Betty stared at the fire in front of her, watching the flames lick at the crate. She could hear her mom and Drew talking in hushed tones about something she was certain she didn't care to know about. Drew had come into their lives around three months ago and had been a pain in her ass since day one. He wasn't a good man, by any stretch of the imagination. The things he did to her…she shuddered at the thought. Although, she acknowledged to herself, she was incredibly careful to make sure she never showed any fear. He didn't like that.

Just then, her mom's bedroom door slammed open with a resounding bang against the wall and she winced. Definitely been drinking then. He stormed into the room, eyes alight with a maniacal energy as he glared at her. She sighed, knowing exactly what was coming.

It was a soft voice that brought her out of her memories.

"Still with us, Betts?" Blinking, Betty looked up to find both Jughead and Sweet Pea looking at her. The three of them were sitting in a booth at Pop's, much to Pea's discomfort. It wasn't that her older brother didn't like the older man or the establishment; it was the fact that he was wary of the Northsiders. And, well, with Alice Cooper as a Northsider, she really couldn't blame him. Realizing she had yet to answer, she nodded her head.

"Yeah, still here," she murmured, hands clutching her coffee mug. She could feel Jughead looking at her, but she didn't meet his questioning glance – not in front of her brother, at least. She cleared her throat. "What did I miss?"

"Just zoned out on the fact that Fangs will be back in town next week," Sweet Pea replied, taking a sip of his own coffee. She smiled faintly. Fangs was a good guy. It'd be nice to see him again.

"Where'd he go?" Betty questioned, watching as Jughead and Pea exchange an uneasy glance. She quirked an eyebrow, recognizing they were keeping something from her and they both caved under her look.

"We had him go scope out Denver as soon as you called," Jughead admitted, and Betty sighed.

"Guys, I told you to leave it be," she muttered, shaking her head.

"You honestly think anyone in the Serpents was going to do that?" Jughead questioned, tone gentle but firm. She rolled her eyes.

"I guess not," she admitted begrudgingly. Then – "He find Alice? I'm sure she's moved onto looking for me."

Pea cocked his head to the side, folding his arms. "Why do you say it like that?"

She matched his stance. "Like what?"

"Like you don't assume she'll head to Riverdale?" Sweet Pea asked.

Betty snorted. "She may be a bitch but she's not a stupid one. She'll know you guys know about Drew by now. She will also know that if she brings him to Riverdale with her, there will be bloodshed on both sides and Alice Cooper won't risk shedding any of her blood, believe me."

Betty subtly pulled her sleeves of her sweater over her fists, hiding her palms secretly. The habit of digging her nails into her palms had started almost immediately after Alice took her. Sometimes, on her worst nights, she would use something sharper to pierce the skin – another reason she didn't let anyone see her arms past her wrists and half her arms. She could feel Jughead watching her movements and took a hasty sip of coffee before moving on.

"She's not going to come here, Pea. Not when she knows a war will await her," she said.

Sweet Pea shrugged. "Then, we'll go there. Easy enough."

"Nothing is easy about this, Pea, and you know that," Betty hissed, feeling frustrated and upset with the whole situation. They must have noticed because they both sighed gently.

"Betts look at me," Jughead said softly, waiting patiently until Betty tore her eyes away from the coffee mug she was staring into. She inhaled shakily, looking up at him slowly. He smiled tenderly. "It is going to be okay, sweetheart. One way or another, Alice and Drew will both pay for their crimes."

Betty chanced a glance at Pea to see his thoughts and there they were, written as plain as day on his face.

"Jug is right, Betty," Pea said gently. "They will atone for everything they did to you."

She bit her lip. "They did it to you all as much as they did it to me." She watched as Jughead's eyes traveled down her arms subtly before shaking his head.

"No, hon, to you," he reiterated firmly, and the look they shared conveyed more than any words ever could.

XXX

"When did it start?" Jughead asked quietly as they walked the streets of Riverdale. Sweet Pea had left them to it – just making sure to ask her to get home safely. She smiled a little at Jughead scoffing at the insinuation he wouldn't have her home safely.

"Hmm?" Betty asked, stalling for time because this was definitely not a conversation she wanted with her…was Jughead her boyfriend? Fuck if she knew, they hadn't discussed labels. Regardless, this conversation was one she didn't want. Not even remotely.

"Please don't pretend with me, baby," he said softly, pulling her to a stop and cradling her palms in his firstly. She watched as he studied the ridges that would be forever embedded into her skin, along with the many other scars, before he slowly slid her sleeves up her arms. She felt herself stiffen momentarily until he rubbed her arms gently. "It's okay, baby. You never have to be afraid. Not with me."

She expelled a sigh, nodding as she debated on what to say. He waited patiently as she collected her thoughts, studying the crisscrossing scars dancing their way up both arms. Eventually, she nodded.

"It was always hard with Alice, you know?" Betty asked softly, voice quiet in the night air surrounding them. "It was just easier to handle her and how she treated me before we were gone. When I had all you guys here. My family. Then when it was just the two of us…well, it was a completely different story." She chuckled bitterly, staring down at her arms. She could feel Jughead's eyes on her but was too embarrassed to look back at him. It wasn't until she felt the gentle press of his lips against her forehead did she react. Eyes closing instinctively upon contact, she swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling far more vulnerable than she could ever remember.

"It's okay baby, it's okay," he said softly, trailing his fingertips along her scars. "These are nothing short of reminders of what you survived. We all carry battle scars, honey. Wear them proudly."

She looked at him for a long moment before urgently pressing her lips to his, smiling in relief when his hands came up automatically to cradle her face, responding to the kiss in kind. She knew that before she was kidnapped she had a home with her family and then with Alice…well, she lost all sense of what home meant for those three long years. Now? Now, she realized she truly never understood the meaning of the word. Pulling back, she pressed her forehead against his.

"Was that okay?" Betty asked quietly.

His warm chuckle loosened the worry some. "Yeah baby. More than okay."

She tried to pull out of his embrace, but he just maneuvered them to where she was tucked under his arm. "I need you to know that now we've done that, I am not letting you go. In any sense of the word."

She smiled shyly, blush kissing her cheeks but nodded, nonetheless. "Don't. I don't want you to."

Dropping a kiss to the crown of her head, he threaded their fingers together as he kept his arm around her and they continued their walk, Betty's heart feeling lighter than she could ever remember.

Author's note: Enjoy, my lovelies! XXX