Magic comes to Riverdale

by choejhulkp9

REPLACING RIVERDALE THE GANG PLUS ONE. The town of Riverdale was weird. A lot of strange things happened that wouldn't happen in a normal town. Maybe there was a reason for that? Lucky for them, they have someone there to help them. A protector who ends up involved in a crime investigation, serial killers and crazy cults but he's got something they don't. Magic can do wonders.

4. Stories are told and songs are sung

Here is Chapter 4 of Magic comes to Riverdale. Will's gotten a taste of the Sorcerer life. Investigating mystical threats at the Sanctum and then taking them out to save people. It's what his dad did for years and it's what he'll do, even while going to school. Sounds like a great idea for a TV show. Anyway, after learning the truth from Jason's spirit, the trick now is to find out how deep it goes and figure out how to take Clifford Blossom down. Problem is things in Riverdale pick up. Enjoy!

Magic comes to Riverdale: Stories unfold and songs are sung

September 2017: Riverdale

September was here and soon the start of fall would arise but that was the last thing on Will's mind at the moment. All he could think about was what Jason told him. How it was his own father, Clifford Blossom who shot him in the head and he did it because Jason discovered a horrible truth. That truth was that Clifford Blossom was a drug trafficker and used the Blossom's maple syrup business as a cover to smuggle drugs from Canada into Riverdale and beyond. Jason learned of his father's drug trafficking and tried to run away which resulted in Clifford capturing his son and then killing him. That alone was tough to swallow but Jason also told Will that he and Polly were engaged and planning to leave Riverdale together for some farm. And that Polly was pregnant with their baby. And he made Will promise to keep Polly and Cheryl safe from his father.

So…yeah. A lot happened.

You'd think that finding out the truth that was gripping the entire town would be a huge relief but therein lies its own issue. He couldn't tell Sheriff Keller this because he would have no explanation for how he knew this and no physical proof. His mom was right so he had to figure out a way to expose the truth. That's what Will was working on at the moment in his room. Taking a picture out of Sheriff Keller's book, Will set up his own investigational board into Clifford Blossom's activities and drug operation.

Granted, calling it an investigational board is a bit of a stretch. It was just part of his wall with the pictures of Clifford Blossom and Jason Blossom with the words drug dealer, drugs, and murder written on note cards. And then string interconnecting them. Again, it wasn't really an investigational board yet. Will was just laying it out for visual reference but he still didn't know enough and needed to know more.

He was standing in his room just looking at the board and at Clifford Blossom's picture, wondering what kind of parent can shoot his son in the head and then put up this innocent façade to the entire town. Someone who is either a psychopath or has no soul and was possessed by a demon. The jury was still out on which one applied to Cliff Blossom.

[Knock-knock] "Will?" Jughead knocked on his door so Will snapped his fingers and the investigational board vanished.

"Yeah?" He answered so Jughead walked in with his backpack. "What's up?"

"Betty texted saying we could head over now." Jughead told him.

"Right." Will grabbed his backpack off his desk chair and his jacket off a hook. "Into the belly of the beast we go."

Will and Jughead headed to Betty's place for breakfast. Betty was happy to see them while Mrs. Cooper, being Mrs. Cooper was indifferent. Honestly, Will didn't think there was one person she was nice to in this entire town. It's like she had this massive superiority complex to her. How sweet and nice Betty came from her is a mystery that might remain so, even with magic.

Mrs. Cooper just stared at the boys while twirling her spoon in her coffee and both boys felt it. Betty felt bad for them but they toughed it through.

"So, Jughead…I suppose we have you to thanks for Betty's ongoing obsession with this Jason Blossom ghoulishness?" Mrs. Cooper accused.

"Actually, mom, I was the one who asked Jughead to help me write it for the Blue and Gold." Betty corrected.

"Relax, Betty. I'm just making conversation." Her mother assured her before looking at Will. "So, Will. You and Betty appear to be talking again."

"Yeah. We're friends again. A new start for our friendship." Will said, looking over at Betty who smiled. "And she brought me on to the Blue and Gold as the photographer."

"Oh, I wasn't aware you were interested in photography. It appears that the mysteries around you continue to come around." Mrs. Cooper remarked as she sipped his coffee. "One mystery I'm curious about is what you did in New York during your summer and how it got you so close to Veronica Lodge and her mother with a sizeable trust and money if rumor is correct. Your father didn't do any business with the Lodges, did he?"

"Mom." Betty tried to get her to stop.

"No, Mrs. Cooper. My trust and family money were left behind by my father to look after my mother and I if he died." Will answered.

"Well, I for one am a little suspect as to where this mystery money came from and this mystery father you said left it behind." Mrs. Cooper insinuated.

"It's all legal, Mrs. Cooper. I have a family lawyer if you're curious but it's also personal family business so you'll understand why I don't have to tell you." Will replied, earning a stinky eye from her. He looked over at Betty and Jughead and raised his eyebrows and they nodded.

"Do you guys have a bathroom I could use?" Jughead asked.

"Sure, I'll show you." Betty replied.

"No, no. I'll show him." Mrs. Cooper got up. "Follow me…Jughead."

Jughead followed Mrs. Cooper down the hall to the bathroom, leaving Betty and Will a split second to do some snooping. Betty took her mom's checkbook out of her purse and Will snapped some photos on all the recipients before they returned. They'd do research at the Blue and Gold. When Jughead got back, Will drove them to school. They'd reconvene at the Blue and Gold Office during their free period to do some research.

Will went to his locker to get some books when he heard the tell-tale clack of heels so he quickly turned around and grabbed Veronica by the waist and gave her a kiss. "Oh, nice way to say hello. How'd you know it was me?" She wondered.

"You're one of the only girls at Riverdale who will wear heels. And judging by the clack, I'm guessing your Versace ones." Will stated, looking down and seeing he was right.

"Oh, you're good." Veronica gave him another kiss as he closed his locker. "Everything ok? You texted that you, Betty, and Jughead had something to do this morning."

"Yeah. Jughead and I are helping Betty find her sister, Polly." He answered. "Turns out the whole Romeo & Juliet thing going on with Polly and Jason is not as simple as we've been led to believe."

"Really, tell me more." Veronica wanted to know the juicy secrets.

"As much as I'd like to, I think it's better if Betty tells you this. It's her family." He pointed out and she conceded that. "Sorry."

"Don't be. It's cute how much the noble knight in shining armor you are." Veronica smiled and kissed his cheek.

"And you are the beautiful princess." He kissed her back. "So, the school variety show is later this week. Are you auditioning later today?"

"I'm thinking about it. What about you, Will? Be the Jay-Z to my Beyonce?" Veronica wondered.

"How about Shawn Mendes to your Camilla Cabello? We did Latin dance to one of her songs that made everyone jealous?" He winked, causing her to blush. "And as much as I would love to, and believe me I would, you know I can't carry a tune to save my life. I'm smart, I can dance now but I can't sing unless you want everyone to boo us off stage."

"Yeah, I've heard you sing. I don't think that would be good for us." Veronica admitted.

"Glad you agree." Will held her close as the two walked to their class. When their free period came up a few classes later Veronica went with Kevin to the auditorium to watch the auditions. Archie had signed up and it would be his first major performance. Will would have watched but he, Jughead, and Betty met up at the Blue & Gold to do some digging.

Will scrolled through the myriad of pictures he took of Mrs. Cooper's checkbook, trying to find something that would help. "FYI, if I get busted for attempted identity and money theft then I'm naming you two as my accomplices." He told Betty and Jughead.

"Relax, dude. We'll be fine. Just deny everything. Besides, don't you have that family lawyer now?" Jughead pointed out while Betty tried to get them to focus.

"Guys, please. Will, anything?" She asked.

"No. Just checks to Riverdale high, the paper, one to the spa…" He kept flipping through the photos until he stopped at one in particular. "Here's something. A payment of $1,500 dollars to the Sister of Quiet Mercy."

"What is that? Like a church or a charity?" Betty wondered so Jughead looked it up on his computer.

"No, it's a…home for troubled youths. Where disenfranchised teens will learn such virtues as discipline and respect, enjoying lives of quiet reflection and servitude." Jughead read from their website.

"AKA being told what to do by stuck up old nuns." Will put it in his own words.

"Poor Polly." Betty muttered.

"Jughead, are there any articles or headlines about this place?" Will asked so Jughead did a quick search.

"What are you thinking?" Betty wondered.

"That those group homes are one nail drop from one of their residents turning into the next Norman Bates." He said earning looks from both of them. "I know it's the wrong analogy, but my mom has told me stories of people she's treated from places like that. And they're usually never under good circumstances."

Jughead did end up finding some newspaper articles on the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and they weren't exactly good publicity. "Looks like Will is right as usual." Jughead brought up the articles so the others could see, and they weren't that great.

Old Asylum renovated into Group Home: Under New Management?

Ethical Treatments and Conversion Therapy: Is the cure worse than the disease?

Talks of state interference in Group Home: possible shut down?

Patients inside Quiet Mercy groomed to never leave: A Possible Cult

"I sometimes hate being right." Will commented.

They continued their little planning at lunch. Betty and Jughead sat next to each other with Will across from them. He could pick up some subtle romantic hints coming up between the two and didn't want to interfere. He just sat there enjoying one of his mom's famous sandwiches, something Jughead was enjoying as well.

"All right, Betty. You know what we're dealing with. What's the plan now?" Will wondered.

"I'm going to the Sisters and I'm going to see Polly." Betty answered. "It's been months. There's gottta be a reason my mom and dad don't want me to see Polly. But I don't care anymore."

"That's our plan." Jughead stated.

"We're with you on this, Betty. You know that. But as a friend, I feel that I should also tell you to be mentally prepared for whatever we might find." Will cautioned and Betty understood that.

"What are you guys talking about?" Archie asked as he and Val came over and sat down next to Will. "Anything I can help with?"

"What we're attempting is a stealth operation, Archie. If we go in there with the entire Scooby Gang forget it, we're compromised." Jughead told him.

"Well, don't you have to practice for the Variety Show anyways?" Betty asked him as he and Val shared some looks.

"Uh, no, I don't." Archie replied.

"Except that yet, you do. Thanks to a certain Veronica-ex-Machina. Excuse me." Veronica walked over with Kevin and sat down in between Will and Archie.

"What do you mean?" Val wondered.

"Oh, nothing. I just that I had a few words with our director/host and reminded him that he's heard you sing on numerous occasions." Veronica said.

"Even though it compromises my artistic integrity." Kevin added.

"Cutting to the chase, you have a slot if you want it." Veronica told Archie.

"Veronica, thank you but you saw what happened." Archie reminded her.

"We all did." Kevin commented.

"Playing my songs in front of you guys is one thing but getting back up on that stage by myself…I'm not sure if I'm ready for that." Archie admitted.

"If it's a partner you're looking for, Veronica Lodge is more than willing and able." She told him.

"Veronica, I didn't know you could sing." Betty said.

"Oh, yeah. Veronica's an amazing singer. She's got serious talent." Will told everyone.

"What do you say, Archiekins?" Veronica wondered.

"I appreciate that Veronica but wouldn't you want to sing with Will?" Archie asked only for her, Valerie, and Kevin to groan and Will to roll his eyes.

"What the three stooges meant to say is that Veronica already asked me but we both agreed that it's not a good idea. I can't sing." Will explained.

"That's putting it mildly." Kevin commented and got a grape flicked at his head.

"I wouldn't want Veronica and I to get booed off the stage with my horrible singing." Will added. "Veronica's a great singer and if singing with a partner will help you with your stage fright then go for it."

Archie thought it over before he nodded. "Ok. Let's do it."

Line Break xxxxx

After school, Will and Veronica went to Pop's for a quick milkshake and to hang out. They sat together at a booth as a waiter walked over with a chocolate milkshake. "Thanks." Will paid their check and gave him a tip as Veronica took a sip. "You know, they say that milk helps sore throats so by actually having this milkshake we're helping you prepare for your performance with Archie."

"Where'd you learn that?" Veronica wondered.

"Helps that my mom's an amazing doctor and that I've read a lot of her medical books and journals growing up. And I have an eidetic memory so it's all stored up here." Will tapped the side of his head. "It comes in handy."

"I'll bet." Veronica kissed him on the cheek while he sipped the milkshake. "So, you're really ok with me singing with Archie?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" He wondered.

