His dad brings home take-out that night.

He hadn't seen him in a while, maybe since yesterday morning or the night before that. Jughead can't complain about not seeing him though; he's hardly home himself. When he's not at Pop's, typing his hands away until he feels the dull, but familiar ache, and stuffing his face with burgers and milkshakes that are racking up on his tab, he's usually with Toni, showing her pieces of his work and enjoying the easy going banter that naturally flows between them. Jughead spending more time with the female Serpent wasn't something he planned, but seeing as he could no longer spend time with a girl he desperately craved for, being around her proved to be just as fulfilling in a different way. Over the weeks, he's grown attached to her, surprised to find out how similar they really are.

She once joked that they were probably twins separated at birth. He laughed in agreement.

But in this dingy kitchen, sitting together with cold Chinese in styrofoam plates in front of them, it was his dad's favorite place to talk. When Jughead was younger, he found out it was because the fridge was only steps away, and the fridge used house several bottles of alcohol. It was a reassuring thing for FP; if things ever got too intense, he could easily turn around and grab a beer from the fridge to drink away any woes.

Since his release, Jughead took it upon himself to replace the alcohol in the fridge with several bottles of lemonade. A somber FP drinks them without complaint.

Jughead was in the middle of telling FP about an amusing conversation he had with Toni the day before, when the pensive look on his dad's face made Jughead lower his fork mid-bite, cocking his head to the side to address his obviously troubled dad.

"How old are you now?" The question was sudden, but seemingly innocent in nature, so Jughead wasn't confused by the abrupt change their conversation took.

"16, 17 in a few more months."

FP smiled. "I was what, maybe a few years older than you, not by much though, maybe a year or two, when I fell in love with a woman who I never thought I'd ever feel for in such a way."

Jughead rolled his eyes. It was funny. When things had been okay and Jughead slipped and mentioned Betty in front of his dad, FP always found a way to slip in the story of how he met Jughead's mom. It was… cute, he'll admit, but he's heard it so many times before, he could retell the story to a T.

Hell, when he was younger and Jellybean had finally learned how to string together complex sentences, she had been obsessed with the story of how her mom and dad fell in love. Jughead remembered how Jellybean would crawl into his dad's lap and smile a toothless smile and beg him to tell her again how they came to be.

"Yes dad, I've heard several time how you fell in love with mom, I was there every time you told Jellybean, I-"

"Ah, but that's the thing. It wasn't your mom."

Such a simple message, such a simple sentence, but it held so much meaning it disrupted Jughead's entire thought process. He looked at his dad as if he didn't know who was speaking at this point. "What?"

FP took a swing of the lemonade Jughead had set aside for him. "It wasn't your mom that I fell in love with when I was your age, Jughead," FP caught sight of his son's furrowed brows and sighed, "but don't think I that didn't love you mom at all. I did and still do."

Jughead hesitated, almost scared to continue the conversation. For a second, he thought about not acknowledging the change in conversation at all. He could ignore it, but… he was curious. "Well... who was it?"

"I met her when I was very young, a child. I hated her because she would look at me as if I was trash, literal trash. Nose stuck in the air, she was a walking headache, Jug, just horrible..." the chuckle he gave out signaled to Jughead that he meant it in good humor and gave a small smile in response. "Her parents weren't around much, at least from what I knew. Maybe they were present, just absent in her life, who knows. Alice was such a reserved person, it was hard to get anything out of her."

The name that slipped out had Jughead freeze and cock his head to the side. "Alice? As in, Alice Cooper? Betty's mom? You were in love with Alice Cooper?" The notion was incredulous. Of course Jughead had known that Alice Cooper had ties with the Serpents ever since Betty published the article the Black Hood gave her, and maybe had an inkling that a possible '-ship' had happened between Mrs. Cooper and his dad way-back-when, but to have loved her?

FP nodded, shrugging away his son's shocked face. "Her becoming a Serpent wasn't a surprise for me; we were pretty... close around the time my old man kicked me out, I knew it was only a matter of time before she got her own tattoo and did her own Dance." The way he described their relationship had Jughead raise a brow, but FP brushed it off. "She was always by my side, closer to me than Tall Boy is now. I relied on her, Jug, depended on her so much… I-I took her for granted."

