CAPITOLO 5: Snake charmer

Betty walked into Pop's one night after an extenuating late afternoon spent with her mother, wanting nothing more than a nice dinner and a quiet place to decompress.

Alice could be really suffocating and overwhelming sometimes and Betty wasn't used to spend that much time with her anymore.

She was at the counter, ordering her food when she spotted Sweet Pea and Fangs leaving the diner. Scanning the room saw Jughead sitting down in a booth in the far back, sipping a cup of coffee.

When the waitress handed her the plate, she took it and looked around. The diner was almost completely empty, and she didn't want to eat alone, so she walked towards him.

"Hey, Jug."

He didn't see her coming, his stare was fixed on the cup he held in his hands and he seemed lost in thought. When he heard her voice he immediately raised his head.

"Hi, Betty" he sighed and laid back against the seat, preoccupied. He saw she had a plate in her hand and she looked tired.

"I was about to sit at the counter when I saw you, do you mind if I join you?"

He wasn't sure he wanted company, he had a lot on his mind. He hesitated just a moment too long and Betty took it as a clear sign that he wanted to be alone, so she started to turn on her heels to seat at another table.

"Betty, wait" his voice was weary but he managed to offer her a small smile when he stood up and took the plate from her hand, setting it down on the table. "Of course you can sit with me."

"Thank you."

Betty flopped down on the seat and let out a deep sigh, rubbing her temples with her fingertips.

"Rough day?" Jughead asked seeing her so wound up.

"I just left my mom at home after an entire afternoon of shoe shopping. I'm exhausted. I swear, the woman has a hundred pair already!"

Jughead pictured Alice in her dream walk-in shoe closet.
"I thought you liked shopping."

"I do, but not with my mom. She even insisted to buy me a pair of stiletto pumps! When on earth am I going to wear those? For God's sake I wear flats and sneakers all the time!"

Jughead knew that despite her dark side, Betty was a girl next door at heart and though she didn't wear pastel sweaters anymore, she'd always prefer flats or boots to flashy shoes any day.

Though, he remembered clearly the few of times in which he'd seen her wear high heels and they only added even more charm and sexiness to her already gorgeous long legs.

Jughead gestured to her plate, silently asking permission to steal some of her fries.

She smiled and pushed it in the middle of the table, to give him easy access. He took a couple of fries and dipped them in ketchup.

"So? Return them."

"I can't. They were on sale, the shop has a pretty strict return policy on sale items. No, I think they're going to lay unused under my bed." Betty mumbled taking a bite of her hamburger.

"Maybe she just wanted to do something nice for you."

"I'm not questioning that. It's just, sometimes I can actually feel her breathing down my neck. She's been all over me since I got back!"

"How long has it been since your last visit?"
"Five months, but I can assure you that's not a matter of lack of affection, Jug. We text and facetime every other day when I'm in Quantico. She's just freaking out because she cannot control me anymore."

"So, why did you come back?"

"For Polly. She asked my help to find a new place for her and the twins. Juniper and Dagwood need their own bedrooms and she needs a bit of privacy. She's working two jobs now and doesn't have much spare time on her hands to go hunting for an apartment, so since I had a bit of time off I told her I would do it and here I am."

"Your mom is going to go nuts."

"I know! But she honestly can't believe that two women almost in their thirties would still live with her. Polly has a boyfriend now."

"Good for her!"

Jughead never really develop a relationship with Polly, but he knew she'd been through a lot in her life, to deserve a bit of happiness.

"It is! For a long time after Jason's death and all the time she spent at The Farm being brainwashed by Edgar I thought she would never recover. She met Dave at a party at her office and they've been dating for a few months now. She hasn't told my mom yet, she would give her the third degree."

Alice Cooper was a lot of things, but definitely not a quitter.

"Do you remember that one time when she basically dragged you out of my dad's trailer saying we were done playing house?" Jughead smiled.