"No reason." She replied.

"Oh, you were expecting me to get all jealous and worried about you and Archie singing together and getting close and stuff." He surmised. "Don't worry, Veronica. I trust you."

"And I'll make sure that trust in me isn't lost." She promised as the two shared another kiss. "Do you think we could stop by a florist? I want to get my mom a plant for her first day working for Mr. Andrews."

"Right. She's starting that today. Yeah, we can do that." He replied. The two talked and hung out for about another hour before they went to a florist to get Veronica's mom a plant for her first day of work at Andrew's construction.

Will drove into the Andrew's Construction lot which drew a lot of looks since it wasn't every day you see a Saleen S7 super car. He parked his car and got out with Veronica and a nice potted plant. They walked over to the Andrew's Construction trailer when Veronica stopped. The reason she stopped is because she saw her mom and Mr. Andrews kissing in clear view of the window.

"Oh my god…" Veronica muttered.

"Oh boy." Will said, looking at Veronica and saw her mortified expression. "Hey, Veronica look at me. It's ok."

"They're kissing." She told him.

"I know but don't go into worst case scenario. Just look at me and breathe. Forget everything else and just breathe. In and out. Focus on me." He told her, putting the plant down and holding her hand up to his chest where his heart was so she could feel the steady beat. "Just close your eyes and focus on my voice. Pretend it's an island out in the ocean."

She did as he said and his voice did help her calm down. "An island out in the ocean…"

"Swim to it. And I'll be there to help you." He promised as what he was doing was actually helping. He kissed her on the forehead and led her back to the car. "Just say here. I'll drop off the plant."

"Thank you." Veronica gave him a big kiss on the lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He replied, taking the plant, and walking over to the trailer. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door three times and waited as Mr. Andrews opened it.

"Hey, Will. Good to see you." He said with a smile.

"Good to see you too, Mr. Andrews. Can I come in?" Will asked and Mr. Andrews opened up the door. Will walked in and saw Mrs. Lodge sitting at her desk. "Hello, Mrs. Lodge."

"Hello, Will. What brings you by?" She wondered.

"Uh, well I heard it was your first day working at Andrews Construction and thought that maybe you could use a plant to give the place some color." He said, handing it to her.

"Oh, that was very thoughtful. Thank you." Hermione smiled at the thoughtful present. "Your mother did such a good job raising you. I don't think I've ever met boy your age who was this well behaved."

"I'm one of a kind that way." He replied. "So, how are things, Mr. Andrews?"

"Things are all right. I'm actually working on something and trying to get the contract for the development on where the drive-in used to be. Mayor McCoy is handling all the arrangements for the buyer so I'm having dinner with her to try and woo her into giving me the contract." Mr. Andrews explained.

"Sounds daunting. Mayor McCoy isn't exactly a pushover." Will joked, earning a chuckle from the adults. "Um, if you want, I could talk to my mom to talk to her. They've close friends or I could help as a financial backer?"

"Excuse me?" Mr. Andrews was confused at that statement.

"Uh, as Mrs. Lodge knows I was in New York for the summer to handle the final paperwork left behind by my father's will." He explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Mr. Andrews told him.

"Thank you. One of the things left behind in my father's will was a sizeable trust fund that I have access to now. After paying the taxes, saving for college, retirement, and settling everything for my mother when she retires, I still have more money than I need and I've been looking to invest it in something. Investing into the development of my own town seems like a good idea to me." Will said.

"I admire the fact that you want to help, Will but I can't ask you to do that." Mr. Andrews told him. "But having your mother put in a good word for me would be appreciated."

"Fred invited Mayor McCoy to a dinner that I'll be hosting at the Pembrooke. Why don't you and your mother come along tomorrow and she can put in a good word?" Hermione suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." He replied. "Mrs. Lodge, can we talk outside for a moment?"

"Sure thing." She and Will walked outside the trailer while Mr. Andrews went back to work with his crew. "Is everything ok?"

"Sort of." He replied. "I didn't come here alone. Veronica was with me and she saw you kissing Mr. Andrews."

"Oh my god."

"Yeah. I managed to talk her down a bit but be warned. You and she should probably talk." He told her.

"We will. Thank you, Will. I'm glad Veronica has you to look out for her." Hermione told him.

He nodded and walked back to his car where he saw Veronica still sitting there but she was on her phone now. He got into the driver's seat and held her hand. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Will. Can you take me home, now?" She asked.

"Sure." He started up the car and drove her back to the Pembrooke. He parked outside the building and walked Veronica inside. "Do you want me to stay?"

"No, I'm ok, Will. Really." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You've done more than enough."

She gave him a smile before heading to the elevator and taking it up her apartment. Will walked out of the Pembrooke and headed over to Pop's to pick up some food for his mom which he drove to the hospital. He walked in and saw his mom at the reception desk, checking over a clipboard of charts and patient lists.

"Hey, Will. What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Just dropping off some food since I know you'll be here late." He placed the Pop's burger bag and soda down on the counter. "I was out anyways with Veronica so I had time."

"Thank you." She sipped her soda and opened the bag to take a fry. "So, now that you and Veronica are together when will you invite her over for dinner?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. How does tomorrow night sound?" He wondered. "Mrs. Lodge is hosting a dinner for Mr. Andrews and Mayor McCoy to talk about his getting the contract for the drive-in land. He thinks it'll help win her over and I kind of offered you talking to her about that."

"Sierra is a tough cookie but I've been known to be one of the few she really trusts." Christine said.

"Well, Mrs. Lodge invited us over for their dinner so is that ok?" He wondered.

"Yeah, that sounds fine but Sierra did say that Miles is coming in for the Variety show." She told him.

"Oh, that makes some sense. It would explain why Josie was sort of on edge today." Will commented. "I haven't met Mr. McCoy that much but he's…tough to please."

"Isn't that the truth." Christine muttered. "But dinner sounds great."

"Ok. I'll let Mrs. Lodge know." He hugged his mom goodbye. "Take care and stay safe."

"Always." She said but stopping her before he walked away. "Will, is everything ok with your…extra-curricular activities? When you got back from the Sanctum you were really quiet."

She was telling the truth but it didn't really involve his sorcerer business. It had to do with what he learned from Jason's spirit and he never told her because he wasn't sure if he should tell her and how she would react. True he kept her involved in this part of her life so he wasn't sure why he didn't tell her. Maybe it was because if he told her he was afraid of what she might do or who she might tell? Or it could have been the fact that a part of him knew that if he told her it would suddenly be real? Granted, that reason was kind of stupid since he created that investigational board so it was probably the first one.

"We'll talk later. I promise." He told her and that was good enough for her.

Will made his way back home and went into the kitchen to get a bottle of water before heading back to his room. After locking the door, he snapped his fingers and the investigational board from his morning returned to his wall. He looked it over before getting another index card from his desk and writing something on it. After getting some more string, he made a new part of the board that read Proof with a question mark at the end. That's what he needed to get and honestly, he wasn't sure how to do it. Clifford Blossom and his family all but walked on water in this town and even if he could compel him into giving a confession, he had the money and influence to get out from under it and the ties to hurt anyone who would try that case to put him in jail. Not to mention whoever Clifford was working for as a trafficker and what they might do if the truth came out. He needed something else but first he needed information.

His phone rang and it was Wong so he answered. "Hey, uncle. Everything ok at the other two Sanctums?"

"Yes, but like in New York, things are escalating. Master Drumm was right. It would appear that we're going to be much busier than we originally thought. I'm sorry, Will."

"Don't be, uncle. I knew what I was signing up for. Looks like I'll be able to use my duplicate spell sooner rather than later." Will remarked and heard Wong exhale in frustration. "Don't start. I'm the one who wanted a more active role. Besides, if I can't handle high school along with my sorcerer training then I don't deserve to be one."

"We'll see how your mother feels about that. I'm on my way home now." Wong told him.

"Good because I could use your help. It's time to do some sleuthing and bring Clifford Blossom down. And I'm thinking the first way to do that is to figure out his drug network in Riverdale." Will suggested.

"This is starting to sound like the police procedurals your mother loves so much. I'm on it." Wong replied before hanging up. While Will was dealing with his own plans, he wasn't the only one. Veronica would have to talk to her mom and Josie was having her own issues besides her hard-to-please father returning to town. Valerie quit the Pussycats so she was one member down. She went to City Hall to talk to her mom on what to do.

"Mom, Valerie quit the Pussycats."

"Well, replace her." Sierra told her daughter.

"Val writes our songs. She's irreplaceable." Josie pointed out.

"No, Josie. You're irreplaceable. Everyone else is disposable. You know, maybe it's not such a bad thing to try a new voice." Sierra said as she walked around her desk up to Josie who was dreading this idea. "A different voice. You know how your father feels about pop music."

"But it's not pop music this time." Josie told her.

"Ok, well he's catching a red eye and missing two concert dates to see you in this Variety Show. I would hate for you to let him down." Sierra reminded her.

"I understand, and I won't." Josie assured her.

"Good, 'cause if you do, he will somehow blame me. Find yourself a new Cat. Someone skinny and beautiful. But not skinnier and more beautiful than you. And a woman of color, please. Josie, don't forget our branding." Sierra said.

"Yeah, ok."

"And Josie…don't disappoint." Her mother told her.

With Veronica, she was sitting in her living room waiting for her mother to come home to talk to her. She sat on the couch for a few hours and just thought over everything. A part of her would have liked Will to be here for her but he had done so much for her already and she wasn't sure what to make of this. She would talk to him later.

Eventually, Hermione walked in and saw Veronica sitting on the couch waiting for her. Veronica looked at her mom and saw her expression of worry and concern. "Veronica…we need to talk." Hermione told her as she walked over. "I know you saw me and Mr. Andrews at the construction site trailer today. Will told me. Honey, I am so sorry that you had to see that."

"Are you gonna leave dad when he gets out of jail?" Veronica asked.

"No. Honey, I want you to know that we've…we've never even kissed before. Until today. It was a spur of the moment thing and I'm not proud of it." Hermione told her.

"What about dad? What happens when he comes home?" Veronica asked as her mother sat down with her.

"I'm not sure. I'm so sorry, baby. It just happened. And I know that this must be confusing so what can I do to help?"

"You know what, mom? There's actually nothing." Veronica replied. She walked to her room where she immediately took out her phone and called Will. She waited approximately three dial tones before he picked up.

"Hey, Veronica. Everything ok?"

"Not really. I just talked with my mother about her and Mr. Andrews." She told him, sitting down on her bed. "She said you talked to her."

"Yeah, I guess it's the nice guy in me but I told her that you were with me. I figured you two deserved to talk this out fairly. And? What did she say?"

"That this was the first time they kissed. A spur of the moment thing and she's not proud of it." Veronica told him. "God knows what this means going forward but on the bright side, she's not divorcing my dad if I believe her."

"And do you? I know this isn't really something I should put my two cents in but seeing as how I did talk to her…she did seem to really regret you finding out about this." Will pointed out. "Your mom cares about you. You should have seen her when Mrs. Cooper tried to go all Salem Witch trial on you during the whole Chuck Clayton thing. She wants to protect you."

"Well, if she wanted to protect me then she could not have done this." Veronica stated.

"And I'm not defending her actions at all but don't go all hellfire on her. It's just the two of you and take it from someone with experience, you're all each other has." Will said. "You still haven't told me how you feel about this? Mad, hateful, sorry, uncaring?

Veronica sighed before laying down on her bed. "Honestly, I don't know how to feel about this."

"That's understandable. Something like this takes some time to settle. I know from experience. Imagine being ten and your mom finally telling you why everyone else in town has a father and you don't." Will told her and Veronica felt a huge degree of sympathy for what he had to go through.

"Oh my god. That couldn't have been easy." She commented.

"It wasn't." Will replied and from his exhale, she could tell it was bringing up some tough memories. "It's not like I didn't have male role models growing up. Before Archie and I split up as friends in middle school, Mr. Andrews was always there for me and so was Sheriff Keller. I mean, Sheriff Keller was the one who taught me to drive when I got my learner's permit and Mr. Andrews taught me how to fish at Sweetwater River. Granted, the time he did, a massive carp snagged my line and yanked me into the water. This was me when I was eight so I was tiny."

"I would have paid good money to see that." Veronica chuckled and so did Will.

