Author's Note : Hi there! Here is the next chapter! It is kinda long but a lot happens and it was a lot of fun to write! I hope you enjoy. Please review and let me know what you think. Do you love it? Do you hate it? All critiques are welcome!

Chapter Ten Song : "Firebird" by Milky Chance

Disclaimer : Don't own the characters. Just really like them.

CHAPTER TEN :

Betty hadn't needed to be told twice. She'd snatched up her jacket and scampered after Jughead, trying to keep up with his long legged stride. She hadn't noticed Toni's smugness, Ethel's glower or Kevin's raised brow. She hadn't noticed anything but Jughead. She'd followed him straight through the double doored entrance of the school, across the parking lot to where his motorcycle was parked. She skittered to halt as he kicked a leg over to straddle the bike, then held a black helmet out to her in offering.

"Hop on." He said.

She hesitated, "Um, I've...I've never..."

"C'mon, Coop," he said, that cocky half smirk on his lips.

Betty's heart fluttered. Coop. She was Coop again. She took the helmet from his hand and put it on as she climbed onto the bike behind him saying, "Just...go slow."

Jughead gave a soft chuckle, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no. It's actually much more dangerous if you go slow. You are gonna need to hold on tight."

He had to have been able to hear the pounding of her heart in her chest, his words had caused her pulse to skyrocket so. She reached her arms around his lean waist, pressed her front snug against his back and locked her hands together. It felt so right she had to suppress the urge to let out a relieved sigh. This...this moment, holding on tight to Jughead was where she belonged. It somehow felt like coming home. Finally.

And that reality made her feel like the devil incarnate.

She didn't have a long time to dwell on the inappropriate direction of her feelings because Jughead kicked the bike into life, twisted the gas and they shot off from the parking lot.

For the first few moments, Betty felt completely frozen in fear. As the ride continued, however, she began to relax, to learn from Jughead's body, to move when he moved, to lean into each turn as he did. It wasn't long at all until he felt like an extension of herself and the bike was merely an extension of him. The speed, the power, the emotion of it all was exhilarating. She wanted to ride on that motorcycle with him forever, for as far as the road would take them.

Having Betty's arms wrapped around him, her thighs bracketing his own was a both heaven and hell. He could feel her body heat against his back, her hands clung tight to the tautened muscles of his abdomen. She moved with him and rode with him, her body speaking the same language as his own. Like she was part of him. Like she was made for him.

Dammit, he couldn't let himself think like that!

Frustrated and pissed off at the world, he gave the bike more gas and sped up. This was a double edged sword, however. Yes, the increased speed would get them to their destination faster but that same increase caused Betty's hold on him to tighten even more, caused her to press her subtle body even closer to his.

Mercifully, the headquarters of the Adventure Scouts came into view and he knew the ride would be over soon. A mercy and a disappointment. What if he just kept going? Just kept hold of Betty and rode out of town? Would he be damning his friend by doing that?

Probably.

Keeping Betty all to himself was a pleasant fantasy, but in the end it was just that: a fantasy.

He slid the motorcycle into a parking space, shut it down and kicked the kickstand free. Betty released her hold on his waist and he felt the loss like an amputated appendage. They made their way around the back of the main office building the large, open drill field that lay just beyond. There, Dilton Doiley was holding court with his team of scouts.

Jughead and Betty approached quietly, listening in on the tail end of some kind of pep-talk or team speech or something.

"And in that moment of hesitation," Doiley was saying, "you're dead."

"Wow," Betty muttered to Jughead under her breath, "This guy takes this scout thing really seriously."

"You have no idea," Jug said to her over his shoulder before turning back to the scouts and calling out, "At ease, Doiley!"

Dilton looked over at them briefly, then turned back to his troupe, "Dismissed. But stay close."

With that, the scout master turned and made his way to the duo.

Jughead was surprisingly forthcoming in his explanation, "We're working on a story for the Blue and Gold. There are few holes in you story from the fourth."

"Keller already asked me this," Dilton said, his gaze bouncing from Jug to Betty and back again, "Neither I nor my scouts heard anything weird."

"Okay," Jughead said, disbelief evident in his voice. He wasn't the subtlest of guys, Betty couldn't help but notice with a smile, "but did you see anything weird."

As Dilton started rattling off about the local wildlife, in her peripheral vision, Betty caught the eye of one of Doiley's scout staring at herself and Jughead. She leaned forward and bumped Jughead's elbow with her own. She watched as Jughead noticed then kid and then brought his gaze straight back to Dilton.

"Oh, yeah," Doiley was finishing his speech, "And Cheryl Blossom. Soaking wet."

Jughead nodded, "Thanks for your time."

With that, Jughead caught Betty by the arm and started to lead her back to the parking lot.

"Wait!" She protested, "Didn't you see the kid? He looked like he wanted to-"

"Not here." Jug hissed, "Not in front of Doiley. He won't say anything in front of Doiley."

"Okay," Betty said, ceasing her struggle, "so where are we going now?"