"One of her most successful mama Coop performances, for sure. But you weren't there when she stormed into Mrs. Burble's office while I was having a session on senior year, blabbering about me hiding things from her. She practically admitted she'd just rummaged through my drawers, finding my birth control pills. I swear I would have smacked her face when she acted all shocked that we were having sex. We were sleeping in the same room and in the same bed at that time!"

For two people who had a rather bad breakup, they were oddly comfortable talking about intimate things. They didn't even think about the implications of it all.

"She knew we were having sex but I think she never accepted the fact that we were doing right it under her nose at the other end of the corridor. One time, when I went downstairs to grab a drink late at night I found her still awake, sitting at the kitchen counter. She looked at me suspiciously, like she knew I had just had my way with you."

He looked at her, a wicked gleam sparkling in his eyes and Betty felt captivated.

"You never told me that." Betty was amused. She'd pay to see Jughead and her mother in that situation.

"I think it was right before we decided to take over Dilton's bunker, when the whole G&G drama was looming upon us. Privacy at your house or my dad's trailer had become a mirage."

"Did she say anything to you?"

"She stood there, watching me as I got a glass of juice. Then I wished her goodnight and she asked me if I was recovering my energies or something along that line. I bet it was my smug smile that gave me away."

"That's embarrassing!"

"Well, she was probably right, you know. I do seem to recall you and I being very energetic that night."

"God forbid! Like she and your father were subtle! Sometimes I had to put on my earphones!"

Jughead burst out laughing and Betty followed. Those were great times.

They ate their dinner calmly, stealing glances at each other.

"They don't have anything like Pop's in Quantico." Betty sighed dipping a fry into mayo and popping it into her mouth.

"I love Asian food and the occasional Italian restaurant night out but there's something comforting about an old fashioned burger, fries and onion rings fest."

Jughead smiled. He loved this diner too, though over the years he discovered a few places in New York which could at least try to compete.

"If you love Asian, you should come to New York, sometime. There's like a gazillion of Chinese, Thai and Japanese restaurants."

Betty was surprised. Of course she knew New York was one of the biggest multicultural cities in the world, but she never thought that Jughead of all people would become an expert on foreign foods.

"I thought you were more into traditional all-american places."

"I am, but there's so much avoiding you can do before your friends start giving you a hard time. Or your own sister, for that matter."

Betty smiled art the mention of JB.

"She texted me the other day. She made me promise to have dinner with her when she gets to town. I believe she told me she was visiting your dad, first?"

"Yeah, she's going to stay with my dad for a few days. I'm not sure if she's going to meet with my mother, though."

"She's still upset."

"She's furious. I can't blame her, I know what it feels when your own mother leaves you..."
Betty lowered her gaze. Jug and his sister had the most dysfunctional family of all times. FP was the only person they could count on.

"All things considered, she's doing great. She's all about this famous food blogger now, I can't even remember his name but she raves about him all the time and she decided she has to try every single restaurant he suggests, so from time to time I just follow her lead and let her introduce me to new places. Plus you know I love food in general, so it's not that hard to drag me out of the house for dinner or lunch."

"Oh, so you can give me some good recs, should I decide to take a trip to the Big Apple."
"Or I could take you out..." The words fell out of his mouth without him even thinking. Betty's eyes snapped up to look at his face.

"Sure..."

The corner of his mouth was curved upwards and she found herself giggling back.

He was charming, as always. He could have her wrapped around his finger with just the smallest hint of a smile.

They were doing this weird thing where they both danced around one another, unsure if it was safe or fair to enter their personal living space. Flirting, folding back, then flirting again. Jughead was slowly starting to reconsider his no-friends policy.

If they could share the occasional dinner together, appreciating the nice things and small talk then maybe, just maybe, they could try to be friends again.

Pop showed up a little later asking if any of them wanted dessert and they both declined.

