We thought that the murders of Riverdale were behind us. After all, we all left, went to college, and took the first step into our future. Betty studied criminal justice and forensic science, Archie excelled in the Navy, Veronica took classes in business management, and I…well I became a writer with a minor in criminal justice. It's not like I needed it. I had learned everything I needed to know in the three years, several murders, and handful of villains that we had unmasked. We had survived poisons, shootings, and I had, even faked my own death just to get the truth about a conspiracy cooking at Stonewall Prep. Life seemed so much simpler back in high school and despite the simplicity of college, I missed the chaos. So when Betty called, I answered. I always answered.

"Hey, Jug." I heard her smile on the other end.

"Betty Cooper…it's nice to hear from you. It's been at least a week." I teased. I missed not waking up to her like we did in the house on Elm street.

"Sorry, I've been…training." She explained. "And we need to go back to Riverdale. They've got yet another sicko on the loose."

Back to Riverdale. After graduation we all went our separate ways. Cheryl threw a huge graduation bash up at Thistlewood. There was dancing, drinking, and plenty of places for new, or old couples to hook up. She had also managed to procure a fireworks display. We spent the summer together; me Archie, Veronica, and of course, Betty. She drove behind me as I rode my motorcycle. Iowa was 1693 miles from Yale but she made the trip. We stopped off in cheap motels, and when we finally arrived at my campus, she paused.

"I can't believe we're doing this." She said. "After gargoyle kings and black hoods and body dumps, we may actually get a chance at normalcy."

"Please. I'm sure there are plenty of mysteries to solve in New Haven." I teased. "You're going to have so much fun sleuthing and learning about serial killers, you're hardly gonna miss me." She wrapped her arms around my body in a tight hug, tightening her grip.

"Don't lie." She said.

"Okay, well here's the truth." I grabbed her shoulders and stepped back against the car so that we were eye-to-eye. "We're gonna miss each other. A lot. But like I told you that last summer before Archie was arrested. You are my life partner, my Serpent Queen, and my everything. Video chat me when you get to Yale. You've got a long drive ahead of you."

"You know," She got that contemplative, devious look on her face. "Since Brett is…indisposed, it's always possible that there's an opening at Yale."

"That may be," I smiled. "But I got into University of Iowa on my own merit. Besides…no offense but I can't do the preppy thing again. Unless it's you."

"Yeah, you're right." She smiled. "Besides, I gotta see if there are any Serpents up there. They can't all be extinct."

"And how are you going to do that, Betty Cooper?" I quirked my eyebrow curiously.

"I may have finally gotten the tattoo."

She lifted her shirt up a little so I could see the outline of the Serpent's head resting on her belly.

"Betty Cooper," I smirked. "Always full of surprises."

She just smiled, kissed me with as much passion as she could muster, and climbed into the car. I didn't want her to go, but this was a time for us to be apart. Still, Iowa and New Haven were less than a full day drive, so we made a habit to meet halfway in Maumee Ohio. It was just another All-American Town, but it became our Paris. She found the Serpents in Pennsylvania and automatically fit in. Nobody messed with her…not that she couldn't handle herself. Between her incredible aim, almost comparable to Cheryl's, and her mean right hook, I knew that there was nothing she couldn't handle.

So, we settled into our patterns, writing letters, video chatting, and passing the next four years. Then she joined the FBI as a forensic analyst with the condition that I could help. Even though I wasn't official, she was able to convince them, after making sure I had the security clearance that I would be an asset. And that's where the story starts. With a call back to the town that tormented and brought us back together.

We drove separate vehicles, which made sense because we were in two different locations. As my bike roared along the quiet streets, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic. The closer I got to the house with the red door, the more I missed my dad and Jellybean who would have just entered her junior year atRiverdale High. I hoped for her sake that it would be a quiet finish but the air hung heavy as it did when I was in high school and there was a breath of familiarity.

I pulled up to the house and before I had even swung my leg over the bike and planted my feet on the curb I was nearly knocked off my feet by a young woman. Her bright blue eyes lit up.

"Jug!" She exclaimed! "I missed you!"

"Jellybean?" I looked her up and down. She definitely wasn't a little girl anymore, but her face still maintained the youthful innocence that I tried so hard to preserve.

"It's JB, remember?" She socked me on the arm. "Tell me everything about college."

"Just a sec," I mumbled. I unhooked the bungee chords holding my bags in place and swung a backpack over my shoulder. Then, after setting the helmet on my bike, I pulled my famous beanie on over my head. "College will have to wait," I answered. "Tell me about Riverdale High."

I listened to her chat about her classes, and friends. A few minutes later Alice Cooper and my dad walked through the door.

"Jug! Welcome home!" He pulled me into a hug.

"Thanks, dad. I'm only here until Betty gets back. We've got another mystery. Do you know anything about it?"

"Why don't you go talk to the Sheriff?" FP suggested. "I have a feeling he'll have a lot more information than we do."

"Okay, and who's the Sheriff now?" I pulled out a notepad. Modern technology was nice but there was nothing like writing down the information.

"Archie." JB answered before my dad could.

I quirked my eyebrow. Archie huh? Well if he joined the Navy and survived a tour then being the Sherriff in the town probably wasn't a far reach. He had to be the youngest sheriff we'd ever had but he was also my best friend, which would make gaining access to evidence easier. I was about to answer when the door creaked opened. Betty walked into the house, her blonde hair up in her signature ponytail, and her worn serpent jacket emphasizing her tiny waist. Her eyes lit up at the sight of me and I moved towards her, pulling her into a hug.

"Hey there, Tracy True," I smiled down at her. "What's the mystery today.

"We're meeting Archie and Veronica at Pops in an hour. So let's set our stuff upstairs and then head over."

We hauled our bags up the stairs and into Betty's old room. Nothing had changed. The bay window where I used to sit writing looked untouched. Her vanity had gathered dust and in the mirror I noticed that it was still splintered from her breakdown trying to kill the darkness inside of her. The bed was made, and part of me wanted to mess it up because we hadn't seen each other in months, but we were in work-mode. We chatted with the folks and JB for a little bit, catching up and sharing memories, then parted ways. Once alone, Betty threw herself on me in a passionate kiss.

"I've missed you too." I smiled. "So what's this mystery that has pulled us away from our last semester?"

"I'm not sure. Archie called it in as a personal favor. Work doesn't even know I'm here. If they did, I'd probably be fired."

"My little rebel." I looked down affectionately at her. "So we taking the bike?"

"Yeah, it's been a while." She nodded. "Now hurry up, I'm dying for a vanilla milkshake."

I chuckled and tossed her the helmet, then started the bike up.

"Alright Betty Cooper, let's see what's going on in sleepy old Riverdale."