FP pushed around the forgotten chicken on his plate, looking for something to occupy his hands and eyes. "We got into this stupid argument sometime around our junior year of high school, something about 'commitment' and going 'public' with that thing we had."

"Things were easier between us ever since she completed her initiation, but… it changed. She wanted to be with me and at my side all the time, not like a clingy girlfriend or anything, but… just someone I could rely on." He shook his head, obviously uncomfortable with digging up old memories

"We had a terrible argument that day and we were in such a bad place. She got herself arrested a few days later," FP motioned to the scrapbook Jughead had on the couch. He was referring to the article Betty had published from the Black Hood. "It was for something stupid- petty theft- but it was kind of a wake-up call for me. I knew that I cared enough for her to want better for her than being involved in constant crimes and being my forever-alibi when I got into trouble, but I really didn't know how much that care went. I didn't even bother trying to figure it out," he shook his head and bit his lip, looking out towards the window. FP was thoughtful for a second before he turned back to look at him. "I broke things off with her and forced her to keep her affiliation with the Serpents discreet, to gradually ease away her association."

"It was hard, god dammit, it was. I had grown so used to this woman being such an important part of my life, it was almost as if I couldn't function the way I once had, you know? But I did it for her. I cut off all contact with Alice that summer. Didn't see her for almost two months. Now, two months may not seem like a long time Jug, but two months is enough to create a whole other persona, and that's exactly what Alice did."

His dad was quiet for a second, but he crossed his arms and pursed his lips, almost debating to continue, but pressed on nonetheless. "It was senior year and Tall Boy had casually mentioned that she had stopped coming to gang meetings and stopped visiting the boys at the Wyrm. Of course, I was so busy with the shit I had intentionally got myself into to forget about Alice, I hadn't noticed either."

"It was Fred that told me she had gotten into a relationship with this tall, pudgy, fat-faced nobody from one of her classes. Turns out that fat-faced nobody was Hal Cooper. If you think the man doesn't look like much now, you weren't missing anything at all in high school." FP took the moment to take another drink of his lemonade. Shrugging his shoulders, he continued. "I think that's why I underestimated their relationship so much. Cooper-boy was everything Alice, and I for that matter, wasn't, you know? He lived in a nice white house in the Northside with pretty blue shutters, always wore stupid sweater vests and bowties, it was disgusting, Jughead."

He felt he had stayed quiet for far too long. "I.. I bet." It was all he could offer.

But his dad continued as if he hadn't said anything in the first place. "The year dragged on and so did their relationship. I saw her a few weeks before prom, waiting outside Pop's with her harpy of a mother. I… I don't know what came over me Jug, but I had the need to talk to her, you know, knock some sense into that girl. Tell her she was making a mistake… yadda, yadda, yadda-"

Jughead raised a brow. "Mistake? What mistake did she make?"

FP scoffed. "Cooper-boy wasn't right for her and we both knew it. I told her…" he sighed, "... I said some things I shouldn't have, and she smacked me, WHAM!, clean across the face!" He swung at the air in front of him, barking out a laugh that didn't quite reach his face. His laugh died out quickly, and he cleared his throat. "It was Tall Boy that told me they married a few months after graduation."

The small kitchen was filled with a thick silence. The only light in the kitchen flickered. "Do you..." Jughead was hesitant, not sure if the question he wanted to ask scared him more than the answer his father would give, "regret breaking up with her?"

Jughead didn't know why, but a small part of him, the small part that missed Jellybean and his mother wished his dad would instantly say 'no'. By saying 'no', it would mean that his dad wouldn't trade the life he gave to his children for a love he purposely lost years ago. It was a sort of comfort that he wanted-no, needed- to feel. Looking at his dad, FP cocked his head to the side a little and frowned, thoughtful for a split second.

But his anxiety was over a scenario he knew his dad was never take. Shaking his head, FP reached across the table to pat his shoulder, smiling sadly. "I don't regret leaving her, because if I hadn't left her, I would have never met your mom, and if I hadn't met your mom, Jug..." FP looked over at him, his eyes holding such sadness that had Jughead's own eyes water, "then I would have never had you or your sister."