Jughead received a message and she saw him furrow his brow before he typed something back. When his phone buzzed again and he looked at the display and his jaw tightened, he cursed and his mood suddenly changed. He wasn't in a good mood anymore.

"Something wrong, Jug?" She could sense something was off.

Jughead had always kept his cool even in dangerous situations, he was the one who actually succeeded in making a very orchestrated plan to get away with his murder blow off like a soap bubble in those preppy's faces during senior year!

His brain was constantly working a mile a minute, considering every aspect, every scenario.

"It's...I need to take care of something" he explained hurriedly.

Betty looked suspicious.

"Does this thing...involve the Serpents?"

She saw the expression Sweet Pea and Fangs had when they left the diner earlier. It was easy to put two and two together and assume the two things were connected.

The frown she earned in return confirmed she was right.

"What if it is?" His voice was sharp.

"Nothing, I was just curious."

"Good, because I can't deal with judgmental Betty right now. So please stay out of it."

"It is about the Serpents, then."
"Yes, Betty" he admitted "they're my friends, they asked for my my help and in all honesty I can't let them down."

"Ok." She didn't sound convinced and Jughead snorted.

"Why is it always so damn hard with you,?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"What I mean," he put his folded arms on the table and leaned towards her "is that you desperately want to be so different from your mother, but sometimes you end up acting exactly like her. Assuming things and building her own theories without even checking facts first." He was losing his temper.

Betty felt like he had just slapped her.

"That's unfair."

"Why don't you ask me what you really wanna know, then? I won't bite."

Jughead was looking closely at her face and he could see she was debating with herself. Knowing her, she'd have a lot more questions, but one above all the others was actually showing up on her face.

"Are you back with the Serpents?"

"Finally..." he sighed "here we go. Yes, Betty."

He hadn't informed any of the guys or Toni yet, but he made his decision. He was sick of the Ghoulies and Penny messing up with the town. Even if he had lived in New York for the past 4 years, Riverdale was his town, the Southside was his home.

He let the news sink in, while she was sipping from her milkshake.

"Does it bother you?"

She thought about it for a moment. Was she upset by his revelation? Not really. He seemed determined to fix whatever problem they had. It should be enough for her to trust his reasons.

"No. I understand why you're doing it."

"Good. I mean it's not like I need your approval or anything like that, but I can't fight on two fronts. I really don't want to fight with you on this."

"Me neither. Can you tell me what's happening?"

Jughead shook his head, looking out of the window, his hand messing with his hair.
"I though we were friends, friends are honest with each other."

She didn't feel completely at ease using that term and by the look on Jughead's face, neither was he.

"I...I don't think that's a good idea." Jughead stiffened in his seat.

"I care about the Serpents, Jug. Toni, Fangs and Sweet Pea are my friends, too."

He seemed to think about it for a while. She was genuinely offering to help and even though she wasn't their Queen anymore, she cared. And at this point the Serpents could use all the help possible. Having a smart and skilled FBI agent by their side would definitely be a plus.

He sighed and spoke.

"Penny Peabody is back in town."

Betty cringed hearing that name. The blonde snake charmer had caused a lot of trouble in the past. The fact that she was constantly coming back, made her furious.

"What? I can't believe she has the nerve to show up again."

"That's not even the worst part. She and her thug pals have stepped up their game and gone from simple psycho dealers to full fledged narcos and gun runners. We have reason to believe there will be a major sell in a few days."

"This is huge, there must be some sort of more complex organization behind it. There's no way the Ghoulies are smart enough to run such a business."

"They're not, in fact. From what we know, they're working with a Mexican cartel."

"Damn it. Please don't tell me you want to stop them, Jughead."

"So, you want me to lie to you? I thought we were friends" he raised an eyebrow using her own words against her.

She had her answer.

"Ok, listen, I can call for backup and have some agents from the local FBI office down here in no time. Then we can figure out what to do, together."

