You know…I'm not even going to list off my excuses for updating so late. You get the drill.

Chapter Ten: Betty

The call snaps off, and silence fills the room.

For the first time, I'm too shocked to cry. It feels as though an internal switch has flipped, and my head is just left buzzing.

Kevin has begun to pace anxiously, swearing to himself under his breath. I stare at him for a moment, unsure if I should do something to comfort him, unsure if I could even make my feet move. I can't seem to focus on a coherent thought, as Jughead's shouts and cries of pain overcome them all.

A broken, ragged breath comes from my side, and I turn to see FP turned away in his cell, back shaking slightly.

"This isn't your fault, Mr. Jones," I offer lightly, but my words sound hollow and I'm not even sure that I believe them.

"That's a damn lie and we all know it," he snaps back, aggressively wiping the tears from his face. He straightens his shoulders before turning to look at me, trying to hide his emotions. It's too similar to Jughead, and that thought has my fists clenching at my sides.

"You're right," I reply hotly, fear and anger melding and rising within me. "All of this is your fault. You don't deserve Jughead, you know that? He told me some of the things you used to say to him, how you hit him after his mom left you – as if it was his fault. You put him in danger just because of your stupid gang, and now he's being tortured and someone tried to shoot Archie, all while you're safe here –"

"You call this being safe?" FP gestures around the cell. "It's not my fault you wouldn't stop playing detective and brought my boy down with you!"

"Oh, so I brought him down? Why? Because I was one of the first people to treat him with human decency? Because I stayed with him even though everyone else walked out? Because I actually took the time to get to know him instead of getting drunk off my ass –"

"You have some nerve talking to me like that, Cooper!" FP bellows, pointing his finger at me furiously through the bars. "You don't know me, my life, or my son!"

"I know him better than you ever have!" I spit back, fists clenching so hard I can feel pinpricks of blood spreading on my palms.

"Stop it!" Kevin shouts, grabbing me by the shoulder and spinning me around to face him. "Both of you, please, stop it!"

The argument halts, instead replaced by the sound of my beating heart and FP's loud breathing. Kevin looks to both of us warily, and it's then that I realize he's crying.

"Fighting will get us nowhere," he pleads, looking between the two of us. "I have to tell my dad what's going on –"

"No!" FP and I protest in unison.

"He can help!" Kevin cries, looking to me imploringly. "The police will find Jughead. That's their job! There's no way we can do it without them."

"Kevin, you saw what they did to Jughead," I shake my head, grabbing his arm. The hate has rolled off, replaced again by the crippling fear. "They'll kill him – and you – and me, if they find out you told your dad. We can't risk it."

"We can't do this alone, Betty," Kevin presses, shaking his head.

"Not alone," FP interjects. "The Serpents will help you."

Kevin throws his hands up in exasperation. "Oh great, so the gang of criminals will help us catch the gang of criminals! Wonderful!"

"Hey!" The Serpent King barks, pointing an accusatory finger through the bars. "Don't compare the Serpents with the Scorpions. We don't kidnap and torture kids!"

I can't help but laugh at that, rounding on FP. "Says the man who knowingly aided and abetted the murder of Jason Blossom!"

"I had no idea it was going to end like that!"

"Only psychopaths and murderers hire a gang to kidnap their son and tie him to a chair in a closet!"

"Yeah, well, I may not be the parent of the year, but I've got a son to take care of. Parents do messed up shit to take care of their kids."

"You only put him in more danger!" I protest, eyes narrowing at the bedraggled man through the bars. "And no, I wouldn't think so. Parents have to be sober to qualify."

FP slams his palm against the bars, obviously losing his cool. "I know I've been a shitty father, but I did what I had to in order to provide my son with food and a place to sleep, which is more than my old man ever did for me!"

"He only recently moved back in with you!" I counter heatedly. "Before then he lived in the Drive-In, then in a closet at the school, until finally Archie took him in. You haven't given him anything except trust issues and a target on his back!"