Jughead let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, a single tear streaming down his face as he chuckled the moment away. FP gave him another soft smile before he brought his heavy hand to gently wipe away his sole tear.

"But…" FP start cautiously, already knowing that his son was in a delicate state. He wasn't done lecturing him for the night, no where close, and he wanted Jughead to be in the right frame of mind when he asked his questions.

"But I'm not going to lie, a part of me always plays with the 'what-if's'. What if I had done what she asked and recognized our relationship? Would we have still been together? If I had pulled my head out of my ass, I knew I would have wanted out of the Serpents. Hell, I might have even married her, you know?" The confession was enough to literally shock Jughead, have his hand and head shake a little, but FP's waving of his hand hold him he wasn't done.

"I always wanted to protect her, and I don't think that would have changed had we of still been together. Maybe protect her from the Serpents and a life that I knew would always put us in danger. I wouldn't have wanted that for her. She was so dependant on my opinion at the time, I don't think she would have argued the decision... but I don't know, Jughead."

Where had this come from? He remember being happy at the sight of food and had been content with retelling his dad the uneventful events that happened to him today, and while the question that brought them here seemed to be innocent, Jughead didn't know what brought them to this in the first place. "Why are you telling me this, dad?"

Suddenly, the soft expressions his father had been wearing seemingly evaporated. Pushing his chair back to stand up, FP made a beeline for the fridge. Though he didn't show it, Jughead spotted the slight tick that pulsed on his dad's jaw when he opened the fridge to the sight of nothing but more lemonade.

"I had an interesting conversation with Tall Boy today. One of your guys might of slipped and mentioned something to him. Something about a blonde drug runner taking up residence in Greendale?"

Jughead broke eye contact with FP, choosing instead to stare at the single noodle he left on his plate.

He heard his dad release a heavy breath before he sat back down in front of him. "I'm bringing this up, Jughead, because you're going through the same thing. I know you're proud of what you've done with the Serpents-I can tell you've come a long way with them-but it's going to get to a point where you'd want something else. Something that will keep you grounded."

He whipped his head up to refute his dad faster than he could breathe. "What I'm doing with the Serpents and Sweet Pea and Toni is keeping me grounded, dad. I always have to stay focused when-"

FP scowled. "That's not what I mean, boy. I don't mean a life of constant crimes, of drug running, drinking, and doing drugs, because that's the life the Serpents will give you. That's the life they've given me. I made an attempt to break away from them, that's why Fred and I started the construction company, because I wanted better for my family. Your mom gave me a reason to do better because she had given me two babies."

Even though he often heard the story of how they met, his dad rarely ever mentioned his mom. At her mention, Jughead once again brought his eyes down to his plate, refusing to acknowledge the wavering of his dad's voice.

"I didn't want them surrounded by what I grew up in, I was already to deep in. If I had made an escape like Alice did in high school, things would be different, but I couldn't leave. I made mistakes and chose the life of the Serpents because that's all I knew. I didn't try hard enough to try something else, to even attempt the life of a normal Northsider, and I paid the price for it. I lost your mom. I lost your sister, and goddamnit Jughead, I'm going to eventually lose you."

Jughead scowled. "You won't lose me, I'm right here! I've always been here! All I want to do is make you proud!"

"That's the thing, Jughead! Follow me around and make me proud, but by what? By doing the same things that I've done that made me disappointed in myself? That disappointed everyone who I ever cared about?"

"Well, what would you want me-"

"I want you to go to college! Damn Jug, we've had this conversation before!" Remembering their brief talk on the meadow field and what exactly he said to Jughead, FP growled. "Me telling you to 'keep writing' and nothing more has got to be one of the worst things I've ever told you. I should have never allowed you to stay Jug. I... damn it!" In his frustration, he slammed his hand down onto the already wobbly table, sending his forgotten lemonade toppling over.

FP pointed an angry finger at the boy. "I let down Fred by going behind his back, by doing things I thought was going to help me, our family, out. In the end, I cut him short and I let that man down. I was devastated and brought that devastation home with me. Your mom tried, damn that woman, she did. She dealt with my failures, as a husband and as a father, longer than any woman should ever have and she snapped. I let my wife down and I let my daughter down. The Serpents have always been there for me, when everybody was cutting me out of their lives. They took me in and I was finally able to become stable again, but my being stable didn't always mean I was doing good."

