Author's note: This update. Enjoy! Xxx

Jughead watched Betty, careful to take note of the way the young woman was staring in front of her, eyes almost lifeless. And haunted. He shook his head, looking towards Sweet Pea helplessly. The two knew her stalker could escalate to something like this – murder – they just didn't know it would be quite so fast. Nor, that it would be a friend of Betty's who seemingly had nothing to do with the shitstorm that was brewing. Licking his lips, Jughead made his way towards Betty, crouching down in front of her and placing a careful hand on her knee gently, trying to attain her attention. "Betty?"

Betty blinked at his soft whisper, looking up and locking eyes with him as if realizing for the first time she was still surrounded by people. "She's dead."

Her voice sounded hollow and painfully small to Jughead's ears, and he knew what she was going to say before she even said it. "She's dead because of me. Because of some sick fuck who took an interest in me."

Jughead shook his head. "Betty, don't do this to yourself." When she opened her mouth to interrupt him, Jughead hurried on with a forceful infliction behind his words. "No. What happened to your friend is tragic and should have never happened in the first place and God, I am so sorry. But it is not your fault. You did not ask for this asshole to do that. You did not ask for him to start this obsession in the first place. You do understand that, right?"

His heart twinged at the look of desperate sadness in her eyes.

"I left Riverdale with the hope that all of this type of violence would be left behind as well. I never expected for it to follow me here. I just…I just wanted a chance at a new life. One where I didn't have the memories haunting me," she whispered, shrugging a shoulder somewhat helplessly as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Jughead hesitantly wrapped his arms around her slender frame, making sure to keep his movements slow so she knew what he was doing the whole time and couldn't help the sigh of relief as he was met with no resistance from her. "It's not your fault. You didn't ask for this. You did nothing wrong."

"My friend is dead because of me," she muttered, pressing her face into his chest as he rubbed a soothing hand up and down her back. "And her scarf, that was placed in my bedroom, is currently being processed as evidence. God, it's all such a fucking mess. Val didn't deserve that."

Sweet Pea spoke up then. "No, she didn't. You don't deserve any of this either, Betty. You need to remember that."

Betty nodded absent-mindedly and Jughead knew her thoughts were far from the present moment, with them. With him. It made his stomach churn to know she was shutting herself off in an attempt to deal with the pain in any means she could. He hated the fact that she felt like she couldn't talk to them. Him, more accurately put. Sighing, he spoke quietly once more.

"Is there anyone you need to speak to? Anyone you want us to contact for you who knew Valerie as well? Maybe you guys can work through the trauma together," Jughead murmured, dusting his hands up and down her arms. He watched as Betty started to shake her head before her face crumpled and tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes once more.

"I-I need to speak to Trevor," she whispered in a trembling voice.

"Who is that?" Sweet Pea asked softly.

"Valerie's little brother," she murmured. "Sweetest kid. He graduated a year early and has a full ride for NYU. Majoring in…shit, I don't remember. I've met him a few times and God, he was so close to Val. They were best friends. He must be devastated."

Jughead winced at the thought of JB dying and in such a brutal fashion at that. He'd light whoever killed her on fire, enjoying the painfully agonizing death he'd slowly serve them. "Okay, we can get you to Trevor."

Betty just nodded somewhat numbly, eyes staring before her and Jughead exchanged a worried look with Sweet Pea before helping Betty to her feet.

"Come on, darlin', just tell us where Trevor would be right now and we will get you there," Sweet Pea encouraged her gently and Betty made a painful whimpering sound that tore at Jughead's heart.

"Probably with their parents, who are here. Dean Burble told me that," Betty whispered. Her voice caught in her throat, sounding as broken as Jughead had ever heard it before. Which, admittedly, wasn't saying much as he recalled how he denied her calls when Hal was outed as the Black Hood and then again when he was killed in front of her. It wasn't because he didn't want to help her; it was for the sole fact that he didn't know how. He didn't know the right words to say and, as a writer, that wasn't something he was accustomed to.

Holding onto her hand tightly yet still gently, Jughead led Betty through the campus as she murmured directions on where to find Trevor and his parents, Sweet Pea standing tall behind them as he helped to block Betty from people's direct line of sight. The news had spread and fast, at that. However, none seemed to know that Betty had had Valerie's bloody scarf delivered to her apartment and the police already had it in their custody, analyzing it for fingerprints of any kind. Jughead knew they wouldn't find any. The stalker and now killer was too careful about that. Too good to leave behind evidence of himself.

Eventually, they reached the newspaper room that Trevor and his parents were huddled in, eyes bleeding grief. Jughead sighed softly as he released Betty's hand, watching the trembling blonde approach the grieving family cautiously. "Mr. and Mrs. Brown? Trevor?" Betty asked, looking at the three of them individually as she addressed them. "I am so, so sorry. Valerie was a really good person and an even better friend."

Valerie's father collapsed against his wife, both Mrs. Brown and Trevor hurrying to steady the older man as he broken down and sobbed, the gut-wrenching sounds echoing in Jughead's ears.

"Who – who would have done this to my baby girl? She had no enemies; no one that wanted anything like this to happen to her," he cried, eyes squeezed shut as he took deep breaths that seemed to wrack his entire frame.

Betty opened her mouth, looking poised to answer his question, before shutting it at the slight head shake Sweet Pea sent her direction. Jughead understood what his friend was silently saying: she didn't need to bring her name into this; not until it was absolutely needed.

"We're very sorry for your loss, Mr. Brown," Jughead said quietly. Even though he didn't know Valerie personally, she seemed to not only be a good friend to Betty but a good daughter and sister, as well.

Valerie's mom nodded when her father was rendered incapable of replying. "Thank you. Were you a friend of hers' as well? The both of you?"

The woman looked between Jughead and Sweet Pea and the taller denied.

"No, ma'am. We just knew she was a good friend to Betty and we're friends with Betty, so we knew we needed to offer our condolences," he said quietly, voice respectful, and Mrs. Brown smiled slightly.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Trev," Betty said quietly, going over to the younger man and laying a hand on his shoulder. "You ever need to talk or anything, you have my number. Use it, okay? I'm here if you need me."

Trevor nodded, hugging Betty tightly for a moment before pulling back, wiping at his eyes. "Thanks, Betty. Valerie loved your friendship; viewed you like a sister."

Betty smiled softly. "She was a good one."

They exchanged a few more words before the three of them left the family to their moment of grieving.

"You okay, Betty?" Jughead asked softly as they made their way out of the room and down the corridor.

She closed her eyes, exhaling heavily. "No, I am not. I won't be for a long time."

Author's note: Thoughts lovely per usual! Xxx