"Jughead could very well be dying right now, and you two won't stop fighting!" Kevin shouts, turning me back around. "Can we just concentrate on figuring out a plan?"

"We'll go to the Serpents," I sigh, mulling it over. "I don't like it, but they're our best bet right now." FP nods in agreement, but stops when I point a sharp finger his way. "On one condition."

"What?"

"You confess to the murder of Jason Blossom."

"I didn't do it!" FP protests, straightening in his cell. "There's video evidence, you saw it yourself! And more importantly, Sheriff Keller has already seen it!"

"You heard what Venom said," I hiss, remembering the name Jughead had given to the gang leader. "If you want Jughead safe, you'll confess. Say you tampered with the tape in case it fell into the wrong hands. I don't care! Just pull your weight for once!"

I can see FP reeling his rage in, forcing his pride down. I swear sometimes he and Jughead seem like the same person. "Fine!" He agrees, resentment clear in his voice. "But you and Kevin will have to go to the Whyte Wyrm on the Southside, get some Serpents to help you figure out more about this Scorpion gang. If you can handle it."

"I can," I reply darkly, leaving the room without another word. Kevin rushes out after me, stopping me with a tentative hand on my shoulder.

"Betty, are you sure about this?"

"What other choice do we have, Kev?" I whisper back. "I'm not going to risk Jughead's life by bringing your dad into this."

"Fine," he agrees, still reluctant.

We arrive in front of the Whyte Wyrm, having taken the public bus to the edge of the Northside and walking from there. The building is run down, paint peeling off the exterior. A large green snake is emblazoned on the side, marking the gang's territory. My heart thuds anxiously in my chest, but I force my legs forward, a pep talk running through my mind to keep me going.

Kevin and I reach the door leading into the old bar, looking to each other quickly before I finally turn the door handle and make my way into the building.

The place smells of cigarettes and men, my nose wrinkling automatically. There's a stage further into the giant room, with two poles fastened from into it down from the ceiling. The sight unnerves me a bit, so I take in the rest of the room, peering through smoke clouds at the gang members inside.

"Hey!" A loud voice shouts, as a big guy with long hair and a beaten Serpent jacket storms over to us. He grabs Kevin harshly by the arm, looking between us. "What the hell are you two doing in here? This is a Serpent only zone, we're not open to visitors!"

"FP Jones sent us," I counter quickly, doing my best to hide any intimidation.

"Yeah, nice try, kid," the man retorts, unimpressed. "FP Jones is in prison."

"Yes, we know," Kevin interjects impatiently. "We were just there talking to him –"

"Wait a minute," the Serpent cuts Kevin off, shaking him roughly. "You're the Sheriff's kid – what the hell are you doing here, boy?"

"We told you!" I reenter the conversation, chest constricting nervously. "FP Jones sent us. I'm Betty Cooper –" The man makes a sound of disgust, dragging Kevin with him towards the door. I rush after them quickly, trying to regain control of the situation. "I'm dating FP's son, Jughead! He's been kidnapped by a gang called the Scorpions!"

The man stops, still holding onto Kevin's arm. "Wait, I recognize you," he responds, squinting at me. "We interrupted you and the Jones boy from your little –"

"Yes," I cut in, embarrassment staining my cheeks. "After you left we got in a fight and Jughead stormed out. A gang jumped him outside, and now they've been sending me videos and torturing Jug until FP confesses to murdering Jason Blossom, turning in all the Serpents who helped."

"Shit," The man lets go of Kevin, bringing a hand up to his beard.

"We need your help. FP said you'd be able to investigate the Scorpions for us."

"Yeah, I could do that," the man narrows his eyes, tone dangerously serious. "But you gotta promise me something first."

"What?"

"You tell FP to hold his tongue on those names. I don't care what he says about himself, but he's not gonna throw us under the bus while we're out here busting our ass for his kid."

"But –" Kevin begins to protest.

"Deal," I respond evenly, looking up at the tall man before me. "Just get Jughead out safely."