Making the motion again to speak, FP silenced Jughead with a shake of his head and pursed lips, hand brought up to his face to show Jughead he wasn't finished and wouldn't be interrupted.

"You have, or sorry, had something with your girl," it was an intentionally dig and Jughead knew it. He shot his eyes up to his father and glared at him, his nostrils flaring and eyes becoming red-rimmed, but FP didn't stop. He was gouging his son's reaction and had finally struck a fresh nerve he had made an effort to avoid striking before.

Not tonight though.

"You're so quick to cut her out of your life when the smallest inconveniences happen, but why? Because it's hard?" He gave out a dry laugh. "I have a newsflash for you Jughead, relationships are hard, especially when it's with someone you care so damn much for!"

Jughead opened his mouth to argue, eyes hard and red and heart feeling heavy in his chest, but FP beat him to it. "She is her mother's daughter; every time I see her, I see Alice and everything she's been through and everything she's done to make a better life for her and her daughters. You are my son, don't you get it? When I look into the mirror, all I see are mistakes that I've done, so when I look at you Jughead, and everything you're doing, my god, man, what do you think I see?" He cried.

The kitchen light took the moment for burn out for a second before snapping back on, albeit in a dimmer light. It added on to the effect the silence fell over them, nothing breaking through the insufferable silence, not even the heaving breaths both men were taking.

Jughead wouldn't admit it, but his father's words cut him deeper than he liked. Jughead liked to think what he was doing and where he was going with the Serpents was a good thing and would benefit him down the road. Benefit him how? He didn't really know, but he was sure there was something other than companionship and satisfaction from the thrill he constantly experienced now. To hear his decision, a decision he was proud of and made with good conscious, was something that made his dad disappointed in him hurt. A lot.

"Everything her mother was to me, her daughter is to you. She was, maybe still is, devoted to you, Jughead. She loves you and you're ignoring it! You're pushing her and a potential for a good life away, something I clearly can't give you, for the Serpents?" He was becoming angrier and angrier the more he continued. With his clothes and hair disarrayed, even Jughead knew better than to interrupt his father, so he bit his tongue, ignored the taste of blood, and fought back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Are you going to be satisfied in fifteen years, when you've passed thirty? Nothing but the same shit to come home to? What about forty-five, sixty? How full and how happy will you be if you continue down this track?"

Jughead licked his lips, washing out the taste of metal. "What about you?! Aren't you going through the same thing? Are you happy?!"

A beat. Another flicker.

"You want the truth? No. To be honest with you Jughead, I'm actually pretty fucking sad. I lost my chance to be happy when I decided to let Alice go. Most guys, they're not so lucky, but I got a second chance of happiness when I got married and had two kids, but guess what? I lost my second chance when your mom left. Now, I'm going to lose any chance of any sort of happiness if, in the next twenty years, the Southside Serpents are still around being led by Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III!"

For the umpteeth time that night, Jughead baulked. Jughead tried his best to be anything but oblivious, but it seemed being unaware came naturally to him. He never really put much thought into the future. He was almost afraid to. He loved his family, his dad more so because he was still here, and was grateful of everything he'd done was for him. It wasn't done in the best of way, but it was done with honest intentions. Maybe his dad was making sense. What was Jughead's goal with the Serpents? Of course he saw himself having a future with the Serpents, but… a long-time future?

Where was Jughead Jones going to be doing when he was FP's age? He wasn't sure.

Jughead sighed, slumping his shoulders in defeat and hung his head. He brought his hands to rub the sleep that was crawling up on him. "All of this... all this conversation, why? I'm only sixteen dad, I'm so young-..."

"Don't you get it Jug? You're too fucking young to know so damn much! You've experienced so much at such a young age, the only thing 'young' about you is your age. Your experiences make you as old as me, hell, maybe even older. Think about it, in only five years, you've experienced abandonment, abuse, homelessness, and committed and witness crimes that no child should ever have had to commit or witness. Lived a life no child should endure." FP leaned back in his seat, ignoring the groan the chair was giving, tired eyes meeting tired eyes. "A life I gave to you, Jug."

