Suddenly out of the blue Alice's phone rang. She reached over the kitchen counter top island and answered it. She didn't even bother checking the caller ID name. She already knew and hoped her plan worked out.
"Pop, how did it go?" She heard him sigh sadly on the other side of the phone.
"I tried, Alice, he just won't budge." Her lips curl into a sad frown.
"Thanks for trying…" She said into the phone. "I really appreciate it."
Pop sadly chuckled." It was no problem, you and FP can come to me for everything you may need. He just took off and Toni, Veronica and Toni came back asking where he went. I wish I had better news."
"Me too." She murmurs before she hangs up.
She placed the phone back on the countertop and buried her head into her hands in exhaustion. She tried seeing if Mary would check up on him, but Mary gently declined saying she wasn't comfortable with getting into it with Jughead. She completely understood but found it quite frustrating. She could really use one of her friends right now. Hermione told her that Veronica isn't staying with her either. Veronica Lodge has own place in Riverdale and it made Alice really want to go check up on him, but she knew better. It would only make matters worse.
"Was that Jug?" She heard a voice behind her, turning slowly and saw FP's worrisome eyes staring at her.
Inhaling a deep breath and then exhaling, Alice shook her head, not missing the pain in FP's gaze. "No, honey it wasn't, that was Pop."
"What did he say?"
She sighed again." He tried speaking to Jughead but well…" FP already knew.
"Jughead ran off didn't he?" She nodded and FP exhaled. "I had a feeling it would make things worse…" He turned away from her and headed to the fridge.
"I have to get up early…" He added before walking away and turned the corner. She caught his hand before he could leave. Her soft eyes fell upon him. "Baby…I'm not kidding, I do have to get up early for work tomorrow."
—xxx—
Once he took off from the diner away from everyone Jughead finally stopped running when he found himself In Fox Forrest. By the time he got there It was down pouring hard and the trails were mud. But he didn't give a fuck. He welcomed the cold and wet as he sat In the mud; soaking his jeans. It was sleeting out which made it slippery. He fell down and his face hit the mud where the ice and snow used to be before it melted away last week.
While Reggie Mantle was going to the Riverdale college the old Svenson house was fixed up and back on the market. Reggie decided to buy It. Since then he used most of his free time walking around Fox Forrest; thinking about everything that happened since he trashed his dad's car. Soon he saw a body lying on the muddy ground soaking wet and covered In mud. As soon as he got a good look his heart jumped.
Reggie called. "Jones?!" As soon as he noticed who the person was.
As he forced Jughead to stand Jughead tried to push him away. "Leave me alone!" But Reggie wasn't having any of this. He would never admit It to anyone, but he had come to care for it as he called him "The Rat Boy Serpent".
Reggie questioned, examining." What the hell are you trying to do Jones?! Are you trying to give yourself Pneumonia?! God, you're freezing Jones!" Jughead's body responded by shivering.
"I don't--" Jughead was cut off.
Reggie growled out to shut the man up."Shut the fuck up Jones! I'm taking you back to my place! End of story! Now walk!" He forcefully dragged Jughead along until they were In Reggie's house."I want you to go straight upstairs and hop In the shower. When you're done choose whatever clothes you want from my room. They should fit."
Jughead sighed, but complied; marching up the stairs. He found the bathroom not far from Reggie's room. He stripped out of his muddy soaking wet clothes and hopped In the nice warm shower. Soon the water on the shower floor was turning brown and Jughead went Into deep thought about his rescuer. Something about this man seemed familiar, then It hit him, Reggie Mantle! He started remembering how he and Reggie started off with a very rocky relationship. Jughead laughed a little at the memories of them always trying to beat each other up. Jughead turned off the water, dried himself off, and found a pair of blue jeans and dark blue t-shirt. As soon as Jughead came back downstairs Reggie looked at him.
