Happy Leap Day! :-D

Thank you for the lovely reviews, Shyrider45 - things are definitely wild and unsettled, and I liked your point that there is personal turmoil... and that is not helped by the mortal danger cropping up here and there! Also, the head injury was inspired by a far less dramatic incident IRL (not my injury, but I was present and got to be on "stop the bleeding" duty for quite some time) that was shockingly gory - and sharp corners were the culprit. I learned a lot about head wounds and how little it can take to really make a mess! I laughed at your priorities, and we shall have to see... and I agree: yay for Betty learning Krav!

Living Lucid Dream, thanks for the great review! I thought that was a neat observation about Brand, and since you pointed it out I've started wondering if that's solely because he's changed (he has gotten more polite and FAR more communicative) or if part of it's also because Clark is not in the intense space that Jughead occupies with him. I have a feeling we'll find out! I'm so glad you liked the girl talk too (and also that it made sense there, instead of being a jarring update to dynamics in the household!). I also have so much sympathy for FP and Jug about the Serpents dynamic. I always hope there's a good way for everyone to be satisfied, but I'm not sure what that might look like for them on this. I love your theories! I think Brand (and just a few other people!) will be pushing for answers to those same questions really quickly as well...

Enjoy!

-Button

00000

"Sir, if I could just-,"

"You have teenagers at home?"

"No; I'm only twenty-three-,"

"Then you can't possibly understand. Let him finish apologizing for giving me a hard time this morning." FP leaned back in his hospital bed with a grin. "There will be plenty of time to get my vitals afterward."

"Da-ad." Jughead's tone was chiding, but he couldn't keep from smiling at the obvious evidence that his dad was doing well.

"You want to scoot up here with me, too? I don't have whiplash, and I share the TV remote. Depending on what you want to watch, anyway."

"I think I'm going to go find you some coffee and give you a chance to calm down." Jughead narrowed his eyes at his father.

"Ohhh, no you don't," Brand entered the hospital room then. Clark was right behind him, trailing nervously. "Sit tight and be supportive of the old man. I'll be the one to get any coffee. How's the head, FP?"

"Worse now that you're here," FP quipped with a smirk.

"He bounced back fast, huh? It's kind of disappointing. We didn't even get a few days of coma out of it, and I really could have used the break," Brand said to Jughead. "Clark and I will get you two something to eat, since you'll probably be here for a while. Then we're going to go check in on the investigations."

Jughead looked from Clark and Brand to FP, and the conflict in his expression was palpable.

"Wipe that look off your face. You belong here, kid."

"Jones, I'm so sorry - I know this is terrifying," Clark spoke up. "You know, this one time my father had a bad health scare. It turned out not to be cancer after all, but I spent all day in the hospital with him, and-,"

"Wow, Clark. Good story; very helpful. We'll just get that coffee, eh?" Brand grabbed Clark's shoulder with a grimace and turned him to face the door before he addressed the nurse who was still standing there, waiting, as he left the room. "Aren't you supposed to be examining him or something?"

Clark twisted to face Jughead again as he was forcibly steered from the room. "Are you doing okay, MacGyver? Your dads are being kind of intense-,"

"What did you just call us? You can ban him from this room," FP leaned toward the nurse and spoke as Brand dragged Clark away with an amused snort - and seconds later Brand's laughter was echoing in the hallway. "Both of them. Right after Brandon brings us coffee and food."

Jughead pulled up a chair alongside the bed and slumped into it.

"I don't know why this nurse is laughing," FP said to Jughead. "I'm dead serious."

"All right, Mr. Jones. I can see that you like to have a lot of fun." The nurse began to take his vitals before she continued very casually. "It's hard to believe you're single."

Jughead buried his face in his hands when FP gave him a very, very pleased smirk while the nurse was focused on whatever she was writing. "Well, you'll have to believe it somehow, Miss-,"

"Lorraine."

"That's a beautiful name."

Jughead choked.

"And I bet you've mastered the Heimlich, too," FP continued, waving toward Jughead. "There's really nothing like having a medical professional in the family."

The nurse was grinning when she consulted the chart again. "What do they have you on for pain?"

"Nothing," Jughead gritted out. "This is just my dad."

"Au naturel." FP quirked his eyebrows and smirked at Jughead a second time when the nurse giggled.

"I bet Clark's dad didn't embarrass him when he was almost dying in the hospital," Jughead groused.