"No!" He raised a hand in front of him. "No feds, Betty. Absolutely not. Penny's smarter than she looks, she has spies everywhere, she'll know if we get the authorities involved."
"Jug, the Serpents are...You're good people, you don't carry guns! You're a lover not a fighter, remember?" she pointed out softly.

He actually was a little bit of both, he fought for what he cared about and it was just one of the many things that made her fall in love with him in the first place all those years ago.

"I can't just stand there watching as Penny takes down Riverdale, again."

"You mentioned a Mexican cartel, Jug. That's people you can't deal with. They way more dangerous than a gang, trust me. They're ruthless and show no mercy. Plus, you're outnumbered, how do you think it will go down? Please let me make a call. We'll have surveillance, telephone tapping, the whole shebang. We can plan a raid with the SWAT team, do things the right way. Please."

Jughead sighed, running a hand over his face.

"I knew you'd play the badass FBI agent card on me at some point" he smiled.

"Believe me I'd rather not, but I really don't want to see any of you hurt."

She was right, they both knew it. In all honesty he would never forgive himself if someone got hurt of worse. He cared. The Serpents had welcomed him in a moment when his own family had fallen to pieces and chose to follow his leadership through the good and the bad times.

"Make that call. I'll talk with the others."

Jughead came down the stairs of the Wyrm looking for Sweet Pea and he found him behind the counter, busy drying glasses.

When Pea saw him gave him a brief nod. "What is it Jones?"

"We need to talk about something." Jughead looked around to be sure they were alone.

"I'm listening."

"I want you guys to know I told Betty about all this mess with Penny and the Ghoulies."

"Uhm." the other Serpent didn't seem impressed. "Isn't she a fed, now?"

"Yes."

"I thought we were going to handle this situation on our own. You know, discretely. I'm not sure involving the FBI can be considered discreet."

"I wasn't going to tell her, but then I thought what if she can actually help us? She has access to resources we could definitely benefit from. Think about it."

"Listen, Jughead, I'm not that naive to think a handful of us could take down Penny and her army."

"So you're ok with it?"

"Let's say I trust your judgment."

"I'm sorry I didn't check with you guys first."

"To me, you're still the boss, even if you decide not to stay with us when all this is over. You have my support and I'm sure the others' too."

"Thank you." He was relieved to know his former right hand was at his side.

"Where's Toni?" Jughead asked hurriedly.

"Upstairs with Kevin checking budget and suppliers payments, why?" Sweet Pea asked.

"Because I don't want her to hear what I'm about to ask you."

Jughead's expression was so serious that his friend thought he could murder someone just by looking at them. Talking to Betty about Penny had given him an idea. He wasn't sure it was exactly a good one, but he decided to go with the flow.

"I need a favor, but it's between you, me and Fangs. You have to find a gun for me and maybe a bunch of some semi-automatic rifles, just in case things don't go as planned. You'll keep them here at the ready." He kept his voice down, even though they were the only ones in the room.

"Ok."

"Ok? I would have thought you'd at least try to talk me out of it, show some reluctance..." he seemed surprised.

"Why? The bastards carry all sorts of weapons and firearms, hell I think they even have some RPG material they keep for the big buyers. We need to defend ourselves! I'll get everything, just give me a couple of days. I need to make some calls, maybe go out of town."

Jughead nodded. "Do what you need to. But remember, not a single word with Toni or she'll have my head on a stake, and yours too."

"Hey! You two!" Toni's high pitched greeting caught both of them off guard. She was coming downstairs with Kevin.

"Fuck it!" Sweet Pea almost dropped the glass in his hand.

"Jeez, Topaz! Take it down a notch!"

"What were you talking about?" she ignored their comments, throwing a weird look at Sweet Pea, when she came closer.

Jughead shot him a glance mouthing 'cool down'.

"I was asking Pea if by chance I can borrow a jacket" he tried to avert Toni's attention from his friend.

