This has been a bad week. Full stop. So here's a longer chapter... perhaps as a toast to never having to live through this particular week again! :-D
Living Lucid Dream, thank you for the kind review! FP is definitely starting to move more to the center of... something. Your suspicions may prove well founded! And yes, Agent Russell has been gone for some time and you are not forgetting any explicit mention of a safe deposit box. Your laundry list of possible issues is spot on, too - and Brand/Jug won't be getting away from that maelstrom easily. And I agree, Sheriff Keller is the best. :-D (and Brand may be secretly evil, agreed ;) Amusement park adventures, here we come!
Skyrider45, I enjoyed your triumphant return this week immensely! Thank you for the review, too - FP is becoming a little better at negotiating, even if this may be a more stacked deck than he is fully aware of at the moment. But he's watching for that, too, so we shall see! I loved your response to 'another dog,' BTW. :-D And the brewing continues... :)
Enjoy!
-Button
00000
Veronica was loving every minute at the amusement park, from the unseasonably warm temperatures to the wristbands that Brand had secured for the teens to get them into the accelerated lines for the rides.
Betty had said that she was more nauseous than usual because they managed to get onto the rides in much quicker succession, but Archie had shouted her down about that being a 'fantastic' problem to have.
Which was kind of true.
And, after all of the hard work of the week, from introducing two new routines to the Vixens to coordinating with Alice on the next Northside-Southside mixer event, there was an incredibly freeing sensation connected to buckling up, sitting back, and enjoying a thrilling ride where the adrenaline had absolutely nothing to do with deadlines or responsibility.
Archie enjoyed everything about the amusement park experience, from standing in line and encouraging Veronica to lean against him while they waited - just a short amount of time, but it was still nice - to standing between her and the curious looks from the people in much-longer lines, who no doubt wondered what series of events had led them to be the lucky possessors of the more-expensive passes.
Brand had appeared a few times - just enough for Jughead to realize that he was tracking him on his phone and shut that down - first handing them vouchers for food and later encouraging them to meet up with the adults for dinner and some larger-group adventures.
"It's a trap," Jughead said dourly, even though he couldn't quite hide his preoccupation with his dad being somewhere in the park, wearing body armor (in spite of the security measures of the park itself and it being basically 'FBI day' at the park). "They'll make us split up and change ride partners, and who knows if I'll even get to go on anything else with Betty after that. I still haven't convinced Brand that I can stay past sundown. He's so overprotective. We should all turn our cellphones off and avoid them."
"Nah, man," Archie shook his head and led them the quick route from disembarking the ride back to the front of the line, his irrepressible grin reappearing as they passed winding rows of people standing in line for the same ride. "Ronnie and I play in just a few hours, so I think we should meet up and get it out of the way before they really come after us. You might be willing to fight with your dad and Brand all the time, but I'm still trying to get past stuff with my dad. I've got to throw him a bone once in a while, and honestly I barely see him these days. I can't wait for the investigation to be over and done with."
Veronica rubbed Archie's arm encouragingly, and rolled her eyes with a good-natured grin when Archie smiled in response and steered her toward the line for the very front cars of the roller coaster. "Well, your dad was in a great mood from what I saw this morning, Archiekins. I think he's really excited about seeing you play again, too."
"Yeah. Things are better. He got sort of… spooked. Everything that happened with Southside High, and then everything Jug and Clark and I did - and then everything was so insanely busy with the aftermath. Then he was really worried about the concept album." Archie shrugged. "He's happy with the songs, though, and I think he's a lot less concerned that one wild adventure is going to turn me into Jughead - no offense, man - so he's calming down."
"Turn you into me?" Jughead waved two people ahead of himself and Betty so that their position in line for the second row of cars matched Archie and Veronica's and they'd be able to ride together. "Wow, I can't even imagine that. In what way would your dad be worried about you being like me?"
"Oh, you know - I'd be all action all the time. That sort of thing."
"Ahhh. He was worried you'd turn violent, need extensive therapy, and have wildly disruptive PTSD episodes?" Jughead interpreted Archie's words dryly.
The couple who had skipped Jughead and Betty in line turned back to look askance at him.
"Basically." Archie shrugged.
Veronica gave Betty a wide-eyed look, which she returned with interest - and both were startled when their boyfriends guffawed in unison.
Apparently this was what passed for humor with them.
Minutes later, they were buckling into the ride again. Archie reached around Veronica's shoulders, since it was an old-style wooden coaster, and she leaned happily into him as the ride began clicking its way down the track.
It was a gorgeous, unseasonably warm day for late October, and as they climbed up the first hill it was hard to be nervous at all about the impending drops and turns; everything was sunny and bright, and the entire park was spread out below them.
"Oops, someone lost a sneaker over there." Betty tapped Veronica's shoulder from the row behind her and pointed. "That takes talent."
"Not as much talent as that." Archie pointed out a bra that was dangling from a support beam.
"That is impressive," Jughead agreed, grinning widely when Betty turned and pushed his shoulder teasingly.
"We're almost to the top." Archie jogged Veronica playfully under his arm. "You ready?"
"Absolutely." Veronica smiled, even as her stomach dropped and their car led the rest down the steep hill. The day was shaping up to be just about perfect.
00000
"Did Brand get us the photos too? Because that is fantastic," Archie pointed out their photos from the ride with a delighted hoot.