"But I always envied everyone else growing up. Seeing them with both their parents by their side through their recitals, school functions, or barbeques in the park. My mom was amazing and she was superhuman for the both of us but it brought up some hard feelings." Will admitted. "When she eventually told me that he died and when I learned the truth over the summer that he gave his life for my mother and I…it solidified even more that family is important. When the chips are down, you can count on family but to quote that handsome Dean Winchester from the CW drama you like so much…Family may begin with blood but it doesn't end there."

Veronica smiled as just hearing him talk to her seemed to help. "Wise words I'll take to heart, Will." She promised. "So, if you're free and your mother is busy at the hospital…maybe I could sneak out and come visit?"

"As much as I would love that and believe me I would, I think talking to your mother is more important. Besides, I've got some paperwork to file out that my lawyer sent over. I'm thinking of donating to some worthwhile charities in Riverdale and doing my part." He told her.

"Just a regular superhero, aren't you? Well, I don't want to keep you from your work. Help the world, Will. You've helped mine tonight. Good night, Will. Sweet dreams." She told him.

"Sweet dreams, Veronica." Will hung up, putting his phone away in his pocket and focusing back on his work but it wasn't charity paperwork. He was actually dressed in his training gi and jacket of levitation and perched up on the rooftop of an old, abandoned building in the Southside of Riverdale. He was doing his part to help Riverdale but not how Veronica thought.

Wong stuck around the Blossom Manor and Maple farms to recon Clifford Blossom's habits and was witness to several Blossom Maple farms leaving and heading through town. Three of the four trucks took their usual path to the interstate wherever they were going while one stuck around. It drove through the Southside before eventually stopping near some old warehouses and apartment buildings. That's when things got interesting as the truck was met by some people wearing studded sleeveless leather/jean jackets with a skull symbol on the back. He had only seen the 1979 movie the Warriors once but he knew a street gang when he saw one.

Luckily, it was getting dark and with a quick transformation spell he darkened the colors of his clothing and jacket so he didn't stand out as much. Plus, a quick transmutation spell and he added a hoodie and a facemask to cover up his head. While not completely necessary, it added to his mystique and he felt like a superhero from the movies and TV like Batman, Daredevil, or his personal favorite, Stephen Amell's the Arrow. Kevin often joked that he looked like that one guy from the Flash who played the husband of Danielle Panabaker's character but he didn't see the resemblance.

He saw the driver park the truck into the warehouse where he met with the members of the gang. There was a brief conversation before he opened up the truck and the gang members began to remove the wooden maple barrels one by one. Once the barrels were taken from the truck, they ripped off the tops and instead of maple syrup there were wrapped bricks of drugs. Seeing this, Will took out the camera he used for the Blue & Gold and made sure the flash was off before snapping several photos. He couldn't tell what drugs they were but there were wrapped bricks of white powder and what looked like other drugs so maybe heroin and meth but again, that was just speculation. What wasn't speculation was that Jason was right. Clifford Blossom was a drug trafficker and some of those drugs were being distributed in Riverdale.

After snapping enough photos, he summoned a small spell seal in his hand before dropping it over a hole in the roof he was on. The spell seal landed on a brick of drugs and quickly disappeared before anyone could see. It was a tracking spell and would allow him to track down the drugs later. For now, he opened up a portal and headed back home.

Line Break xxxxx

The next morning, Will was sitting at the kitchen counter eating a bowl of cereal while reading a spell book disguised as one of his textbooks. Jughead came down the stairs to the kitchen and saw Will eating breakfast and reading through his book when something weird happened. He saw it was a textbook but for some reason when he walked by it looked like an old leather-bound book with weird Latin writing on the cover and one of those weird symbols like he saw at Sweetwater River. Jughead blinked his eyes and shook his head to wake up and saw it was just a regular textbook.

"Jughead, you ok?" Will asked and Jughead saw the textbook was just a textbook. Guess his mind was playing tricks on him.

"Yeah, I'm good. Sorry. Must not have gotten enough sleep." He walked over and poured himself come coffee in his thermos. "So, are we still on for taking that trip to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy?"

"Yeah. We'll head there during our free period and we can avoid taking the bus since I'll drive." Will said but looked around to make sure his mom didn't come down. "And we're clear that we don't tell anyone. If my mom finds out I skipped class, she'll kill me."

"Understood." Jughead replied, grabbing a bowl, and pouring himself some cereal.

After breakfast, they headed to school where Will met Veronica at her locker first thing. He could see she was still grappling with the whole her mom kissing Mr. Andrews as she wasn't her usual happy self. "Hey."

"Hey." Veronica managed a smile as he pulled her into a comforting hug. She sighed and relaxed into the hug, finding it extremely helpful with everything going on. "Your hugs are always the best."

"Good to know." He kissed her on the head before planting a quick one on the lips. "How are you doing?"

"I'm not sure. My mom and I didn't really talk last night. Honestly, a part of me would like nothing more than to just forget it and move on." Veronica told him.

"Well, as your friend I'm ready to do just that and as your boyfriend, I'm ready to help you whenever you're ready to talk to her." He promised and Veronica smiled. "So, are you and Archie set for the big show? What are you singing?"

"You'll have to wait to see that at the show but if you come with, Archie's waiting in the lounge for our practice." Veronica grabbed his hand and led him through the halls to the lounge where they heard signing and guitar playing. They walked inside to see Archie and Valerie practicing together. "Not to be that girl, Archie but I didn't get the memo we were adding another voice to the mix."

"Ronnie, hey. Great news! Valerie quit the Pussycats." Archie said. Valerie smiled but then frowned when she saw the look Veronica had.

"So, that makes me what, then? Backup?" Veronica wondered.

"No. I mean, you were just doing it as a favor to me, right?" Archie pointed out causing Will to sigh and shake his head. Archie had a good heart but he was an idiot when it came to reading people. He didn't need to see the future to know that Archie was gonna put his foot in his mouth.

"You are unbelievable, Archie. You literally have zero loyalty, you ginger Judas!" Veronica told him off.

"Ok, Ronnie. What's wrong?" Archie wondered why she was going off on him like this.

"What's wrong, Archie, besides the fact that you have no integrity whatsoever, is that your father kissed my mother." Veronica told him. It would seem that her resentment towards her mom and Mr. Andrews was starting to boil over. Will signaled to Valerie to leave and she nodded, seeing as how this was starting to get intense.

"Uh, you know what. Maybe I should leave." Valerie stood up and grabbed her things.

"Great idea, Val. I'll join you." Will added.

"No, hold on. Hold on." Archie stood up to talk to Veronica. "When my dad told me how he felt, it seemed like they were both really into each other."

"They're married to other people." Veronica reminded him.

"Hey, my mom and dad are separated and your dad is…"

"My dad is what?" Veronica was begging him to finish that sentence while Will was signaling him not to go there at all. Literally, making a cutting motion at his neck to signal stop and shut up.

"He's…he's incarcerated, right?" Archie asked only for Will and Valerie to sigh in disbelief.

"That is so not the point, Archie!" Veronica told him.

"Of course not. Of course not. I'm sorry. You're right. Do you wanna talk about it? We can go somewhere and talk. Or do you want your part back?" Archie asked only for Veronica to scoff.

"Oh, don't do me any favors, Archie." And with that, she left the lounge in a huff.

"Veronica…" Archie tried to get her to stop but she was gone.

"Wow…" Will muttered. "Smooth, dude. Real smooth. Way to put your foot in your mouth."

Will left to go follow her and saw her stop in the hallway before ripping a flier off the wall and make her way to the music room where Josie and Melody were hanging up posters for auditions for a new Pussycat. That's when Veronica walked in.

"Your hunt for a new Pussycat is over. I can sing, and I've got a lot of aggression that needs channeling into something positive." Veronica stated. Josie and Melody thought it over for a moment before smiling.

Next thing you know, Josie, Melody, and Veronica were walking down the hall like they owned it. And atop Veronica's head were cat ears indicating she was the newest member of the Pussycats. They had everyone's attention as students literally moved out of their path. Veronica had a smirk on her face as she saw Archie and Valerie and when she passed Will, she grabbed him by the collar and gave him a big kiss on the lips before walking away with a wink.

He was happy, thinking the cat ears made Veronica look hot before walking over to Archie to make a comment. "Oh, yeah. She's gonna kill you dude." He gave Archie one last smile and playful pat on the shoulder before leaving.

When the time came around, Will, Betty, and Jughead left school for the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Will playacted sick and was excused to go home, Jughead forged a note and Betty said there was a family emergency. After leaving school, Will drove them to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy about a few miles out of Riverdale.

The three of them stood together and looked at the imposing building which looked like it belonged in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. Jughead noticed Betty's look of apprehension so he gave her a few words of encouragement.

"Hey. Don't judge a home for troubled youths by its façade, right?"

Betty tightened her ponytail and led them inside to the receptionist. "Hi. My name is Elizabeth Cooper. I'm here to see my sister, Polly."

"May I see some identification?" The nun at the reception desk asked so Betty handed over her student ID. The nun looked it over before sliding over a clipboard. "Sign in here please. They'll have to wait."

Seeing that he and Jughead were stuck, Will took out his phone and put it on silent before calling Jughead. "It's ok, Betty." Will gave her a hug and slipped his phone into her pocket. She felt the phone slip into her jacket pocket and realized what he did so she just smiled and played along. A nun then walked over and escorted her in while he and Jughead walked outside. "Put your phone on speaker."

"Nice move there. Very PI-like." Jughead said, taking his phone out.

"I have my moments." Will replied as the two listened in.

"Polly's room is right this way. Though right now it's silent reflection time, and she usually spends that time in the Garden of Deliverance."

"Garden of Deliverance? Yeah, that's not weird at all." Will muttered.

"I didn't take you for an atheist." Jughead commented.

"I'm not but you saw those articles. This place could very well be Arkham Asylum with nuns. It's how cults and groups pass off their cruel and unethical treatments. Guise is as religious work and suddenly they're untouchable." He pointed out. "People blinded by their own faith are often the most dangerous."

"Don't let the nuns hear you say that." Jughead told him.

"Why do you think we came outside?" Will joked when they heard Betty meet Polly. The two sisters were happy to see one another and Polly was pregnant. Jughead was shocked and Will feigned surprise too but he knew that already.

"So, they locked you up because you're pregnant?"

"It's because they couldn't control me, Betty. Mom and dad hated that Jason and I were dating. They were thrilled when Jason dumped me. Jason's parents forced him to break up with me. Of course, they didn't approve of a Blossom boy dating a Cooper girl. But when I told him about the baby, our baby…oh, he was so happy, Betty. We were gonna run away. Start our family in a beautiful place. So, on July 4th, I woke up, packed a bag, and I went downstairs to start my new life. Just like Jason and I had planned. We were gonna meet on the other side of Sweetwater River. But mom and dad found out about everything. When I went downstairs, there was a woman I didn't know sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea with two men behind her. They threw me in the back of a van. I was screaming. I don't think I stopped screaming until I got here, in this place. Have you talked to him? Does he know that I'm here?

"Who, Polly?"

"Jason. If I give him a message, will you make sure it gets to him?"

"Polly…"

"What does he think happened? He knows that I'm here because of mom and dad, right?

"Oh boy." Will and Jughead exchanged looks of unease. It wasn't going to be easy for her to learn about Jason.

"I can fix this, Betty. I know I can. You just have to help me get out of here, and then I'll go to meet him. I'll go to the car on the lost highway off of Route 40. Once you pass the old maple syrup sign, then you'll know you're almost there. See? I remember. I'm packed. We're packed. We'll go to the farm just like we planned…"

"Polly, stop."

Will signaled Jughead to stop there and he agreed. He put his phone away and took a deep breath when he noticed Will thinking something over. "You ok?"

"She said something about a car off of Route 40, right?" He asked and Jughead nodded when they heard a car pull up and it was Mrs. Cooper. "Ah, shit."

"That's not good." Jughead commented. They headed back inside where they were immediately met by two large orderlies who grabbed their arms and took them to a room where Betty was waiting. Apparently, Ms. Cooper was notified if Polly got visitors so she came over as fast as she could.

She pulled Betty with her to the entrance while the two orderlies dragged Will and Jughead when Polly walked by on the way to her room. "Mom?"

"Polly…"

"Jason's dead? And you didn't tell me? And you kept me in here?" Polly was distraught and angry with two orderlies and a nun rushing over.