"Clark is not easily embarrassed. In case you haven't noticed." FP's grin widened when Jughead didn't have an answer for that.

00000

Brand and Clark were quickly frustrated when Sheriff Keller barred them from the investigations of both the living room shooting and one in the parking lot of the shooting range.

"Brandon, you know better than to muck around with jurisdictions," Tom said firmly. "Get permission first, and until then get out of the way; go be with FP and make sure that you have your phone on. If anything comes up, I'll call you right away."

"Sir, I'm just an intern with the FBI, so technically I don't have jurisdiction. Does that mean I could-,"

"No, Clark. That only means that you shouldn't be in the middle of any investigations. Go to the hospital." Sheriff Keller raised an eyebrow at Clark's logic. "And do me a favor, Brandon. Make sure Jughead doesn't get into any of the hospital coffee. I don't need another call today."

"He knows better." Brand straightened up and nodded quickly, though, when Keller held his gaze without blinking. "No problem, Tom. I'll see to it."

"Thanks." Tom turned away. "Now let me work."

"Okay, Clark. New skill you get to learn: we call this one 'sitting on our hands.'" Brand frowned. "At least Agent Quinn's coming by the hospital soon. We can get news from the agency."

"And spend time with FP," Clark offered cautiously. "I bet he's more shaken up than he's letting on."

"Yeah. And that." Brand nodded reluctantly. "But - word to the wise - I don't put bets on FP's reaction to things anymore."

"You know… FP cares about you, Special Agent Davies." Clark's tone was painfully sincere, like he felt deeply compelled to persuade Brand of this fact. "He really does."

"Obviously. Have you seen what he puts up with from me? I like him too. He scared the crap out of me today. Bu-ut that also means he's going to bug the crap out of me in the hospital," Brand attempted to explain, since this obviously bothered Clark deeply. "He'd agree with me on this, too: it's better to do something productive. Investigate or even work the case indirectly. But since we can't do that, we can bring over a board game or something to keep him from getting stir crazy. Have a chess tournament, maybe."

"Really?" Clark lit up.

"Oh, you like chess?" Brand was a little more interested in this plan now. "I wonder if you could shark FP. That would be worth seeing. If you think you're up to it, then we might just have ourselves a plan."

"Yes, sir. I'll try." Clark's eager grin was encouraging.

00000

"Welcome to the most boring tournament in history." Jughead got up to greet Archie and Fred Andrews when they arrived at the hospital room. "At least we have eclairs. They're from a bakery, though, because apparently you have to make plans in advance in order to get homemade eclairs delivered to you in the hospital."

"Are you okay, man?" Archie patted Jughead on the shoulder, and then left his hand there as if to steady him. "It sounded an awful lot like there were two shootings, which doesn't make any sense - except that it's you, which means all bets are off-,"

"Yeah, you should have heard Agent Quinn about that. She actually thought Brand was making it up, and then she called us 'magnets for trouble,' which seemed a little harsh. It's not like we're crying wolf or going around picking fights. Come on - over here," Jughead drew Archie to one side of the room so they could catch up. "Clark's focusing. He and Dad are battling it out at chess."

"Uh-huh." Archie followed Jughead to where he'd arranged some chairs that he'd collected from around the hospital floor. Archie gave FP and Clark a skeptical look; Brand was watching with fascination as they studied a chess board on the raised table that swung over the hospital bed. "Seriously. What happened?"

"We don't know. Brand isn't allowed to investigate right now, either, because of jurisdiction stuff and protocol. He's hoping that he can make it the FBI's business tomorrow, and Agent Quinn thinks that's basically inevitable." Jughead shrugged. "We'll see how it goes. But yeah, there were two shootings. We haven't decided what to do about leaving the hospital yet, but I think Dad needs serious protection."

"Hey, FP," Fred approached the hospital bed. "I got your message about the windows, and then I got Brandon's about you being shot and here in the hospital. What's going on? How are you feeling?"

"I'm good, Fred." FP waved to Fred without looking up from the game. "They practically missed. I hit my head on a door, so that's most of what I'm here for. Our front windows are destroyed, though, so I'm going to need recommendations for getting those replaced as soon as possible."

"Practically missed?" Fred's tone was dubious and deeply concerned. He looked down at the chess board. "Watch that rook."

Three sets of eyes glared at Fred.

