Chp. 2 – Betty.

"Betty, are you okay?" My mother appeared around the side of my door and peered through the dim light of the lamp towards my huddled form on the bed. I wiped away the tears from my tired, raw eyes and nodded. I caught a glimpse of Archie's window opposite my own, pitched in darkness to match the rest of the house. I hadn't seen or heard from him all day.

"Fred didn't deserve that ending." Mom paced around to the window and folded her arms, staring out into the night. Even in the dim glow of the light, I noticed that she was not so nearly as clean cut as normal. I heard her and Dad arguing downstairs earlier.

I shook my head, defeated. "Who would do such a thing?" I couldn't believe it was all happening again. It was like the whole town fell through a wormhole last night while Jughead and I were in our own little heaven and we were back to six months ago to Jason's murder.

"Oh sweetheart," she sighed and sank down to side beside me on the bed. She brushed the hair away from my red face and shook her own slowly. "I don't know. But Riverdale is at a crossroads – just like you said."

"Perhaps that the future of this town, to be swallowed up." I muttered and pulled my hair up into a tight ponytail, moving away from her. I pulled on an old pair of jeans and Jughead's old jumper he let me sleep with.

"Where are you going?"

"To look for Archie, Mom. I'm worried."

She rose up, hands on her hips. "Betty, as much as you care about that boy, it isn't the right time now."

"What am I supposed to do then?" I threw my hands up into the air, tears streaming down my cheeks. "My best friend's father has just been murdered. Possibly even in front of him!"

"The best thing that you can do right now," she began. "Is stay exactly where you are. Archie will be with the police right now. He knows where you are and when he wants to talk I'm sure he'll seek you out."

I breathed in deeply, knowing in the pit of my stomach that I knew she was right and it wouldn't be helpful for me to simply force my way into the police station to see him. Mom could see I was completely defeated and she relaxed her authoritative voice and stepped forwards, rubbing both my shoulders.

"We need to be careful Betty," she whispered. "It's getting real in this town. Your father and I want you and Polly to lie low – especially you, after writing the article about Jughead's father."

"Wow, are you actually bringing that up now?"

"No, although you know my feelings on your brash acts," she scowled. "I'm going to repeat to you what I said before; these people are angry and always looking for someone to direct their anger against. Hatred infuses the masses."

"I want to spread the truth," I said defiantly. "No one is escaping the truth in this town."

"Get some sleep Betty." Mom patted my shoulders one last time and left me alone again once more. I exhaled angrily and climbed up onto the windowsill, peering through the glass at the house next door to look at any signs of movement, knowing deep down there would be none tonight. Archie's curtains were still open with moonlight spilling into his room and illuminating his bed, TV and prized guitar in the corner.

I picked up my phone and dropped Veronica the seventh text of the evening alone; Ronnie, where are you? Need to talk xx

Not knowing what to do with myself, I curled back up into a ball on the bed and inhaled the sweet scent of Jughead on the jumper. My heart beat softly as just 24 hours before, we were both together in his trailer. I smiled inwardly at the memory and thought about how soft his lips were on my face, my neck, my shoulders.

I'm in love with Jughead, I thought. Seriously head over heels in love. I wondered if this was the same feeling that Polly felt, when she and Jason were planning to run away together and get away from this cursed town. I wished that they were successful and had found themselves a quiet cottage in the countryside to bring up their twins. Jason would still be alive and FP would still be living freely in his trailer.

Thinking of what ifs was driving me crazy, but at some point I must have fallen asleep and succumbed to my absolute exhaustion that'd been building up for the past year, hoping pitifully that I could go back to worrying about keeping straight As and cheerleading routines.

Riverdale in the space of an awfully long 24 hours, had now moulded into a place of further suspicion and unrest. Jason Blossom was only the beginning and now further betrayal - the very thing I feared would happen, had arrived in our town.

The Riverdale Bugle – Mom's arch nemesis in rival print media, had somehow attained the details of the murder.

"Look at this." Dad muttered, slamming the paper down on the breakfast table so hard that Polly jumped out of her skin and sent Cheerios scattering back into her bowl.

"Jeez Dad, since when do you head out early specifically to buy the other papers?" She sighed.

"Since they have more facts," he shot Mom a look as she entered in from the kitchen and placed a fresh stack of toast on the table. "Have a read, Alice."

"'Town father murdered in cold blood." She recited and scanned the article with scrutiny. "How on earth did those morons get all of these details? The police flat out refused to reveal anything to the press yet!" She scowled, slamming the newspaper back down onto the table, setting Polly off again. Ignoring her, Mom promptly pulled out her phone and called the police station, demanding to speak with Sherriff Keller to complain.