"Baby, it's for your own good." Mrs. Cooper assured her.

"Ugh! You always say that. And it's not true!" Polly shouted as she was being dragged away. "NO! Betty!"

Betty hugged her sister as Will and Jughead tried to help her but the two orderlies kept them back. Will saw Jughead get slammed into the wall and he lost it. His orderly pulled him back only for Will grab his left wrist and break it. He shouted in pain as Will kneed him in the groin and then elbowed him in the back of the head where he hit the ground with a thud. He kicked out the left leg of the orderly holding Jughead and then slammed his head into the wall twice before throwing him over his hip and then knocking him out with a right cross.

"Manners, asshole." Will muttered, helping Jughead back up. He and Jughead had to watch as Polly was taken away. He could defend himself and Jughead but taking on the other orderlies around the place was different matter entirely.

Betty was taken home by her mother which left Will and Jughead to drive back to Riverdale by themselves. "Thanks for that, dude." Jughead told him.

"Don't mention it." Will and Jughead fist bumped as he drove them to his house. "What are the chances that Mrs. Cooper didn't tell my mom that we cut school and were at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy?

Will's answer was his phone ringing with a text from his mom that they saw read get home now.

"Zero." Jughead told him.

"Oh boy." Will muttered.

After a tense drive, Will and Jughead made it back to Will's house and walked through the front door. They saw Wong sitting at the kitchen counter and Christine standing in the kitchen with look on her face. Calling it unhappy would be a gross understatement. "Jughead, do you think you could give the three of us some alone time?"

"Sure. I'll head to Pop's." Jughead made his way to the door and Will followed.

"Take me with you." He whispered only for Jughead to close the door behind him. "Crap."

"Will, would you like to explain why I got a call from Alice Cooper saying that my son ditched school and attacked two people?" Christine wondered, her tone showing some clear disappointment and a hint of anger.

"Ok, first off I didn't attack two people. I was defending myself and Jughead from two rough orderlies at a crazy troubled youth home." He pointed out, not really putting any ticks in the win column.

"Will…"

"Ok, ok. Yes, I ditched school and I'm sorry. If you want to ground me or have me serve detention that's fine but I didn't do it without a reason. It was to help Betty and her sister, Polly."

"Polly Cooper? I don't remember you and her being that close." Christine pointed out.

"We weren't but that's not the reason." Will walked over and pulled out a chair. "Mom, you're gonna want to sit down. It's a long story."

Christine looked at Will and he was serious so she sat down. "All right. Talk."

"To start things off, it has to do with what happened when Wong and I went to the Sanctum. Master Drumm managed to find us a spell I could use to talk to Jason and it worked and what we learned was shocking to say the least." Will told her.

"What?"

"Jason and Polly were engaged and planning to run away from both their families and Riverdale. A sort of Romeo and Juliet situation complete with unhappy ending but with an unusual twist and a more sinister antagonist."

"Are you saying that Jason's death involved magic?" Christine asked.

"No, sorry. I probably worded that wrong." Will commented. "What I mean is that the reason Jason and Polly were planning to leave Riverdale is because of what he found out about his father, Clifford Blossom. Apparently, Blossom Maple Farm happens to be a front for Clifford Blossom's drug smuggling operation."

"Excuse me?" Christine wasn't sure she heard that right.

"It's true." Wong snapped his fingers and some photos appeared in his hand. Christine looked them over and they were the surveillance photos Will took last night after following the Blossom Maple trucks to the southside.

"I had Wong monitor everything going on at Blossom Maple Farm and the second those trucks left, I followed the one that went to the Southside. They met up in an old, abandoned warehouse." Will added.

Christine held up one photo of the copious number of drugs stacked together with more still in the truck. "This does explain the increase in drug overdoses at the hospital. I can't believe Clifford Blossom is such a monster—actually I can because he's always been sort of off but to kill his own son?"

"Yeah, it takes a special kind of sociopath to be able to kill your own child. Jason told me that he was going to leave it all behind and leave with Polly. His dad killed him for trying to leave and for making sure his drug operation stayed safe. Jason asked me to look after Polly and Cheryl for him before our conversation was over. It's why I ditched school early today. We found out that Mrs. Cooper sent Polly to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, some religious church group home to try and help her." Will explained.

"Wow, that's a lot to take in. Alice Cooper has always been a bit of a control freak." Christine muttered. "Anything else I should know about?"

"Well, Polly's pregnant with her and Jason's child so there's that." He added.

"Wow. Just when I thought things couldn't get any crazier in this town." She stated.

"Some people think that Polly might have been the one to kill Jason but she's not. She didn't even know he was dead. That was a tough conversation to listen to. Anyway, Mrs. Cooper found out that Polly had visitors and busted us. The orderlies knocked Jughead into a wall so I acted…accordingly." Will explained before grabbing her hand and she held it in comfort. "I'm sorry, mom. I should have told you what we were doing."

"Yes, you should have and you are going to Principal Weatherbee to tell him what you did and will serve your detention sentence." She told him and he nodded. "At most, he'll probably give you a few days of detention but if you ever do something like this again without telling me then you are beyond in trouble. Magic or no magic, I will personally make your life a living hell."

"Understood." Will bowed his head in fear. He may be a sorcerer in training but his mother was still scary.

"So, what's the plan now?" Wong wondered as Will ran his hand through his hair and sighed in exhaustion.

"I don't know. I'm still working on that." He replied.

"Well work on it later. Go take a shower and get dressed. We're heading over to Hermione Lodge's in an hour for dinner." Christine told him.

"Right. Forgot about that." Will muttered as he went up to take a shower and get dressed.

Line Break xxxxx

An hour later, he was wearing a nice pair of slacks, dress shoes, and a form-fitting dark blue button-up while his mother decided to wear a nice burgundy dress. Wong went to the New York Sanctum since they would gone and Jughead was keeping himself busy. Probably went to Pop's since Betty was likely grounded or in lockdown with her parents. Will and his mother arrived a little early to help set up. Smithers greeted them in the lobby and directed them up to the Lodge's Apartment but since Will had been there before he knew where to go.

He knocked on the door and snapped his finger, making a Blueberry pie appear in his hands just before Hermione Lodge opened the door. "Will, Christine, glad you're here and thank you for coming."

"We were glad to get the invite." Christine replied, handing her a nice bottle of wine. "I hope you like it."

"Oh, a nice bottle of Bordeaux. Thank you." Hermione closed the door behind them and looked over the bottle. "Fred and Archie should be here soon and Sierra will be here later. You didn't need to get here early."

"No, it's no problem at all. Any chance I can help?" Christine wondered.

"I won't say not another hand in the kitchen." Hermione told her.

"Anything I can do to help?" Will asked.

"You made dessert and this pie smells delicious so you're fine, Will. Veronica's in her room." Hermione told him.

"Ok." Will walked down the hall while his mother helped Hermione with any last-minute details and set up the table for dinner. He walked over to her room and knocked on the door when he heard Veronica say come in. She was sitting in front of a desk and checking herself in a mirror, finishing up her makeup. "I still don't know why you bother with makeup. It just hides your natural beauty but maybe it's to protect us mortals from going blind when we gaze at you."

Veronica chuckled a bit as she finished combing her hair before she turned to look at him and he looked good wearing the button-up. "Look at Mr. Confident there complimenting his girlfriend. And to think that you've been single before I got here."

"What can I say? I've gotten a confidence boost the last few months." He joked as he walked in and leaned in to give her a kiss which Veronica was happy to reciprocate. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you and you look very dashing and handsome." Veronica told him.

"Thank you, Ms. Lodge." He replied as he watched her comb her hair in the mirror. "So, I know it's the elephant in the room but how are you doing?"

"I'll let you know how I feel after dinner." She promised.

"Right, dinner is going to be interesting." He said, earning a look. "It's more about Josie and her dad showing up. It's why she's been so…intense lately."

"What do you mean?" Veronica asked as he sat down on her bed.

"Her dad is…an asshole." He bluntly put it, causing her to accidently snort. "Sorry for that. I'm usually more composed except it's how it's how I feel about him. He's an amazing jazz player, I'll give him that but…he's not been the best dad for Josie. Can't really say how he's been to Mayor McCoy but he's just so hard to please. It's like he's stuck in ways back to when he was a teenager and despite growing up and having Josie, the only thing he's done is put a mountain of expectations on her. He's practically not even here half the year because he's on the road as a professional Jazz player."

"How do you know this?" Veronica wondered.

"I've grown up with Josie. Mayor McCoy and my mother are friends and we've hung out a lot growing up. I'm probably one of the people that known Josie the best next to Cheryl. Plus, as you're aware I'm good at reading people." He reminded her. "Look, I get his job is not easy and I'm all for following your passion but the man is just stone faced and an overbearing father. He set super high expectations for Josie like nothing she's ever done is good enough and it drives her crazy. He's not even supportive of Josie trying to make it in music."

Hearing all that helped Veronica make some sense of what happened earlier. "That would explain why she was sort of intense today at rehearsal."

"Whenever he's back in town, Josie literally drives herself crazy trying to do everything she can to get a smile or even a smidge of approval from him but he's just stubborn." He finished. Veronica could tell that he really cared about what was going on with Josie which was adorable. She got up and walked over, putting her arms around his neck while he wrapped her waist. "I hate seeing her like that."

"It's so cute how much you care about others." She told him.

"Guess it's my superpower." He joked. "Thinking about how this night may go, I think we could go to Pop's after to hang out."

"Sounds perfect." She smiled, giving him a quick kiss. "That's all you get. Don't want to smudge my makeup."

"Yes, princess." He replied.

Eventually, the two left Veronica's room to help set up the table for dinner and soon enough Archie and his dad arrived along with Josie, Mayor McCoy, and Josie's father. Dinner was a pretty quiet affair with everyone focused on the food but were cordial despite whatever personal issues everyone was going through. That's when Fred started asking Myles questions about his job.

"So, Myles, you being a professional jazz man, you must be living your dream, right?" Fred asked.

"Well, yes and no. The real struggle is always art versus commerce." Myles told him.

"You know, I've never really been about the big paycheck." Fred agreed.

"But if we're talking about the future and long-term security, it can't always be about following your bliss." Mayor McCoy said, with a hint of subtext aimed at her husband.

"True which is why it's easier when you find a job that you love so much it doesn't feel like work." Christine added.

"Granted with her job she loves it lets her cut people legally so maybe take the advice with a grain of salt." Will joked, earning chuckles from the table.

"Personally, I'm just excited to see my daughter perform with the Pussycats at the Variety show." Hermione said with a smile which caught Myles off guard.

"Oh, yeah." Josie agreed.

"I beg your pardon? When were you going to tell me about this?" Myles asked Josie.

"It just happened, Dad, and she's…she's really, really good. And Val quit." She told him. "Or should I say we were Yoko Ono'd?"

"Really? That's unfortunate. She was the real deal. Gave your act some much-needed integrity." Myles commented and Will could see Josie was really hurt at that.

"Bands and groups have lost and replaced members who have moved on or left but that doesn't make them any less amazing." Will pointed out. "Plenty of bands like Queen, Van Halen, Black Sabbath and other groups have changed members but it doesn't mean the love they have for music is lessened. Besides, I always thought that music was a collaborative effort."

"Rock and roll is a little different and not real music." Myles told him.

"That's more of a matter of opinion. I mean, I love jazz but music evolves with the times and people who shape it. If not, then we'd still all be wearing white wigs with nothing but orchestras and opera for music. Now, I love a fancy night out at the opera but I wouldn't want to listen to it all the time." Will said, earning a chuckle from Fred, Archie, Hermione, Mayor McCoy, and Veronica. Josie gave him a smile while his mother kicked him in the shin which he did his best to hide.

"Well, I figure as long as the kids are having fun, that's the point, right?" Fred pointed out.

"Except it's more than just about being fun for us. Isn't it Josephine?" Myles asked his daughter.

"Josephine? I didn't know that was your real name." Archie said.

"After Josephine Baker." Myles explained before looking at Archie. "You kids probably have no idea who that is, do you?"

"She's an American-born French entertainer who was mostly centered in Europe, including France. She was a celebrated dancer, performer, icon and symbol of Jazz and the roaring twenties and was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture in 1927. She's also known for aiding the French resistance during World War 2 and as a civil rights activist." Will answered, earning a surprise look from Myles. "It's a little insulting to generalize with our generation…especially me."

