Author's note: Betty's P.O.V. for this chapter.
Betty was discharged from the hospital after a couple more days of care. Jughead and her friends hadn't left her side and she was immensely grateful to them. They had proved to be exceptional people who loved her. Not that she ever questioned that. Not after everything they had been through. As Jughead wheeled her out of the hospital and to FP's pickup truck, FP held the door open for them, smiling softly at Betty.
"Good to see you out of the hospital bed, Betty," he said, and she dipped her head appreciatively.
"Feels good to be out of it," she replied with her own smile. Jughead helped her to her feet and helped her ease into the car, careful to make sure to not jostle her ribs which still gave her a great deal of discomfort. Just then, Veronica and Archie appeared on either side of her.
"Mr. Jones," Veronica began, but the older man interrupted her.
"FP, Ronnie," he replied. "Mr. Jones was my old man."
Veronica nodded. "FP, are you driving us straight to my place?"
Jughead interjected. "No, we're going to stop by Pop's so Betty can have something other than bland hospital food."
Betty sighed happily. She was tired of the hospital's rubbery food. "Thanks, Juggie."
As FP started the truck, Betty leaned into the arm her boyfriend wrapped around her shoulder, resting her head on his chest. She was tired but it was so much more than just not having a good night's sleep. She was exhausted to the bone, feeling the tiredness creep into her soul. She assumed being tortured would do that to a person. She closed her eyes as the truck bumped it's way down the road, not bothering to engage in the conversation with her friends.
As her mind drifted, it came to a rest on her family. A serial killer for a father and a mother and sister who sat by and did nothing about her abduction. To make matters even worse, Alice Cooper had sent her to the Sisters earlier that year and she had to suffer a different kind of abuse there. She wasn't sure when Alice had grown into this heartless monster but unless she started cleaning up her act and fast, Betty wasn't too sure she wanted her to be in her life anymore. The same could be said about Polly.
Just then, Jughead cleared his throat and she blinked her eyes open, looking around.
"We're here, baby," he murmured, and she nodded, staring up at the neon sign that lit up the parking lot that was Pop's. They got out of the car, with Jughead wrapping an arm around Betty's waist to help ensure she didn't trip or stumble and hurt her body even more. She was grateful.
XXX
As they group of four sat and ate their way through dinner, chatting lightly, Betty tried not to think about the impending trial that was surely going to cause her many sleepless nights. The fact that Evernever had hired one of the best defense attorney's in the state did nothing to help ease her nerves; she knew they were going to come after her hard.
"Where'd you go baby?" Jughead asked softly, bringing her out of her thoughts. She sighed, running her cast-free hand through her waves.
"I'm just thinking about the trial," she muttered.
"B, certainly that can wait til it gets here?" Veronica murmured gently, but Betty shook her head.
"Evernever is going to be on his A game. He's a classic manipulator. He'll have his defense attorney wrapped around his finger with his smile and a few charming words, the way he did with Alice and Polly," she muttered, sighing.
Jughead wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "He's not going to get away with anything. We won't allow it. I will not allow it."
Betty searched her boyfriend's eyes, taking in the burning honesty behind them, before leaning in and brushing her lips across his. She felt her body start to relax on it's own for the first time since the attack and she melted against him, fisting his shirt in her hand. She wasn't sure when the tears came. One moment, her eyes were dry and lip wasn't quivering; the next, she was gasping for air against her boyfriend's chest.
"Hey, baby, just take a breath," Jughead murmured, one hand rubbing soothingly up and down her spine, the other tangling in her hair.
"I-I can't," Betty said, swallowing against the pain that had lodged itself in her chest. She knew Evernever was a despicable man; knew that Evelyn had been raised to be as deranged as him. What she couldn't understand, however, was her own family.
"How could Alice do that?" Betty gasped. "How could she just turn her back on me?"
"Alice Cooper is someone who doesn't deserve to have you as a daughter, B," Veronica said gently. She stood up from the side of the booth her and Archie were on and made her way to the other side. She sat down next to Betty and hugged her tightly from behind, going as far as to wrapping her arms around Jughead so Betty was sure to be cocooned between the two of them.
As Betty cried, she anchored herself to her boyfriend and friends, letting them light up every dark place inside of her. The farm had tempted her in it's tantalizing way to engage in her dark side. She wanted to get revenge by going full dark, no stars against the Evernever's; against her family, too. She wasn't sure how long she'd be able to keep a lid on that side of her.
When her tears ran dry, she pulled away from her boyfriend, who kissed her forehead gently.
"You're beautiful when you cry, you know that?" Jughead whispered, and she sniffed.
"Stop," she murmured, blush kissing her cheeks.
"Hmm…nope," Jughead grinned. Betty rolled her eyes fondly before looking at Veronica.
"Thanks for being here, V," she murmured, before turning her eyes to Archie, her brother in more than blood. "You too, Arch."
"Anything for you, Betty," Archie replied earnestly. Veronica got out of their side of the booth and made her way back to her boyfriend, sitting down next to him and intertwining her fingers with his.
"Let's give them a fucking fight," Veronica said, eyes flashing dangerously.
A fucking fight indeed.
