Author's Note: This is my first Falice fanfiction. It's my own spin-off of FP's retirement party. I was quite disappointed with the episode and I thought to do something about it. Bughead and Varchie are still together in this short story. They don't appear a lot though. Enjoy, guys! I hope you'll like it.

I own nothing besides my wild imagination. Also the song inside is called "Animal" and the performance is based on Chase Holfelder's cover not on Neon Trees' original song.

Black high heel boots, followed by a black tight leather skirt and a black tight top that left little to the imagination, untamed hair hung over a black leather jacket; Heavy eyeliner on a pair of blue eyes and red lipstick on soft luscious lips. The Northside Queen of Acid had turned into the Serpent Queen of Badass in a matter of minutes.

Alice Cooper stared at herself in the mirror quite surprised at the outcome. She had not expected the feelings or the memories that came crashing on her the moment she stepped into her old persona. Her palms brushed against the leather jacket and something "clicked" inside her. She had missed this; the troublemaker, the badass, the bad girl attitude, the adrenaline rushing through her veins.

With a small smirk directed at herself, the blond left her bedroom and went downstairs to meet her daughter. They were about to head to the Whyte Wyrm for FP's retirement party. Alice was only going to keep an eye on Betty. Or at least that's what she said to her daughter. She tried to convince herself as well but that flew out the window the moment she looked herself in the mirror.

"Mom? What are you wearing? Wow!" if they were cartoons characters, Betty's jaw would have hit the floor by now. It came close enough though. She had never seen her mother dressed like that before. The surprise was to be expected.

"The problem is what /you/ are wearing, Betty. You should embrace the situation. Have some fun." Alice pointed out with a grin on her face. Betty hadn't seen her mother so happy in years.

"I told you, mother. I am not going there to have fun unlike you, obviously. I am going there to support Jughead and his dad." She shrugged with a smile. "You look hot, by the way." Betty smirked smugly.

"Supporting your boyfriend doesn't mean you can't have fun. Now move your bony ass, Elizabeth Cooper. We're running late." Alice chuckled grabbing her keys and walking out of the door.

"Who are you and what have you done to my mother?" said Betty in shock as she trailed behind Alice.

The older blonde just laughed it off making her way to the driver's seat. The road to Southside was exactly how she remembered it even though she hadn't stepped foot in that place in over 20 years. She remembered riding on the motorbike, his motorbike, with her arms wrapped around his waist; long blonde hair being blown by the wind while she buried her head in the back of his neck every time. The cigarette and the leather smell was faint after all the years but the memory was still there nonetheless. A soft sigh escaped her lips but thankfully Betty was off to her own world to notice.

The few gang members that stood outside of the Whyte Wyrm glanced at the expensive car curiously. They only saw cars like that around their territory when someone was in trouble. They gathered around each other and walked closer to the car feeling threatened. The moment Alice Cooper got out they all did a double-take. Alice couldn't help but smirk as she made her way to the bar, Betty trailing behind her. "Boys." she nodded at them walking past them in all her Serpent confidence. She vaguely remembered half of the faces; the rest seemed to be newest additions. They probably joined the Serpents after her departure. The shell-shocked faces of the old members of the gang amused her greatly. The blonde opened the door; the smell that hit her was exactly how she remembered it. Once again the memories came flooding back; Usually stretched over a couch, with her head on his lap, a beer always in one of his hands, while the other was brushing through her untamed hair softly. There were other memories invading her mind no matter how hard she tried to stop them; shitface drunk singing and laughing with the rest of the gang members or making out on that same couch with him.

Along with the memories though, other feelings also came flooding back. Alice could feel the familiarity of everything, the respect from one Serpent to another and the sense of returning home. The last one surprised her too much for her own good.

Serpents stopped their conversation to stare at the new arrivals. The emotions on their faces varied but they were mainly three. The first one was surprise and it appeared on the members that had heard a lot about Alice but had never actually met her. The Serpents that knew her and actually liked her was excited and shocked to see her. The last and very few were the looks of betrayal and anger. Alice didn't dwell on them.

But there was one more; the most important one and the only one Alice didn't notice upon arriving in the Wyrm. That look held all the emotions possible for a person to have at the same time. There was shock, surprise, pride, happiness and last but not least love.

The blondes spotted Jughead and made their way to him.

"Wow Mrs. C. you look incredible." Jug said grinning but his eyes soon left Alice and he stared at his girlfriend. Betty could feel her cheeks heat-up immediately.

