eyes. Archie stumbled back and continued to break down.
"Jug..." Betty squeaked out as she reached for his hand. It was ice cold. It was the middle of fucking winter of course it was going to be ice cold. "Juggie!" She cried in Cheryl's arms. Cheryl was surprised by action but didn't push her away. She knew that Betty needed her. Archie dialed Sheriff Keller and Kevin coached Betty through the pain.
In Tom Keller's office where he was questioning Fp Jones for the murder of Jason Blossom. Fp was explaining that he had nothing to do with the murder. He didn't. He knew the truth. Clifford Blossom murdered his own son. It made him sick to his stomach that Blossom was trying to pin his murder on him. "So you are saying you had nothing to do with this?" Keller questioned as he wrote down the evidence. Fp sighed before opening his mouth. "Yes, I'm saying that, I was framed." Keller couldn't tell if he was telling the truth.
Before he could ask another question his phone rang. Fp watched as Tom pulled out his cell phone and remanded stern. "This is Sheriff Keller speaking." He watched closely as his jaw remained locked and tight.
Archie held his phone to his ear as he waited for Mr Keller to answer his phone. "This is Sheriff Keller speaking." He heard Mr Keller voiced into the phone. He felt his throat closing as he opened his mouth. The words were stuck but he had to get them out. "Sheriff Keller. Me and Betty both out strange messages to come to the docks and when we got here..." He pauses as he looked over his former friend and swallows the lump.
Tom slowly takes in the words from Archie Andrews and take note on the tone. "Archie, what's going on? " Fp's eyes widened a bit. What's troubling red? "It's bad. We found Jughead. He was ice cold and had a bullet wound in his head." He hears Archie's voice fade in. His heart stops and his eyes burn.
"I'm on my way, Archie. Stay put." Tom orders gently as he ends the call and eyes his heart broken suspect. He couldn't imagine what was going through his head. Fp watches as Tom gets up from the interrogation chair and looks at him. "Fp, I have to go. You need to stay here." Fp's eyes snapped dark.
"I'm not going to stay here! My son is hurt! I need to be with him! Please Tom... I need to be there with him." He pleaded as his eyes grew dark. Tom fights the look on his face. He knows that Fp is a father and a father would do anything for their children.
"Fp. You know I can't. I know you are very upset. But you need to stay here. You're still being questioned for a murder." Fp's eyes light with fire. He can't believe how Tom was treating him.
"My son could be dead and all you care about is another boy's death! I'm sorry if that makes me sound like a killer! But I didn't kill him. Clifford Blossom did!" Tom's eyes widened and he sits back down.
"Clifford murdered his own son?" Fp nods his head as tears burn in his eyes. "And you know for sure?"
"Yes it was in the Wrym basement. There's video footage and..." Fp stopped and his voice cracked. "Can we just go and see my son?" Fp's voice cracked more and Tom nodded as he uncuffed him.
He stuffed Fp in the front seat of his squad and they sped off. Fp looked at his wrists and could still see the marking from the handcuffs. The feeling only became worse when he watched the trees pass by. It felt strange to be in the passenger seat compared to the back with the bars.
His heart pounded against his chest as he raced over to the docks. His eyes were met by Betty's. He could see the rawness in her eyes as he approached. He didn't brother asking. He just turned his attention to the young raven boy lying in the stone cold ground. His stomach plummeted as he lowers his knees and gasps. "Jug? Oh Jug no, no!" He cried as he buried his head into his son's unresponsive chest. He couldn't stop the tears. He didn't want this. He wanted his son. Not a corpse.
Only one enemy came to mind. Clifford Blossom. The same markings on his body like Jason's. Betty handed him the paper and he crushed the paper. He knew too much. He couldn't believe he let his son get dragged into this. Just what he didn't want.
The day he saw his son the last time. Right before he dropped off his son and Betty at the dance and then he was accused for murder. His last reminder was him wanting to get to Toledo with his son. And now that was all gone. It was forever gone.
Hours later he watched as Clifford was hauled out of his house with handcuffs with a stern face. He knew that he was free. But what was the point. His son was dead and it was the hands of Clifford. He let his son get hurt. He felt so guilty. It was his fault for not protecting his son. Making sure he would keep his head out of the Blossoms. Though he did feel satisfied that Clifford Blossom wasn't only going to spend the rest of his life in a brick cell. And also he would lose everything.
The funeral was unbearable for everyone. Betty fought her mother on everything. Alice honestly felt awful. She felt Fp all those years ago and now he's lost his son too. Fp stared down at his feet as he heard everyone say goodbye. He drank every liquor substance he could get his hands on. He was barely sober. But he had shown. As he looked at the casket his fingers trembled and his eyes weakened. He wasn't ready to let his only son go. Archie wasn't ready to lose his best friend. After learning that Clifford was the one who killed Jason Blossom caused him to feel terrible. He shouldn't have accused Fp. It wasn't his fault. Cheryl was still morning her loss. Jason. JJ was very important to her. She could also see the older man standing in front shaking as his head bobbed. Fp Jones was at a loss. She knew how he was feeling. They both lost a family member by the hands of Clifford Blossom.
Cheryl stood by the coffin and her eyes blurred. "I didn't really know Jughead very well. I wasn't exactly nice to him. To be honest he was bullied most of his life. He was accused of killing my brother and now he's with him." Her voice trembled as she placed a white flower on the casket.
Betty watched her newfound cousin closely before taking a few steps forward. She had been dreading this goodbye since the devastating night they found him. She'd never been so angry and upset in her life. Her mom recently told she had a baby when she was her age. And that her father made her mom give the baby up for adoption. As she stood up there she just kept thinking. What if he never died. She wouldn't be crying her eyes out until she had no tears left. She eyed Fp in the crowd and his expression was enough to break her barrier.
"Jughead Jones. Where do I begin? He was my rock. We both loved to investigate. Maybe too much. That's what killed him." She broke down into sobs as her mother helped her back over to her chair. She was stumbling like she was drunk.
Archie told stories on how gifted he was. Veronica didn't have much of a story. She didn't really know him. She just moved to Riverdale. She was nowhere close to the others. Kevin said some kind words before he proceeded to calm Betty.
His death took toll on the Riverdale he once knew. Fp was so drunk one Thursday morning that he knocked into an old bookcase. He hit it hard enough to make something fall. He stumbled over and bent down. On his knees he glanced at a packet. He looked at the packet and picked it up before a terse breath escaped his lips. In his other hand he took a power slip from the amber liquid as he read.
"Dad, I know you probably drunk as you're reading this. It's not your fault. Maybe I couldn't take it anymore." Fp squinted his sore eyes. His son wanted to end his life. He kept reading and his stomach knotted. "Or I just got too close to the Jason Blossom case. I knew how dangerous it was. But I didn't take precautions. I love you very much, Dad. And don't forget that.- Love your son, Jughead." He set the paper on his son's abandoned bed and wiped his eyes.
As he looked at the walls with the murder board and the suspects. He couldn't help but feel unsatisfied. It was his son's book. He didn't finish the novel. He only wished he knew how to write like his son. If he did? Maybe he wouldn't be so low class and have poor education. He honestly didn't know where Jughead had gotten his knowledge from. Maybe his mother. His mother never bothered to come to the funeral. And for that he would never forgive her for. He was her son and she didn't even care to even show up.
He sat on his son's bed and sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. "I love you too, Jug. I wished I said it enough. I'll always love you. You were always my favorite. Shh don't tell Jellybean." He chuckled as he closed his eyes and imagined his son's shit face grin. His son will forever be in his heart. Clifford wouldn't be able to take that away.