He sipped his water to hide his smirk that Veronica and Josie shared but Myles was less than amused. Hermione sensed that things were getting a little tense so she pushed things forward a bit. "Fred? You wanna get started on that presentation?"

"Yeah." Fred got out of his chair and set up everything for his pitch to Mayor McCoy about the deal for the drive-in land. Myles's stubborn attitude and personality put a hamper on dinner but hopefully Fred's presentation would go better. He explained everything very well, providing Mayor McCoy with the information she needed, projections for the project and everything else. He had done these enough times to know what to do. "And with the labor force coming from Riverdale, Andrews Construction would be stimulating the local economy. It's a win for the entire town. That's it in a nutshell."

Hermione and Archie smiled, seeing him in his element and his plan had a lot of good points.

"Well…after all that salt-of-the-earth talk, I didn't expect you to be another dollar-chasing gentrifier." Myles remarked, earning looks from everyone else.

"Myles, Fred Andrews is a working man who lives in the real world." She told him before getting up to speak to Mr. Andrews. "I think Fred's bid was refreshing. In fact, I'd like to award him the contract. I'd like to, Fred but the buyer's already in the process of accepting another bid. It would take two shareholder signatures to stop the process. I'm sorry."

Fred nodded as Sierra pat him arm, sorry that she couldn't give him the bid for the land. "Mayor McCoy, there's nothing else you can do?" Will asked.

"I'm afraid no. I'm sorry, Fred." She was really sorry that things didn't work out how he hoped but there was nothing she could do. Hermione on the other hand, she might be able to do something. With dinner over, Will left the Pembrooke with Veronica but brought Josie along for a milkshake. She could use one. He ordered three milkshakes and a plate of fries for them as he and Veronica let Josie vent about everything.

"Pop music isn't Jazz. Beyonce is not Josephine Baker. It's an impossible target to hit, and I keep trying…but he just…I'm…" Josie took a deep breath and stopped herself from continuing.

"It's ok, Josie." He assured her. "Do you want anything else? We didn't get to eat the pie I made for dinner. A cupcake?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks, Will." Josie told him.

"Look, Josie it may not mean much coming from me but considering how I am the Pussycats number one fan in this town…" He joked, earning a small smile from her. "…maybe it's time you stop living up to his expectations and just shatter them."

"How very poetic and movie-like of you, Will." Josie commented with a smile.

"They may be movies but they can provide some useful life lessons. And I'm serious. You and the Pussycats are amazing. You don't need anyone else to tell you that." Will told her.

"Thanks, Will." Josie smiled as she ate a fry. "So, Veronica. What's your sob story?"

"Nothing so glamorous. I caught my mom and Fred Andrews in an intimate moment." Veronica told her.

"Are you gonna tell your dad?" Josie wondered.

"Josie, the only thing that keeps me going right now is the thought of how when he gets out of jail, we can all be together again. And we can go back to the way things were." She said and Josie nodded. "And if I tell my dad about my mom, that just all goes away."

"Maybe, maybe not." Josie pointed out.

"You don't know my father…"

"Yeah, but I know dysfunctional families. I'm not saying that what your mom's doing is right, but maybe there's another side to the story. Maybe one worth hearing?" Josie pointed.

"Josie's got a point. And for all we know they're not actually gonna start dating. She said it was a spur of the moment thing and who knows what can happen but don't go full nuclear on your mom and blame her for this. Talk before war is declared." Will told her and she nodded. "And one more thing, when you say that things can go back to the way things were before…does that include us?"

Veronica chuckled before giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "You are the one thing I don't want to change."

"Aw…" Josie smiled as Will kissed Veronica on the head. "Ok, Will. What's going on with you? I mean, you've heard Veronica and I go through our issues and give us some helpful advice so what's going on with you?"

"Um…not much." Will couldn't say anything about Polly and his investigations going on with Betty and Jughead or about what he learned about Clifford Blossom and the growing drug issue on the southside. "I'm just trucking through life as normal. Reggie and his goons have left me alone so that's nice but…I have been thinking about what I do with the money my dad left me."

"What do you mean?" Josie asked.

"I've got enough saved up for college, my mom's retirement to Hawaii, and some set aside for personal expenses. Now, I'm just wondering what to do with the rest of it and listening to Mr. Andrews presentation tonight gave me some inspiration." He admitted.

"So, you're gonna start your own contractor business?" Veronica wondered.

"No, I mean developing Riverdale and putting into the town to help things." Will corrected her. "The past few months have shown that Riverdale isn't the same town Josie and I grew up in if it ever was. A lot of people are content to just ignore problems like that but I'm not one of them. Putting money into my town and helping it seems like a good idea to me."

"And it sounds exactly like what Will Strange would do. Be careful though. You're already loved so my mom might feel threatened you're going after her job." Josie joked.

"Oh, I'd never do that. I hate politics. Besides, I'm sure that violates some labor law somewhere." He pointed out. "But I think it's better than just leaving my money in the bank to sit. I'd rather be using it for something."

"Ok but be careful. Philanthropists who donate a lot of money have a lot to give away. You don't want to use up your entire trust on Riverdale." Veronica cautioned him. As a former rich girl, she knew what she was talking about.

"Then it'll be good thing that I've invested some of it as well." He smiled before kissing her on the head.

The three sat around at Pop's a little longer before they headed home with Will dropping off both Josie and Veronica. He walked inside his house and saw his mother and Jughead sitting at the kitchen counter and both were enjoying a slice of his blueberry pie. She was reading a book while he was writing on his laptop.

"Hey. Great pie by the way." Jughead told him.

"Oh, thanks." Will walked over and cut himself a piece of the pie and put it on a plate. "Did you hear from Betty?"

Jughead was unsure if he should answer since Will's mother was sitting right next to him but she decided to make that easier for them. "I know everything, Jughead. Will can't keep a secret from me. But should he try something stupid like that again then he's dead. You too, Jughead." She warned them both and they nodded. "Now, I'm going to bed so clean up when you're done."

"Goodnight, mom." Will said to her as she walked upstairs. "Don't worry, dude. She won't say anything. Have you talked to Betty?"

"She managed to send a text before her mom took her phone. They're not happy and she's likely grounded for life. And we're probably persona non grata there." Jughead told him.

"So, normal?" He wondered and Jughead nodded.

"What do we do now?" Jughead asked as Will took a bite of pie and wiped his mouth.

"Polly didn't kill Jason. That much we could gather from how she reacted which leaves us a town full of suspects minus present company and Betty." Will said. "Polly said something about a car and route 40. That could be another clue."

"And it gives us a giant canvas to cover to find it." Jughead pointed out.

"We'll worry about that another day. Let's get some sleep. I had dinner with Josie's dad and it was draining." Will remarked.

"Fair enough. Good night." Jughead closed his laptop and headed upstairs.

"Good night." Will finished his slice of pie and went to his room. Once he locked the door, he waved his left hand over his bed which activated an illusion charm he placed there when they first moved back. Appearing on said bed was an illusion of Will sleeping soundly. He had other illusions set up just in case anyone ever came in when he was gone. With the illusion set up, he snapped his fingers and changed into his combat gear as his jacket of Levitation flew off its hanger and wrapped itself around his neck before sprouting the hood and mask to cover his face.

He activated a small cloaking spell that made his whole body and appearance shimmer before he turned invisible. One quick sling ring portal and he left his room and appeared hovering in the air above route 40 and Evergreen forest. The route went on for miles and the forest was huge so normally trying to find a car parked here would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. To narrow that haystack and make the search easier, Polly did say that it was near the old maple syrup sign so he flew around until he could find it.

He eventually found the lost highway off of route 40 which was an old road that ran through the area before route 40 was built and made it obsolete so it was abandoned with old vehicles, garbage, and junk. He saw some old farm equipment and tractors next to an old rundown road sign so he flew down and landed to see it was an old Blossom Maple Farm billboard. He looked around and saw an old tarp covering a car that was parked under a tree. He conjured up a pair of gloves to cover his hands and moved the tarp off the old sedan before opening up the trunk. There were various bags packed filled with clothes, toiletries, and personal items including Jason's Varsity jacket stacked in the car were bricks of drugs.

"Jesus, Jason. What were you doing to get away?" Will asked himself, magically pulling his camera out of his cloak and taking some pictures before putting every back the way he found it. Normally, he'd have called the cops right then and there but given how Clifford Blossom had everyone in this town on his payroll or could buy them, he needed another way. There was one person in the Sherriff's office he could trust and decided to pull a play from the movie Batman Begins.

Sheriff Keller arrived home after his shift and after having dinner with Kevin he was in his office working on some paperwork along with working the clues for the Jason Blossom murder. Will's information that Jason might have been looking to skip town gave him a possible motive but there wasn't much else to go on. That's when the lights in the room turned off but before he could get up to check the breakers, he felt something touch the back of his head.

"Don't turn around." He heard a disguised voice tell him and Sheriff Keller froze in his seat. "I'm not here to hurt you or your son."

"What do you want?" Sheriff Keller asked, unaware that the person behind him was Will in disguise pressing a stapler to the back of his head. He was magically distorting his voice to sound like Prometheus from season 5 of Arrow but the first half of season 5 when it still had the gravely sound effect to it.

"Sheriff Keller…you're a good man. A decorated soldier who returned to protect his home. You're one of the few people in Riverdale who I believe I can trust…trust with certain knowledge."

"And what's that?" Keller asked.

"I know who killed Jason Blossom. It was his father."

"You're kidding right?" Keller thought this was a joke when some photos were placed down next to him. He looked down and saw a photo that showed men moving drugs from a Blossom Maple truck into a warehouse. There were enough photos and they have plenty of clean shots of the Blossom Maple Trucks.

"Clifford's Blossom fortune was made on drug smuggling. He transports drugs through Riverdale but sends some to the southside where they're sold. You must have noticed the uptick in drug busts and violent crimes and it's because of him. Jason Blossom found out about his father's drug ring and tried to leave. Clifford found out and killed him to prevent the secret from coming out."

"These photos could be faked. How do I know you're even telling me the truth?" Keller asked.

"You're giving me the benefit of the doubt. It's why you haven't reached for the revolver you keep in your desk." Will told him. "Jason had a planned getaway car he never made it to. He was leaving with Polly Cooper before she was taken to Sisters of Quiet Mercy by her parents. It's on the lost highway off of Route 40 by the old Blossom Maple sign. You'll find it there and know that I'm telling you the truth. Build your case up against Clifford Blossom but keep it to yourself."

"Why?"

"I don't know who Clifford Blossom could be working with. If it's any of the cartels then you and your son could be in danger. He was willing to shoot his own son in the head to keep his secret. If he finds out you know then you'll be in danger but I can protect you." Will assured him.

"You're just one man." Keller said as Will removed the stapler.

"Now, we're two. I'll contact you again when you're ready."

"Who are you?"

"Someone who cares about his home." Will left soon after that. The lights turned back on as Keller pulled out his gun and checked his office but the stranger was gone and there was no sign of a break-in or anything. No flowing curtains from a recently opened window, his door was exactly like he left it and when he turned around all he saw was a stapler on the ground. Did that stranger manage to sneak into his house and hold him at gunpoint with an actual stapler?

That's when Sheriff Keller saw the photos on the desk were still there and with the lights on, it gave him a better look at the Blossom truck filled with drugs, the warehouse they were taken in and the people they were delivered to. From the angle, Keller could tell that they were taken from a high vantage point but what was concerning him was how right and plausible everything the stranger told him. He was right that there's been a steady uptick in drug arrest, overdoses, and drug related violence on the southside and starting to bleed up to the northside but it had been contained and limited. The department had no answers and no prime suspects on an organization so this could be the answer but he also had a hard time believing that Clifford Blossom was the man responsible and killed his own son. Well, not a hard time but he wasn't going to take the word of a mystery man who broke into his house to speak to him. Until he actually got solid proof or evidence…he wasn't sure if this was at all true and he was going to treat it as such but that tip about the car might be worth looking into.

Line Break xxxxx

The next morning, Jughead woke up and took a shower before getting dressed with his signature crown beanie on his head and heading to the kitchen. He filled up the coffee maker and poured himself a bowl of cereal. As he sat down and ate, his vision began to act up and he got a small headache. Not painful but like his brain was suddenly hit with a serious boost of caffeine which was jarring. Unbeknownst to him since he didn't have a mirror, his pupils momentarily turned yellow before going back to normal. He rubbed his eyes and looked around as the kitchen and entire house seemed to radiate a kind of aura he didn't notice before.