"Tell me about it. Unfortunately I couldn't convince this one to dress appropriately." Alice pointed at her daughter with a playful smirk on her face. Before the teens had the chance to say anything Alice abandoned them and went straight to the bar.

The bartender made her drink before she even had the chance to speak.

"Tequila, straight-up, hold the worm."

"Tequila, straight-up, hold the worm." They said at the same time exchanging grins.

"I am glad to see you, Sonoran Coral. It's been too long. I thought you forgot about us." He raised an eyebrow watching her downing her shot.

"How could I forget about you, Black Mamba? You were my partner in crime." She winked and tapped her hand on the bar. The bartender, known as Black Mamba apparently, took the hint and served her two more shots.

"I thought I was your partner in crime." A familiar voice said from behind her. Alice expected that. She grabbed the two shots and turned around. In a swift she downed the two shots and smiled slyly at FP. "Different crimes call for different partners, Forsythe." She said watching him grimacing at the sound of his name.

"Oh, right. I forgot all about the Snake Duet." FP crossed his arms, a playful smirk curling up on his lips.

"As if you could ever forget that or her in that matter." Black Mamba grinned. The glare FP threw his way erased the grin from his face in an instant. "What do you say, Sonoran? Should we give FP a repeat performance?" Alice turned shocked to look at the man behind the counter.

"You joking, right?" she raised a challenging eyebrow trying to mask her embarrassment. She hadn't performed in years. There was no way she was singing in front of her daughter. Betty knew enough about her past already, she didn't want to scar the poor girl for life.

"When did I ever joke about that, love?" he said pushing two shots towards the couple. "Your daughter rented a karaoke machine. Think about it." He placed the bottle near them and walked away with a wink.

"He's still as crazy as I remember." Alice pointed out drinking her shot. FP chuckled and followed suit. She turned her back to him trying to create a barrier between them, feeling a little uncomfortable being so close to him. Deep feelings seemed to resurface every time that happened.

FP reached out and poured them two more shots. As he was leaning against her he whispered in her ear. "I think you should do it. You were always breathtaking when you got up on that stage." Alice tensed and didn't dare to move. "But then again you always managed to steal my breath away no matter the situation. Hell! You still do." He smirked when he noticed the effect his words had on the blonde. If someone could leave Alice Cooper speechless that was FP Jones.

Alice dug her fingernails in her palms for a few seconds forcing her cool demeanor back to the surface. She turned and pushed him away with a chilling glare, a fake glare but still deadly. "Unfortunately for you, you don't have a say in this." She shrugged sipping at her shot slowly. She had lost the count of the shots she had already consumed and that wasn't appropriate; not with her daughter a few feet away.

"So I see you left Hal-" He had the nerve to grin and that made Alice furious. "At home."

Alice slapped at his nose. If anything it was more playful than hurtful. "Don't mind me. I'm just returning your nose. It was in my business. AGAIN." She smirked smugly.

"Touché." He chuckled which irritated her even more. That man knew how to push all the wrong buttons driving her crazy and crossing her limits every single time. It was annoying and agitating at the same time. "So Hal?" he pressed again and Alice rolled her eyes.

"Poker night at a friend's." she blurted out to get him off her back.

"So he doesn't know that you are here." He concluded, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

"You could at least pretend not to enjoy it so much." She scoffed.

"Why should I lie? That's what you are good at." He shrugged and Alice saw red. Instead of lashing out at him though, she reacted on impulse. Downing the rest of her Tequila shot she turned to Mamba and yelled at him to get the Karaoke Machine ready. She walked towards the stage following a grinning Mamba.

FP patted his back mentally in a job well done and went to stand behind Jughead and Betty, the latter leaning against his son.

"Your attention, please!" The bartender called out as he got in the stage. "The Snake Duet is back for a long overdue performance. Give a warm welcome to our one and only Soronan Coral." The crowd, Serpents mostly, went ballistic as Alice walked on stage.

"Holy shit! That's my mom! What is happening and what the hell is a Soronan Coral?" she asked Jughead but FP was the one who answered.

"That is your mother's nickname and it's your mother is about to make the crowd fall in love with her." He offered the information with a smirk and took a step to the side crossing his arms in front of his chest. Betty turned to look at him even more confused than before. FP didn't acknowledge her. His eyes were glued on Alice. While he watched Alice he couldn't help but notice the feeling of ease reflecting on her face. She felt at home and that was obvious to anyone who could read her like an open book. FP was the only one with that ability.

