Riverdale, present time

Jughead went to Pop's and ordered two cheeseburgers, fries and two milkshakes to go. He made his way towards the Police Department, determined to use the food to soften-up his father. He knew FP well enough to know that he was still angry at him for his earlier comments. While Jughead was still processing what his father and Alice had said, it was somewhat difficult for him to accept their new relationship status. He also knew that he'd been out of line earlier and he rather talk it out with his father alone than at home. He took a deep breath and knocked on the sheriff's door, before opening it. FP looked up from some files he was reading. He barely acknowledged his son, as he turned his attention back towards the paperwork. Jughead gulped and walked over to the desk, where he placed the bags with the food.

"Dad, I thought we could have lunch."

FP raised his head and looked at Jughead. He didn't say anything.

"And talk." Jughead said quickly. "I was out of line earlier and I want to apologize."

FP nodded slowly. "That you were, Boy." He took off his reading glasses. "If you ever talk like that to me again, I'll send you out to cut a switch. And I don't care how old you are."

Jughead nodded quickly and pushed the food towards his father. "I know, Dad. I'm sorry. I brought lunch." He uttered a sigh of relief, when his father opened the bag and rummaged through the food. "I also really like Alice and I like them staying with us. I don't know about Charles yet, but I'll try to get to know him, I promise. It's just that in the back of my mind I was always hoping that you would forgive Mom and that eventually we could be a family again."

FP's expression softened slightly. "That's not going to happen, Jug. She put your sister's life in danger. And yours. There's no coming back from that. I could never forgive her to the point of staying married to her." He bit into the burger. "As for Alice, I love her. I love her just as much now as I did then. I'll do everything I can to make our relationship work."

Jughead nodded. "I gathered as much about Mom. And I do want you to be happy. You deserve that. I feel even worse about wanting to find granddad now."

FP just shrugged. "You might have the notion of him being this accomplished writer. That's fine. For my mother and me he was an abusive drunk. The day he went to jail would have been the happiest of my life, if it weren't for Alice lying in that hospital bed."

"Was that the day you became the Serpent King?" Jughead asked and FP nodded. "I was told right there in the hospital parking lot. I was 17 just like you were."

"Were any of the guys I know there at the time?" Jughead asked. FP smiled. "You bet. Tall Boy, Mustang, Hogeye, Penny." Jughead scoffed. "Penny?" FP nodded. "She was different then. Straight A student, shy and always had her nose in a book. She was dating Hogeye back then."

"I wish I could have been there when you went to see Alice's father." Jughead said wistfully.

"No, you don't, Jug. Believe me." FP played with his glasses as he thought about that morning.

Riverside Hospital, 25 years ago

FP stayed with Alice until she was wheeled out to the operating room. He held her hand and looked into her frightened eyes.

"You'll be fine, Ally. I'll be back by the time they're done with you and I'll bring you breakfast." He placed a small kiss on her forehead. "You look real good in that cap, by the way." He smirked and Alice managed a small smile as she slapped his arm. "Thank you." She whispered.

FP waved at her as she was wheeled through the doors and quickly made his way to the exit and walked towards his bike. It wasn't the easiest to navigate the motorcycle with a broken arm, but he somehow managed and 15 minutes later he was standing in front of a dilapidated trailer in the Moonshine trailer park. He saw Hogeye standing guard at the door and he nodded at him. "How's it going in there?" FP asked and Hogeye shrugged. "Tall Boy and Mustang already did a number on the guy. He's ready for you now." FP walked into the trailer and found his crew standing around a chair to which they had tied the middle-aged Smith. He was holding his head down and Tall Boy grabbed the greasy hair and pulled his head back. "Our King would like to have a word, scumbag." The man looked towards FP with a frightened look on his face. His nose seemed to be broken and he was sporting a black eye. "What's your problem, kid?" He asked as he spat out a lump of blood. "Does it look like there's anything to steal here?" FP raised his good arm and placed his hand around the man's throat. "The only thing I'll be stealing is your daughter." He squeezed harder. "Do you enjoy beating-up young girls, you asshole? How about we give you a taste of your own medicine, old man?" The man's eyes were bulging now, and FP lightened his grip and slammed his fist into his side. John Smith groaned as FP repeated the punch twice more. He then grabbed his hair and pulled his head back forcefully. "You like to use your belt, don't you? We like to use our fists." He looked towards Tall Boy and Mustang. "Break his ribs." FP watched on as his friends pummelled his fists into the man.