"Oh, wow." Veronica's eyebrows shot up and she snorted with laughter. "I can't believe you two were able to make out while the photos were being taken."
Betty hid her face behind her hands, but was laughing and seemed almost as delighted as Jughead with the photo.
"I'm pretty sure Brand never even thought about getting photos for the FBI, but we're getting that one." Jughead drew Betty to his side and kissed the top of her head. "Two copies, for sure."
"We need to get one like that next!" Archie grabbed Veronica's hand and began tugging her toward the next roller coaster on their agenda for the day.
"We are going to meet up with the adults, right?" Betty asked Jughead. "I know you want to stay later tonight than Brand wants, but they might be right. That might be a bad idea. I know it's not quite like training, but-,"
"Yeah, okay. We'll meet up with my dad and Brand," Jughead conceded with a sigh. "And if they really want me to go home - alone and early -, I guess that's just how it is."
"Well. It doesn't have to be alone." Betty offered Jughead a small smile.
"Oh... really?" Jughead returned the smile, and then it grew into a grin. "I mean, I think the FBI's going to be shutting the park down. That means my dad, Brand, and Clark."
"So you'd definitely need help walking Trigger, right?"
"He can certainly be a handful." Jughead's eyes crinkled happily as he leaned in to kiss Betty again.
"Come on!" Archie shouted back at them from a few yards away. "We'll probably have to take a break after we stop to eat, so we need to fit rides in now!"
"Coming!" Jughead and Betty followed their friends toward the next ride.
00000
"You are not supposed to turn off the GPS in your phone, Jughead."
The adults had already gotten their food by the time the teens finally met up with them for a late dinner in the park. FP had shooed Brand away for this conversation and taken Jughead a few paces away from the group.
"I don't think Brandon's noticed yet, but I recommend that you turn it back on before he does or you're going to be facing more than just a conversation." FP gave Jughead a serious look.
"Dad, come on. Don't let Brand push you around; just tell him it's fine-,"
"Oh, no. You've got me all wrong; I'm having this conversation with you now because I know Brandon will do the heavy lifting for me if you don't fix it right away. Don't you think for one moment that I disagree with him."
Jughead sighed heavily.
"Make your own decision, boy, but then you have to live with it." FP gave him another serious look for emphasis. "That's all I'm going to say."
Jughead pulled his phone out of his pocket and fiddled with it before replacing it. "Look, for as long as I'm hanging out with you, it's a non-issue. So, later, okay?"
"Uh-uh. I'm not signing off on anything, Jug. I've said my piece, and now it's up to you."
Jughead cocked his head to one side, narrowing his eyes. "Ohhh, I get it. Your therapist thought this approach would work on me, huh?"
"And now this conversation is officially over." FP smiled and shook his head as he led Jughead to rejoin the group.
Brand eyed them curiously, but did not comment.
"So I'm with Dad for an hour," Jughead looked around at the group, "Archie's with Mr. A, and Brand's with Clark-,"
"I'm with Cooper," Brand corrected. "Clark's with Quinn, and Lodge is with Alice Carter."
Jughead looked to see what Betty's response to that was, but it was clear that she'd already been made aware of the plan. She smiled at Jughead and then grinned up at Brand, who returned the grin happily.
"Alice is around?" FP's eyes did a sweep of the group. "I didn't even know she came today."
"She and Gunnar have been hanging out." Veronica answered for the group, giving FP an apologetic shrug that made it clear that she knew he'd understand what that meant: Alice would keep her distance from the group for as long as necessary to keep Gunnar and FP apart. "Gunnar's going to do an early walkthrough without me and Archie, since he apparently has very specific concerns about the sound setup. Alice is going to meet up with us here any time now."
"Did Kevin make it?" Betty asked. "I thought he and his dad were coming."
"Yep," Brand confirmed. "They're not breaking for food anytime soon, though. Apparently we're 'amateurs.'"
FP snorted. "That sounds like Tom. Well, good for them. Are we all going to split up after we eat, then?"
Brand gave him a look. "Just because we came through metal detectors and you're wearing body armor doesn't mean you go anywhere on your own, old man."
"Well, then, Jug and I will stick with Clark and Agent Quinn-,"
"I'm staying with you, FP." Brand's tone was uncharacteristically mild, making the statement sound more conciliatory than commanding, but it was clear that he did not expect further disagreement.
Jughead looked from his father to Brand and back again, and opened his mouth to defend FP's position on the subject.
"Want some pizza, kid? Your voucher should be good for that." Brand jerked his head toward a vendor as he cut off the teen. "Your dad can sit right here with Quinn, Clark, and everyone else for a minute. I'll show you the good stuff."
Jughead nodded slowly, and it was obvious that everyone had realized Brand wanted to have a private conversation when nobody followed them to the line for pizza.
"I've got things covered with that phone call I mentioned." Brand spoke quietly. "But it's better if I'm the one keeping an eye on him."
"You… have to be with Dad personally? Why?"
"Just being overly cautious. I'm man enough to admit that I have trust issues."
"Okay. I guess." Jughead wasn't sure if he was relieved or more worried by Brand's abundance of caution. He'd also given a lot of thought to the fact that Brand must have called Rose before the message had been left on his burner phone - the message that had made no mention of Brand or FP.
It was starting to feel like Rose was testing him, withholding information and making requests without communicating clearly.
