Welp, here it is, the final chapter! I can't believe I actually got this completed, it's been a long time coming and I hope y'all have enjoyed reading it as much as I have loved writing it!

I will tell you, I have decided that I would like to do a sequel so if you agree, please leave a comment and let me know what your thoughts are and whether you'd like to see this AU continue on!

Thanks to all those who have supported me in my writing journey and who continue to read my work. It makes me feel so blessed that I have so many people encouraging me to live my dream and write like I have wanted to do since I was a little girl! I love all of y'all to pieces! ? ﾟﾒﾞ? ﾟﾒﾗ?￢ﾝﾤ️? ﾟﾒﾛ? ﾟﾒﾙ? ﾟﾖﾤ? ﾟﾥﾰ? ﾟﾤﾩ

-Bina ?

Four Years Later...

"Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Fourth, you better get down off that counter right this minute!" I called out sternly as I caught my son mid-climb in his ascent onto the countertop, trying to sneak in a few cookies before his lunchtime meal.

"But Momma, I just wanna cookie, please?" he begged, his shaggy black curls falling out of his crown-shaped beanie that my mother made him and into his striking green eyes. The pleading look he gave me was adorable, making me chuckle to myself lightly. He is just like his father, I thought as I scooped him up in her arms and carried him away from the counter.

"Sy, we talked about this, baby. No cookies between meals. No matter how much you beg and give me puppy eyes," I smiled down at him as he wiggled in my arms.

"But that's not fair, Momma. You always give Daddy cookies when he gives you the puppy face, why not me?"

"I see, your Daddy has been teaching bad habits! Well, I guess Momma will need to give Daddy a stern talking to about cookies between meals and the use of puppy eyes," I tickled him gently and he giggled, squirming and squealing until I finally placed him at the kitchen table and walked back to the counter to make his lunch. "Besides, my prince, we have something very important to do today. It is very special."

"More special than cookies?" Syth squealed in excitement.

"Yes, baby. Daddy will be home for lunch soon and then we can get ready to go visit Aunt Jelly and Uncle Pea at the hospital. Your cousin is finally here, isn't that exciting?"

"Will I get to meet baby Lolli?" He asked me, sitting-up on his knees to see me better. His toothy grin made my heart melt, seeing the excitement in his eyes as he thought about meeting his new cousin for the first time.

"Of course! I'm sure she will be very excited to meet you too - in her own way. But then we need to go have dinner and then come home to put on your costume so you can go trick or treating. Remember, Nana and Pop-Pop are going to take you over to Greendale to see the little Halloweentown that the Spellman's are putting on this year. And, if you eat all your lunch, Momma might be inclined to give you a cookie to take with you on our drive to the hospital," I told him with a smile as I handed him his ham and cheese sandwich and sliced apples with peanut butter to dip them in.

"Okay, Momma," Syth said, digging into his lunch happily. I watched my son eating his food with a smirk, thinking about how different my life had become over the years. So many things had happened in the last four years since our son was born.

Shortly after his birth, Jughead and I decided to tie the knot in a small ceremony in the very place that we had met - our parents' backyard. We only had our closest friends there, Sweet Pea and Veronica being the best man and maid of honor and Jellybean carrying our little tiny ring-bearer, Syth. It was simple yet elegant and very low key, just how we wanted it.

With all the news and buzz around the trial, we decided that we could postpone the honeymoon and waited another six months until after the trial was finally over to get away. We spent two beautiful weeks in Scotland and Ireland while JB and Pea watched Sy. It was magical and I made Jug promise to bring me back one day.

After we returned, we renovated and expanded our apartment on the second floor of the Whyte Wyrm to make more room for our expanding family. Now, the once tiny two-bedroom apartment takes up double the space but still leaves room for an office for Jug and a conference room for club meetings.

About that time, Sweet Pea proposed to Jellybean and Jug and Sweet Pea decided to start a car and bike repair shop to allow Sweets to have a steady income after he and Jellybean got married. They lived with us until they found out that JB was pregnant and decided it was time to get their own place. In fact, JB had just given birth to their first child that very morning, a little girl that they so lovingly called Lollipop.

Veronica decided she liked staying in Riverdale and wanted to help improve our little town. She used the money she inherited when her Abuelita passed away and went into several lucrative business ventures, including the purchase of Pop's Diner as well as the Pembrooke where she and Reggie moved into the penthouse that she had redone once the sale was final.

With the money she made off the Pembrooke tenants, her boutiques, and her trust fund, Veronica decided to begin to purchase land on the Southside. Her first purchase was land that formerly housed Sunnyside Trailer Park. She leveled it (relocating the residents temporarily - on her dime) and turned it into affordable housing apartments that she called Sunnyside Suites.

Since there were still people living there when she bought the land, all former residents of the trailer park were given condos - free of charge - that they could live in rent-free for as long as they liked. If any residents chose to leave, Veronica would purchase the space from them for a substantial amount and paid for their moving expenses.