Will then walked down the stairs dressed and noticed Jughead looked around. "Jughead, you ok?"

Jughead looked at Will and had to shield his eyes as the aura he produced so bright that it was blinding. And from what he could feel it was powerful, intimidating…yes soothing and comforting in a way.

"Jughead…Jughead…JUG!" Will's shout pulled Jughead out of whatever was going on. He looked around and saw everything he saw before was gone and it was back to normal. "You ok?"

"Uh…yeah. I…I just didn't get enough sleep." Jughead replied.

"Are you sure because it looks like you were freaking out a bit? You feeling sick?" Will wondered as he got a bowl from the cabinet.

"Uh…I felt a twinge in my head for a bit." Jughead told him as Will poured them some coffee.

"Maybe you should go see my mom at the hospital? Have her check you out." Will suggested.

"I appreciate the best friend concern dude, but I'm ok." Jughead assured him.

"Dude, having a mom who's a trained doctor and works as one of the heads at the hospital is a perk and one is that is exploited for situations like this." He pointed out. "Go see her and just have her check you out, all right? Better to be safe than sorry and she'll give you a lollipop afterward. Failing that, I'll tie you up and drag you there if I have to."

Jughead chuckled at the idea but knew Will would likely go through with it. When it came to caring for others, no one could outclass him in that field. "All right. I'll go and get looked out." Jughead promised.

"Good and don't worry. You know my mom's the best there is." He reminded him and Jughead nodded.

"So, any ideas on what we should do now?" Jughead asked as Will thought it over a bit.

"Personally…I think we should talk to Sheriff Keller." He said and Jughead gave him a confused look. "I know but having this information could help and at the very least it'll help prove that Polly's not a suspect which would be good for Betty and her parents."

"Not sure how Mrs. Cooper is gonna feel with you telling Kevin's dad about her family." Jughead pointed out only to get a shrug in response.

"She already doesn't like me because I got rich over the summer and for whatever other reasons, she doesn't like me. It's not like I was winning any popularity contests with her. Besides, I already told him about Jason and the looking to sell drugs bit." He said earning a look from Jughead. "Relax, I just told him that I heard rumors and such. I didn't mention you or Betty. And Kevin's dad trusts me and I trust him. This could help and for all we know he could Jason's car and get the evidence to find the killer."

"It's hard to argue you when you pull out logic and reasoning." Jughead muttered.

"It's a gift." Will remarked. "All right, you go see my mom at the hospital and just get a quick check up to make sure everything's ok and I'm gonna go talk to Sheriff Keller before I go see Veronica. Oh, and after your done with my mom you should go check on Betty?"

"Right." Jughead replied as the two finished their breakfast and went about their plans. Will dropped off Jughead at the hospital and while he was a little apprehensive, he eventually made his way in and over to the front desk. The receptionist was typing on the computer and the lobby was pretty much empty minus some family members present for people in the hospital. "Um…I'm looking for Dr. Palmer. I'm a family friend."

"Jughead?" He turned around and saw Will's mom walk down the hall with a nurse. She signed a clipboard of papers and handed it to the nurse before walking over. "What are you doing here?"

"You're caring and overcautious son and my best friend suggested I come here after a little unusual episode I had this morning at breakfast." Jughead told her.

"Did you have a stroke?" She asked, getting close to look him over.

"No, no not a stroke. I just…my head started to hurt and I began seeing things but by the time Will came downstairs it went away." He explained.

"Well, he might have been right to send you here if not to just exploit the fact that I work here but let's just do a quick checkup." She suggested, leading him to an empty hospital room. "So, tell me again what happened and in detail."

She took out a penlight and shined it in his eyes to check his pupils before checking his heartbeat and breathing. "I was eating cereal at the kitchen counter when my eyes started to hurt a little bit and I got a small headache. The headache went away quickly but my vision started to act up. I felt like I was seeing things."

"What kind of things?" Christine wondered, checking his blood pressure and pulse.

"I don't know. It was like…everywhere in your house I could see something that wasn't there before. Like some kind of…light." Jughead told her. Christine listened intently as she checked his ears for any kind of infection before going over to the cabinet and getting out a syringe and vial.

"Is today the first time this happened?" She asked. "And the truth, Jughead."

"No. It's happened once before. When I came down for breakfast I could have sworn that he had a different book in his hand but it went away and it was just his biology textbook." Jughead explained and hearing that made her perk up a bit. Could Jughead have seen Will reading a magic tome by accident? "This isn't a stroke is it? Or a sign of brain damage?"

"Well, you'd be having other issues besides the acute headache and seeing things isn't definitive of any kind of cerebral hemorrhaging or damage. It could be psychological or stress related. Considering what you, Betty and my son have been doing in your off time then it's more than likely that this stress is going to affect you all." Christine warned him. "If you're ok with it, I'll take a blood sample and expedite the results."

"Thanks, Dr. Palmer." Jughead replied, rolling up his sleeve and she drew some blood for a test.

"I'll have the results later today. I'm gonna drop off your blood for testing but stay here. I have a few more tests I want to run." She told him. Jughead stayed in the room while she walked out and delivered his for testing personally at the top of the pile so it'd be ready in a few hours. When she walked back into the hallway, she pulled out her cellphone and called someone. "Wong, I need you get home as soon as you can."

While Jughead was getting checked out at the hospital, Will went to the Sheriff's office to speak with Sheriff Keller. Knowing that he would likely be on edge after what happened last night, Will had to remind himself constantly to be careful how he spoke and what information he shared. Sharing enough was fine but he if said the wrong thing or made Sheriff Keller question how he got that information then things could get complicated.

He walked into the sheriff's office and talked to the deputy at the front desk. "Hi. Is it possible if could speak to Sheriff Keller for a second? You can tell him it's Will Strange and it's important."

"Take a seat." The deputy told him as he picked up the phone and called.

Will sat down in the lobby and waited a bit until Sheriff Keller walked out. "Hey, Will. You needed to see me?"

"Yeah, can we talk? In private?" He asked and Sheriff Keller led him through the precinct until they arrived at his office. Once the door was closed, Will sat down in a chair across from Sheriff Keller's desk. "Sorry to bother you like this but I wouldn't do it if it wasn't important."

"It's fine. You said it was important. Is something wrong with your mom?" Sheriff Keller asked.

"No, she's fine. It's about the Jason Blossom case. Betty, Jughead, and I found out some new information and I came to tell you." Will told him. "Caveat is the information is kind of sensitive and I'm kind of hoping you can a be a little discreet with it and how you got it."

"Will, you know I've always looked at you like family. You and Kevin have been friends since you were kids so whatever you have to tell me, I want you to know you can trust me." Sheriff Keller assured him.

"I know, Sheriff Keller and I know you'd never do anything to put me in danger. It's just this information isn't really my business and if people know that I told you then they'd want me dead. Most likely, Mrs. Cooper." Will explained and Sheriff Keller understood what he meant. She could be vindictive. "It's about her daughter, Polly, Betty's older sister. Everyone knows she and Jason dated but she hasn't been seen since last school year ended. Betty wanted to find her sister after finding about how her and Jason's relationship ended. Her family's been going through a lot so Jughead and I helped her however we could."

"Still helping people, aren't you Will? You should think of doing it for a living." Keller joked.

"With how this year has been going, it's starting to feel like that." Will muttered. "It turns out that the reason Polly hasn't been seen since the summer is because Mr. and Mrs. Cooper sent her to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. It's a catholic reform school for disenfranchised youths where they're told what to do by old nuns. No offense meant."

"None taken." Sheriff Keller replied. "So, Polly's been there since the 4th of July?"

"Yeah, this is where it gets complicated, personal and kind of unbelievable. Betty was able to talk to Polly and it turns out that she…um, is pregnant with Jason's baby." He said and Sheriff Keller was shocked. "Yeah, that's how me and Jughead reacted to the news."

"She told you this herself?" Keller asked, writing some of this down.

"Not exactly. The nuns would only let family see Polly so I slipped my phone into Betty's pocket and called Jughead before she was taken to see her. An old detective trick I picked up watching crime shows." Will joked.

"Clever but not really admissible for a police report but if Betty was there then that's another matter. So, Polly is pregnant with Jason's baby?" Keller asked and Will nodded.

"Yeah. She said that she and Jason were really in love and it was their parents that didn't want them together. Knowing the Blossoms and the Coopers, I can believe that." Will pointed out and Sheriff Keller was partial to agree. "Anyway, according to Polly she and Jason were planning to run away together. But her parents found out and had her taken to the Sisters on 4th of July when she was leaving."

"The 4th of July? She was meeting Jason that day?" Keller asked, finding that piece of information helpful as it might explain why Jason was at Sweetwater River and Cheryl told him that she rowed him across.

"Uh, yeah." Will took a moment to remember everything Polly said so he didn't let slip something he shouldn't know. "She said that he and her had this plan to meet at Sweetwater river. Anyway, she didn't know Jason was dead until Betty told her. It sounded like she was devastated."

"Or she could be lying and it's all an act?" Keller pointed out and Will shrugged, playing the unknowing kid he had to assume to be.

"True but if her story is real then she couldn't have killed him. Plus, she really sounded devastated. And when Mrs. Cooper eventually found us at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and Polly saw her, she blamed her mother for sending her there and that she didn't tell her about Jason. I think she's telling the truth." Will assured him as Sheriff Keller wrote all this down. "And you'll understand why I kind of want my name stricken from the record. I don't need Mrs. Cooper coming after me or writing slander pieces in the paper because I aired her family's secret."

"Fair enough. I promise your name won't come up at all. I'll just say I found out myself or a reliable source told him." Keller promised. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, um…before Betty told Polly that Jason was dead, she mentioned that they planned a getaway together. Something about a car and route 40, I think?" Will told him and that's when the sheriff remembered what the mystery intruder told him last night.

"Lost highway off of route 40 by the old Blossom Maple sign?" Keller asked him and Will feigned surprise.

"Uh, yeah I think so. How did you know that?" Will wondered. "Are you a mind reader?"

"Lucky guess." Keller told him. "I really appreciate you coming forward with this information, Will. It says a lot about you."

"Well, you've always had my trust and I'll always have yours, Sheriff Keller." Will promised him. "Just please don't tell the Coopers I told you."

"I won't. Promise."

"Thanks, Sheriff. Now, I've got to go and meet Veronica for her performance tonight." Will said as he got up.

"Wish her luck for me and tell Kevin I'll try to make it tonight." Sheriff Keller told him.

"Will do. Take care." Will walked out of the Sheriff's office with a small smirk on his face. He think he played that pretty well and he deserved an Oscar for his performance. At least a Golden Globe or maybe an Emmy.

When Will was gone and he was alone, Sheriff Keller opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out an evidence bag which contained the photos the mystery man left at his house last night. He had them dusted for prints and any markings but nothing. Not even so much as a printing marker which meant it wasn't printed from a commercial store or computer. He was still dubious if anything the man said was true but now with Will telling him about the getaway car at the same location that he said it was…could he be telling the truth? Decided to see for himself, he grabbed his coat and went to do some investigating on his own.

At the Pembrooke, Veronica had finished getting ready and opened her garment bag to check on the outfit she and the Pussycats were going to be wearing for the performance tonight. She saw the cat ears that matched with the outfit and smiled when her mother walked in with a file in her hand.

"I can't wait to see your debut as a Pussycat, Ronnie. Truly."

"Mom, I've been thinking…"

"Meanwhile, I was wondering if you could help me with something." Hermione held up the file in her hands.

"Are those divorce papers?" Veronica asked.

"No." She promised and Veronica breathed a sigh of relief. "Ronnie, it's a motion. To award the construction contract on your father's land to Fred Andrews. I know you're not his biggest fan right now, but I was hoping you would sign it."

"Why would I need to sign it?" Veronica wondered.

"When your father was arrested, we made you a legal office of Lodge Industries. Surprise. And two out of three signatures are needed to award the contract, which your father wants to give to a less than legit outfit." Hermione explained.

"And you want my help giving it to your boyfriend." Veronica scoffed. "And I was gonna apologize to you. If I sign that, will you stop seeing Fred Andrews?"

"Ronnie, I can't agree to that."

