A/N: As always, comments and con-crit are appreciated. Let me know what you think!

Thank you

Another week went by, and Jughead was starting to get accustomed to Riverdale again, though he hadn't set foot on the Southside yet. He still had friends there, and it was time to show up.

As he left school on Friday afternoon and crossed the railway tracks, he immediately felt the shift in the atmosphere. Streets were damaged, telephone wires were precariously dangling from the poles, there was trash at every corner. Southside hadn't changed either, it floated in hopeless agony. He was actually surprised the level of degradation hadn't collapsed at its deepest in the past seven years.

Jughead drove past Lodge's private prison, risen on the ashes of former Southside High, and a few minutes later he found himself in front of the Whyte Wyrm. He knew some of his friends had bought back the bar from Hiram Lodge a couple of years back and from the outside, the place looked exactly the same as always. He parked his bike out front and took a look around. The garage gate was closed and since the parking lot was empty he wondered if Toni or any other of his old gang pals were there. The front door was unlocked, so he got inside. Just as he thought that everything in Riverdale was stuck in time, it only took him a brief glance at his surroundings to notice that the club had undergone many changes, all for the better really. The Southside Serpents signature pieces like the pool table and the pole were still on full display, but the lighting was new, as well as the bar with all the stools and seating furniture. Plus the stage had been expanded a little bit and now had an impressive sound system. Being in a familiar place that held some positive memories, could do him good.

"Enjoying the revamp, Jones?"

Jughead turned around and found Toni Topaz looking at him with her arms folded over her chest and her head tilted to the side. Her warm smile made him instantly feel welcomed.

"Hey Toni" he grinned at the pink-haired woman, trying to pull off the most seductive smile he could. She was tightly tucked in a pair of purple leather pants and matching zipper top, leaving very little to the imagination. Not that he was interested, anyway. They had a 'moment' back in high school but as it turned out it felt weird and whatever it was, it was over even before it started and they never talked about it, furthermore he wasn't her type and she wasn't his. That being said, he was not blind and she was a pleasant woman to look at, not to mention a very dear friend.

"Don't 'hey, Toni' me, you jackass! And don't throw that panty-dropping shit in my face, it may work on big city chicks, but you know it has zero effect on this lady here" she argued pointing her perfectly manicured index at herself.

"We call each other at least once a month, you come to Riverdale and I have to hear it from Kevin? Seriously!" she pouted as she approached and wrapped him in a bear hug.

"I'm sorry, you're right I should have told you but I made up my mind very last minute, and..." Jughead hold her tight for a few seconds "...to tell you the truth I wasn't sure I wanted to come back at all" he admitted candidly when they parted.

"Mmh..." she muttered. She could imagine why and decided it was not the moment to bring up the subject.

Jughead was contemplating the space. "Look at this place! You did a great job."

"Thank you, I had help of course and it took almost a year and a shit ton of money to finish all the renovations but now I am officially the proud owner of the Whyte Wyrm. Well...co-owner. Sweet Pea and Fangs are my business partners."

"Cool. I'm glad you guys took back the Wyrm. By the way, where is everyone?"

"The club opens at 7 p.m. Friday to Sunday because we stay open until 4 a.m. So, it's still a little early. The guys should be here soon, though. It was delivery day today, so there's a lot of supplies to get from the storage out back.

"I can help" Jughead offered.

"Can't say no to that! But, before they get here, a little warning. Brace yourself, they're going to give you a hard time because you're the rich kid now, you even wear custom-made clothes!" She laughed brushing the crown engraved on his jacket and giving him a pat on the back.

"Oh please, this jacket is at least 4 years old and I bought it in a thrift shop. The embroidery costed me 30$ and I believe it was double the price of the jacket itself, so no big deal. I'm not a rich kid, I don't own a Ferrari yet!" he retorted raising his left eyebrow as Toni shook her head mouthing 'whatever'.

"Speaking of...do you think I can borrow Pea's tools? I think I smashed the side stand of my bike earlier, maybe I can try to fix it or see if it needs to be replaced."

"He won't mind, go take your bike and meet me out back, I'll get you into the garage" Toni said picking up a bunch of keys.

When his bike was secured on the work bench, Jughead rolled up the sleeves of his dark gray sweater and took a few spanners and screwdrivers from the toolbox.

"So, what drove you back here, Jug? I thought you swore never to come back."
"Principal Weatherbee called. English lit teacher had a car accident and won't be out of the hospital for a couple of months at the very least, maybe more. He contacted me through my editor and asked me if I wanted to help and...here I am."