"Nowhere." Jughead said, "We're gonna move the bike out of the line of sight and then we're gonna follow that kid when he leaves."

It was another hour before the young Scout's father came to pick him up. Jughead kicked the bike into gear and followed them, muttering a praise to whatever deity happened to be listening at the moment when father and son pulled into the parking lot of Pop's. He killed the engine of the bike and smiled over his shoulder at Betty.

"Feel like a milkshake?" He asked.

She grinned back, "How'd you guess?"

And so, Jughead treated Betty to a vanilla milkshake while they sat at Pop's bar and he slurped at a strawberry one all the while keeping a covert eye on the adventure scout and his father as they ate their dinner in a booth on the far side of the diner. After a leisurely forty-five minute meal, the scout was served an ice cream sundae and his father stood and made his way to the register to pay the bill.

Betty and Jughead locked eyes. No words were exchanged. They each rose from their seat, Jughead making his way to the booth and Betty immediately stepping to intercept the boy's father.

"Hi there!" She said, touching a hand to the older man's arm and pasting on her brightest smile, "I'm Betty Cooper. I'm kind of new to town. I'm supposed to meet my friend at the library to study. I though she meant the school library, but apparently she meant to public library...which I thought I knew where it was but...okay, embarrassing but I have a really bad sense of direction. Can you help me?"

Kind eyes and a friendly smile, the scout's father turned to face her more fully, "Of course." Without the slightest bit of suspicion, he drew a napkin from one of the metal holders on the counter, plucked a pen from the cup beside the register and began to sketch out a rough map of the town for her.

While he was focusing on his drawing, Betty cast a furtive glance over his shoulder to see if Jughead was making progress with the scout.

Was he eating the kid's ice cream?

Dammit, Jug, she thought to herself, stop thinking with your stomach for five minutes!

"Does that make sense?" The father asked her.

Betty snapped her focus back to him, "Kind of. How many lights again? I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he said with a smile, "Look here..."

Finally, she watched Jughead rise from the kid's booth, cast her a glance and then walk through the exit.

"Is that clearer?" Dad asked.

Betty gave him another brilliant smile accompanied by an enthusiastic nod, "Oh, yes! That makes so much sense! Thank you, thank you! You're a real life saver!"

"Have a good night and safe walk over there. It's getting dark. Watch for cars."

"I will," she said, "and thank you again."

Then she bee-lined for the door to catch up with Jughead. He was already straddling the bike, flipping up the kickstand and turning the key. He tossed her the helmet as she approached.

"Well?" She asked as she secured the helmet to her head before swinging a leg over the bike.

"Dilton Doiley fired the gun." Jughead answered in a flat tone.

Betty slapped her hands against his shoulders and gripped, "Wait! What?"

"Exactly." Jughead said simply, then kicked the bike to life. Of the loud rumble of the engine, he yelled back at her, "He's probably at the Taste of Riverdale with the rest of the damn town."

Without waiting for a reply, he twisted the gas and they rocketed off toward the Town Hall to crash the Taste of Riverdale in search of the evil adventure scout master.

Josie and the Pussycats had just taken to the stage when Betty and Jughead entered the event doors. Betty cast a glance around the crowded room, spotting her mother speaking with Penelope Blossom almost immediately but no Dilton Doiley.

"Where do we even start?" She asked.

Having spent a large chunk of his life on the peripheral observing the comings and goings of society, Jughead spotted their young quarry after little more than a moment. He was headed for a back stairwell. However, Jughead also spotted something else that caused him some concern.

Archie's dad was involved in a cozy looking conversation with Ms. Grundy.

"He just ducked into the back stairwell." Jughead told Betty, pointing in that direction, "You go catch up to him. I see someone that I need a word with."

"What?" Betty's face reflected her confusion when she turned to face him, "What do you mean you see someone? Who? What could be more important than-"

"Betty!" He interrupted her, "Go catch Doiley. I'll catch up to you in a minute."

"Okay," Betty said, "Fine."

She turned away and headed for the stairwell where Jughead had seen Dilton duck through. As soon as he saw her hand hit the doorknob, Jughead made his way toward his best friend's father and his best friend's older lover. He made it within earshot just in time to hear the tail end of Ms. Grundy's sentence.

"Archie's a special kid." She said smiling.

"Isn't he just?" Jughead chimed entering into the conversation.

Fred Andrews reached a hand out a gave him a paternal pat on the shoulder, "Hey there, Jug. I was just talking to your music teacher here. She was telling me how talented Archie is."

"I'll just bet she was." Jughead said and fixed the older woman with a cold smile, communicating with his narrowed eyes just how much he knew, "Good evening, Ms. Grundy."

He watched Grundy's eyes shutter, "Mr. Jones."

"Talking about Archie, huh?" Jughead said. If he had the power to shoot lasers out of his eyes, Grundy would have been a pile of ash already.

"Yes, well, I take an interest in my gifted students." She said.