Tuning her out, I angled the newspaper towards me and began to read;

After an incredibly dark few months and a valiant 75th Jubilee Celebration, Riverdale was once again plunged into shock and despair yesterday as popular loving father and CEO of Andrew's Construction – Fred Andrews, was caught up in an attempted robbery whilst waiting for breakfast in the popular diner hangout 'Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe' on Sundrive Avenue. As Fred waited for his son Archie to return from the bathroom, an armed gunman strolled into the quiet diner and immediately demanded all of the cash in the register and safe. As Pop himself was being threatened at gunpoint, Fred took it upon himself to try and diffuse the situation, warning his son to stay away and head back into the bathroom upon his return. Seeing the masked gunman turn the gun on his own father, Archie Andrews hurled himself in front of the line of fire to protect him, prompting the shooter to open fire and escape the premises empty-handed. Shockingly, the bullet had caught Fred in the side of his stomach, rupturing it. Archie cradled his father in his arms as he took his last breaths and immediately commanded for someone to call an ambulance urgently, but unfortunately it was too late and Riverdale had lost one of its most brightest and hardworking sparks.

Riverdale is once again hurting, with its residents finding themselves asking; "why?". The Bugle would like at this point, to offer its deepest condolences to the Andrews family at this difficult time and urge that any strange suspicious behaviour, should be reported to the Sheriff's office immediately.

"Oh god," I gasped. "Arch was there and saw the entire thing!" My hands flew to my open mouth, shaking uncontrollably. Polly sighed and stretched across the table to rub my arm.

"I'm so sorry, Betty. I know Archie is your friend."

I nodded mutely, eyes not daring to leave the black and white grainy stock photo of Pop's the day of its opening, ten years ago. I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent Jughead a very short text; Riverdale Bugle, first few pages.

Mom came off the phone and ran her hands through her perfectly styled locks. "Keller doesn't know how this rag managed to get the whole story as they've made nothing public knowledge yet. How did they pull this crap off?"

"Is it too late to pull today's issue, you think?" Dad frowned.

"They would have circulated already, Hal," she snapped. "We'll have to work on an afternoon issue." They both grabbed their coats and bags, said a hurried goodbye to Polly and I, before rushing off to their downtown press office.

"They actually never fail to shock me, Polly. Fred Andrews was not just shot dead 24 hours ago, but here they are, more concerned about with their newspaper? They're both crazy." I frowned.

"Tell me about it." She muttered and sub consciously moved her hands down to her swollen stomach and rubbed it gently. It felt so normal having Polly back inside the house and living with us again, that the Sisters of Mercy seemed like a long-forgotten dream that sat within a very dark past. I reached out and patted her hand with a sullen smile. Sometimes I didn't appreciate just how strong my older sister was, she was my ultimate protector and rock, electing to raise her two babies as independently as she could manage. I couldn't begin to imagine how she must be still hurting inside with the loss of Jason alongside finding out we were third cousins with him.

My phone buzzed. I removed my hand from Polly's and unlocked the screen, heart skipping a beat as Veronica's name flashed up on screen. The text read; Sorry B. Completely messed up right now, has anyone heard from Archie? Come over?

I tapped a short message back to confirm yes and arose from the table, downing the last mouthful of buttered toast. "Got to go Poll, I'll be at the Pembrook – are you going to be alright here on your own?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "We'll be fine. Babies aren't going to pop out whilst you're gone." She beamed down at her stomach with pure motherly love.

"Call me if anything happens?" I grabbed my jacket and headed out into the chilly November air, shivering as soon as the cool air hit my bumpy skin. Despite the frosty temperature of an arriving Winter, I managed to race to the bottom of the street and over to the main side of town where the prestigious shadow of the Pembrook gleamed across the road from the town hall. Located in the busier part of town, there always seemed to be someone around at all hours on the streets surrounding the office buildings and local bars. For a deathly cold Sunday morning, I noticed the usual regulars already seated within the local establishments, hot drinks in hand.

I stepped into the main lobby of the Pembrook and noticed Smithers – the Lodge's faithful butler- sorting through the mail cubby for their apartment and recent delivery of packages to deliver upstairs. I nodded to him in greeting in which he beamed and tipped his hat to me.

Veronica and her mother accommodated the entire tenth floor, which demanded a long climb up ten flights of stairs or taking the heavily mirrored elevator. Stepping in, I promptly ignored my own reflection from all sides, screaming to highlight just how pale and haggard I was after a long and sleepless night.

Finally, the doors chirped open and I was face to face with Veronica's gleaming white oak front door. I took the polished lion knocker and rapped it three times – two fast and one slow. She'd know who it was before even opening the door.