"What about your books? You told me you were starting a new one..."
"I decided to take a little break. I can't say I was having writer's block, but I was feeling more anxious and stressed than usual so I kind of jumped at the opportunity to unplug for a while."
"Teaching to a class of teenagers? That's a weird conception of unplugging, but hey, that's your call."

"You're a therapist and guidance counselor, you work with teens too."

"Yes, that's why I know your stress will only increase!"

Her comment made him laugh, she was probably right.

"Speaking of, how's JB?"

"She's great. Can you believe she's studying economics at Columbia on a full scholarship? I swear I've never known someone with such a brilliant mind."
"She's always been a smart kid."

"Yeah, she called me the other day, I believe she said she's going to visit my dad in Toledo in a few days, I'm hoping to see her too."
"I thought being both in New York you'd see her all the time."

"On her first year I asked her to come live with me but she insisted on staying at the dorm with the other students. She's independent like that. We do see each other, but not as much as I'd like."

As she watched him working on his bike, she couldn't help but notice his hands were a little shaky.

"Can I ask what made you angry enough to broke that thing?" Toni asked gesturing to the damaged item in question. Jughead gave her a sideways glance as he stood straight.

"We're not going to pretend that you can't guess the answer to that question, Topaz" he nervously run a hand through his hair that kept falling back on his face while he worked on the bike. The beanie had always been the only thing able to keep his hair at bay, but he stopped wearing it the day he and his friends buried the time capsule in the ground behind Riverdale High football field. It seemed somehow cathartic, getting rid of the last physical item that reminded him of his teenage years. The good, the bad and the ugly things.

"You know it's true what they say about problems. If you talk about them..."

"Please, Toni. I'm not one of your psycho-patients and I'm not in the mood to play this game right now" he cut her short, the look in his blue eyes was deadly serious.

He didn't raise his voice, in fact he rarely did. He didn't need to. In certain occasions, Jughead's stance alone could be described as utterly threatening.

Toni remembered that one time when some Ghoulie guy stormed into the Wyrm with a baseball bat, waving it in the air like he owned the place, smashing bottles and glasses, and Jughead faced him with just a small switchblade. He shoved the big guy against a wall even though he was a feet shorter and various pounds lighter, effectively scaring him off simply by whispering a few words into his ear.

He had a way with words and he knew how to use them.

She nodded in agreement watching him lit up a cigarette and smoking it in silence.

"Ok, fine. It's just that I can feel you're repressing your anger, and I hate seeing you like this. I just wanted to offer my help" the worry clear in her voice "I'm here if you feel the need to talk."

Toni could read people and empathize immediately so she knew how much Jughead was hurting inside. On top of that they've been in touch regularly and even though he was not an easy egg to crack when it came down to feelings, he found it easy to open up with her. For that reason she had a pretty good idea of what kind of turmoil was going on in his head since he placed foot back in Riverdale.

"I know."

He was in a bad mood, but keeping himself occupied with some sort of task or goal usually helped.

They chatted some more about random things as Jughead fumbled with different tools. Toni was a good listener, and when he'd be ready to talk he knew where to find her.

As it turned out the side stand was not permanently broken but some bolts needed to be replaced.

He was used to fix his own bike and knew the tools so an hour later he was finished and once again inside the club, that was now filled with music and pretty crowded. As Jughead was washing his hands at the sink Fangs and Sweet Pea arrived.

He helped Sweet Pea and Fangs moving the supplies from the storage room to the bar and filling the fridges with beers and various drinks. He noticed they had a very wide range of liquors, both domestic and imported.

Just as Toni had predicted, he had to undergo major cross-fire from his former Serpents pals.

There was a lot of laughter and catching up going on over many beers and cocktails and Jughead realized he'd be starting to feel slightly dizzy really soon so when Toni put a very appetizing plate of sandwiches in front of him, he dived in. He hadn't eaten anything since lunch and this was saying something.

"Eat" she said. Then she looked at Fangs and Pea "I don't want you two to get him drunk, because I know you'll follow and then I'll have to drag your sorry asses upstairs before you pass out on my new sofas!"

"You meant our new sofas, Toni?!" Sweet Pea retorted grinning. "I remember perfectly well I was the one signing the check for those" he went on.

"Why? What's upstairs?" Jughead asked.

"Technically, that would be my apartment" Fangs explained.

"Cool."

"Yeah, but we have also a spare bedroom in case one of us needs to...you know..." Pea trailed off winking.

"Gross!" Jughead pretended to be shocked, while Toni seemed on the verge of punching her friends. "By the way, I wasn't talking about me. I have a girlfriend."