Reggie sighed as he spotted Jug in fresh clothes." There, you look better."Then he smirked. "Well, as good as a Rat Boy can look. Sit Jones."
Jughead took a seat on the couch with him. He took a moment to look around. The man looked quite familiar but he wasn't sure who he was exactly.
Reggie stared at him and asked." What were you doing, Jones? What's going on?"
Jughead noticed this."I guess you didn't hear about my accident or that I have been having memory problems since?"
Reggie blinked hard, a shocked expression overtook his face. "Oh my god! No I haven't! Are you okay?!"
"The memories are getting better. But I'm still mad. My dad didn't tell me he was my dad! I had to find out on my own!" Jughead grumbled getting angrier.
Reggie scoffed, rolling his eyes."Seriously, I would have loved to forget who my dad Is! "
Jughead stared at him for a second."Come on Reggie, that Is not helping!"
Reggie shook his head." Oh come on, Jones, I would do anything to have a dad like yours! Would you really want a dad like mine?! Your dad never once laid his hands on you and you should be damn grateful!! Not whining like a little bitch Jones!! Whatever reasons he let you find out on your own he LOVES you and was trying to do what's best for you! And do you think you would have actually believed him If he told you the night you got memory loss?"
Jughead opened his mouth but then quickly shut It. Would he have believed him? He thought long and hard. When he woke up from a coma his mind was all foggy. Maybe Reggie had a point. Just maybe… Jughead doesn't really trust his opinion that much. He knows he's being stubborn, maybe that is something him and FP share.
Reggie blew out a breath." Look, stay here as long as you need. Eat, sleep, talk, whatever you want to do." The two men sat in Reggie's house. It was going to be a long night. And Jughead had time to kill before he was ready to finally confront his feelings again.
—xxx—
"Tiny!" They heard as soon as Veronica Lodge, Cheryl and Toni stormed inside the bar. The room quieted down, music lowered and all focus remand on the women. Toni crossed the stage, taking the microphone from Sweet Pea's hand and began. Veronica and Cheryl stopped next to Fangs, Hogeye and Machine, the new Serpent transfer.
"Listen up!" All the eyes followed her." Jughead Jones, our former king is MISSING! We need everybody on deck here on finding him. He's suffering from memory loss which can be very dangerous. Anybody who spots him needs to either call me, Veronica or Alice! I repeat!"
"Why should we care, when he left us high-dry?!" One of the serpents in the crowd shouted in question.
Toni's jaw clenched." Jones almost died for us on multiple occasions you better give him so damn respect!"
Another hand raised." Didn't he kick you out?" Veronica rolled her eyes and stepped on stage. "You better shut your mouth before you find out what 200,000 shoes will do to your face!" Their hand came down and the bar went silent for a few moments." Toni's right, we need to stick together."
Fangs' voice shot off." What's the law?!"
"NO SERPENT IS LEFT FOR DEAD or NO SERPENT BETRAYS THEIR OWN!" The crowd roared back.
—xxx—
It seemed like years ago. Maybe because it was years ago. Little Jones held onto his father's hand, tightly as they walked through Pop's door. They strolled over the a booth and sat down.
"Daddy?"A younger FP turned to look at the little ruffled hair boy.
"Yes, Jug?" His son's eyes widened as soon as he laid them on the menu.
"What is this place?"
FP smiled at his son's curiosity. "We are at a diner called Pop's cho'lit shop."
"FP Jones, I haven't seen ya since you left for the Army." FP looked up toward the voice.
He immediately noticed Pop Tate come towards them. His five-year-old son's lips curled into a smile. The older man hadn't changed much since then. "Who is this little one?"
FP's smile crept on his face." This here is Jughead." He looked at Jug and said." Jug." The little boy's head perked up. "Jug, this is Pop Tate, say hi."
"Hi!" The shy little kid said loudly, earning chuckles from the older man. "Hello, Jughead, I'm Pop Tate. I'm an old friend of your daddy's."