Sweet Pea couldn't help but ask "speaking of, I see you finally got back this nice custom-made leather piece. How was it that you lost it?"

"Oh, this I wanna hear!" Kevin clapped his hands. He already knew Betty's side of the story, but the thought of Jughead explaining their first casual randez-vous was thrilling.

"It's a long and very boring story" he tried to dismiss them both.

"I have time..." Sweet Pea pressed.

"Don't you have business to get to?" Jughead shot him a piercing gaze.

"Who even cares!" Toni interjected to stop Pea's rapid fire. "I can do way better than give you a random jacket. Hold on" she said walking past them and running upstairs again.

She could hear Sweet Pea and Kevin trying to grill Jughead with nosy questions and smiled to herself. Those two liked gossip way too much for their own good.

A few moments later she was back, holding a bag.

"Here."

Jughead opened it and took a look inside. "Is that..?"

"Your very own Serpent jacket? Yes it is. I kept it! A Serpent never sheds its skin, remember? Plus, I had the feeling someday you'll need it again."

He took it out and looked at it for a second before slowly putting it on. Jughead was a couple of inches taller now and he surely had put on some muscle over the years but it still fit him quite well, maybe even better than before, judging by Toni's appreciative glance.

He smiled at her, wrinkling his nose. The Serpents iconic jacket had always suited him.

"Nice!" Kevin patted him on the back.

"So...why this sudden need for your leather? Is the King is officially back?" Toni asked in trepidation.

The Serpents needed him. There was no one else they could turn to for help and he wasn't the kind of man that simply let his friends and extended family high and dry. Especially if they were potential targets.

Jughead took a deep breath and answered. "Yeah, I'm back."

Sweet Pea nodded with a grateful look and Toni hugged him.

"Freaking awesome! This calls for some celebration! I was just looking for a reason to throw you a welcome back party!"

Jughead opened his mouth to complain, but Toni held a hand in front of him.

"Before you start rambling about not liking parties, must I remind you we all came at your book launch extravaganza a few years back?"

"That wasn't exactly my doing, you know. The publisher set the whole thing up, they only asked me to provide a list of all the people I wanted there and I can assure you it was a very short one."
"Well I guess he decided you had a pretty poor friend list because that attic was packed!"

"And that's why I got wasted. First and only time, thank God. I don't even remember how I got home."

Sweet Pea patted him on the back. "We took you home, Jones. Left you some aspirin and something to eat and got back to Riverdale."

Toni remembered that night. Jughead was so wasted he could barely stand on his own two feet. Sweet Pea and Fangs had to carry him to his apartment and Toni helped them taking off his boots and putting him under the duvet. She knew the real reason why he drank too much that night.
She was on the balcony of this fancy hotel in New York - where the book launch party was taking place - lost in the majestic view of the city, when she overheard Jughead leaving a very sad, very angsty voicemail to Betty. She couldn't make out his exact words because she wasn't close enough and also because his speech was slurred. In that moment she felt bad for him and for Betty too. She imagined her blonde friend listening to that message and feel all the pain and heartache she was witnessing in person.

"See? I can't handle parties, they're not my thing."

"I don't care, you're going to suck it up just this once and let me show you off for one night."

Toni folded her arms on her chest in an adamant stance.

"Jug, it's useless to fight with her." Pea laughed. "I learned it the hard way, believe me."

"Well?" She asked.

The King shrugged in surrender and Toni got behind the counter.

"It's decided, then! I'll make some calls and let you know the details."

"Fine, but...Let's make it a small gathering, ok?"

Toni nodded with the most innocent smile on her face, then someone called her from the other side of the bar and she left.

Jughead wasn't sure that a party would be a good idea, considering the imminent threat, but he also knew there was no way to stop Toni.

"I need to go, Pea. It's school day tomorrow. Remember what I asked you."

The two men exchanged a knowing nod and Jughead left.