"Okay, okay; I'll stay out of the game. But what do you mean, 'practically missed,' FP?"

"He has a graze on his left arm," Jughead explained. "Which actually means that he was hit. By a bullet."

"It's nothing." FP glanced over at Jughead, giving him a reassuring look. "I'm fine, Jughead."

"He's in this... mood, too," Jughead waved a hand at FP in frustration. "Like he had a near death experience or something."

Brand rubbed a hand over his eyes and stood up from his chair. "Kid, seriously?"

"Well... it sounds like you did, FP." Fred looked from FP to Jughead. "Maybe even two of them."

"He keeps trying to say it's nothing, though." Jughead's tone was starting to harden. "Except he's acting like he almost died, so-,"

"We might need to take a break," Brand interjected, giving Jughead a worried look. "Maybe give those two a few minutes alone. Have you had the sandwiches here, Fred? They're fairly edible, all things considered."

"I have. They're not terrible," Fred agreed. "We'll be back in a little while, FP, and I expect the full story then. Clark, were you there for any of this?"

Clark stretched as he stood up from the chess game and then rolled the table back from FP's position on the bed. "No, and I've been barred from investigating for the time being. I'd like to help, though, so hopefully we'll get some news from the sheriff soon."

Jughead watched everyone file out, Archie giving him a sympathetic smile and then mouthing 'I have news' as his father drew him from the room.

"Come here, Jug," FP patted the bed. "What's bothering you?"

Jughead approached his father stiffly. "You're acting like those people who nearly die, and then get all happy. You didn't almost die, Dad."

"I scared you, though." FP reached for Jughead's arm and guided him to sit on the edge of the bed. "Scared myself, too. And I am very relieved that you're not hurt, and that I'll be back on my feet tomorrow at the latest."

There had been talk of keeping FP in the hospital overnight for observation, but nobody thought that his injuries warranted more concern than that.

Jughead considered FP's words. "You're just relieved? You're not… a little manic?"

"No more than usual." FP laughed lightly. "Don't get me wrong: I'm very relieved. But my being relieved - or maybe even a little manic - doesn't mean that I almost died."

"I know."

"But you needed to hear that." FP searched Jughead's expression. "Right?"

Jughead slid a little further onto the bed and FP rested an arm around his waist. "Maybe."

"And I'm going to be careful. Something's going on, and I take that seriously - even if I don't think it's a 'hit.'" FP laughed a little as he echoed Brand's wording, and he pulled Jughead closer. "I'm not planning on leaving you alone with Brandon, with only Fred to buffer things. Not ever."

"You're planning to outlive Brand?" Jughead turned toward FP with a small smirk.

"Probably by decades, the way he runs around making enemies."

"Well. Maybe by a few years." Jughead bit his lip.

"I'm not saying this would happen anytime soon, Jughead. Your godfather's going to be around for a good long time."

Jughead nodded.

"But that means I've got to be here too, to keep him in line."

Jughead nodded again. "Agreed."

"How are your ribs? I know you said you're off the pills, but we've been making plans to go to an amusement park. You're not rushing anything, are you?" FP nudged Jughead's ribcage lightly.

"They're… okay," Jughead admitted. "I might actually take a pill for the park. I'll bring a few for the day, just in case."

"All right. You can take it easy, too." FP watched Jughead's expression. "We can also keep this quiet from Brandon if you want, since he's worried about the pills."

Jughead nodded. "Thanks. He worries a lot."

"Don't let him pressure you; those were prescribed because you need them." FP frowned. He might need to have yet another chat with Brandon. "You should take them if you're in pain."

"I know." Jughead leaned into his father gently, glad that he was sitting on his uninjured right side. "So… what's going to happen if you ever get hurt worse and need painkillers?"

FP studied Jughead's expression. "You mean because I'm an addict?"

Jughead shrugged uncomfortably.

"I've never abused pills, Jug," FP was thoughtful. "But you're right; I turned them down today because it's not a good idea for me. If I ever got hurt worse and really needed something, I'd probably just ask Brandon to keep an eye on my pain and my pacing."

Jughead gave him a surprised look.

"He's obsessive, and that has its uses."

"That's true." Jughead sighed. "He thinks I'll get addicted."

"No. He doesn't." FP squeezed Jughead lightly again. "He worries, but he's one hundred percent convinced that you're too smart and too strong to make the mistakes I made - or the mistakes he made, for that matter. He just wants to make it easier for you, that's all."