"And you're going to turn your phone's GPS back on before we even think about splitting up, eh?"
Jughead sighed longsufferingly.
"Hey, I only have two eyes, and if you want both of them on your dad-,"
"I'll turn it back on."
"You shouldn't stick around for the concert," Brand actually sounded regretful now. The line began to move, and Jughead shuffled forward. "I'm sorry, but you're liable to have a whole lot of trouble after dark. This is not a kid's fun house."
Jughead nodded. "Okay."
"'Okay'? That's all you have to say, killer?" Brand was suddenly suspicious. "You've been plotting all week to give me the slip, and don't try to tell me otherwise. That was way too easy. What are you planning?"
Jughead gave Brand an aggrieved look. "I'm planning to go home. And take Trigger out, since he'll be ready to tear the house apart."
Brand narrowed his eyes at his godson but did not comment further. "Get the bacon pizza. The sausage is good too, but you probably don't want that in your stomach in case you need a pill."
"Does Dad just tell you everything?" Jughead turned to look over at FP with frustration.
"Nope. That was all you." Brand smirked when Jughead's head snapped back around to fix him with a glare. "I was going to recommend that you bring a few pills, but you beat me to it so there was no need."
"What about the GPS?" Jughead demanded.
"I pay attention to things like that. You have a history of running off, and you've been giving me signals all week about this outing being an issue."
That was probably true.
"Look, I don't know for sure what hijinks you've got planned, but I'll cut you a deal. If you really want to stay later, you can stick with me and your father," Brand relented as they reached the front of the line. "You can't get out of literal arm's reach of me, though, in case something happens and I need to get in the middle of it real fast."
"Seriously?" Jughead wasn't sure how to react, so he ordered his pizza and handed over the voucher while he thought it through. He'd been hoping for this reprieve all week, but now he had plans with Betty - and Rose had been clear about preferring him to leave the park before sundown.
Jughead wasn't completely sure how seriously to take Rose's 'suggestion.'
"Just consider it my personal sacrifice in the service of keeping the teen pregnancy rate as low as possible in Riverdale."
Jughead swatted Brand's arm.
"All right. That one actually was FP. He had a feeling that if you went a little too quietly, it would be because of the empty house." Brand smirked as they walked back to rejoin the others. "It's almost like you two are related or something."
Jughead couldn't hide a small smile when his dad gave him a questioning look and slid to one side to make room at the picnic table between himself and Betty.
Jughead looked back at Brand, who slid into a seat across from him. "Maybe. Sometimes."
00000
Kevin and Alice wound up exploring part of the park together when Gunnar became inexplicably upset about something to do with the stage monitors and how they amplified the vocals onstage. Archie and Veronica had joined him in his quest to fix the sound setup, and Kevin's father had agreed to stick around with Mr. Andrews to be sure the venue took the teens' concerns seriously, which left Kevin and Alice to their own devices for a while.
"So, that sound system looked ridiculous," Kevin said as they approached a smaller ride that promised to make them a lot dizzier than any roller coaster. "I love music, but that was intense. It's not like people come here for the live entertainment."
"I don't know. I think it makes some sense," Alice considered it for a moment. "They get quite a few professionals through here, and these are not bad venues for launching people who are in their early careers. It's actually really impressive that those three are getting paid to play here."
"Okay. I could buy that." Kevin gave Alice a probing look, though, and then smiled. "Bu-ut are you defending the park's decision to overengineer the sound system, or Gunnar's audiophile ways?"
Alice raised an eyebrow. "How's Joaquin doing?"
"Touché." Kevin was grinning, though, and not at all concerned by the obvious warning in Alice's words. "Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine?"
Alice had to smile at that. "Okay. Fine. But you'd better dish, because my story includes plans to visit my mother."
Kevin's jaw dropped. "Oh wow, Alice. Really? When? And yeah, obviously I won't hold out on you. Is Gunnar going with you? He seems very happy to follow you places."
Alice made a face in response to that wording and shook her head. "He's not going with me for the visit. And he doesn't follow me so much as enjoy a lot of the same things that I do."
Kevin's expression became studiously neutral. "Okay. Sure. So how does visiting your mother come into all of this, then?"
"Sweet Pea's taking me."
"No. Way." Kevin's eyes widened. He held up a hand in warning. "Full disclosure: I do not have this much to dish about me and Joaquin. I don't want to overpromise. But if you'll give me the scoop on credit, it will not be forgotten."
Alice laughed. "Sure, Kevin. It's good to talk this through, too. Get another perspective. Just keep it quiet, okay? Like, you can tell Joaquin, but don't make it cafeteria gossip."
"It goes without saying." Kevin nodded solemnly. "Right back at you. Joaquin is still under FBI protection after all, so…"
"Of course." Alice had been amused by Kevin's implications over the last couple of weeks that Joaquin was akin to a spy or secret agent, but in this moment she could tell that Kevin was sincerely worried about his friend - or boyfriend - and she resolved to be more charitable about what looked from a distance to be a fairly performative song and dance about getting back together.
They had that in common, she realized. Much as her own situation was entertaining to her friends, that did not mean it was uncomplicated - or any less serious.
