Chapter 19- FINALLY, WE'RE HERE! YASSSS
The silence was deafening. No one took a breath, no one uttered a word. They just stared at Jughead's lifeless body.
'Jug?' FP asked, dread filling his shaky voice as he cupped his son's face. 'Jug? Come on, now,' he whispered, running his fingers through Jughead's hair. 'No,' he whispered, begged, his voice breaking.
Betty choked on a sob, Veronica wrapping her arms around her. Tears silently trickled down Archie's face as his father held on to him tightly.
'Jug, come on. Jug!' FP called again, but to no avail. FP collapsed against his son, no tears showing but defeat and grief radiating off of his him. His boy, his son, gone. It couldn't be. Not Jughead...
Just then, Jughead's eyes flew wide open as he gasped, shocking the entire room.
'Jug?' FP cried, hope and relief flooding his voice.
'Jug, you're alive! Thank god,' he whispered, a wide smile, pulling at his lips. Then suddenly it was gone. 'Don't you ever do that again, boy, you hear me?'
Jughead just laughed.
Everything was going to be okay.
And everything was.
For the most part.
As FP had refused to leave his son's bedside, Fred had persuaded him to at least get some sleep before Fred left to get some food from Pop's. So, with FP and Jughead sleeping, and Fred gone, Betty, Archie and Veronica were alone. Betty sat mercilessly between the two as they hadn't talked since they'd rescued her. Betty had a sneaking suspicious that this had to do with Jughead.
'What is going on with you two? You've been acting weird ever since you rescued me,' she asked, rolling her eyes.
'This was all Veronica,' Archie replied bitterly, not even looking at them. 'Ask her. It's her fault Jughead was poisoned.'
Veronica made a defensive protest, but it was deaf to Betty's ears as she turned to her.
'What?'
Veronica looked to the floor, avoiding Betty's eyed. 'Daddy told me he had you and that the only way to get you back alive was... to give him Jughead. I didn't want to, but it seemed like the best I could do. I didn't know he'd poison him!'
'You still shouldn't have done that! You're not a God, you don't choose who lives and who dies! Surely you knew Hiram would've killed him, or worse.' Archie objected angrily.
'I know, and I'm sorry, I am,' she replied softly, 'and I get why you're mad. I have no excuse.'
'I forgive you,' Betty responded, surprising herself as much as it surprised Veronica.
'You do?'
'Yes. But if you ever do that again, I can't make any promises. We all do things we regret, and we're all human. I don't blame you.'
'Archie?' Veronica asked nervously.
'I agree, but never, ever, do that again.'
Veronica's shoulders slumped in relief. 'Thank you.'
Sure, Jughead had nightmares, but his dad and friends were always there to comfort him.
Sure, Jughead was a little jumpy for a while after, but he eventually relaxed more.
Sure, Jughead was once a criminal, but with Archie's recorded evidence, Mary easily made a case, getting Hiram arrested and Jughead cleared of all charges.
Everything turned out okay. And Jughead knew it always would, as long as he had his family.
a/n: yes i know it was bad. yes i know it was short. yes i know it was unrealistic. forgive me im tired its the holidays. nevertheless did you enjoy?