For a second, he took the time to really look at his dad and see how badly he aged. Sure, he had to remind himself that FP would be pushing fifty in couple years, but so was Betty's dad, and Hal looked to be in great shape. His hair was sprinkled with white hairs of stress, the scruff that managed to grow by the hour held more of the gray and black, advancing his age by at least five years. The cracks and crevices of age that weighed down his face had managed to get deeper. His dad hadn't looked like this when his mom was still around, didn't look like this when everything went to hell.

"But some of the other guys, they've managed to have some sort of life outside the Serpents, I know Fogarty looks after his girlfriend's kid sisters, takes them out and everything. They're Northsiders too." It was a weak excuse of a defense and they both knew it.

"And what do you think they're gonna pick when things get rough? Remember, Serpents don't chase, they wait. We're going to be here forever, but his girl and her sisters might not be. When things get rough and they have to choose a life of freedom or a relationship with a man constantly involved with crime, what are they going to pick?"

The room was quiet for a second, the light fluttered for two. Father watching son and son watching father. Just as Jughead had done, FP took the time to really look at his only boy. FP had to admit, for such a young man, Jughead was strong. Not only was the boy packing on the muscle the more he hung around Sweet Pea and Fogarty, but strong in his mental and emotional ability. For this, he'd have to give credit to Betty- Jughead wouldn't be at this level had it not been for that girl.

FP had honestly only seen that kind of reliance and dependence the two teens had on one another in one other couple; himself and the mother of his son's ex-girlfriend. He meant what he told Jughead: he doesn't regret leaving Alice, but he regrets continuing to live his life the way always had, a sad stalemate of a move.

"Take Tall Boy, Jug. That man has been with me since we were kids too, and while we're on the same place now, we've chosen different ways to get where we are now. That man ain't got kin that wants anything to do with him. He doesn't have a worthwhile woman waiting at his trailer, doesn't have any kids to call his own. He's married to the Serpents and will give his life to us. That what you want, Jughead? Because in choosing us, that's what you're getting."

It was at this particular moment the light, the one that always seemed to break when his dad was having a one-on-one with him, finally burned out. It covered both men in black, and they would be arguing in complete darkness had it not been for the faint light the billboard outside their window provided.

But Jughead was glad for the protection. He was glad his father couldn't see the look of distress the idea of choosing between something he had now become so used to and returning to something he abandoned in the first place on his face. "What do you want me to do then, dad? You want me to go back to Betty? She doesn't want anything to do with me, not after the way I treated her the night of your retirement party. Leave the Serpents? I... I can't leave them now, I'm already-"

"Too deep in? I know, Jughead, I know," once again reaching out towards him, FP grasped his shoulders and shook him. Not hard, but firm enough to jolt Jughead out of his somber expression, "and guess what? You're only going to get in deeper."

Their conversation came to an end in the form of a knock on the door, revealing Tall Boy and Wolff. 'There's been an issue,' Wolff said. 'I think you'd better come look at this, boss.'

Jacket in hand, FP was almost out the door, but not before giving Jughead a hard glare and heavy sigh. In the look alone, Jughead read several things, but he knew what he meant. Instead of voicing what he really meant to say, FP settled on a quick, "find a replacement bulb in the bathroom. I'll fix it when I get back."

Jughead knew his dad wouldn't, but he'd look for a new one nonetheless.

As he shuffled through the cluttered cupboard in the tiny bathroom, Jughead thought of everything his had had told him. He'll admit, some point his dad had made did make sense the more he thought about it, and his only argument was that he didn't know how to live a normal life when his life was anything but normal. Maybe at one point his life was okay, but in the end, his dad had been right.

Alone in that kitchen table, twirling a new bulb he managed to find, he recalled the night he and Archie went on his first run, how differently Archie had pictured their lives. He said something about New York, dismissing the idea of them in college, but rather working, him making ends meet as a musician and Jughead scraping by writing his books. Betty and Veronica wouldn't be far away, rooming together on Park Avenue, because Archie knew none of them could be far away from the other. At this point, they all depended on each other too much to cut off any sort of contact.