00000
"One more time." Gunnar was clicking his drumsticks together rhythmically between songs. It seemed likely that he was nervous, even though he gave nothing away through his tone or expression. "I still couldn't hear Veronica properly, and that means you couldn't either. Definitely not once we've got a crowd. That last adjustment might have worked, though."
"Sure, Gunnar. Once more," Archie agreed. He was actually starting to hear what Gunnar was talking about, and the idea that they might end up mid-performance without the ability to properly hear their mix of vocals was a worrying one. "Ronnie, one more time on just the bridge?"
Veronica was less patient with how long their painstaking troubleshooting process was taking, but she shrugged in acquiescence. "Why not?"
"Well, I don't know... maybe because you disagree, hear something different, have another idea, or there's something else you want us to troubleshoot first?" Gunnar set his drumsticks to the side with a brief laugh.
Archie suddenly wondered if he'd ever heard Gunnar laugh before. He wasn't sure.
"What's your instinct, Veronica? We're literally trying to hear you, so we probably ought to be listening to you too." Gunnar trained his full attention on Veronica and waited expectantly.
Archie braced himself for Veronica to turn on their drummer. She'd made it clear that she wanted Archie to take the lead on band doings and not to rely on her to organize, manage, or coordinate events and logistics - which was very fair, and she still had a huge amount of work on her plate without taking on his concept album as yet another full-time job. Putting Veronica on the spot to help troubleshoot an unexpected sound issue might qualify as relying on her too much.
Archie was shocked when Veronica instead turned to fully face Gunnar with an expression of surprise - and then smiled at him. "Yes. You should listen to me. But no, I don't know what to do about it, and if you're right... You really think that I might not be able to hear myself when we go on?"
"Or Archie won't be able to hear you. Either would be a problem."
"Then let's run this again. I don't want to suddenly become… well, partially tone-deaf in front of an audience."
"Or have Archie's vocals stop blending so well with yours," Gunnar added. "You've got a great mix most of the time, and we want to sound right on the money tonight."
"Yes. We do." Veronica's tone was warm; apparently Gunnar was winning her over right here and now. Archie almost felt like he should be taking notes as he watched this play out. "Where did you learn to drum? And all about sound systems?"
"Run through the bridge first, and then I'll give you the life story." Gunnar grinned, and Archie was suddenly filled with hope for the first time that the three of them might - improbably - be taking their very first steps toward becoming a real band. One where the members actually liked each other.
"Yeah, let's let the sound crew get out of here," Archie agreed. "Then fried dough - or fried oreos - or fried Snickers bars. Fried something. My treat."
"Ugh, pass," Veronica grimaced. "I don't need to eat any of that before another roller coaster."
"Need? No." Archie shrugged and looked over at Gunnar. "Want, however…?"
"I'm in." Gunnar picked up his drumsticks. "And make mine a fried Snickers bar. All the way."
"Done." Archie grinned and turned back to face his microphone.
This time they sounded the best that they had all day.
00000
"You're with me for this one. Back row." Brand grinned as he looped an arm around Jughead. "I want to make sure you get whiplash. Again."
"Wow, Brand." Jughead rolled his eyes, even though his dad was already giving Betty a welcoming smile and getting one in return as those two became a default pair for the particularly intense coaster they were currently boarding. "Seriously?"
"I love these crazy looping ones with the maglev launches, and I want to share my adrenaline addiction with you, kid. I also want to see if you're underweight enough that I need to be worried about you slipping out of the shoulder restraints." Brand's teasing grin grew even wider when the worker manning their portion of the ride gave him a dark look.
"Just as long as you don't puke on me." Jughead pushed Brand's shoulder as they climbed into the seats and the large steel shoulder mechanism came down and the seatbelt-material belt attached it between their legs.
It was all kind of loose, actually, and Jughead grabbed the metal handles on the shoulder portion with both hands as he waited expectantly for the ride attendant to help him pull the metal framework all the way down over his shoulders and to reach the loop of his seatbelt to tighten it. His legs were dangling freely, and felt exposed; he'd been on only one other maglev ride before, and it had been memorably intense.
"Leave it loose," Brand intoned quietly. "It's way better that way. More leg room."
The employee who had given Brand the disapproving glare clearly overheard him. The irritated teen checked his restraints, ignoring Jughead entirely as he cranked them down viciously on Brand before darting to the next row.
"Wow. Remind me not to joke with the seatbelt police." Brand winced in pain as he attempted working the belt so that it was slightly looser. "This ride just got a whole lot scarier, Jones."
Jughead grinned at him and began to crack a joke at Brand's expense, but in another moment he regretted looking to the side when the ride whipped into blinding motion without warning.
It sounded like Betty and FP were faring better in front of Brand and Jughead. They shouted to each other in delight through the insanely fast ramp-up and immediate flips and turns.
The ride slowed as they went into a steep climb, with all of the passengers dangling but clearly about to flip several times in quick succession once they reached the highest point of the ride. With the belt between his legs only loosely securing the shoulder restraints to the seat, Jughead was getting rattled around in his harness, so he braced himself against the motion.
And then the ride stopped dead.
"Oh, wow. I've seen this happen, but it's never happened to me before. And on a maglev one, no less. Well, I'm as secure as I'm ever going to be," Brand said wryly. "Excruciatingly so, in fact. Don't tell me you're about to fall out?"