Alice kept her head down while Jack aka the Black Mamba started singing.

Here we go again
I kinda wanna be more than friends
So take it easy on me
I'm afraid you're never satisfied

Alice followed his lead and prayed to God that she wouldn't stumble between the lyrics of the song. The moment the first lyrics flew from her mouth her confidence came back in full force. Her eyes searched FP in the crowd. She spotted him immediately and locked eyes with him.

Here we go again
We're sick like animals
We play pretend
You're just a cannibal
And I'm afraid I won't get out alive
No, I won't sleep tonight

Mamba joined her for the chorus but Alice's eyes never faltered. FP wasn't expecting Alice to sing directly at him but that didn't stop him from staring back into her eyes.
Oh, oh
I want some more
Oh, oh
What are you waiting for
Take a bite of my heart tonight
Oh, oh
I want some more
Oh, oh
What are you waiting for
What are you waiting for
Say goodbye to my heart tonight

When Alice stopped to take a breath, she glanced at her daughter fearfully. The girl was looking at her in awe. Feeling a weight being lifted off her shoulders, the older blonde winked at her and Betty returned it with a grin. Never in a million years would have Betty guessed that her mother was so cool and had such a silvery and smoky voice.

Alice gripped the microphone tighter and closed her eyes replacing Jack once again.

I do it every time
You're killin' me now
And I won't be denied by you
The animal inside of you

Jack rejoined her for the chorus one last time before Alice moved to the final part alone. She opened her eyes slowly immediately landing them on FP. She could feel her eyes filling up with tears but she managed to choke it down at the last minute.

Hush, hush the world is quiet
Hush, hush we both can't fight it
It's us that made this mess
Why can't you understand?
Whoa, I won't sleep tonight…

She could reflect so much on this song it became almost unbearable for her but Alice never backed down from a challenge. She was overcome by her emotions and didn't know what to do. She couldn't even describe what she was feeling at the moment. When she heard the crowd clapping and yelling she snapped out of it and flashed them a breathless smile just before she disappeared from the stage.

Before anyone could approach her she ran to the upper floor where she knew she would find their old secluded corner, her safe place. Thankfully no one appeared to be around. She collapsed on top of the couch and closed her eyes. While she was lying down on her back, she felt as if she was 20 years younger, still a member of the gang and still in love with FP. The latter wasn't too far off if she was being honest with herself. Drowning in her emotions she failed to notice FP making his way towards her.

He lifted her head upwards and slid under it on the couch. Her eyes flew open but she didn't move, she just scoffed. He let her head rest on his lap and brushed her blonde curls away from her face. "Are you okay, Allie?" he asked her softly.

"Overwhelmed." She muttered. "This is your fault, you know. I shouldn't have come."

"Can you honestly say that you regretted coming here tonight?" he asked brushing his fingers through her hair.

She sat up in that moment leaning on her palms and staring into his eyes. "That's the problem, Forsythe. I don't regret it."

"Why is that a problem, then?"

"Are you kidding me? The moment I stepped foot in here I realized how much I missed this place. How much I missed being a part of this gang. They were a family to me."

"Allie, you shouldn't feel bad about this. It was a part of your life, part of yourself."

"You can't understand." She shook her head and turned away from him.

"I can't understand or Hal?" he raised an eyebrow.

"He will be furious, he won't understand a-and Betty-"

"Hey, let me ask you something. Forget about Hal and Betty and Polly for just a second." He placed a hand on her cheek and turned her face towards him. "Did you enjoy yourself up there? Did you felt happier than what you have felt in a while even for just a tiny bit?" he asked smiling. Looking in her eyes, FP already knew the answer. Alice searched his eyes for something. Maybe she was wondering if she trusted him enough to tell him. Hell, even she couldn't decide what she was feeling at the moment.

"Y-yes. I did." She nodded feeling a tear slipping over her cheek. FP brushed the tear away with his thumb, a tiny smile painted on his lips.

"For once, you did something for you; not because it will make someone else happy or because you want to protect someone. You did something that made you happy. You shouldn't have any regrets about it. If we don't do whatever makes us happy, then why are we even alive?" he rarely gave advice to others. Who was he to give advice to other people anyway? He had ruined his son's life or at least he blamed himself for it. But this time he was right. Alice spent her life fulfilling the needs of her family because that was her attempt of creating a perfect family and so far her actions were led by that. She thought that it was going to make her happy. But the result left her empty. Her family was far from perfect and she doubted that they were happy with each other.