He turned to his dad, tugging on the man's leg." Daddy, I'm hungry." FP nodded, rubbing his stomach and picked up his little boy from the floor.
Pop Tate escorted them over to a table and placed menus in front of them. The little boy in his beanie looked at the paper in front of him with quite interest. While FP and Pop Tate caught up with one another, Jughead picked up some crayons and began to color. A few moments later, FP felt the boy tug at his sleeve and turned his attention on the child.
"I want this!" Jughead's voice echoed. FP's eyes peered down at the paper and chuckled. "Are you sure?" Jughead nodded eagerly." Yes! Daddy, I'll eat it all myself."
Pop smiled." Are you sure, Jughead? The burgers here are bigger than you." He teased with a serious tone in his voice.
"I am sure, Pop!"
Ten minutes later, Pop Tate came back with their food. He watched as Jughead wrapped his small hands around the big burger and stuffed it into his mouth. FP shook his head, stifling a snort when some ketchup dribbled down Jughead's mouth at the corner. Then the room turned serious by the way Pop Tate looked at the young father.
"Out with it." FP barked.
Pop Tate sighed and looked at him." FP, are you better than your old man was?" For a second Pop thought FP was going to hit him and instead FP nodded with a giant grin on his lips.
" Pop, I would never hurt my boy like my old man hurt me. I spent years getting abused by that bastard." The younger male breathed." And the thought of my hands hurting him would kill me. I don't know how somebody can be so careless and cruel. I'll never hurt my baby, not like Senior did to me. I vowed that promise years before, I won't break it." The confidence in FP's voice was very clear. Pop Tate knew when FP meant something he'd stick with it.
"Well that being said, for what it is worth, FP. You are doing a hell of a great job! Raising kids ain't easy and through time it will get a lot easier. I'd raised mine and now it's time I hand you the reins."
FP smiled." Thanks, Pop, that sure means a lot."
Jughead giggled." Daddy!" FP's head shot around and he laughed." Look I ate it like I promised!"
FP grinned at his pride and joy before kissing his cheek." I see that, Juggie! I'm impressed!"
A jolt made FP's head shoot off the pillow and his eyes were wide with shock and then sadness hit him like a hurricane. Alice felt the bed move and noticed FP breathing really hard.
"Baby?" She didn't hear him respond. So she sat up, flicking on the table light and saw FP panting for breath. "FP, breathe…" He was stuck in his own head. It seemed like he didn't hear her. So she shook him gently as she could. "That's it, just like that."
As he started to calm himself down, she leaned her head down and peppered his forehead with kisses. "What happened?" Was the first thing that came out of her mouth.
"I had a dream about Jug as a little boy." The weakness in his tone was clear.
"Aww, Honey." Alice reached her hand across the bed and pulled him closer. "What was it about?" FP sniffled out a chuckle.
Sitting up in bed, He began telling her the story. Her eyes watched him patiently as tears threatened to fall. In the truth, Alice knew that FP had already been starting to tear up when he awoke earlier. Throughout the story, Alice giggled and then the laughter came to a stall, her arms wrapped around his waist.
—xxx—
The next morning Jughead woke up with Reggie standing in the bedroom doorway. He jumped in shock when his eyes landed on Reggie.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare ya, Jones." Jughead exhaled and sighed.
"It's okay, I just wasn't expecting you to be there that's all."
Reggie smiled, briefly." Jones, your doctor called asking if you are still coming in for your appointment."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I answered because she called four times in the last hour. I think it's very important."
Jughead kicked off the sheets and landed on his feet. He turned to Reggie and sighed again. He wasn't used to Reggie Mantle being so kind to him.
"I probably should get going then." He smiled." Thanks for letting me crash here."
"No problems, Jones." He stopped for a second before he continued." Do you need a ride back to your bike?"