But that was Archie's vision of an ideal future. What was Jughead's?

He'd be honest, it was something different, darker.

He pictured his life to be void of any sort of happy emotion because Jughead wasn't used to happy emotions. Everyone else would have moved away from Riverdale to create lives this tiny little town couldn't handle. Unlike what Archie had pictured them doing, Jughead saw better for the redhead, even going off to college to play football somewhere on the East coast on a scholarship. For Jughead, the power duo would still be together, but he saw Veronica heading West. He couldn't picture any other place she'd live in other than California and live in an elaborate flat in Hollywood. For some reason, it suited her.

As for Betty, she'd come to forget all about him. She'd probably move with Veronica to California, seeing as those two girls were practically attached at the hip. With a drive as brilliant as her mind, she'd attend a prestigious school, something like UCLA or Pepperdine along the coast. He pictured her happy and in love with a man that looked just like her: a mixture of pink lips, yellow hair, and striking blue eyes. She hated the word, but the only word that came to mind when he thought of Betty was 'perfect'. It didn't change anything when he thought of her life. Her husband would be the perfect man; everything that Jughead wasn't, he would be. He'd have the perfect job and be the perfect person, he'd give her everything associated with the word: two perfect blond, blue-eyed babies, a perfect golden retriever, a perfect two story-house with perfect blue shutters and a white picket fence wrapped around the front lawn.

Her life would be perfect because it wouldn't be with him. What got to him, what made it feel like his soul was being crushed, was how easy it was for Jughead to picture her life without him in it. The first argument they had as a couple months ago suddenly popped up in his mind and he grimaced.

In the heat of the moment, he recalled how his frustration and annoyance at Betty for throwing him a birthday party had muddled his sober ability to process and weigh the effect his words would have, and it wasn't until he saw the blank expression on her face had he realized what he said.

"We're running on borrowed time."

He had meant it as a gibe then, something that would hurt her after the way she offended him, and while he knew she forgave him for all the stupid things he had foolishly said that night, he couldn't help but feel as if she felt that particular insult right to her core.

But for Jughead? He'd live alone, still in his dad's trailer, his childhood home, because he wouldn't have the heart to part with it. Unfortunately, it would mean a constant presence with other Serpents, taking up a usual spot at the Wyrm and drinking the rest of his life away while finding sober time to write his melancholy feelings into a manuscript he'd never publish. He might take up with Toni, not with the intention of marrying her or anything of the sort, but just to be around a pseudo sort of something, even if Toni herself wasn't that into him.

His pictured life didn't include a life partner, didn't include children, didn't include anything that usually gave people a sense of completion and meaning, and while he would argue every individual could live with or without different needs, there was something about his life taking this particular path that didn't feel right to him.

His dad had been right. He might not of been exposed to so many happy memories in his childhood, but did it dictate his potential future? Why should his shitty childhood automatically rob him of any chance of remote happiness? Jughead found that completion and happiness were two different things: one thing that brought one was good, but one thing that brought both was even better.

But what was completion? To Jughead, the feeling of other Serpents, of Sweet Pea, Fogarty, Toni, and several of the younger members looking up to him to lead them was a feeling of being complete. It gave him a sense of worth. Just simply knowing they trusted him enough to listen to his words, believe him, and follow him made him feel strong and competent and worthy, but it didn't make him happy.

Happiness? Happiness was he and Archie sharing a room. For once, he felt like he was a part of a good family, a long lost son of the Andrews'. Playing video games, doing homework together, simply being brothers together was happiness. Happiness was Pop's Shoppe and his dad, sharing milkshakes and talking of when times were happy and future times that would be happy.

Happiness was Betty. Just being around her made him happy, sitting in his truck holding hands, reading over her shoulder at what Ted Hughes poem caught her eye that day, her playing with the short hairs on the nape of his neck when he would doze off on his dad's couch was happiness. But even more importantly, the happiness she gave him completed him.

At the thought of Betty, Jughead felt flushed. He won't lie, at night, his dreams were usually a mix of lewd fantasies of Betty dressed in nothing but his heavy Serpent jacket and replayed memories of sweet and affectionate moments spent together. Despite one beginning with innocent and happy intentions, Jughead was only a man, so regardless of how his dreams began, they almost always finished with hushed groans, a silent gasp, and a soiled rag.