Hogeye and Penny walked into the room. "Need any help, boss?" Hogeye asked and FP nodded. "Find his daughter's room and pack-up her stuff. Use the trash bags if you must. Penny, make sure you pack any of the woman's stuff she might need. Then drop the stuff off at my trailer." Hogeye and Penny retreated towards the back of the trailer. When FP thought that Mustang and Tall Boy had done enough, he grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck and slammed him against a nearby wall. "Now you're going to listen to me carefully, you load of scum. If you try and come near your daughter again, this will seem like a picnic. I'll send every available Serpent to come after you. Do you understand?" John Smith nodded, and FP slammed the man's head against the wall. He let the man slump to the ground and turned towards Tall Boy. "Did you bring your truck?" Tall Boy nodded. "Good. Drive him to Greendale and dump him somewhere. Then call 911. I want to make sure he's not brought to Riverdale hospital." FP looked around the room. "Thanks, guys! I'll be at the hospital if you need me."

FP exited the trailer and got onto his bike again. He looked at his watch and decided that he would have enough time for a shower and to change his clothes, before Alice was out of surgery. Once he got to his home in Sunnyside, he first got a trash bag and proceeded with cleaning-up the empty bottles of beer that his father had left strewn across the lounge as usual. He went into his father's bedroom and stripped the sheets off the bed. Alice would probably need some time to recover and he didn't want her to lay on a dirty bed. He then placed his father's clothes in bags and stuffed them into the back of the closet. He would decide later what to do with his old man's stuff. Once he had showered and changed and was satisfied that the trailer looked vaguely presentable, he made his way back to the hospital. He stopped at Pop's on the way to get some muffins.

When he got to the third floor he ran into the nurse. "Your sister is in the recovery room. You can go there, let me just give you an access badge." FP nodded gratefully and ran down the stairs to the first floor. He followed the signs and flashed his access pass to a nurse sitting behind a glass wall. She opened the door for him and guided him to where Alice was laying. She was still asleep, and he sat in a chair next to the bed. A doctor came in shortly after. "You're the brother?" FP nodded. "Our parents are away. Will she be ok?" The doctor picked-up the chart. "We managed to fix the damage laparoscopically and there should be minimal scarring. If all goes well, she can go home in the next day or two. She should rest in bed for another week and move around as little as possible." The doctor looked at FP with a serious expression. "There is also extensive bruising and I set-up an appointment by the social worker tomorrow to discuss the biking accident." FP tried to look as non-committal as possible. "Uhm, uhm." He mumbled. The doctor raised an eyebrow. "If she has a boyfriend, there's no horseplay to be going on for at least two weeks." FP didn't know why he felt his cheeks redden, and he nodded. "I'm going to leave you to it now. She should be waking-up any minute." FP mumbled his thanks and grabbed Alice's hand as he felt her stir.

Alice opened her eyes. "FP, you're here." She said tiredly. "I'm thirsty." FP went to look for a nurse, who gave him some wet gauze for Alice to chew on. She took it gratefully. "The doctor was here. You're going to be ok. They're letting you out in two days." Alice nodded and closed her eyes. "My father?" FP squeezed her hand. "Don't worry about him. He won't be bothering you again." Alice looked alarmed. "You didn't…" FP shook his head. "He'll live. But he'll know better than to mess with the Serpents again." He saw that she was dozing off. The nurse came back to check her vitals. "We're taking her up to the room now." FP followed the nurse as she wheeled the bed out. "When will she be able to eat? She was starving this morning." The nurse looked at her watch. "Once she wakes-up she should be ok to eat." FP stood by the door and watched as Alice was hooked-up to the IV and blood pressure monitor. Once the nurse had left, he sat back down in the chair. He dozed off himself until he felt an arm on his shoulder.

He opened his eyes and saw Alice looking distressed. "Where am I going to go? My stuff." FP stroked her hair. "Shhhhh. Don't worry about it. You'll go back to my place. We packed your stuff. It's already there." Alice opened her eyes wide. "But your parents. How can I go there?". FP looked pained for a fleeting second. "My mother took off last year. Went to live with her sister after my father sent her to the hospital with a broken jaw. He was arrested yesterday. Won't be out for a while by the looks of it. Made me the new Serpent King." Alice squeezed his hand. "I'm so sorry." FP just shrugged. "Best day of my life. Finally, that piece of shit gets what he deserves. Are you in pain?" Alice shook her head. "It's not too bad. What am I going to live on? I have no money." FP just waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. My father owns half of a bar we hang out in, the White Wyrm. It doesn't generate a lot, but enough for food and some basic stuff. Especially now that he isn't spending the money on booze. The rest of the Serpents will also help. It's one of our laws. We stick up for each other when times are tough."