His question was so kind and genuine it threw Jughead for a minute. From what he remembered Reggie used to treat him like shit even when they were kids. He still thinks Reggie remembered he may have "accidentally" pushed the boy out of Archie's tree-house. In his defense Reggie Mantle had shoved him first. It was only the payback he could think of. After the fact Jughead felt bad for causing Reggie's fall.
"Sure."
There's a thing about forgiveness that always made the process hard to work with. It's the fact on what happened and sometimes you just have to rehash and explain before you can finally let go of what happened. And now for Jughead he has to figure out if FP's betrayal is forgivable.
After Reggie dropped him off to pick up his bike. Jughead ignored the worried glances he received as he walked into the doctor's office. The first thing, Dr. Denise noticed is the fact her patient came in alone, which was odd. Lately FP came with him but it was clear that something happened between the two men. Closing the door shut, Jughead looked away from Denise's eyes.
"How did you get here?" He answered with a simple shrug.
"My bike."
Her eyes flashed." What? Mr. Jones, riding in your condition can be very dangerous." Her tone was pure concern and the woman's eyes reflected the disapproval.
"I know." He bit out. "I didn't want father of the year to bring me here, alright." He spat annoyed. And then it all made sense.
"You remembered?"
"Yes. I'd appreciate it if you kept this to yourself about me being here on my bike. You know because of the patient laws."
"Yes, I'll keep this between us." With that being said she began her exam." Now, let's begin."
—-xxx—
Christmas Eve Day approached and came upon them. Alice was in the kitchen making cookies as Polly came in and noticed the tension. Betty had mentioned that Jughead took off after learning about FP's lies. But she never said that Jughead wasn't going to be here for Christmas.
"Where's Jug?" She casually fit into the conversation. Her mom's face flushed pink and she saw tears slowly build in her eyes. "Mom…" Pollyanna began to worry upon seeing tears.
Alice's hand brushed across her forehead. "We don't know, Polly. I made a mistake, I should've just let it alone."
Polly shook her head." No." It wasn't her mother's fault." No, it's not your fault, mom. You didn't know he'd regret this way."
"Toni Topaz is holding a search party for him. We've looked for a week and still haven't seen him." JB budded in as she pulled out of Polly's arms.
And then the phone rang causing FP to answer it. "This is FP Jones speaking." Alice's attention immediately switched over to FP. "Yes? Reggie, are you sure?"
JB whispered." You mean the man that always bullied Jug?" Her question went unanswered.
"Thank you. Is he okay?"
FP's hand gripped the phone." I haven't seen him since I dropped it off to pick up his bike at Pop's for his appointment. I offered to let him stay when he got back but he never answered the phone." Worry was evident in Mantle's tone. And it made FP's stomach uneasy.
It was official his son took off and he'd never see him again. "Thank you for checking in on my boy."
"You're welcome, Mister Jones, for all is worth he'll come around. He just needs time. And if it helps I wish I had a father like you instead." FP's lips curled into a slight smile. "Keep me posted when you hear from Jones."
After saying their goodbyes FP turned to look over at the worried family and said." That was Reggie. He said that Jughead had stayed with him when found Jug. He fell in the freezing rain and got all muddy. Reggie warmed him up and said that he hasn't seen my boy since the morning he dropped him off at Pop's."
"Pop's?"
"Yeah, he came back for his bike."
JB sighed." So he could be basically anywhere by now."
FP saw his daughter's sad eyes and pulled her into a much needed hug. This Christmas didn't turn-out much better than the others. At least Jughead would call to wish them happy holidays instead of going radio-silent. He really hoped that Jug was safe somewhere.
The young male's hands shook as he pulled himself off the motorcycle and headed inside for warmth. His heart was pounding as soon as a memory hit. He could see all the moments of him in this very bar and then when it was over. He was met by some very worried eyes.
"Jones!" He saw Sweet Pea running towards him, checking him over and then smacked him on the back of his head."You had us worried shitless. Where have you been?"