Staring in his eyes, Alice felt the urge to do what he asked her to do; something to make her happy but with no regrets, no worries over the consequences. She closed the gap and kissed him hard. All their repressed feelings came crushing down on both of them the moment their lips met. FP didn't waste time. He pulled her against him, one hand on her cheek, the other on her waist. Alice hooked her fingers on his T-shirt and kissed him as if her life depended on it.

Alice felt like floating on thin air. She felt dazed and thrilled. She hadn't felt like that in so many years. "Can we go somewhere alone? Just the two of us?" she asked in a shaky voice. He nodded and stood up pulling her along. "I'll meet you outside." She nodded and hurried to find her daughter.

She found Betty with the usual gang, talking and laughing over a couple of beers. "Darling, I am leaving. Apparently you aren't ready to go home yet. Can I trust you here alone?" she asked ready to find an excuse about her sudden departure.

Betty looked at her curiously. "Yeah, mom. Jug can bring me home later. Is everything okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah yeah. Everything's fine. I'll see you at home." She pressed a kiss on her temple and took off. The young blonde stood there staring at her mother's retreating back. She didn't even have the chance to interrogate her about the Snake Duet. She shrugged and returned back to her friends. She was going to grill her for information the following day.

Meanwhile FP was leaning against his motorbike while he waited for Alice. The moment he saw her walking out he couldn't stop the smile that formed on his lips. He climbed on his motorbike and Alice climbed behind him wrapping her arms around his waist tightly. She breathed deeply with her nose buried in his neck. The scent of cigarette and leather was exactly the same. She closed her eyes and relaxed as he drove under the moonlight letting her experience everything that she had been missing all those years.

Later that night, they ended up curled into each other in FP's bed. A thin layer of sweat covered their naked bodies but neither of them dared to move. A content smile was curved in both of their faces.

"Allie?" FP whispered softly.

"Mmh?" she hummed making sure that FP knew she was listening. She was half asleep by now.

"I never stopped loving you." He confessed feeling a weight being lifted but his heart clenching tightly.

"Neither did I." she smiled sleepily. FP breathed out a sigh of relief, tightened the sheet around their bodies and fell asleep peaceful and hopeful.

Meanwhile back in the Whyte Wyrm, the four friends were just exiting the bar. Betty's eyes landed on her mother's car. "Why is my mom's car still here?" she asked Veronica worriedly.

"Don't stress about it B. Maybe she had a few too many shots and called a cab." Veronica tried to calm her best friend. Jug and Archie agreed with the brunette and dragged Betty away.

"If she's not home, I am calling Sheriff Keller." Betty pointed out thinking the worst.

"It would be wiser to call your mother if she is not back at your place." Jughead tried to reason with her. He actually made her promise to call her mother first before she did anything irrational.

Alice was roused from her sleep by her phone, which was vibrating against the nightstand loudly. She reached out and gasped when she saw her daughter's name on the screen.

"Betty, are you okay? What happened?" she whispered into the phone.

"Mom! Thank God! Where the hell are you? I saw your car outside the Whyte Wyrm and you aren't at home. I panicked." Betty sounded frantic on the phone and Alice couldn't really blame her.

"I-ah- I stayed at a friend's. I had a terrible headache and I couldn't d-drive. I'll be home tomorrow morning. I am sorry, I worried you." She smiled sheepishly, not that her daughter could see her. She was glad about that.

"That's it? Fine but tomorrow you are not getting away with it." Betty huffed and ended the call.

Alice stood there shocked. For a moment there it seemed that the roles had been turned and she was the teenager reprimanded by her mother. She shook her head and curled up against FP who stirred and opened his eyes. "What happened?" he asked in a groggy voice.

"Betty happened." She chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep." She kissed his cheek. FP wrapped his hands around her and fell asleep almost immediately.

Alice wouldn't help but wonder what she was going to say to Hal and Betty the next morning. She spent a few minutes pondering over it. In the end she decided that she would cross that bridge the following morning.

The Sonoran coral snake is a species of venomous elapid. The color pattern consists of broad, alternating rings of red and black, separated by narrower rings of white or yellow. I thought it fit Alice's blonde hair, black leather jacket, red lips and her venomous tongue.

Feedback: Hate it? Love it? Leave a review and let me know. I hope you enjoyed that. Even one word review will suffice.

Thanks for reading, lovely readers.