"Ha." Jughead raised one eyebrow. "It's not exactly easy dealing with him."

"That's part of his method." FP nodded in agreement. "As long as you're dealing with him, you're not dealing with addiction. And, believe me, addiction is worse than Brandon."

"Now that's a scary thought." Jughead sighed. "And... I kind of get why Brand worries."

"I know you do." FP's voice was quiet. "I'm sorry you have to."

"I worry less, though."

"I've noticed, and I appreciate that. You worry more when there are Serpents around, though, right? Especially when I'm keeping information to myself about them?"

Jughead was surprised to hear his dad put into words so simply what he'd been trying to figure out all day. "How did you know?"

FP huffed a laugh. "It's not rocket science. And I do think about drinking more often when I'm with them. Only that thought comes with a whole lot of regret. I want you to know that. It's a very complicated temptation, and it hasn't been hard to resist. I think a lot more about how much I want our life - the one we're making now, together - and not any version of the one I had for years. Before Blossom and Brandon and all that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." FP leaned back onto his pillow and Jughead turned to face him more directly. "So. Can I be relieved, and happy, and maybe even a little manic again?"

Jughead laughed. "Sorry. I got worried."

"That's fine. It's good to have people to worry about you, Jug. It reminds me of what's important, and it's also just plain reassuring to know that people are looking out for me."

"Even when it's Brand?"

"Even then," FP agreed. "But do not tell him I said that. And don't you forget what we've been talking about in couple's counseling."

Jughead smirked at his dad's nickname for their shared sessions with FP's therapist.

"You are not always responsible when things happen. You didn't cause the shooting, and it's not your job to fix it." FP gave Jughead a small smile. "Some things have nothing to do with you. And that should be a relief, even if it takes some time for you to get used to it."

Jughead nodded, but his mind was on the burner phone hidden in his backpack. He really hoped his dad was right.

To be fair, the threatening note that Clark had received had specifically mentioned the protection that extended to his dad, so presumably that was still in place. All the same, Jughead couldn't shake the vivid memory of Donn saying that Clark knew too much - and so did FP.

"Well. That is not the face I was hoping you'd make." FP's brow knit with concern. "Look, I know that things have gotten busier again, and some of that's my fault. But I can absolutely spend more time with you on weeknights if you're feeling like-,"

"I'm not feeling ignored, Dad. Or neglected, whatever." Jughead managed a wry smile at the idea of his feeling in any way bereft of attention in the full household. "Seriously. If anything, I'm relieved that the leash is finally getting a little slack in it. I just have a lot running through my head sometimes. Not all of it's… relevant."

"Okay. You always have been one for living inside that head of yours." FP seemed to relax and his voice rang with pride. "Speaking of which, are you writing anything that you're interested in sharing with your old man?"

Jughead was still distracted enough with thoughts of Donn and Rose that he had to concentrate on the question before he came up with an answer. "Uh, yeah, actually. Betty's been giving me more story assignments for The Register, and I've got a draft of one about Southside High merging with Riverdale High. Alice is going to write up the dance for the Blue and Gold, but my article's about the transition as a whole."

"Sounds interesting."

"I'm not mentioning the Serpents, don't worry."

"It's okay if you do." FP's tone was gentle. "I'm not asking because I'm looking for a slant."

"Yeah. I know."

"I am, however, looking for some bragging rights. Fred's going to be insufferable about Archie's concept album."

"Ah." Jughead looked away to hide his pleased expression. "Well, I'll see what I can do."

"I'd appreciate that." FP smiled contentedly.

00000

"So, you can crank up the oversight?" Brand had excused himself from the group and stepped outside to make a quick phone call.

"I can if you really think it's necessary." Dominic Rose seemed entirely unperturbed. "I'll of course honor our deal. To the letter."

"Everything you've been investing in Jones depends on it." Brand wasn't sure he had any other ammunition to use in this conversation. "He'll be… well, it will be a setback if he loses FP. And-," Brand thought of the only other ammunition he might have, "-if you let him down on your part of the bargain, I will not support you in maintaining any further ties to the kid beyond making certain - beyond a shadow of a doubt - that he is left protected."

"I'll invest in oversight. For a time. That boy is expensive."

"You get what you pay for." Brand glowered at the unspoken suggestion that Jones was not worth taking care of. "He's worth every penny."

