Author's note: Jughead's P.O.V.

Jughead raced through the streets, making rushed twists and turns as he rounded corners and bends in the road. He had one mission on his mind and that was to get back to the Serpents and immediately start looking for Betty. When he had gained consciousness, he took one look around with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew Betty and the rest of them were long gone. Ignoring the cuts on his face, he had rushed to his bike, only to find the tires slashed. Rolling his eyes at Penny's idiotic mistake, he hurried to where their tent was, and pulled out a spare set of tires his dad had convinced him to take at the last moment, should a situation arise.

After hurriedly changing the tires, he jumped on his bike and sped back towards town. The quiet streets trailed after him; the wind licking his cheeks. His heart thudded painfully in his chest as tears kissed his face tenderly. He should've been able to prevent this from happening. He shouldn't have been so naïve as to think they wouldn't have been stalked out in the woods. And the price he may have to pay would be the one that would break him the most. Exhaling shakily, he switched gears and sped towards his home.

XXX

When he reached Riverdale, he headed straight to Pop's where, he was certain, he'd find Archie and Veronica. Yanking his helmet off, his feet thudded against the pavement as he ran in. Looking around wildly, he spotted Archie and Veronica sitting in a booth, talking lowly. He hurried to them.

"Juggie, where-what's wrong?" Veronica demanded, staring at him and what he presumed was a very disheveled state.

"Penny took Betty," he rushed out.

"What?" Archie demanded, standing up. Veronica wasn't too far behind him.

"She took her, man. Her and the Ghoulies…they-they ambushed us," he whispered. Archie grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and slammed him into the wall.

"Where the hell were you when they took my best friend? The girl I've known my whole life?" Archie hissed, and Jughead shook his head mutely, unable to say anything. Jughead could feel the intensity of Archie's glare and could do nothing more than offer up a weak grimace. He messed up – big time. Just then, Veronica placed her hand on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"That's enough, Arch," she said calmly. "Let Jughead go."

Archie glared at Jughead for a moment longer before listening to Veronica and letting his grip fall away from Jughead's jacket. Veronica looked at Jughead.

"Did they hurt Betty?" Veronica asked quietly but urgently. The sinking feeling returned to the pit of his stomach. Did they?

"I'm-I'm not sure," he said quietly, rubbing a hand over his face. "They knocked me out pretty quickly after catching up to us. I-I don't know what Penny or the Ghoulies did to Betty after I lost consciousness."

This admittance was like a stab to the gut; the knife turning painfully. He wasn't sure where Betty was, if she was hurt, or if she was being at least looked after by someone with a heart less cold than Penny and Malachi. He doubted that last thought.

"We need to tell FP and the rest of the Serpents," Archie, who had calmed down slightly, said. Jughead nodded. He pulled out his phone just as it rang. Staring at the caller ID, he noticed it was an unknown number.

"Who is it?" Archie asked.

"No clue," Jughead muttered, staring at the phone.

"Could be Penny or Malachi. Answer it," Veronica said, and Jughead took the call, exhaling shakily.

"Hello?" Jughead asked.

"Seems like you made it back then, kid," Penny's voice came through the phone.

"Let me talk to Betty," Jughead said quietly and Penny laughed.

"Sorry, kid, but she's a little busy tending to her injuries," Penny replied, and Jughead felt a fury unlock inside of him as his fist clenched.

"I swear, Penny, hurt her again and I'll tear you apart more than I plan on doing so already," he warned lowly.

Penny laughed coldly. "Noted. Now, you're present should be walking into that horrible place you kids call a diner."

Jughead looked up as the bell above the door jingled, only to spot Chic walking in, hands shoved into his pockets. He heard the line disconnect and looked at the phone, staring at his screen, before looking back up at Chic again. The anger he had been keeping at bay since waking up and finding Betty gone was demanding for attention, and he let it burst through his veins as he hurled himself towards Chic, punching him squarely in the face.

"Where the hell is she, Chic?" Jughead shouted. The diner had gone quiet; every patron and waiter alike watching the scene between the two guys unfold. Chic swiped at his lip.

"You need me alive if you have a dream of finding Betty, Jughead," he said lowly. Jughead punched him again.

"Where. Is. My. Girlfriend." Jughead demanded between clenched teeth. He didn't care if he broke Chic's face in his quest for answers; that was all the more better for Jughead. Just as he got ready to swing again, an arm stopped his, twisting it behind his back.

"Calm down, Jug," Archie whispered, and Jughead glared at him.

"If you're smart, you'll let go of me," Jughead hissed. A white-hot anger was dancing through him, igniting a fire in his stomach. He had to find Betty. He had to. Archie tightened his grip and Jughead had a wild thought of fiercely punching Archie, too.

"Calm down, man. We need to get out of Pop's and to your dad," Archie said lowly. Jughead looked down at his bruised and bloody knuckles before glaring at Chic.

"We're going to the parking lot while we wait for my dad," he hissed. "I dare you to tell me otherwise."

Chic simply smirked and pushed himself up from the ground. When they had made it a sufficient way from the inside of the diner, Chic spat out a mouthful of blood.

"You've got quite the temper, Jughead," he commented idly.

"I'm only going to ask this one more time, Chic. Where is my girlfriend?" Jughead hissed.

Chic stared at Jughead for a long moment.

"I'd answer him if I were you," Veronica said idly, and Chic grinned like the cat who ate the canary.

"Betty is exactly where Penny needs her to be," he murmured. Jughead inhaled slowly, willing himself to not lose his head completely.

"And give me one good reason I shouldn't tear you apart with my bare hands, right here, right now," Jughead whispered.

"Because, I won't give up where they're keeping Betty. I swore my loyalty to Penny."

"You don't have a loyal bone in your body, Chic," Jughead spat. "You proved that when you killed Betty's true brother."

Chic simply smirked. "I'd be getting to that phone call now."

XXX

FP showed up with Alice in tow about twenty minutes later. Chic was sitting on the curb with Archie and Veronica standing next to him; Jughead was pacing like a wild animal in a cage; frenzied and out of control. His head snapped up as his dad cut his motorcycle off. Alice got off the bike first, running towards Jughead.

"Explain," she demanded, and Jughead nodded.

"Mrs. Cooper, I'm so-so sorry. It's all my fault. I convinced Betty to take a night away with me. We were camping. A woman named Penny, she's an ex-snake, and a handful of ghoulies caught up to us. They took Betty and ran," he muttered, shaking. In the next moment, Alice Cooper did something that Jughead would come to remember every day for the rest of his life: she gripped him in a bone crushing hug, holding on for dear life.

"At least you got away," she mumbled. Alice swiped at her face mutely, seemingly at a loss for words. Jughead watched as his dad walked up to her, putting his arm around her shoulders hesitantly.

"We're going to get your daughter back, Alice. You hold onto that," he whispered, and Alice nodded, shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs. FP looked at Jughead.

"We've got work to do, son," he said, and Jughead nodded.

"Damn straight we do," he replied, looking at Chic. He needed something to channel his anger into, but before he could so much as raise a finger, Betty's face popped into his mind and, being his anchor, he tethered himself to the image of her.

"Hold on, Betts, we're coming for you. I'm coming for you," he murmured, making a silent vow to find her safe and whole and soon.

Author's note: Enjoy.