Oh, I know," Jughead said, looking back and forth between her and Mr. Andrews. He locked his gaze with Grundy's and by God he would not be the one to blink first. He wanted her to know that he knew exactly what kind of a person she was. "Ms. Grundy is amazing a ferreting out...potential."

Ms. Grundy's smile had morphed into a closed mouth, tight lipped grimace that was masquerading as a smile. Jughead watched her throat work as she swallowed with some difficulty. "Well," she said, cleared her throat and nudged her glasses higher on the bridge of her nose, "I need to find Principal Weatherby to discuss a class. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Andrews."

"You too, Ms. Grundy. Have a nice night."

"Yes," Jughead tossed it with another chilling smile, "Enjoy your evening."

"Mr. Jones," Grundy closed off and the skittered away.

Jughead felt a semblance of satisfaction in her tucked tail exit.

"Hey Jug," Mr. Andrews said again, "I'm surprised to see you here. This doesn't really seem like your kind of scene."

Jughead shrugged, "I'm chasing down a lead for a story."

Mr. Andrews laughed, "Aren't you always?"

"So, is Archie here somewhere?"

"Archie's grounded, Jug."

"Ouch." Jughead said, "That seems harsh. Didn't he help Josie with this song?"

"He lied to me."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"He lied to me, Jug."

"He's a seventeen year old, Mr. A."

Mr. Andrews locked him with a dad stare, "Should I take that to mean you lie to FP on a regular basis?"

"Okay," Jughead said, "I'm gonna take this opportunity to make a tactical retreat."

"Probably a good idea."

"Tell the incarcerated I said hi."

"Will do."

"Good night."

"See you later, Jug." Mr. Andrews finished with, "You need to come to dinner soon. I miss seeing you around."

Jughead grinned over his shoulder as he headed for the stairwell, "You know I can't say no to food."

Betty had found Dilton Doiley leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hello, Dilton," she said.

Dilton looked up at her and then looked around as though looking for someone else named 'Dilton.' Girls that looked like her didn't just come up to guys like him and start a conversation.

Betty descended the stairs and leaned against the wall beside him. She stood there for a moment, letting the silence sink in, make him just a little uncomfortable, put him just a little on edge. Then she went for the jugular.

Letting her voice get just a little breathy, she said, "We know you're the one who shot the gun on July Fourth, Dilton. That means you lied. You lied to the police and it makes you a public menace."

"Look," he said, turning to face her fully, his glasses slipping low on his nose. He didn't bother to push them back up, "I was doing the adventure scouts a favor. Someone has to teach them how to stand their ground-"

"Oh, save it for your statement to the cops. I'm not interested." She started to turn away.

"Wait!" Doiley said.

Betty bit back her smile and turned back toward him, "What?"

"What if...what I tell you everything?"

Betty stared at him another long moment as though considering.

When Jughead found Betty, she was sitting at the top of the stairs under the twinkling lights as people moved around her, paying her little to no mind. He crossed to her and sat down at beside her. She looked at him and beamed, "Dilton will be joining us tomorrow morning at the Blue and Gold office."

Jughead returned the smile, "Yeah?"

"Yup," she said, "he wants to tell us everything. Apparently he's scared I'm gonna go to the cops."

Jughead chuckled, "Well done, Coop."

She looked at him and their eyes met and held, blue and green locked together as though connected by gravity. Jughead watched Betty's gaze drop to his mouth in a slumberous kind of haze and all at once it felt as though his skin were on too tight.

"Jug," she breathed and started to lean in to close the distance between them. Their foreheads rested against one another. Betty's eyes fluttered closed. She nuzzled ever so slightly closer, her nose rubbing against his cheek, her breath warm as she whispered his name again, "Jug." Images of lips, teeth, tongue and limbs bombarded Jughead's brain only to be immediately chased away by the sudden and powerful picture of a predatory teacher sucking the soul from his best friend.

He caught Betty by the upper arms and eased her back away from him before contact could be made and said, "No."

She stared back at him, those big eyes wide and confused at the sudden rejection.

"You're Archie's girl," Jughead said.

Betty shook her head, "But, it feels...wrong."

"No!" Jughead countered and climbed to his feet.

"I don't feel that way about him," she stood as well, reached over and twisted her fingers into the leather of his jacket, "I feel-"

"You're good for him. You're so good for him."

"Even if I don't...if I can't..."

"He needs you."

"I care about Archie, I do, but-"

"You do?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then do the right thing!" Jughead's green eyes bore into hers, into her very soul, "And stay away from me."

Betty stepped back as though he had struck her. A teardrop escaped her eye and trailed down her cheek, "You don't mean that."

Jughead wanted to touch her, to comfort her but he knew he couldn't. So instead he said, "Yes, I do."

And then he walked away.

Author's Note : So...that's all for now. I know someone is probably mad at me for the way I ended this one but it all serves a purpose, I promise. Now, the pressing question in my head...what did y'all think of the finale? And of course, the chapter? Hope to hear from you soon! Bye!