But on occasion, there were always dreams that woke Jughead in a cold sweat. The day he discovered his father was being let out of jail early, Jughead had finally felt like everything was on the way of being set right, on it's way of being stable. That night, instead of dreaming of a wanton Betty waiting for him in his bed, he dreamt of a different Betty, an older one, abdomen swollen with her left hand stroking the obvious lump, a small but significant ring sitting prettily on her fourth finger. A larger hand, more grizzeled and weathered, enveloped her own and moved to touch another area of her belly together.

The hand belonged to him.

After he wiped the sweat off his face and his racing heart slowed, Jughead cried himself to sleep for the first time in a long time.

He analyzed this particular dream and his interesting reaction to it a few days later, when his hand somehow found its way wrapped around a forgotten liquor bottle and he could no longer explain the warm feeling his body felt. Jughead becoming a teenage father… it wouldn't happen, definitely not now and certainly not any time soon. He and Betty never got to that point in their relationship- they almost had, but never got the chance. They weren't together anymore, and Jughead didn't have a line of lovely ladies waiting to be his next paramour.

But being a teenage father was one thing, insanely fucking difficult, but one thing nonetheless. The other comparison was being a teenage father while a part of a gang that was only growing more unruly and dangerous the longer he was part of it.

The notion was harrowing, and Jughead deduced that while his being a part of the Serpents while being made a father was indeed distressing, it was the potential of it becoming a reality that caused his tears.

Jughead wasn't born to FP while he was with the Serpents, but he was raised while he was. He would never admit it to anyone, nor ever say it aloud, but his father was right. The shitty life Jughead had now was the result of FP mixing in with the Serpents.

Could he pictured himself as a Serpent? Not what he is now, not what his dad was, but a full-fledged Serpent? Someone like Tall Boy?

Tall Boy didn't have kids, therefore, he could invest himself wholly, not having to worry about ruining the life of a young child. He didn't have a woman, so he didn't have to worry about hurting her feelings when he stepped out to have a 'fun night'' with the other Snakes. His dad had been right. For Tall Boy, this is all he ever knew and all he would ever really need. He didn't need a woman or a child to call his own, for logical reasons too. If he had a family, feelings of attachment would prove to be a drawback in the dangerous kind of work Tall Boy was used to doing. Being single, unattached, was ideal in their business. Was it fulfilling for Tall Boy? Maybe. The man certainly didn't look like he was hating his life or regretting anything he passed up on when he was surrounded by a cloud of marijuana smoke or a beautiful Mary Jane bunched up at his side to match.

But not every case was like Tall Boy. He was on one extreme end of the 'Serpent Loyalty' scale. While a majority of the other guys tended to hit around the mark too, there were the few stragglers on the opposite end. Porkchop, one of the older members his dad knew, was the exact opposite of Tall Boy. Porkchop, according to his father, was a major asset to the Serpents because of his intimidating size. The Serpent's tended to gain a lot of ground, win a lot of fights with Pork on their side, but apparently he couldn't bear the pain he'd put his wife through if he were to not come home one day. For years, his wife was all he needed, but when he was reaching his later years, the prospect of having a family appealed to him more and more each day. So, with a firm handshake, a black eye, broken ribs, and a split lip, Pork left to have a family, something he wouldn't allow himself to do while a part of the Serpents, and lived happily ever after.

For some reason, Jughead didn't know what it was, but Pork's story sounded a lot more appealing. It wasn't as liberating or as carefree as Tall Boy's, but it was definitely more domestic, safe and secure. A home that was safe and secure was one thing Jughead never had as a child, but if he ever found himself a father, as a single parent or part of a committed relationship, he would make sure the home he would give his baby would be everything he never had.

His mind wasn't quite set yet, so he needed the extra opinion. He picked up his cellular and dialed a number he was quickly growing fond of.

Picking up on the fourth ring, the weary voice that answer wasn't happy. "Shit Jones, what could you possibly want at two in the morning?"

"We need to talk, Toni."