At that point Fangs burst out laughing and Pea frowned.

"Stop drinking or I'll tell Peaches exactly who you hooked up with in that very bedroom the last time you two broke up for the millionth time. She'd be pleased, I'm sure!" Toni smiled sardonically.

Sweet Pea's murderous look had Fangs and Jughead laughing so hard that he almost chocked on the sandwich he was eating.

"Exactly, how many girlfriends do you have, Pea?" Jughead was blatantly provoking and he knew it.

"Jug..." Toni sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. Those three were giving her a headache.

"One more than you, I bet" came Pea's snippy reply.

"Guys..." Toni put a hand on the counter. She knew Jughead was still upset from whatever happened in the afternoon and things could escalate within moments.

"At least I'm not pining over the same girl since highschool like you. Did you get a few lays over the years or you put a chastity belt on whn she left you?"

Suddenly every trace of conviviality was gone and Jughead was on his feet in a second, pulling up his sleeves.

"What did you just say?" his voice dropping to a low growl.

"I think Betty Cooper really did a number on you!"

Fangs had to get between the two of them physically to avoid unpleasant consequences.

Jughead ignored Fangs' attempt and pointed a finger at Sweet Pea, his other hand in a tight fist.

"Say her name one more time, and I swear..."

"You swear what?" Sweet Pea got up from his seat and slammed the empty beer bottle on the counter.

"You swear what, Jones? You wanna hit me? Oh that would be fun!"

"Shut your fucking mouth, Sweet Pea!" Toni yelled.

A few customers turned around at the noise.

"What? He's pathetic! You're pathetic Jughead. You can't even bear to hear the name of a girl you banged in highschool."

"That's it! I'm gonna kill you!" Jughead threw himself at the other man, the rush of adrenaline getting him all fueled up.

"That's enough! What are you, 16?!" Fangs blocked Jughead's strike with one arm and pushed against Pea's chest to keep him at distance. The tall man raised his hands and backed up a couple of steps.

"No fights into this club, you know the rules, Pea! You drank way too much tonight and need to call it quits."

Then Fangs looked at Jughead who was still breathing heavily but made no move to resume the brawl, he simply nodded, though his eyes were still shooting daggers at Sweet Pea.

"You idiot stay here" Toni said to Sweet Pea. "I'll call Peaches to come and get you."

"Jug, I can get the guest room ready in to time if you wanna stay" she offered.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I can hold my liquor and I really wish to be on my own for the rest of the night."

He wasn't completely drunk, but he was sure the alcohol level in his blood was probably a little over the limit. He reached into his jacket for the cigarettes, taking one out of the pack but Toni shook her head and pointed a finger in the air to the 'no smoking' sign above the bar and he put it behind his ear.

"That's right, go home before I kick your ass!" Sweet Pea laughed after him.

"Son of a bitch!" Jughead was out of Fangs' grasp in no time and delivered a well-aimed punch, hitting him right in the face and he stumbled backwards, landing on his ass.

Toni rounded the bar quickly and put a hand on Pea's shoulder before he had the chance to stand up, glaring at him.
"Try to get up and I'll kick you in the nuts myself. . . I mean it!"

In the meantime, Fangs had managed to restrain Jughead before he tried to punch Sweet Pea again.

"Come on, let's go outside, get some fresh air. Or you can smoke the whole pack like a chimney, whatever works for you..." Fangs motioned for the door and they both headed out.

He wanted to make sure his friend was okay to drive. When he noticed Jughead's bike he whistled in appreciation. "You have quite the wheel show here, man! Selling books does pay well, after all!"

"You know, Kevin said the same thing earlier," he smiled "you two are still together and going strong from what I've heard?"

Jughead was genuinely impressed by how his friend an his beau managed to stay together all these years. He felt supportive of both Fangs and Kevin. He straddled his bike, put the cigarette between his lips and lit it up, taking a long drag.

"Yeah, things are going great. We've had our highs and lows in college because we were living in different cities, but we're making things work now. He's the new drama teacher at Riverdale High, and...we're engaged! Didn't he tell you?"

"We met briefly, he was getting to school and I was leaving. I'm happy for you guys. You deserve it."

"Everyone deserves to be happy, Jug" he gave him a pat on the back. "I'm sorry for what happened inside. You know Sweet Pea's a good guy but his filters go MIA if he drinks one too many beers. The circumstances called for celebration but he definitely crossed the line. He'll come around and apologize."

"I'm sorry too. He hit a nerve and I snapped" he explained with a shrug as he put his jacket and helmet on.