Jughead hadn't felt insecure until that moment, but at Brand's words he suddenly felt the need to grip the shoulder restraints even more tightly. "I'm fine, Brand. I could maybe get out if I tried, thanks to your 'leave things loose' idea, but I'm not going to fall or anything."
"Of all the rides for this to happen on, huh?" FP yelled from the row ahead of them.
Betty was laughing, and they both seemed to be amused by the predicament even as a few people let out intermittent shrieks from other rows on the ride.
"Yeah, no kidding, FP," Brand yelled back. "Ever had this happen before?"
"This one time-," an unfamiliar male voice from a few rows up contributed, "-I was stuck like this for over an hour. That was at a carnival, though. Not one of these permanent parks. They'll have us down in a jif. Makes me wish I hadn't left my cellphone on the ground, though!"
"Uh-huh," Brand yelled back to the man who had interjected before he turned toward Jughead again. "Your cellphone's in your pocket, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I've got it zipped in, though, so I'm not going to lose it."
"I was just thinking about photos," Brand offered with a smirk. "Be quick if you take pictures, though, because when they do start this thing it's not going to be good for your phone to be out."
Jughead thought that sounded like a fantastic idea. He hooked his legs firmly around the base of the seat and then fished his phone out. Jughead angled the phone. "Hey, look over, Brand. I'll try to get one of us."
Brand leaned as far as he could into frame, and Jughead got a shot of them both hanging from the ride and grinning. He was putting the phone back in his pocket and tugging the zipper closed when the ride lurched forward a few feet before halting again.
And then it remained still.
And remained still.
"Man. What did that guy say about it being over an hour? Do you think they'd let us climb down before then, Brand?" Jughead pointed over to the walkway alongside the track they were hanging from. "I can basically reach the steps from here. I could kick the platform, at any rate."
"They'll only unload us if they absolutely have to, kid." Brand was amused. "And there is no way you could kick that walkway. The safety regs would never allow it on a ride like this. People would be losing feet on a weekly basis."
"Want to bet?"
"Bet what? I have everything I could ever want from you. Your undying gratitude, the perpetual cleaning of the bathrooms at home-,"
"Well, maybe that's what I want from you," Jughead shot back immediately. "If I can touch it with my boot, you clean the bathrooms for a month."
"If you can't, which is inevitable by the way, I want you to stop complaining every time I borrow your car." Brand smirked. "You also have to do all of the dishes until your father's back in fighting shape."
They'd taken over doing the dishes to spare FP's arm any pain or slowed recovery, even though the physicians had deemed it an unnecessary gesture.
Jughead narrowed his eyes at Brand and then reassessed the distance between himself and the walkway. "Deal."
Brand leaned back to watch, but soon had reason to worry. "Hey, wait a second - what are you doing?"
Jughead was shifting in his loose harness, angling his body so that his right leg could reach further. "This is how it's done, Brand. Sucker."
"Is that so?" Brand could see before Jughead that it was not going to work. He bit back a laugh and continued to watch Jughead squirm and contort in his seat. "You're close. Keep going; let me see your best efforts, kid."
Jughead glared at Brand. "Okay. Best effort, here we go." He reached down and pulled his knee up as far as he could, and then found that he could reach his bootlace.
"Hold on." Brand was suddenly concerned with where this was going. "Don't be losing your boots on this thing. Those are the ones you begged for after you saw Clark's, right?"
"They're really comfortable and they're appropriate for work," Jughead responded with the line that had finally sold his dad on getting him the boots to replace his worn dress shoes. "I'm still breaking them in. And they have really long laces."
A few moments later, with his boot adjusted so he'd gained a few more inches of reach and then severely tightened so it would not accidentally fall off, Jughead was triumphant. "Ha! You'll be awfully busy with those chores now, Brand!"
"What are you two doing back there?" FP had finally caught on to the fact that they were messing around. "What is that banging noise?"
"Your son re-laced his boot to win a bet." Brand sighed. "He's kicking the walkway."
"Well, get it back on! People lose shoes all the time on these rides, and you'll be paying for the next pair if you lose one of them here. We're - what - twenty stories up? You'll never get it back." FP was trying to shift in his seat so that he could see Jughead.
"I'm not going to lose it." Jughead kicked at the walkway once more, for good measure. "I tied it super tightly. It's just on weird now, but I couldn't get it to fall off if I tried."
In that moment the ride lurched forward a few feet before coming to a halt once again.
And Jughead's bootlace snagged on the walkway and pulled tight.
"What just happened? Get your boot off of there." Brand scowled. "They're going to start this ride back up again any second, and that bootlace is strong enough that if they whip us forward with it attached to anything you could get seriously hurt."
"Calm down. I'll get it unhooked." Jughead kicked a few more times, but his brow knit when he realized that it wasn't budging. "Hang on."
"Is it stuck?" Brand's expression shifted from annoyed to worried in an instant. "Hey, seriously, kid. They're going to start us back up, and this thing packs a punch. Your dog is not equipped to be a service dog. Get it unhooked, or you need to lose the boot right now."
"What?" FP twisted in his seat again.
"Are you okay, Juggie?" Betty was trying to see back now as well.
"Um, yeah." Jughead tried to twist the boot in case the lace might come free if it was pulled in a slightly different direction, but that wasn't working either.
"Lose the boot. You can ask about getting it back from the walkway later, since it will be somewhere a worker can reach, but you need to get it off. Now. I'm not pushing you around in a wheelchair, kid." Brand's tone was getting more worried.
