Hey everyone! I am sorry for the wait. BUT I graduated from college, so that's super exciting!

I would love to hear any ideas/suggestions you guys may have for this story. I can't promise to use all of them, but they really help me move forward with the story, so let me know in the comments!

Chapter Twelve: Betty

I walk timidly into the dingy parlor, the loud buzz of a tattoo gun filling the room. My eyes shift around as I make my way further into the space, looking for something that will lead me to the person I'm supposed to be meeting.

"Can I help you, girly?" The gruff voice steals my attention, looking over to see a client reclined in a chair to receive his Serpent tattoo. Leaning over him with a stilled ink gun is a burly man with big ear gages. He is looking up at me expectantly, waiting for an answer to his question.

"I'm here for Penny Peabody," I tell him with more confidence than I actually have. His only response is a nod towards the back room. "Thank you," I reply hurriedly, leaving the men behind to find a doorway covered by hanging beads. I part the makeshift curtain, spotting a blonde woman behind a desk.

"You must be Betty Cooper," she greets me, extending a hand over the desk as she rises from her seat. "I'm Penny Peabody – Tall Boy told me that you're in search of some information?"

"Yes!" I confirm, relieved to finally have someone who can help me. I start explaining, words falling from my tongue. "On Friday night my boyfriend Jughead Jones was kidnapped by a gang called the Scorpions. They contacted me the next day demanding that FP Jones confess to Jason Blossom's murder and hand over any Serpent who helped him do it." Penny sits down again, gesturing for me to take a seat on the other side of the desk. I sit, leaning forward while my fingers fidget anxiously. "I don't know much, except that the leader of this Scorpion gang is apparently called 'Venom', and they obviously have something to gain by eradicating the Serpents."

"I know FP well, although we had a falling out some time ago," Penny muses. "Jughead always seemed like a good kid. It's a shame he got dragged into all of this."

"Can you help me, Miss Peabody?" I ask her imploringly. "Mr. Jones has agreed to plead guilty, but there's video evidence that Clifford Blossom was the murderer. Will the authorities even buy into it?"

"That depends on if FP can convince them that he tampered with the file."

"That's what I thought, too," I agree, running my sweaty palms along my jeans.

"Is he going to hand over the Serpents who were involved?" Penny asks, leaning forward on the desk.

"I think he'll do just about anything to keep Jug safe," I confess. "But the Serpent who told me about you –"

"Tall Boy."

"- Right," I nod, remembering the name. "He said that Mr. Jones needed to wait on giving the names. He doesn't want to be ratted out."

Penny narrows her eyes. "I'll talk to Tall Boy. Does anybody know about all this besides you and FP?"

"My friend, Kevin Keller," I tell her regretfully. "Venom told me not to talk to anyone but FP about it, but Kevin overheard the video they sent and now he's wrapped up in it, too."

"Where is he now?" Penny questions, interest peaked by the new information.

"Still at the station. We thought it'd be best if he stayed somewhere safe. Plus he can be mine and FP's middle man…Do you by any chance know anything about a masked shooter?"

"Why do you ask?" Penny's eyebrows rise at the question.

"My friend Archie's dad was shot the morning after Jughead was kidnapped, and later when we were having a video call with Venom, Jug yelled something about how they had tried to shoot Archie."

"Why would they try to shoot your friend?"

"I don't know," I shake my head, forehead creasing. "I've been trying to figure it out but I just don't get it. Maybe they think adding another teen murder would help pin it on the Serpents somehow?" A worrying thought comes to my mind, and I look to the other blonde nervously. "Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that Archie helped solve the murder of Jason Blossom?"

The woman tilts her head at me, considering my words. "How do you mean?"

"Of course – it makes sense!" I start to get excited even as a cold chill of fear comes over me. "Venom wants to pin Jason's murder on FP and the Serpents. Jughead, Archie, Veronica, and I were primarily responsible for catching Clifford Blossom. So the Scorpions targeted Jughead, because they knew they could use him against FP. Then they go for Archie, since he was involved, but also to give them time to contact me before the authorities can even start on Jughead's case." I gasp, a hand rising to my mouth. "Oh my god, I have to call Veronica!"

Penny thrums her fingers on the desk thoughtfully. "Before you do, I have something that could help." She stands, gesturing for me to follow her into a back room. I get up and walk with her, mind whirring with all the dubious possibilities of what the Scorpions may have in store.

Penny leads me out into an alleyway behind the tattoo parlor, stopping after a moment to look back at me, her head tilted to the side, expression unreadable.

"What do you have to show me?" I ask, anxiety creeping up as warning bells start ringing in my head.

"You want to see Jughead, don't you?" The Serpent asks me nonchalantly.

"Yes…" I respond carefully, glancing around nervously. Something does not feel right.

"Then I suggest you don't put up a fight."

"What -?" My question is cut off by a meaty hand against my mouth. I take in a deep breath to scream, but a sickly sweet smell invades my nostrils, and my limbs begin to go weak.

I thrash around, trying to throw my attackers off of me, but my movements are becoming more and more groggy. I hear a car door open, and kick out at whoever is holding me. Someone catches my leg, and before I know it it my whole body is crumpling against them. Everything is shutting down as the chloroform seeps into my system fully, my vision swimming in and out of focus.

I'm barely able to process that I'm being shoved into the trunk of the car, but then the lid is closed and I'm in absolute darkness. The car rumbles to life beneath me and my screams are just sluggish moans that get caught in my throat. My body lurches to one side as the car moves, and everything blacks out.