He remembered what Penny Peabody said to him years before, that every snake had a soft underbelly and Betty Cooper was his. And she is, still to this day.

"You sure you're okay to ride? How's your hand? I can drive you with my car and have some of the guys return your bike in the morning with the tow-truck.

"No, thanks I'm fine." He moved his hand, clenching and releasing his fist to test its mobility. It hurt a bit, but he was going to be ok. "I think those sandwiches did their job in absorbing part of the booze."

That was a lie. He felt a bit light-headed and his stomach was definitely not pleased with all the drinks he'd ingested.

In fact, Saturday morning Jughead woke up feeling like shit. He checked his phone, it was 10 a.m. And he probably only slept 3 hours. The night before he had managed to get to the cabin safe and sound but he was restless after the fight with Sweet Pea. He ended up smoking way too many cigarettes out in the patio, thinking about Betty.

He got up and went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. But he also needed some Advil for the raging headache that was hammering right through his skull. He took a few sips of coffee, put down the cup and went to the bathroom to retrieve his toiletries bag and emptying its content on the bed in search of some pain killers, that apparently he forgot to pack ."Fuck!" he hissed sitting down on the edge of the bed.

His head was now pounding, and to make things worse, his phone started ringing. Unknown number. Usually he didn't answer to some random unknown caller but he was so distracted by the pain that his finger slipped on the screen and touched the green icon by mistake.

"Fuck it!"

"Jughead?"

"Who is it?"

"Oh, hey, it's Kevin! Fangs gave me your number, I hope you don't mind" his friend's voice was cheerful. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to go out to lunch with me and Fangs."

"Hi Kev, it's ok, but it's not a good time. I have the most awful hungover headache of all time and I don't even have a fucking Advil with me!"

"Yeah, Fangs told me you were at the Wyrm last night..." he trailed off. "You gonna be alright?"
"I'm good, don't worry. I'll just go back to bed for a while, it should make things better."

"Good. Well listen, you're officially invited at dinner next week. It'll be fun. I'll text you the details. Take care."

They exchanged their goodbyes and Jughead crawled under the duvet and flopped face down on the pillow. The next time he reopened his eyes, it was 4:15 in the afternoon. He was feeling a little dizzy, but the headache was finally gone. He swore he was never drinking that much again, especially without having food beforehand.

He couldn't believe he lost almost an entire day doing nothing but sleeping and being miserable, the best thing he could do no was roll off the bed and head to the bathroom to take a shower. He put his hands against the tiles and let the hot water run down his body, ease the tension.

Once he was finished he wrapped a towel around his hips and used another one for his hair. He changed into a pair of black jeans and a black button down shirt and went outside, sitting at the table on the patio with a little folder. He wanted to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and get a head start on his students' essays.

He had to admit he didn't know what to expect, but some of them were very well written and pleasurable to read. Some others had several grammar errors and plot holes, but he had all the intentions to help his class to improve its skills.

The following Saturday, he was halfway through a new bunch of papers to grade when his phone buzzed. It was a message from Kevin with the official invitation to dinner that same night. It was at a place called Ivy Lounge on Main Street in Centerville at 9. He typed a quick reply, confirming his presence.

As he was about to put his phone down, he received another text, from Sweet Pea. It had been a week since their fight and he hadn't heard from him since.

-Meet at the Wyrm before dinner?-

He was hesitant for a bit, but he texted back -Ok- and got back to his teacher duties.

When Jughead stepped into the Wyrm it was around 8.00 p.m. and a Nine Inch Nails song was blasting from the speakers all around the club, which was fairly crowded for an early Saturday night.

When he reached the bar, Toni was tending to some customers and nodded at him smiling.

"What can I get you, Jones?" she asked.

"Do you have any English scotch?"

"Of course. Coming right up!" Toni reached for a bottle on one of the bottom shelves and poured some amber liquid in a large glass and put it in front of him. He wasn't one to drink regularly, but it was the weekend and he was going to dinner with some friends, so a little something wouldn't hurt. He had just taken a small sip, letting the liquor slowly burn down his throat when he felt a light bump on his right shoulder and he turned to see Sweet Pea standing beside him with a water bottle in his hand and an open bag of ranch chips. Someone wasn't drinking that night.

"Look Jug, I'm sorry about the other night. I was completely drunk and couldn't stop talking shit" he looked very serious, though the black eye gave him a quite funny expression.

"I didn't mean to bring her up like that" he didn't dare to use Betty's name because he didn't want to upset his friend again. "I said some very stupid things. She was my friend too, helped the Serpents in so many occasions."