"What?" FP repeated, contorting even further in his harness. "Jughead, get the boot off right now!"
"I can't get it off! I tied it really tightly." Jughead looked around at Brand, for the first time starting to feel nervous. "Nothing's moving yet, though. Give me a minute."
"We may not have any warning before-," Brand was suddenly struck with inspiration. "Wait, you had your phone, kid. FP, do you have yours? Call down right now. If he can't get free, we need to call to the ground."
"Seriously, Brand. I just need another minute-,"
"FP?" Brand cut off Jughead's objection firmly. "Call down."
There was a long silence. The ride remained mercifully still.
"Hi, yes, my son's stuck on the Gator Roll coaster right behind me, and he's got his boot caught on the edge of the freaking ride. Can you send someone up? And stop jerking us the hell around while you're at it, or I'll be personally throwing you off a building into a twisted mass of cables the moment I'm off of this death trap." FP wasn't quite bellowing into his phone, but Brand didn't envy whoever had taken the call.
"Jughead?" Betty called forward fearfully. "Are you…"
"Brand is completely overreacting. I'm fine, Betty. I only-,"
The ride jerked once again, and this time Jughead was yanked down as far as the harness allowed.
"Brand? My leg's caught. I'm stuck. There's no more room." Jughead was suddenly realizing exactly what Brand had been afraid of. "If the ride moves again-,"
"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Brand's tone became frantic. "FP, they cannot move this ride again!"
FP's threats were increasingly creative and colorful.
"Hey, do you have anything metal on you? Keys? Maybe we can cut the lace. We'll have to figure out how to reach it, but-," Brand sounded like he was fighting to maintain a level tone.
"That's too far. I can't, Brand. I won't be able to reach. Anyway, I'll be fine right here, as long as nothing moves again." Jughead didn't think he was as freaked out as Brand, but he felt his heart racing dangerously as he groped through his pockets. "I guess I have, uh, my house keys. The key ring has a chunk of metal, and-," Jughead groped up behind his head. "Wait, does this release the seat?"
"We are twenty stories up." Brand's eyes went wide. "Do not touch anything that might release your seat!"
The ride groaned and moved forward again.
"It hurts, Brand!" Jughead cried out in response to a shooting pain through his right side as his leg was twisted mercilessly around the unyielding metal of the ride.
FP began hollering into his phone, clearly galvanized by hearing Jughead's yell of pain.
Jughead felt like his leg muscles were pulling apart slowly and excruciatingly under the extreme tension. He grasped at the release above his head and jammed the key ring blindly into the mechanism.
"Jones!" Brand barely managed to grab Jughead's elbow as the teen's seat released and the tension on his leg pulled him almost completely off of the ride. "Why would you do that? What possessed you to do that? Don't move; I've got you, and I'm positive that they're sending someone up after you right now."
That theory seemed to be confirmed by the appearance of three employees scrambling up the ride's steps from the far side of the peak, all making their way toward the narrow walkway.
"Oh, thank heavens. They're coming for you, kid." Brand watched the employees' speedy progress up the ride. "I'm not going to drop you; you're okay. Just breathe. You're okay."
Jughead glared at Brand. "I know. I'm fine now that I got the seat open. I can climb over to the walkway and get my boot free."
"Don't even think about moving." Brand tightened his grip on the kid's elbow.
"He's right next to the walkway, yes! That's literally the problem," FP was continuing to holler into his phone. "But he's being ripped limb from limb by your - I'm not sure you're understanding what I'm-,"
"Dad, I'm okay now." Jughead yelled back. "My leg isn't trapped in the seat anymore. It's just the stuck lace, and I think I can climb down from here."
"Jughead, hold on. Wait for them to-," FP's words were cut off by a deep gasp when he saw that Jughead was making a grab for the walkway.
"Jones, I just said not to do that. They're coming to get you!" Brand let go of the teen's elbow, not wanting to be the reason he fell, but made his displeasure known.
"I'm good. I can make it." Jughead had been in an awkward position with his boot stuck in the walkway, but once he had a firm grip on the steel supports, it was simple work to haul himself up onto the narrow steps and then pop the lace free. He quickly adjusted his foot in the boot and loosened the laces. "I can just walk down. Are you okay, Betty?"
"Don't you dare try to get to your girlfriend!" Brand sounded like he was torn between panic and fury. "Stay right where you are until someone gets to you."
"I'm fine, Juggie. Are you okay?" Betty sounded worried, but less frantic than either adult.
"I now officially know what vertigo is." Jughead laughed briefly. "We should re-watch some Hitchcock this weekend."
"That is not funny, boy." FP seemed to have gotten off of the phone. "Grab onto something and don't move."
The employees reached Jughead and one radioed down that he had him in hand. "Yeah, he's fine. But he released the seat. We're gonna need a reset on the back row, seat two."
And, right on cue, Brand's steel shoulder restraints released and he was falling out of his seat.
"Brand!" Jughead was immediately on his hands and knees, reaching for his godfather before anyone could stop him. "Grab my hand!"
Brand cursed loudly and with all of his heart before he realized that he wasn't actually falling. The belt between his legs was jarringly painful as he slipped off of the metal seat and the fabric strap took his full weight - and, while it was precarious, Brand was profoundly grateful that he'd been leaning over to the side much farther than he should have been, in an attempt to hang onto Jughead. That was the only thing that had spared sensitive anatomy, and by some miracle he wasn't actually falling all the way out of the ride. Yet.