"In that case, mom, I'm sorry but no. However, you're rationalizing what you're doing with Archie's dad, I don't want any part of it." Veroncia grabbed her garment bag and stormed off. Unaware that her mother would then forge her name on the document. The battle between mother and daughter was growing.

Will arrived outside the Pembrooke where he saw Veronica storm out, looking rather upset. She got in the front seat and threw her garment bag in the back. "Ronnie, what's wrong?"

"I so don't want to talk about it right now. Let's go." Veronica told him. Will started the car and drove them away from the Pembrooke until they arrived at Riverdale High. That's where they were going to get ready and run some microphone tests for their performance along with everyone else who was in the Variety show. Veronica got out of the car in a hurry so Will followed and stopped her in the parking lot.

"Whoa, Veronica. Look at me." He got in front of her and saw she was upset. "What's going on? You know you can talk to me."

"My mother wanted me to sign off on a new motion to give the Drive-in land contract to Mr. Andrews. However, she wants to handle her new relationship is on her but I want no part of it." Veronica told him.

"Yeah, that couldn't have been easy and I'm sorry this is happening to you all of a sudden. It's not fair." Will said, giving a hug and she melted the second she was in his embrace. Will's hugs tended to help anyone feel better. "Wait, why would she need you to sign off?"

"Apparently, I'm a legal office for Lodge Industries. She did it when my dad was arrested." Veronica explained.

"Ok. Well, without you signing it she can't give him the contract. And despite how good this would be for his business, at least nothing's gonna happen. Maybe with some time to think on this, you and your mother can reach some common ground and put this all behind you for the better." Will suggested before pulling out a lovely bouquet of flowers from his back and gave them to her. She smiled and took a whiff of the lovely flowers. "But tonight, is about you and the Pussycats. Use that energy and everything you're feeling and sing only like you can and I'll be in the crowd."

Veronica smiled before giving him a kiss. "And I'll be singing for you tonight."

Will walked Veronica inside and dropped her off at the mock green room set up which is where the performers could get ready. She walked in and he saw Josie and Melody there as well. "You girls are gonna kill it tonight. Knock them dead."

"Thanks, Will." Josie and Melody waved before he walked down the hall.

That's when his phone went off and he saw it was Daniel Webster. "Hey, Mr. Webster. Thanks for calling. So, is there any issues with what I asked about this morning?"

"Not really. Charity and investing money is actually pretty easy compared to what I used to do. As you said you plan on sticking to Riverdale so far so I'm already submitting paperwork to the county clerk's office. Once they get approved you shouldn't have any issue in your plans and your bank accounts and records are ready and completely legal. No one is gonna find an issues. Of course, finding people to help with your plans is gonna be something else."

"I can take care of that. I have some ideas about some local contractors. Can you do me a favor and request information from Riverdale's charter office and the city planners? I want to know what buildings I can start looking at." Will told him.

"Sure thing. I'll have a list of properties and businesses for you in the morning."

"Thanks." Will replied when his phone rang and he saw it was his mom. "I've got another call to take. We'll talk later."

"Sure thing. Goodbye."

Will switched the call after Webster hung up. "Hey, mom. Everything ok?"

"That remains to be seen. Jughead came to see me because you suggested he get checked out." She told him.

"Yeah, he kind of spaced out this morning at breakfast. That's never happened before. Is he ok?" Will wondered.

"Physically, yes. I wasn't able to find anything wrong with him. And I managed to rush a blood test on him and they all came back negative. But that's not what concerned me."

"Ok, what?" Will was curious what had his mom worried like this.

"When I asked Jughead what was going on he said he was seeing things. And when his vision acted up he said he saw you reading an old book before it turned into a textbook and this morning he said he saw some kind of light around the house. Did you put a barrier around the house when you and Wong did the thing?" She asked as Will looked around and turned the hallway so he was alone and could speak without being eavesdropped on.

"Yeah, I put up a barrier around the house incase the one around town failed. It's a precaution that keeps anything evil or demonic from entering but it's invisible. Not even a high-tech satellite and drone should be able to pick it up. There's no way Jughead could have seen something." Will pointed out.

"But he did and it looks like he also saw you reading a tome. After hearing all that and sending him away, I called Wong and he came back from the New York Sanctum. He ran a magic test on Jughead's blood and he says that Jughead is a Grimm." She told him.

"Wait, a Grimm? Grimms are descendants from the original Brothers Grimm from the 1800s, the most prolific monster hunters and demon catchers of that era. I remember reading about them at the Sanctum. They worked with sorcerers back then to keep the world safe and they were special because they could see magic, magical creatures, and demons that normal people couldn't see. There's been maybe one Grimm who's awakened his powers every fifty years. Jughead's a Grimm?"

"Wong confirmed it. He is one and it's why his vision is acting up and he's seeing things. His powers must be awakening." Christine told him. "I know you had him move in because he's your friend and I love Jughead but he's close to figuring out who you are. What are you going to do?"

Will rubbed his eyes and breathed a sigh of anxiety and frustration. He was not expecting this at all and his two worlds were literally colliding. "Jughead's not stupid. He's gonna know something's up soon enough and he'll put it together. And the more his powers start to manifest he could think he's going insane." He pointed out before coming to the most likely conclusion he'd have to. "I might have to tell him the truth."

"Ok, we'll talk that out later but for now say nothing and no more magic in front of him." Christine told him.

"Right. Thanks for the heads up, mom." Will hung up and banged his head against the wall in frustration. "Ow…"

"Will you ok?"

Will jumped and saw it was Kevin who asked that. "Geez, Kevin you scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry." Kevin apologized before standing with his arms out, showing off his new suit. "How do I look?"

"Not bad, Kev."

"So, you excited for tonight? Veronica and the Pussycats are gonna kill it." Kevin told him.

"Only problem is Josie's overbearing dad." Will remarked when he got struck with an idea. "Kevin, can you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Can you set up another performance for the Pussycats after their first one?" He wondered.

"Why?" Kevin asked.

"Call it a gut feeling but I think Josie's gonna want to belt out a song after the first one." Will told him, confusing Kevin as to his reasoning but he'd do it. He'd first have to talk to Archie but he would be fine with it.

Across town, Sheriff Keller drove onto route 40 and turned down the old lost highway. A part of him thought this was a wild goose chase but after Will sort of confirmed the mystery man's information he needed to see if there was anything actually there. He had his shotgun loaded and an AR-15 rifle in the trunk incase this was a trap and the GPS in his car was on. After a slow drive down the lost highway and seeing nothing but old farm equipment and junk he eventually saw the old Blossom Maple sign. He stopped his car and got out to look around but the sun up so he was able to see everything with good visibility. That's when he saw the fallen branches and leaves that covered a green camouflaged covered car.

"I don't believe it." Sheriff Keller pulled out his pistol just in case and slowly walked over, looking around for any signs of a trap or other people. He removed the tarp and saw a four door sedan with a lot of bags and boxes in the trunk. After putting on a pair of gloves he kept in his belt, he opened up the trunk and checked through some of the bags. There were clothes, toiletries, and other personal items and that's when he saw a Riverdale High Varsity Letterman jacket with Jason's name on it. He pulled out his radio and called in backup. "This is Sheriff Keller, I need backup and CSU teams at my location. I'm at the Old Highway road off of Route 40 at mile marker 79, approximately 1.2 miles from the highway by the Old Blossom Maple sign."

Line Break xxxxx

It was now time for the Riverdale Variety Show. All the acts were a little nervous but excited and Kevin slipped into his role as the announcer and host very easily. Will was sitting with his mother in the crown next to Hermione Lodge and Mr. Andrews. He had his camera with him to take some pictures for the Blue & Gold as well as regular photos for the event he'd give to families.

"Hello, Riverdale High, and welcome to the 75th annual Variety Show!" Kevin announced and everyone clapped. "Now we have a lot of great acts in store tonight with some known favorite and new additions. So, enjoy the night and thank you for the donations to the Red Cross and Cancer Society. Now, let's the show started."

Everyone clapped as Will got out of his seat and crouched in the aisle to get some good photos. There were some great single performances and singing before Josie and the Pussycats went on with a cover of Donna Summer's I Feel Love. It was a funky disco song cover and the Pussycats were killing it. Plus, Valerie was back so the Pussycats were back together. Their cat leotards worked with the name and Veronica looked amazing.

Ooh It's so good, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good. Ooh heaven knows, heaven knows, heaven knows, heaven knows, heaven knows. Ooh I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love.

Will snapped some photos and saw that everyone in the crowd was loving them. When he looked back, he saw Mayor McCoy smiling but Myles was just stone faced as usual.

I feel love…I feel love…I feel love…love…love…

He took another photo and looked back to see Myles getting out of his seat, walking down the aisle, and leaving. That's when Will lost it and followed him. Josie was heartbroken at seeing her dad leave while Veronica saw Will leave, wondering where he was going.

Myles just walked out of the auditorium when Will walked out right behind him. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

"I have a plane to catch for my tour." Myles said, stopping to look at him.

"You're not even gonna stay until the show is over?" Will asked, feeling his anger starting to boil.

"I've got to go." Myles told him and walked to the exit.

"So, you're not only rude but an asshole as well. Good to know." Will told him off.

"Excuse me?" Myles asked.

"Oh, you didn't hear me? Let me say it again. You are a stone faced, unapologetic, condescending washed up Jazz artist who doesn't deserve to be a father or a husband." Will insulted him right to his face, letting his anger at him come out. "You don't even see what you're doing to your own daughter, do you? Josie has literally been driving herself crazy for this night and all you can do is walk away. Do you even care about her?"

"Don't you dare tell me that I don't care about my daughter." Myles warned him.

"Then how about you show it! She's been killing herself and the Cats for this show because you would be here. Do you even know why?" Will asked.

"So, she can show me she's not wasting her time with music but that performance showed me everything I needed to know. She's not doing this because she's passionate about music." Myles pointed out.

"Of course, she is. Josie's the most passionate person with music that I know! She's doing this to try and please you, you idiot, and the mountain of expectations you put on her to live up to your old, stupid ways of thinking that it's literally driving her insane and doing songs she has no passion for! That's why! All you give her is side glances and tell her she's not good enough so she's doing everything she can to show you she can do it but you just set impossible tasks for her to fail and it kills her! Did you not see the devastated look she had on her face when you walked out because I did! And it killed me and her mother!" Will shouted in his face, telling him off and making him feel bad about Josie. "I look at Josie like a sister since it was just my mother and me. I may have had to grow up without a father but if its between that or you then I'm happy with my life since it's given me great friends and I don't have you to tear me down during a moment of my life when I need your support more than ever. Walk away but I promise you, Mr. McCoy that Josie is gonna make it and you're gonna feel sorry that you walked away at this moment."

After that long tirade, Will walked down the hall to head backstage to the auditorium while Myles stood their stunned a bit before he left. Will arrived just as the Pussycats finished and they got a standing ovation. "Will, what are you doing back here?" Archie asked.

"Uh, something important." Will removed his camera and handed it to Archie. "Hold this for a second. Kevin, give me the microphone."

"What? No." Kevin replied.

"Oh, just give it." Will yanked it out of his hands and walked on stage, motioning Valerie and Melody to stay there. "Let's give another round of applause for the Josie and the Pussycats! And their newest Cat, Veronica Lodge!"

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as the girls took it in stride. He walked over to Josie and hugged her and she hugged back. "Don't go anywhere." He whispered.

"What?" She asked.

"Now I don't know about the rest of you but that was incredible! So, incredible in fact that Josie and the Pussycats are gonna grace us with another song!" He announced.

"We are?" Valerie and Melody whispered to him.

"And this additional song is in celebration because I've just been informed that the Riverdale Red Cross and Cancer society just received a new donation of ten thousand dollars!" He declared and the auditorium cheered. Will then motioned Kevin to come out and take the microphone. "Stall and give me a few seconds."

"Uh, right! As my friend and sudden co-host announced, we've got a new record donation!" Kevin added, keeping them stalled while he and Josie stepped aside for a bit.

"Will, what are you doing?" Josie asked him.

"This is for you. I'm sorry, I tried to get your dad to stay. I'm hoping he did but if not then it's his loss. You don't need him to tell you that you're gonna make it. Everyone knows it so you prove it to them now. Sing that new song you told me about over the summer." He suggested.