She and Reggie also decided to buy the old Twilight Drive-In land. They put in an updated, state of the art drive-in movie theater and opened a 'Pop's Diner' food truck that was permanently parked at the new Twilight Drive-In. Pop decided that instead of retiring, he wanted to work at the food truck since it was a smaller space and he was getting on in years. Once he finalized his move and got everyone trained, Adam and Jellybean became the new managers of the diner and business was booming.

Of course, Jughead still chose to run the bar himself - with my help - and business had never been better for us. We even hired a new waitress about two years ago, JB's best friend Sabrina Spellman, and she quickly became like a member of the weird little family. She and JB had taken classes together in Greendale and have been joined at the hip since so it only seemed natural for her to be a fixture in our lives as well.

There were some awkward moments over the years, like when Josie and the Pussycats decided to play a one night only show at the Wyrm in support of the Southside revamping project and Josie confided in me that she was also one of Archie's victim's. She didn't come forward with the others due to her celebrity status but she wanted me to know how grateful she was that I took him down and that he would be in prison for a very long time. We hugged and have kept in touch over the last few years and found solace in each other through the times when it got too much to handle.

There was also the time when Ethel and Sabrina's ex - Harvey - came to town and stopped by for a drink while Sabrina was working. Ethel nearly blew a gasket when she caught Harvey staring at Sabrina like she was a four-course meal and he was starving. Apparently, Harvey had told Ethel that he dumped Sabrina because she was crazy when in fact Sabrina had dumped him for kissing another girl. They had a huge fight and Ethel threw a drink on him before running out of the bar in tears. Harvey tried to play it off and attempted to hit on Sabrina before Dakota threw him out. Thankfully, nothing else happened and after that night Sabrina started to see Dakota in a new light and they started dating so it all worked out in the end.

But there was also that one time... I was broken from my thoughts when I heard the sound of heavy boots coming up the stairs. I smiled at my son as his eyes lit up in recognition.

"Daddy's home!" Sy shouted, his mouth still full of apple bits. He began to shove the remains of his sandwich into his mouth before I had a chance to say anything. I pulled the sandwich out of his mouth and shook my head at him, chuckling.

"Syth, slow down. You'll choke if you eat that fast, honey. Why don't you go get your stuff ready so we can go see Lolli and Aunt Jelly? Okay, sweetheart?"

"Okay, Momma!" I watched as he ran to his room, a huge grin on his face at the prospect that he would finally get to meet his new cousin. He had spent Jelly's entire pregnancy talking to her belly, telling his cousin all the fun stuff they will do when she was born, and even asking us if we could have another baby soon so he could have a brother or sister to play with any time he wanted.

"Honey, I'm home!" Jughead announced happily, grinning as he came in the door. He walked across the room, gathering me into a hug before placing a tender kiss to my crown.

"You're in a good mood today. Is this all about you being an uncle or is this something else?" I asked him in a sweet tone. He squeezed me tighter before kissing my forehead and sighing happily, pulling away to look at me.

"This..." he paused and kissed me again, "...is because I love you and I'm happy. Also, those parts I ordered for you will be here today so we can finally get back to our little 'project'," he stated, wiggling his eyebrows. Jughead had been helping me for the last year to restore a 1967 Chevy Impala to its original condition. It had been a fun little thing we did on the side and had already begun planning to take a trip, just the two of us, once the car was completed.

"Are you serious! The new exhaust is coming today! Hell yeah, I am so excited!" I jumped into his arms and he swung me around before bringing me into a deep kiss. I pulled away, breathless and smirked. "At least it won't sound like shit when we start her up now," I giggled. Jughead sat me to my feet and kissed my temple just as Syth came running out his room, completely bundled up and his rain boots on.

"Baby, did you really need to wear those? It's not even raining today."

"Yes, Mommy! It might rain and I don't want my feet wet!" the boy exclaimed, almost shocked that I even suggested that he not wear his boots. Jughead let me go to scoop him up, a mischievous look in his eye, as he 'whispered' in Sy's ear.

"It's ok buddy, you can wear your boots. Momma is just jealous cause you have the coolest boots in the world and her feet are too big for them. Now, let's go see your new cousin," Jughead said with a wink, laughing at the scowl on my face. "Let's go, Princess." I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out as we walked out the door, flipping him off when Syth turned his back to me.

"Knock, knock..." Jughead said softly as he rapted on the door to Jellybean's hospital room. I peeked around him, catching a glimpse of an exhausted looking JB in her bed, a smile stretched over her tired features. Beside her, in a hospital recliner, was Sweet Pea and little Lollipop. He was grinning down at her and whispering sweet nothings to her as she slept peacefully in his arms.

"Hey, bro. Thanks for finally coming to see your niece, ya jerk." Jellybean said weakly with a sarcastic grin on her face. Jughead walked over to her, smiling and kissing her hair before giving her a gentle hug.

"Well, you know, I do have a garage to run while Pea's on paternity leave," Jughead replied, smirking at Jelly as he handed her a tiny teddy bear wearing a leather jacket. Syth ran past us and perched himself carefully beside Sweet Pea and Lollipop.

"Uncle Pea, is that Lolli?" He asked, confused by the tiny bundle in front of him.