He wasn't sure he could get back up onto the seat without risking falling, though. "Let me guess. You didn't actually mean to call down about seat two."
It seemed likely that the employee radioing down that he'd gotten to Jughead had been the impetus for his seat being unlocked. Not that any semblance of that logic had occurred to the wildly shrieking people on the ride ahead of Brand.
Fighting powerful vertigo as his body swung slightly over the immense drop, Brand looked up as he inhaled deeply to replace the air he'd expelled in shock - and then he felt like he might be having a full-on heart attack when he saw his godson leaning so far off of the platform.
"Hey! I'm still - sort of - strapped in. Get back on that walkway, Jones," Brand shouted up at Jughead, "or so help me, I will-,"
"The belts aren't actually rated to hold your weight like this." Up close, the park employees looked improbably pale and young. Maybe even as young as Jones. They also looked terrified.
"Have you confirmed that with an actual adult?" Brand asked skeptically. "Because I really don't want to-,"
"Come on. Right now, before something gives!" Jughead leaned out even further.
So, even though Brand suspected that the crack team of youthful employees were grossly mistaken about the belt's safety rating, he gave in and reached to accept the kid's offered hand.
"You are not in an action movie, Jones. You are helping me reach the edge of the walkway and then you're getting back against the railing. You are not trying to pull me up," Brand growled.
"Just don't fall, Brand. It's a really long way down." Jughead looked far paler now than he had when he'd been the one in danger.
"That was shockingly not part of my plan for today."
Brand only needed a little assistance to reach the edge of the steel walkway. The motion made him profoundly dizzy for a second time, but he found that the kid's method of grabbing the walkway, using one hand to slip free of the ride, and then hauling himself up was effective. In moments he was being crushed in a hug.
"I'm fine, Jones. Are you okay?"
"I was fine the whole time. Until you almost fell." Jughead's breathing hitched.
"I did not almost fall." Brand ruffled the kid's hair reassuringly, though he was pretty sure that Jones could hear his heart pounding through his chest. "I only climbed up here because these guys told me to. I was completely safe with that seatbelt."
"Don't let go of him, Brandon." FP was contorting in his seat again so that he could see up to the walkway. "I'm coming, Jughead. Don't move."
Jughead frowned worriedly at his father. "Are you going to try climbing up too?"
"I think everyone gets to walk down, kid," Brand patted his head. "Nice work."
"Oh." Jughead's voice was small as he realized what he'd done.
"Alrighty. Let's get you down before your dad comes up here after you, huh?" Brand looked around at the sweeping vista of park rides below them. The sun was setting, and it was quite the view. "Just a guess, but I think you'll both be safer having that particular argument on solid ground."
"Please don't do that." One of the employees reached for Jughead.
Aaaand the kid was taking photos on his phone.
"Jughead?" FP called up anxiously from the ride. "Do not give them any trouble. Just fix your boot and get down with Brandon; we'll be right behind you."
Brand blocked the irritated employee with his arm, feeling a sudden rush of protective anger. "Back off. He's not on social media, and let's be clear: your park employees neglected to properly secure a ride that stalled, and then you nearly dropped me on my head from skyscraper heights." Brand's tone turned dangerously threatening. "So we'll just walk down in a second, after Jones has had a chance to enjoy the view, eh?"
Jughead grinned and snapped a shot of Brand against the dramatic backdrop before tucking himself under his godfather's arm. Brand squeezed Jughead affectionately, and then they began their descent, with Brand gripping the hand rail and Jughead taking photos from time to time.
"What do you want to ride next?" Jughead asked as they neared the bottom. "Or should we try this one again? We didn't really get the full experience."
Brand snorted. "Maybe you didn't. I certainly did. Anyway, they're going to have to shut this coaster down for a while - and I thought I'd be sending you home with your father."
"After a stupid accident?" Jughead was aggrieved. "No way! I've been waiting forever to come here again. And we have the good passes for once. I'm staying."
"You're really interested in getting on another roller coaster after that?" Brand regarded him seriously. "I'm not saying that's a bad thing. It's just... not like you."
"Scarred for life. All the time. I know." Jughead leaned into Brand's shoulder as they continued down the walkway toward the ground. "But I'll just make sure my shoelaces are tied properly from now on. I don't think I even need a pill for my ribs after all that. Seriously, I don't want to leave."
"Duly noted. I guess you can stay, as long as FP signs off on it." Brand pulled Jones a little tighter against himself with a proud smile. "You were cool under pressure up there, killer. A lot calmer than me or your dad."
"Well, you helped. Thanks for grabbing me."
"That's the job, Jones. Keep that in mind when you someday have a godson who's just like you." Brand smirked at Jughead's skeptical expression. "Thank you for helping me reach the walkway. Don't tell anyone, but I got a pretty good dose of vertigo for a second or two."
"Seriously, right? And, you know, any time." Jughead looked up at Brand. "You're pretty impressive at swearing. I've never heard you go off like that before."
"Nor shall you again, Lord willing." Brand sighed with a rueful smile. "I wasn't a sailor, but I picked up a few things along the way. None of which is suitable for polite company."