"Why are you doing this? You hardly know me." Alice teared up. FP winked at her. "I don't know, Smith. There's something about you. Maybe it's that sexy gown." Alice laughed and slapped his arm. "Don't you dare!" For the first time he saw a gleam in her eyes. "There it is. And there's me thinking that your badass reputation was made-up." Alice laughed and it was music to his ears. "It's not. All the girls in high-school fear me…And some of the boys too. At least the ones in my grade. Why aren't you in school?" FP just shrugged. "Same reason you aren't. Doctor's note. You want a muffin? I got it from Pop's on the way here." Alice nodded gratefully. "I'm starving."

They spent the rest of the afternoon chatting amicably and Alice dozed off a couple of times. By the evening she was able to get out of bed and FP helped her to walk up and down the corridor. After she was served her dinner, the nurse sent FP on his way. She was not going to let the boy sleep on the chair one more night. FP was exhausted and decided to head back home to get a few hours of sleep. His father's bed was still stripped, and he was too tired to put on clean sheets. He collapsed on the couch and passed-out the moment his head hit the pillow.

The next day he went back to the hospital and had breakfast with Alice, before he was sent away by the social worker who came to see her. Once she had left, he could see that Alice was drained. It didn't look like she wanted to relate the conversation, and he didn't press her. He'd been there often enough. She spent most of the afternoon sleeping, and FP confirmed with the nurses that she was being discharged the following day. Getting bored of sitting around in the room, he decided to head to Pop's, where he bought two burgers, some fries and a milkshake, before heading back to the hospital.

Alice was awake when he returned, and he saw her face light-up when he walked into the room. "Hello there, sleeping beauty." He winked at her. "Feeling better?" Alice nodded. "Much better. Did you go home?" FP shook his head. "Can you get out of bed? I'm taking you on a date." Alice looked puzzled, but slowly got-up. FP took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. She grabbed her IV trolley and followed him out of the room and into the elevator. "Where are we going?" FP just shook his head as he pressed the button for the first floor. He took Alice's hand and walked towards the hospital cafeteria. It was dark and FP guided them towards a corner table that was dimly lit by a streetlight.

He placed the bag in front of them and handed Alice the burger. "Chocolate or strawberry shake? I didn't know which one you preferred, so I brought one of each. I really hope you prefer the strawberry." He said with a wink and Alice laughed. "I love strawberry!" FP pretended to be hugely relieved. "That's good. I'm a fan of the chocolate myself." Alice bit into the burger and the look on her face was priceless. "Ummmm, this is so good! Why here?" FP looked her up and down. "I would have taken you somewhere else, but I didn't think you were dressed for the occasion. Though I must say that my jacket adds some class to the outfit." Alice nearly choked on the burger as she let out a laugh. "Is it the jacket? I thought it was the IV drip that did it." She reached over the table to take a hold of FP's hand. "Thank you. This is the best date."

FP raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Ms. Smith, you look beautiful in anything and you've got me wrapped around your finger." Alice blushed and he thought she looked adorable. "I think we better head back and get you into bed." FP held out his hand and Alice smiled at him wickedly. "Is that what you say to all the girls, Forsythe?" FP turned towards her and slowly placed his hands around her face. He pressed his lips on hers gently. "Oh Ally, Ally, I told you that we would have to stop being friends if you called me that." Alice opened her eyes and looked at him. "I agree. Friends don't do that…Forsythe." FP just laughed as he helped her along into the elevator, before tucking her into bed. He was about to lean down and kiss her again, when the nurse entered the room carrying a bouquet of red roses. "These came for you." She placed them on the nightstand. Alice looked surprised as she reached for the card. Just heard the news that you're in hospital. I'll come by tomorrow. Hope it's nothing serious. Love, Charles. FP read the note and threw the flowers into the trash. "I think you have to break-up with Charles." Alice placed her had on his cheek and nodded. "Yes, I think so too." He smiled at her and placed another kiss on her lips. "I see a bright future for us, princess. Sleep tight. I'll be back here tomorrow morning."

Thank you for your reviews and I hope you liked this update. I know this is a bit of a slow-burn. In the next chapter we will see Alice's memories of moving into the trailer with FP. Your reviews, comments and suggestions are always much appreciated.