"It's alright, I already forgiven and forgotten. It's just that you were acting like jerk and I had to punch you in the face. So bad that my hand actually ached" he chuckled. Jughead picked up a few chips from the open pack and shoved them into his mouth, smiling.

"I got the message loud and clear, don't worry. Are we good?"

"Yeah, we're good. But try minding your own business from now on, will you?" Jughead chuckled.

Things were good again between them. They shared their secret handshake, ending with a sincere hug.

"So tell me, how long has it been since you got laid?"

Jughead turned his head again, looking his friend right in the eyes.

"Are you serious?" He had literally just told his friend to mind his own business and there he was, doing the exact opposite.

"Like death."

"God, what's with you and your morbid interest in my sex life, now?"

"I'm your friend, I'm worried."
"Well, stop worrying."

"I can introduce you to a couple of girls if you want" he raised an eyebrow mischievously.

"Do I look like someone who'd fuck some random girl to scratch an itch?"

"No, but you're a man. And a man has certain needs, you know."

"I'm not interested."

"You're not interested in having sex? Like, for real?"

"I'm not like you, I don't hook up with random chicks just for fun."

"My lays are not random, and I already told you I have a girlfriend."

"Can you please stop talking?"

"Are you trying to get yourself beaten up again, Pea?" Toni joined them at the counter while she put on her jacket, ready to leave.

"No!"

"Yes!" Both Jughead and Sweet Pea answered at the same time.

"I was just offering my help. The man needs to get laid!"

"For God's sake, how is that even your business?" Toni asked.

"Thanks Toni," Jughead sneaked an arm around her shoulders "That's what I was trying to tell him."

"Oh come on! It can be that long, Jones!"

"Ok, I'm outta here. You boys better get your asses on those bikes asap, or I'll leave without you" and with that she was gone.

"So the only explanation possible is that you took a celibacy vow or something. Is that it? Like some kind of monk?" Pea asked laughing.

"If you keep this up, I'll give you a match to that nice shiner you have."

Jughead smiled and pushed him away. The shove wasn't violent enough to hurt him, but enough to make his friend lose his balance and grip the edge of the counter to steady himself. Since the Whyte Wyrm was packed, and there was people everywhere, Sweet Pea bumped into a brunette sitting behind him and she spilled half of her drink.

"Excuse me!" she turned around with an annoyed look on her face. "That was my margarita!"

"Sorry honey. My friend here is as delicate as an elephant" he explained gesturing to Jughead who was now laughing openly.

The girl's gaze shifted to Jughead and her mouth dropped open. "N-no problem, it's fine" she stammered, clearly fascinated by his looks. She could see that he had a beautiful smile and apparently he couldn't stop running a hand through his hair, which made him even more charming.

"I'm Natalie by the way." She introduced herself, climbing down from her stool and approaching him.

Sweet Pea mouthed something like 'She's hot, come on!' but Jughead ignored him.

"I'm sorry Natalie."

"That's ok. Wanna dance?" She literally sneaked between him and Sweet Pea and put her hand on his forearm, biting her lip.

Ok, he wasn't prepared to her straightforwardness.

"I uhm, I don't dance, I'm sorry" he gently backed away from her touch and sat straight on his stool. "But I can buy you another drink if you want..." he offered smiling, his blue eyes were amused but had no malice at all. He was a well-mannered young man and he didn't want to let her down rudely.

Always the gentleman. Even if most of the time he deliberately chose to be oblivious regarding the effect he had on women, it was as clear as day that he could have had Natalie squirming and moaning under him in no time if only he wanted to. He knew it. She knew it and seemed unable to form a coherent reply, so when her friend tugged on her arm to drag her to the dance floor she simply whimpered.

Jughead smiled at her and she stumbled on her own two feet.

"Well she doesn't think I'm monk" he said lowering his voice so that only his friend could hear. Once the two girls were far enough, Sweet Pea slapped him lightly on the back of his head.

"I can't believe what I just saw. What the heck was that?"

"What?"

"That! You let that hottie go away. She was practically throwing herself at you. You out of your mind?"

"Oh. That. No, I was just being a nice guy."

"No, if you'd really wanted to be nice, you'd do the right thing and go upstairs with that hot sexy lady. That was you losing the chance to get laid tonight!" Sweet Pea pointed out. He was being overly dramatic, they both knew Jughead could easily get any woman in that club.

"Yeah, well, she's not my type."

"You mean she's not blonde?"

She's not Betty, he thought.

Jughead didn't answer and took the last two swigs from his drink, leaving the empty glass on the counter.

"We're gonna be late for dinner, come on!"