"I won't tell Agent Sarah, don't worry. It didn't sound anatomically-,"
"Shut up, Jones."
Jughead smirked and Brand couldn't quite suppress a smile of his own.
They both greeted Betty and FP when they reached the bottom of the ride.
"Jughead, you're safe." Betty looked to FP to make sure it was okay for her to approach Jughead first, and then she pulled her boyfriend into a hug. "That was awful. I'm never getting on a roller coaster again."
"Oh, no. Don't say that." Jughead held Betty close. "I think we should get right back on. Brand votes that it not be this one right now, but another would be good. Back on the horse or whatever. Come on, what do you say, Betts?"
"Why don't you give us a minute to recover first," FP suggested. Betty stepped back and he pulled Jughead roughly into a hug. "You scared me, boy. Don't you ever do that again - and you stay right where you are if help is on the way." FP paused for a moment before continuing. "But hey, thanks to your seat having a release mechanism that you could operate, not to mention your godfather's near demise, we've already been offered season passes for next year. And I think that's just their first offer."
"No kidding? Sweet." Jughead pulled his father closer and felt his residual tension dissipate as FP gripped him tightly. "How's your head? And your arm?"
"I'm okay, Jug, even though body armor is - strangely enough - not designed for being worn comfortably on roller coasters. Other than that, I'm perfectly fine. I nearly had an aneurysm when you went back for Brandon, though."
"Same here, old man. I thought my heart was done for." Brand shook his head. "It was brave, Jones, but let's not do that twice."
"Okay, then let's go on something that doesn't dangle our feet," Jughead conceded willingly. "A wooden coaster? We haven't done a lot of those today and they're fun."
Betty looked nervous, but she nodded. "That sounds doable. I kind of wish we had to wait in line, but-,"
"We'll walk slowly," FP offered, smiling sympathetically at Betty and stepping back from Jughead. "I think we could all use the breather."
Jughead draped an arm around Betty as they strolled through the park. "I took some pictures at the top. You should have heard Brand when they tried to stop me; he was all threatening, like a lawyer. And did you hear him swearing?"
FP and Brand exchanged glances as they watched Jughead proudly show Betty the images on his phone.
"There went a few more years of my life." FP shook his head ruefully. "I can't believe he took photos up there. He feels so safe with you, Brandon. That whole thing - I've seen Jughead have panic attack after panic attack, and that was... He was just so calm, even while hanging over a twenty-story drop."
"Um. Would you change your tune if I said it was probably my fault that he got into the mess in the first place?" Brand shrugged apologetically, avoiding eye contact. "I may have made a bet with him."
FP snorted darkly. "It's tempting. But Jughead makes his own decisions, and it's about time I stopped blaming you for them. Besides, he shouldn't have been falling out of that seat regardless of what he was doing." FP gave Brand a sidelong look. "Sorry, but you won't be able to sell me on this one being your fault, Brandon."
"Oh. Okay. Never mind then." Brand blinked in surprise. "Uh, you should know that he's planning to stay with us after it gets dark." Brand figured this was as good a time as any to fill FP in. "I told him he has to remain within arm's length of me at all times. It was insane how calm he was up there, agreed, but I'm not planning on pressing my luck with someone potentially grabbing him from behind."
"Okay." FP nodded once. "I can live with that. And thank you for grabbing him, Brandon. I know he probably wouldn't have fallen, but... it was good that you were there, just in case."
"You don't have to thank me for that, FP." Brand ducked his head, taken aback by FP's generous response to the incident. "He's my godson. If I can keep him from falling, or even just make him a little safer, I'm always going to."
FP gave Brand a sober look. "I'm also glad you didn't fall. When your seat opened, that was… disturbing."
Brand smiled and patted FP's shoulder before leaving his hand there for a few moments. "Thanks, FP. That means a lot, coming from you."
FP smirked, but did not push Brand away.
"Uh, Dad? Brand?" Jughead caught the attention of the older members of the wolf pack and pointed out a group of park employees who were hurrying in their direction. The younger workers who had climbed the ride to retrieve Jughead had disappeared immediately once they were all on the ground, but the employees who were now approaching them looked more mature. And professional. "They look upset."
"They're probably trying to determine liability," Brand offered. "I'll tell 'em you're with the FBI and that we won't press charges. I might tell them you're trained in parkour, too, so they're not so upset about your dramatic escape from the ride."
"Nobody's going to buy that," Jughead laughed. "Will they?"
"Hey, not so fast," FP countermanded Brand, but with a smile in his voice. "Let's hear what they have to say first. Who knows? We might be set for an entire lifetime of roller coaster rides."
Jughead perked up at that idea. "Yeah. Maybe. That would be awesome."
"Special Agent Davies?" A man who appeared to be in charge hailed them and seemed relieved when Brand nodded in confirmation of his identity. "I was sent to find you. We have a situation."
"I can help too," Jughead immediately offered. "I know parkour."
"Hey, knucklehead, I think they're looking for the real FBI." Brand shushed Jughead before turning back to the park employees. "What's going on?"
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Aaaaand darkness hasn't even fallen over the park yet! (yeah, I'm having too much fun with this story... ;) Well, it's the weekend and I hope it's a lovely one for you and kicks off an even better week. I'll enjoy any and all notes as things begin moving into position to get very tangled in our next chapters. :-D
Stay healthy!
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