Surely enough, the door opened slowly to reveal a very dishevelled looking Veronica Lodge - a far cry from her usual perfectly made up self. With no words exchanged, she collapsed into my arms with a crackled cry and breathed heavily into my shoulder. It was weird, I hadn't even considered a universe that existed, which included my beautiful best friend to not have her signature dark eyes and lips, hair meticulously brushed and straightened, accompanied only by her finest clothing and jewellery.

But here she was, in an old baggy sweater and shorts, face pale and blotted from what looked like an equally long night to what I'd also experienced.

"Are you okay, V?" I gently moved us both further into the apartment and shut the door behind with a curt click. Leading her to the huge cream sofa, we both sank down and she wiped her eyes fiercely.

"I'm fine Betty. Archie on the other hand," fresh tears poured down her cheeks. "Did you catch the morning paper?" She gestured towards the dark oak coffee table, currently adorned with a copy of every newspaper within Riverdale and its borders. "I couldn't sleep, so I woke up at dawn and went to pick all of these up for research. So far, the Bugle seems to be the only one with real details."

I nodded. "My parents aren't happy. Sheriff Keller has no idea how the Bugle managed to go into great lengths about what happened," I glanced down at my slightly redded hands. "I can't stop thinking about poor Arch, how will he even get through this?"

Veronica sniffed. "With our help of course, but we need to talk to him…" She trailed off. "He had to watch Fred die in his own arms. How sick is that?" We both fell into a heavily pregnant silence, struggling to find the words to describe how we collectively felt. The situation was dire, unescapable and horrendous. The fireplace was beginning to flicker with whatever wood was left, further proof of how long Veronica must have been pacing around the apartment since the early hours of the morning.

"Betty," Veronica whispered, closing our hands together. Her tone was full of something I couldn't quite detect. "I'm worried that my mother was somehow involved in this." She bit her lip anxiously, looking mildly surprised that she's managed to blurt out the words she must have been holding onto.

"Ronnie, how could you ever think that?"

She sighed. "A few nights ago – Jubilee night. After your speech, Archie and I were going to meet you guys at Pop's and we heard my Mom and his Dad talking about the business. She and my Dad wanted to buy Fred out of the Sodale contract. Well, he flat out refused and insisted that he wanted to stay working on the project, seeing it through to the end," she paused to breathe. "Mom was surprised and tried to urge him, but he wouldn't budge." She shrugged, running a nail-bitten hand through her untidy dark locks. Worry was heavily etched on her face.

"No way, your mother wouldn't dream of doing something so disgusting like killing Fred Andrews! Where is she now?" The apartment was deathly silent without her heels clacking loudly around the apartment as she flitted from one busy errand to another.

"Out at the construction site, talking to investors of the new build. They don't like it when there's a monumental hindrance in projects they've thrown money at." She scowled, bitter. It sounded like one of their famous Veronica and Hermione disagreements, so I didn't push the subject any further.

"The thing is," she continued, holding out her arms in the air. "I keep thinking about what my father wrote in his letter to me, the one I showed you before I testified? He clearly stated what Mom was not as innocent as I think she is. What am I supposed to do with that?"

"Hey," I grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look into my eyes. "Your Mom really liked Fred didn't she? For all of her faults, I would bet money on Hermione Lodge being innocent in this case. I honestly don't believe she had anything to do with this…"

"No," Veronica reasoned. "But she also likes my father a lot, they come as a package deal. Maybe they were both involved?"

"Doubtful, it's too easy to trace. If you think about your parents hatching a deal together, their phone calls would have been monitored and someone would piece together the case," my detective brain had taken over. "This crime is way too public and bold to be an obvious contender. How did your Mom take the news when she found out?"

"Shaken, she could barely get dressed this morning."

"Well then," I pressed. "Doesn't that hint towards her innocence?"

Veronica's shoulders sagged, she swallowed heavily. "But what if they did somehow have him killed? How would I ever look Archie in the eye again?" The last word escaped as a broken sob, her face collapsed into her hands, hair falling around her head.

"If there was a very small chance, then you would still need to face him as Veronica Lodge. He will undoubtedly be broken for a long time, but the bottom line is; we are not our parents." I echoed Jughead's words as he comforted me in the Blue and Gold's office after my panic attack. It was one of those rare moments that Jug could really break through to me and put things in such a way that would make sense and resonate deep down. He was truly going to be an amazing writer one day and I would never be able to pay him back for his comfort and support he gave me willingly, unselfishly.

"Besides," I added. "We still can't rule out that was a simple mugging gone wrong."

Veronica's eyes darkened. "I think we can both agree Betty, nothing happens in Riverdale by accident."