"Yep little dude, this is your cousin. Lollipop meet Syth, Syth this is Lollipop," Sweet Pea said happily.

"But, she's so wrinkly... and she looks like a potato..."

"Forsythe!" I scolded lightly, laughing with everyone else at the brutal honesty of my four-year-old. Sweet Pea shook his head and rubbed Lolli's cheek tenderly with his finger.

"Well, she kind of does, doesn't she, buddy?" Sweet Pea said with a chuckle.

"Cutest potato I've ever seen, that's for sure," Jellybean giggled, watching all of us fawn over the newest member of our family. This was turning out to be an amazing day...

After leaving the hospital, we decided to stop by Pop's Diner and get a quick bite to eat before heading back to the Wyrm. Syth had talked non stop about his baby cousin to anyone and everyone who would listen, including the entire staff at the diner. Even old man Jenkins got an ear full while he waited for his coffee and pie.

It was still surreal to me - even after all these years - not to see Pop's smiling face behind the counter. I grew up coming here several times a week and he was always a constant in this place. I was sad that Sy wouldn't have the same experience here as I did but Pop was happy to work the food truck and relax in his retirement so that made me happy too. We made sure that Syth got to know Pop and he loved visiting him when we would go to the drive-in.

I glanced at Jughead, staring at his features as we drove through the new and improved Southside of Riverdale. If you had asked me about where I saw myself in five years I never could have imagined that I would be where I am today. I am married to the love of my life, we have a beautiful son who we adore and a thriving business that allows us to be together as much as we'd like. We had even talked about trying for another baby soon, now that Sy was older and about to start school. I think Sy's begging for a sibling finally got to Jug and Jelly getting pregnant was also a catalyst.

Jughead had it in his head that our next one would be a girl and he was so excited to start trying for his little baby girl. I squeezed his hand as we got closer to home and he smiled as we pulled into the parking lot. I helped Sy out of his car seat and we all walked in together, Sy running ahead of us happily while we followed him - hand in hand.

"Hey Jug, that box of parts you ordered is on your desk. Also, there's a certified letter addressed to you that came as well. Not sure what the hell it is, but it looks important," Toni yelled across the still somewhat empty bar as we stepped inside. Jughead looked at me confused but shrugged before giving me a quick kiss on the lips.

"You and the boy head upstairs and get him in his costume. Dad said they'd be here in half an hour to pick him up and you know how impatient your Mom can get. Besides, Zelda and Hilda can't wait to see him."

"Yeah, Sabrina texted me earlier saying she and Dakota would be headed over here for the party after she helped her Aunts with setting up the props in the yard. I just hate that JB and Sweets won't be here this year," I said with a sigh.

"Hey, no one told her to have her baby on Halloween. That was all Lolli's doing," Jughead laughed, "Besides, next year we can celebrate her birthday and Halloween at once!" he grinned, kissing my forehead before heading towards his office.

"Alright Sy, let's get you upstairs and transform you into the cutest little ninja that anyone's ever seen!" I exclaimed to Syth and watched his eyes light up before scampering up to our apartment above the bar. Once we got inside and got everything ready, I started cleaning up his toys and thought about what else I needed for my costume for tonight to be complete.

Maybe I should call Kevin, surely he has some ideas on how to spice it up...

Suddenly, the front door slammed open and I shrieked, spinning around to see Jughead wandering inside as pale as a ghost. He clutched a letter in his hands and he had a far off look in his eyes. I hadn't seen him this shaken up since before Sy was born so I knew that whatever that letter said, it wasn't good news.

"Juggie, baby, what's wrong?" I rushed to him as he sat on the couch, his hands shaking as he gripped the letter tighter. His voice came out flatly as he stared ahead, his voice trembling and threatening to crack.

"He's getting out, Betts..."

"What? Who are you..." I froze, the realization of his words hitting me like a freight train. "No," I whispered in disbelief, my heart dropping into my stomach. I looked over to where our son was happily playing with his toy trucks and humming to himself and I gathered the courage to speak. "How Jug? How did he manage to get out?"

Jughead swallowed hard and dropped the papers in his hands, putting his face in his palms and rocking slightly as he replied, "I know, Betts. God, I-..." he cleared his throat and continued, raising his head and staring at me, "He got a new lawyer who got him granted a new trial. Since his mother was his lawyer the first time, they felt he didn't receive good enough counsel on any of the cases. He's supposed to get out on bond within the week."

"Oh my God, Jug. You don't think he'll come back here, do you?" I couldn't stop the thoughts running through my mind, the memories of what he did, what he planned to do. "This wasn't supposed to happen...What kind of monster would help a sadist like him get out of jail?"

Jughead flinched at my words and I could tell there was more going on then he is letting me know. "Jug? What is it? What aren't you telling me?"

"His lawyer- she's not a good person. In fact, she's probably more dangerous than he is. Her name is Penny Peabody and she used to be a Serpent. That was till me and the boys ran her out of town in a very memorable way. I'm afraid this is not just about getting him a fair trial, Betts. This is about revenge... on both of us."

To Be Continued...