"Around." And then he muttered," I need a drink." Sweet Pea rolled his eyes at the angst ridden boy that he used to know. "A drink? Are you fucking around, Jones? We haven't seen you in a week and you come in here for a 'drink' you gotta be kidding."
"I need time. FP lied to me."
Sweet Pea harshly scoffed." Get over it, man. You had two fathers in your life and you want to ruin your chances with FP because he prevented you from finding out who really was to you. You almost died, Jones! He didn't have time to cope with the fact you lost your memory. The doctors said it could be dangerous to overload you with information. I mean come on, you were in a comatose state for three weeks!"
Sweet Pea stormed past him but not before giving a shove on his way and yelling." Turn on your damn phone!"
Shrugging off the angry man's shove, he signaled the bartender to make a drink. Unaware that his phone had been turned off for days, his hands found the familiar button and after three drinks drowned he finally listened to the many voicemails. First ones were just simple worried voices. He raised the device to his ear and deleted twenty others until he reached the last three from FP.
"Jughead, I'm so so sorry. You were completely right. I should've told you when you woke up instead of pushing it further and further back. I-I-I was scared, scared of losing you. I was wrong and now I'm losing you anyways!" His eyes started to build-up with tears. "Please just send me a text, hell just even tell someone to call me. I'm worried out of my mind. The last… the last time we got into a huge fight… y-you-you almost died, baby boy. I've always hated it when you were mad at me. I fucked up with drinking, losing my jobs and most of all, I hurt you. I don't want to get a call saying you crashed your motorcycle into a ditch and I-I oh, god!" FP's voice sobbed," If you got killed or hurt because you were angry while driving I'd never forgive myself, Juggie!" Tightly, he gripped the phone and covered his mouth with his hand and then removed it so he could breathe. "I love you, son. Please just let me know you are okay, okay?" The message ended with Jughead's hand frozen.
"I need another drink." He waved over, but a hand caught him. He saw another old friend and began to sober up. "M-Mr. A?" But he remembered the man had died.
"I think you had enough, son." Jughead blinked back his blood-shot eyes.
"Aren't ya dead?" He slurred as he tried to get off the stool.
He almost lost balance. "Nope." The voice responded." You're just too drunk right now, Jug."
In his mind he kept seeing Fred Andrews. "I miss yaaa!"
Tom Keller watched the drunk man after Sweet Pea gave him a call saying that Jones showed his face at the Wyrm. It was going fine until he heard Jughead's voice drunken-slur "Mr. A." That's when it clicked to him that Jughead remembered that Fred had died and the boy started sobbing. "Why did you have to help that woman?!" All he could do was catch Jug in his arms and help him into his car. While strapping Jughead's bike into the truck bed. "It's time to go home, son."
Jughead chuckled." Home? I don't have one. Never had."
Tom buckled him in and then as soon as he reached FP's house. He knocked on the door, waiting with Jughead's heavy drunk weight leaning against his body. When FP crawled out of bed he wasn't expecting to see Jughead stumbling into the house while Tom guided him upstairs. FP cautiously followed them down the hallway and ushered Jughead to take some pills and drink water when he would wake in the morning. He turned towards Keller, looking for an answer. All Tom could give him was a simple shoulder shrug.
"I got a call from Sweet Pea saying that Jughead came down to the Wyrm. When I found him he thought I was Fred… he's not okay, FP. He's going to have a hell of a morning."
FP pinched the bridge of his nose where his glasses were. "Damn. I know he's not okay. And he's not going to be happy when he wakes up."
"Don't be so sure. He felt blindsided from what I could gather from his incoherent speech slurring. He needs you, FP. Especially when he wakes up hungover."
After listening to Tom he closed the front door, heading for bed with his mind awake. Apparently as soon as his head hit the bed he was out like a light. He hadn't slept this good in days. Jughead's finally home and he could finally sleep without worrying himself to death.