"Tell me you love me? Will, we haven't done a live performance of it, yet." Josie reminded him.

"I know so this is gonna be it and it's gonna rock because it's a song you wrote, you have passion for and it's gonna show." He told her. "Close your eyes and just sing. And everything you're feeling right now, you put it in the song. And prove to everyone here that your father is wrong. You can do this, Josie. You could do it with your eyes closed so shut them and sing from the heart. Don't be Josephine Baker or Josephine McCoy, be Josie. Now, knock them dead."

Josie stood there shocked a bit as Will patted Kevin on the shoulder and gave him a nod. "So, Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado…I give you Josie and the Pussycats, again." Kevin announced as he walked off stage with Will following him who escorted Veronica off as well.

"You did great, Veronica but this is a song that the three of them know." Will explained.

"No, it's fine." Veronica assured him as Archie handed him his camera back.

"Sorry for the delay, Archie. Kevin, make sure you give him a good intro." Will told him as he walked away.

"Where are you going now?" Kevin wondered.

"Got to get a good view." Will held up his camera and left. When he saw he was alone in the hallway, he snapped his fingers and turned the photo camera into a video camera before entering the auditorium again and getting a good position in the aisle.

Josie stood up there at the microphone a little frozen but one look at her mother and a nod of assurance from Will seemed to steady her nerves. She turned to Melody and Valerie and whispered them the song they were doing and they nodded, ready to make this a great first live performance for the song. Josie closed her eyes and took a deep breath as Valerie played them in on the keyboards. (1)

Oh no, here we go again
Fighting over what I said
I'm sorry
Yeah I'm sorry
Bad at love, no, I'm not good at this
But I can't say I'm innocent
Not hardly
But I'm sorry

And all my friends, they know and it's true
I don't know who I am without you
I got it bad, baby
Got it bad

The crowd clapped along to Melody's timing of the drums and from the looks on everyone, they were loving it. Josie was singing from the heart and throwing her soul into it with her eyes still closed, just letting her passion guide her. Valerie and Melody harmonized and the song was great.

Oh, tell me you love me
I need someone
On days like this, I do
On days like this
Oh, tell me you love me
I need someone
On days like this, I do
On days like this
Oh, can you hear my heart say?
(Ooh-ooh, oh, oh-ooh-ohh-ooh)
No, you ain't nobody 'til you got somebody
You ain't nobody 'til you got somebody

And I hope I never see the day
That you move on and be happy without me
Without me
Oh, what's my hand without your heart to hold?
I don't know what I'm living for
If I'm living
Without you, ooh

All my friends, they know and it's true
I don't know who I am without you
I've got it bad, baby
I got it bad

Oh, tell me you love me (ooh)
I need someone
On days like this, I do
On days like this
Oh, tell me you love me
I need someone
On days like this, I do
On days like this
Oh, can you hear my heart say?
(Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh)
You ain't nobody 'til you got somebody
You ain't nobody 'til you got somebody
My heart's like
(Ooh-ooh, oh, oh-ooh-ohh-ooh)
No, you ain't nobody 'til you got somebody
You ain't nobody 'til you got somebody

Veronica, Kevin, and Archie smiled backstage as they saw Josie and the Pussycats in their element. Mayor McCoy had tears of joy and pride on her face as she watched her daughter perform like she's never performed before. Will was recording everything with the video camera. It was a video camera worthy moment and who knows? Maybe his dad saved someone who was a music producer. Stranger things have happened.

Everything I need (ohh)
Is standing in front of me (ohh)
I know that we will be
Alright, alright, yeah
Through the ups and downs (downs)
Baby, I'ma stick around (ohh)
I promise we will be
Alright, alright

Oh, tell me you love me
I need someone
On days like this, I do
On days like this
Oh, tell me you love me

Josie's belting of the high note got everyone out of their seats and cheering like crazy.

I need someone (yeah, yeah)
On days like this, I do (days I like this)
On days like this
Oh, can you hear my heart say?
(Ooh-ooh, oh, oh-ooh-ohh-ooh) hear my heart say, hear my heart say
You ain't nobody 'til you got somebody
You ain't nobody 'til you got somebody

Everything I need (ohh)
Is standing right in front of me (ohh)
I know that we will be alright, alright, yeah

The auditorium was a literal frenzy of applause and when Josie opened her eyes, her tears of sadness were now replaced with tears of joy. Valerie and Melody walked over and hugged her as the crowd kept to their standing ovation. Mayor McCoy blew her daughter kisses as the three cats took a bow. Josie looked and saw Will finished recording before giving her a thumbs up. She smiled and waved before she and the Cats walked off stage.

"Let's hear it again for Josie and the Pussycats. Long tails and ears for hats." Kevin announced.

Valerie wished Archie luck with his performance and Veronica gave him some words of encouragement. He apologized for benching her with Val but he was ready to perform and if he failed then he failed. Kevin brought him on and despite his nervousness he sat on his chair with his guitar, closed his eyes and performed. Josie, Valerie, Melody, and Veronica took their seats in the auditorium as Will snapped some photos of Archie performing and he was good. When it was over, he got a standing ovation as well and the look on his face said it all.

Archie was the last performance so the Variety show ended on a high note. Everyone began to file out of the auditorium and performers got additional applause in the hall. When Archie walked down the hall, the Bulldogs who teased him at his auditions were now patting him on the back for a job well done. He then met up with Val and they congratulate each other before they kissed. Veronica walked out into the hallway, dressed in her regular clothes, and saw Archie and Valerie kissing. For some reason it gave her pause. That's when someone hugged her from behind and another bouquet of flowers appeared in front of her.

"I don't suppose I can get an autograph, Ms. Lodge?" Will asked, causing Veronica to chuckle before she turned around and put her arms up around his neck.

"Of course, but it's gonna cost you." She smiled and gave him a kiss. "Perfect."

"You were amazing tonight. And I can see the album covers now. Manhattan heights brought you by Veronica Lodge. Or the artist known as Ronnie." He joked before giving her another kiss.

"As much as I love singing, I think I'll leave it to the professional." She told him. "It was really sweet what you did for Josie."

"It's the least I could do." He shrugged.

"No. No one would have done what you did. Should I be worried that you're gonna leave me for Josie?" Veronica asked.

"I'm not going anywhere." He promised when he someone tapped him on the shoulder. The second he turned he got hit with a tackle and a tight hug and he knew who it was the second he saw the hair. "Great job, Josie and a killer song."

"Thank you…" She muttered as Will held her close and kissed her on the head.

"You're welcome." He told her. "Now, I think your adoring public needs some autographs and pictures. I can wait."

Josie gave him a kiss on the cheek and smiled. "I can never thank you enough, Will. Seriously? I'm in your debt."

"That's the thing: you're never gonna need to thank me." He assured her. "Now, go and take photos with your adoring public and sign autographs."

Josie managed a chuckle before giving him another kiss on the cheek. She joined Melody and they took some photos with some of the parents and kids. "You are just impossibly sweet, aren't you?" Veronica asked with a smile on her face.

"He is." They heard and Mayor McCoy walked over. "Thank you, Will for what you did for Josie."

"My pleasure." He replied. "And I'm sorry I couldn't get Mr. McCoy to stay. I tried."

"It's not your fault, Will. You did more than enough." Mayor McCoy assured him.

"If only." Will muttered as he pulled out a check from his pocket. "Here. It's the donation I was talking about. I have to put my money where my mouth is."

Mayor McCoy looked over the check and saw it was real and for ten thousand dollars. "Will, this is too much. We can't take this."

"Yes, you can. It's a donation. And let it never be said that Will Strange is not a man of his word." He joked. "Seriously, Mayor McCoy. It's ok. Consider it my first step into giving back to the town I call home."

Mayor McCoy and Veronica smiled at him. He was so kind and caring. "You're a lucky girl, Veronica. Will's one of a kind."

"That he is." She stated as Mayor McCoy walked away. She held him close and gave him another kiss. "I'd say this night was a success."

"I agree. Now, I think we should celebrate at Pop's or we could head to my place for that pie you never got to eat?" He suggested.

"Sounds perfect." Veronica and Will walked out of the school.

Tonight, was a good night but tomorrow would be a different story. It would be where Veronica learned what her mother did, the gang learns that Polly Cooper escaped from the Sister's of Quiet Mercy, the discovery of the Jason Blossom's getaway car and the drugs he had in it…and another appearance from the mystery man who paid Sheriff Keller a visit. He was going to make another visit only this time, he was going to do something to prove to Sheriff Keller that he is on his side and that Riverdale has a protector. Someone who is gonna take down the new gang dealing drugs in the Southside and bring down Clifford Blossom and his drug operation. It's a day that would be immortalized in the Riverdale history books for years.

Next time, Riverdale gives birth to a vigilante.

End of chapter 4

1). Song is Demi Lovato's Tell me you love me. It actually came out in 2017 after the time frame of this episode so for my story, Josie and the Pussycats write it.

I hoped you guys liked this chapter. Only one episode was covered but a lot did happen here. Granted a lot of drama with everyone but also some more progression with the story. Will's had to play dumb with his friends and everyone else about what he learned as he dives deep into the drug operation that Clifford Blossom runs and how it affects his town but he's got more to learn. Especially who Clifford Blossom is working with and working for.

Next time, Polly's escape throughs a curveball in things but Sheriff Keller now knows more than before thanks to Will and this mystery man. He shows up again in the height of the Cooper/Blossom feud to prove to Keller that he's here to help and in doing so, Will gets to live out a personal childhood fantasy. Be Batman and bring the smackdown on the gang dealing the drugs in the Southside. On top of that, he's got to tell Jughead the truth about his lineage before he sees something before he's ready. And that's on top of all the drama going on. Until next time!

I know a lot didn't happen and that was sort of on purpose. It would have been too easy for Will to just compel the information out of Clifford Blossom. I know in the show it's resolved in one episode but in reality, if Cliff Blossom is a smuggler with product from Montreal then whoever he's working with would be a threat as well along with the southside partners. Plus, I want to make it more engaging. Don't worry, obviously things have changed and that's on purpose. It's not gonna end exactly like on the show and considering how the plot writing goes for more shock value and less logic, I'm not gonna make those mistakes. Next chapter will show that and we'll get more of Will's sorcerer training and another mission.

For those of you wondering, yes I took the Grimm thing from the Grimm show but it's a little different here. I knew that when I started this that I wanted Will and Jughead to be inseparable best friends and I wanted Jughead involved in Will's sorcerer business so with the help of some fans of my writing (War Sage and others), we came up with an idea for him to have an awareness of it like the Grimm do in the show. There's not gonna be Wesen or anything like that. Essentially, we're taking the idea of a Grimm who can sense and see magical or demon things and that's about it. It'll be explained more in the next chapter.

Next updates for July: Hopeful for Multiverse on July 4th if not July 5th then. Then Spider-man and Mandalorian Maverick for this month. Stay safe and have a happy 4th of July for my readers in the US and everyone else stay safe and happy.

William Arcani Strange (Arcani means destined for greatness)

Birthdate: June 24th, 2001-16 years old. Riverdale High Sophomore.

Appearance: Robbie Amell

Normal: Usually wears sneakers, dark blue or black jeans, a form fitting blue t-shirt with a black button up over and his red bomber jacket of levitation on top.

In combat: dark blue training robes/training gi on missions and the cloak of levitation in its normal form with a dark red hood and face mask to obscure his identity. All colors of clothing are darkened to not stand out as much.

Eye of Agamotto necklace

Sling Ring

Personality: Kind, caring, generous, smart, and quick-witted. Easy to talk to and able to read people upon meeting them. When crossed or pushed to the wall, will fight back tooth and nail for himself or the people he cares about.

Powers:

Energy blasts, mystical bolts, astral projection, banishment/exorcism, dream walking, conjuring of objects, transmutation, telepathy, telekinesis, flight, protective shields, hypnotism, illusions, elemental manipulation, teleportation.

Blessed by Agamotto the all-seeing, Omnipotent Oshtur, and Hoggarth, lord of the Hosts, along with other deities.

Eye of Agamotto necklace protects wearer from mystical danger,

Mystical, ancient, witch, and dark magic knowledge with eidetic memory

Skilled martial artists

Christine Palmer: Rachel McAdams

Wong: Benedict Wong

Disclaimer: I don't own Dr. Strange, Riverdale or any above-mentioned properties. All rights belong to their respective owners.