"We'll see. Perhaps you should pay me a visit with him sometime, so that I can see for myself how he's doing." For a few moments Brand was left to wonder if his brain had shorted out, but then Rose continued: "Not now, though. For the time being, you just do your part to see to the issue; after all, if FP Jones has gotten himself into a situation, it really is not my problem."

"Make it your problem." Brand choked the words out, but was still trying to absorb what a summons from Rose could mean for the kid. For both of them. And then another thought occurred to him. "Where's Donn, anyway? Do you have a handle on him?"

"You know that I do." Rose sounded like he was beginning to lose patience with the conversation.

Well, tough.

"I know that you had him threaten Clark," Brand shot back. "Unless you were unaware of that? He needs to be leashed-,"

"Your vendetta against Donn has gone on for long enough, I think." Rose cut Brand off decisively, and his tone was suddenly icy. "You've said your piece, and I've agreed to make reasonable accommodations to compensate for FP's predilection for attracting enemies. We will speak again later, Brandon."

Brand waited silently, still wondering how seriously Rose had meant that summons.

"Understood?"

Perhaps all too well.

"Yes, Rose." Brand made his tone bland, and amenable to any read Rose wished to make of it. "Thank you. I appreciate it, and you'll find that keeping FP safe is a sound investment."

"I'm sure that I will." The edge in Rose's voice made the words a threat, though that didn't make a whole lot of sense.

Brand massaged his forehead as he hung up.

Well, it sounded like Rose was not directly responsible for the attacks on FP - which was a relief, since that would have meant all-out war - but it was still unclear to Brand whether things were happening because Rose had allowed Donn too much free rein, intentionally or otherwise.

Or, since this still reeked of far more amateur work than Donn's, whether something far more subtle and insidious had happened.

A stated or implied removal of protection from FP might read like a challenge, a declaration of 'open season' on him, or perhaps even a golden opportunity to ingratiate oneself with Rose. And with some fancy footwork, that might not technically break the deal, particularly if it had all somehow been brokered indirectly through Donn.

However, from what Brand could see, Rose didn't stand to benefit from losing FP 'accidentally.' It wasn't like FP was a threat to him.

No, it was a little too smoke and mirrors for Brand to feel confident about any of it, but that was another reason for the phone call: to put Rose on notice that Brand would be crying foul if anything 'accidentally' messed up their arrangement.

They'd just have to see if this stopped the bullets from flying.

00000

Archie led the group back into the hospital room and handed Jughead a wrapped sandwich. "It's still warm. I thought it looked the best out of everything down there."

Jughead accepted it gratefully, smiling when Archie flourished a second wrapped sandwich before handing it to FP.

"So, while you eat, I'll tell you my news. Then you have to tell me everything," Archie said as he and Jughead settled into chairs across the room from the adults.

"Yeah, what's up?" Jughead asked curiously. He peeled back the wrapper and inhaled deeply. "Mmmm. Barbecue?"

"Nothing but the best when the options are either hospital food or hospital food." Archie grinned. "Okay, so quickly: after my set at the Northside/Southside mixer, this guy came up to me and wanted to know if I was looking for other gigs. Paid ones. And he thought I could play at the amusement park on Saturday this coming weekend, in exchange for free admission and, like, the tiniest possible amount of money." Jughead's eyes widened, and Archie grinned and nodded.

"It would be a big crowd, and the fact that Veronica and I recorded a bunch of the songs came in really handy because he could take a copy that night to play for other people. I just heard today that we're in!"

"That's incredible! Congratulations!" Jughead enthused. "We'll all get to see you play again, and that is going to be a huge crowd. Everyone will hear your songs. Can everybody make it? I know Veronica was already planning on going to the park with us, but is Melody going to be able to be there too?"

"We-ell," Archie made a face. "I know you're not going to be super excited about this part, but I've always known that Melody's not very available for gigs, let alone for practicing and recording. So I've been… 'in talks' with Gunnar about drumming."

"He drums?" Jughead had a hard time picturing that.

"Yeah. He's really good, too, which is apparently not unrelated to his insane skill with a butterfly knife," Archie shrugged apologetically when Jughead made a face. "He said he'd only consider it if I got a paid gig, so I wasn't sure if it would ever happen, but here we are."