I hated to admit that she was completely right and the events of the past few months were concrete proof of just how a town can astronomically implode and change the lives of everything within its radius. At one point, one of us suggested that hot chocolates with marshmallows would be a fantastic idea, so naturally Veronica marched off to the kitchen whilst I pulled the huge sofa throw into the seat and grabbed a few more pillows, scattering them between sides. I also decided that it would be perfect for an Audrey Hepburn film and popped the DVD into the player, illuminating the huge screen.

Halfway through Breakfast at Tiffany's, my raven haired best friend elected to turn the volume down and turn to me.

"Betty, I need to tell you something."

"I sure hope it's not about this popcorn," I grinned and rustled the bag. "Because I totally just ate it all."

"No," she chuckled. "But remind me to call you a pig later. It's actually about Archie and I?" She swallowed, looking nervous and not meeting my eyes.

"I said I was fine with you guys, Ronnie. Completely one hundred percent."

She smiled uneasily, clasping her hands together. "After the immense number of milkshakes and burgers we had Friday night, Archie walked me back here and well, I invited him in," she inhaled slowly. "And we… Uh, kind of spent the night together." Blushing slightly, she dipped her head down away from my gaze, as if preparing herself from a Betty explosion of abuse.

I smiled, patting her head. "Ronnie, it's okay. You and Arch look great together and I'm glad you have each other." And I really meant it. It seemed almost impossible that a few months ago, a world without an Archie that loved me, looked bleak and lonely. We had all come so far, it was crazy to look back. I was in love with Jughead Jones and despite our differences, it felt great.

"I actually have some news too." Now it was my turn to blush.

"Well? Dish it out, girl."

"Funnily enough – the same night, Jughead and I headed back to his trailer to hang out. Neither one of us wanted to be alone. And. Um. We ended up… You know." My cheeks flushed crimson, but I couldn't control the beaming smile that appeared on my face.

Veronica choked on her last dregs of hot chocolates. "Sex? Betty Cooper and Riverdale's most eligible bachelor – Jughead Jones, went all the way huh?"

I hit her with a well-placed pillow and she shrieked in excitement and glee. She immediately dived forwards to grab her phone from the coffee table.

"I am texting Kevin right now and then you're going to spill all of the dishy details, B. This is way more interesting than my news… Was he gentle?"

"Yes, and no Ronnie – he'll tell the entire school!"

"No, he won't, he'll be so proud I'm sure there will be tears."

I rolled my eyes. "Juggie freaked out when I threw him a birthday party. How do you think he'll react when everyone knows we slept together? Twice." I ignored the second shrill of excitement from my eager best friend.

"Fine, fine dear Bettykins. But you so owe me some major details." We both laughed - a sound I had missed so much among the sea of betrayal, misfortune and misery we'd all endured for weeks. The sound of keys in the front door caused us both to look up from our happy moment.

Hermione Lodge entered with an audible sigh and closed the door promptly behind her, with a wad of mail and packages in hand. Just as with Veronica, her mother's eyes were also dark and sunken but she'd attempted to hide It with a mask of thick make up.

"Any news on Archie, Mom?" Veronica was no longer in a laughing mood and dropped into her serious/worried tone as her mother removed her coat and scarf.

"Not much, Ronnie. Oh, hi there Betty. I heard that Mary Andrews is flying back home as soon as possible. I guess from there, they can make the proper arrangements together." She turned to the glass cabinet in the corner of the room and proceeded to pour herself a large whiskey. "Fred was such a good man…" She whispered, voice wobbling. Sniffing, she quickly wiped her cheeks and turned back to smile at us, tumbler in hand.

"So, what are you girls up to today?"

Veronica had sunken back into her sullen mood and stared silently into her empty mug. I smiled at Mrs. Lodge. "Actually, I was just about to get going. I've left Polly home alone." I untangled myself from the blanket and picked up my bag from the opposite sofa, squeezing Veronica's shoulder in reassurance along the way. Both of them said goodbye and I scuttled back downstairs into the grey rain and sleet back outside again.

Instinctively, my feet began to propel me forwards without a real thought to where I was going. I thought about Veronica's worries about her parents and the way her mother had looked so crushed when she returned home. There simply had to be no way that Hermione Lodge would be involved with such a scandal, let alone orchestrate the murder of her daughter's boyfriend's father, who she was also beginning to develop feelings for.

The whole situation screamed of Greek tragedy, with no visible way through the metaphorical fog we now found ourselves wading through.

My feet stopped and I suddenly realised that they had taken me towards the familiar hangout we all knew and loved, a place that we once felt safe in. Nothing, we thought would be able to touch us.

Pop's lay in front of me with police tape still decorated across the entrances. The lights had been turned off for the first time since opening and was ultimately lost against the grey heavy clouds of the wintery weather. The silence was deafening.

My phone buzzed. A text from Jughead, who had been uncharacteristically quiet all day. The message simply read; We're going to see Archie tomorrow.