"Huh." Jughead tried to wrap his head around the idea. "If he's good, and he's actually going to practice and show up-,"

"He's kind of anal about scheduling. I don't think that's going to be a problem."

"Okay. Well, then, cool. I think that's really exciting, Arch," Jughead felt his enthusiasm return as the arrangement with Gunnar sounded less and less like a minefield. "I can't wait to see you perform again."

"I'm really excited," Archie was grinning from ear to ear. "Okay, enough about that. Someone shot up your house?"

"Uh, kind of, yeah." Jughead frowned; Archie's wording sounded objectively horrifying, yet at the same time it was... accurate. "I wasn't home, but Dad was and he had, um, friends over to play board games while we were at the dance last night."

"Oh wow. So his friends were there when it happened? Was anyone hurt?" Archie's eyes were wide.

"Nobody was hurt, but it sounds like it was a close thing. They definitely could have been." Jughead hadn't given a lot of thought to that possibility - that his dad being a target might have endangered the Serpents, and not the other way around. It was a disconcerting idea. "Clark and I got home with Brand, like, right afterward. Everyone was still lying on the floor in case there was any more shooting."

"Whoa. That is intense," Archie breathed. "So nobody was hurt last night. But today someone shot your dad? At your house again?"

"No. We were at the shooting range."

"Someone at the range shot FP? Holy crap." Archie was aghast. "Remind me to never go to that shooting range."

"No - not at the range itself. It was outside, in the parking lot. The people who work there were totally on top of everything, actually. But yeah, at first I thought the gunshots were just people shooting inside the range, but then my dad shoved me through the doors and he was bleeding on me, and-," Jughead stopped, not sure he was telling the story well. "Uh, the gun range people called the police and an ambulance, and helped me stop the bleeding from where my dad hit his head on the door when he pushed me into the building."

"Oh." Archie seemed to need a moment to absorb the story. "Um, does all this mean that someone is seriously after your dad?"

"It's insane, right? Brand was even wondering if there was a hit out on him."

"No kidding? Well, Sheriff Keller will figure out something. You should definitely have protection." Archie's expression was concerned and sympathetic, and he sneaked a glance at his own father. "I'd be freaking out if it was my dad."

"That might help, but - I mean…" Jughead shrugged helplessly, motioning toward everyone in the hospital room. "What more can we do? Brand lives with us, we've got Clark for an extra set of eyes, and we even have Trig. Adding an officer is only going to do so much, you know?"

"No, man. It's still a deterrent." Archie spoke firmly and reassuringly. "I mean, it's what we did when you had the credible threat, and we had a lot of people in the house then too."

"That's true." Jughead thought about that for a few moments. "Yeah, I guess so. It just feels like nothing will make him totally safe, though. If someone really wants to hurt him, eventually they'll find a way."

"Would it help if I came over? Spent the night, or maybe even a few nights?" Archie glanced over at his father, who seemed to be having a very similar conversation with FP. "I'm sure it would be fine, and that way I could talk you down whenever you get too worried. Unless that would be too many people in your house."

"It probably would be too many people," Jughead spoke reluctantly. "It's tempting, and thanks, but we're kind of at capacity. Maybe after Brand closes on his house? Then it would be great having you stay over for a few nights."

"Count on it. It's a plan." Archie nodded once. "So, have you told Betty what happened? I'm guessing not, since she isn't here."

"Did you tell Veronica anything?" Jughead was suddenly concerned that news might reach Betty before he did have a chance to call her.

"I didn't have anything to tell her before I got here, so no." Archie shook his head. "You can call Betty now if you want. Or text her."

"Maybe I should." Jughead pulled out his phone with a frown. A call suddenly seemed too serious, but a text might be overwhelming. "Or maybe I should have Brand do it. That's usually how I tell her these kinds of things."

"Oh, man," Archie cringed, "do not keep doing that. That was only because you were, like, incapacitated those other times. This time it's your dad, so you should definitely be the one to call. Or text."

Jughead nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." He began composing a text to see how it read while he finished off the sandwich Archie had brought for him.

Archie leaned back in his chair and looked over to where Clark was positioning the chess board for FP again. His eyes returned to his father once more. "I'll just go see who's winning."

Archie left Jughead to type.

00000

I know: major cliffhanger about whether FP gets to go on roller coasters. Hang in there. :) As always, I love any and all notes as I work on the next chapter - and I so appreciate your reading along. :)

Aaaand I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

-Button