Chapter Three : Guilt

Betty bit her lip in deep thought as she twisted her hands around. The rope was tight, but cheap, she could break out. She had to. Digging her nail into the rope, she started clawing into it, ignoring the burn in her wrist at how much her hands were twisted.

"Almost… there." she hissed to herself, teeth gritted as she dug a nail into the rope and started scraping into it. Little by little, minutes flew by and the rope splintered before breaking and letting her arms falls free.

Hope flared in Betty's chest and she stood up, hand pressed against the wall to sturdy herself. Her body was still weak from whatever her kidnapper had used to knock her out. Once she regained herself, she took in her surroundings for a split second.

The stairway was the most obvious escape plan, but he could be upstairs. If she got caught… Betty shivered in horror and looked for another escape route.

Her eye caught on a window, she would have to break the glass. Was that even possible? Hurrying over to the wall with the window, she looked up at the window. She would have to climb just to get to the small gap in the basement wall.

Gripping the ledge, Betty could feel the cool glass against her fingertips. Escape was so close. For a moment, she was hopeful.

She didn't hear the footsteps, until hands gripped her waist and flung her away from the window. Betty first instinct was to defend herself, but with her body and mind still unreliable and fuzzy and the fact that the man could kill her, she went limp. Betty's body hit the hard cemented ground with a thump. She winced in pain as she looked at her elbows, which were now scraped and bleeding slightly.

"What were you trying to do?" The man hissed, eyes flashing with a dangerously crazy look. Betty felt her heartbeat faster.

Thoughts flashing across her mind for what to say, Betty was stuck with a whimper as an answer. "I'm sorry… Chic please…"

Chic stalked over and kicked her in the stomach, smiling as the wind was knocked from her. Mouth gaping in search for air, Betty felt tears sting the corner of her eyes. She felt light headed and unable to breath. Like there was a hand on her throat, keeping her from breathing.

"You know what? I'm gonna take pity on you. A trade will be in order."

Finally Betty was able to breath and when she figured out she could, she was gasping for oxygen. Her exhausted but still defiant eyes trained on Chic with an emotionless look.

"Jughead will have fourteen days to decide. It's going to be you who ends up in Sweetwater river, or him." Betty felt the color drain from her face.

Betty was still on the floor, hunched over and now crying. "No… don't hurt Jughead…" She pleaded, breathing coming out in pants of fear.

Chic just smiled. "You're going to write a letter to him, explaining the rules. And if you try to get away with anything, he'll end up in river and you'll watch it happen. Understand?"

Betty nodded.

"Good." He pulled out a paper and pen, setting it on the floor in front of Betty. "Write."

Betty nodded.

Then she wrote, wheels turning in her mind. She had the choice but no matter what it could end in death. Chic was playing her, manipulating her. Still, she wrote. Tears falling onto the paper as she did so.

When she had finished, Chic picked up the paper and skimmed across it. Every moment or two he glanced at Betty skeptically before he scoffed. "For a journalist, you're a horrible writer."

And so Betty gritted her teeth, and nodded.

When Jughead had searched everything, he had fallen to the ground. He had hit the floor with a thud and anger had burned inside of him. Tears burned in his eyes and he had brought his chest to his knees.

Then Archie and Veronica had ran in.

Archie had put his hand on Jughead's shoulder and Jughead snapped. He had jumped up and pushed Archie away from him. Veronica had yelled in confusion and anger but he had ignored her.

The only thing that was the same from when Jughead found out to a day later, was the fact that Betty was still in danger. Possibly hurt. Possibly… gone.

"Jughead." Fred murmured, shaking Jughead's shoulder. Jughead looked up, his eyes dull. "Do you want something to eat? Or drink?" There was a hopeful look in Fred's eyes and Jughead couldn't help but despise him in that moment. How dare he be hopeful? Nobody should be hopeful when Betty was gone.

Still, he just shook his head and looked back down to him phone as he read through his and Betty's text messages. Whoever had her and clearly destroyed the phone and hadn't left any messages since.

"Jughead. You're crying. Do you want a tissue?" Jughead didn't bother to look up at Veronica's voice.

"No."

Guilty: culpable of or responsible for a specified wrongdoing. That summed up how Jughead was feeling. He had no appetite, for once in his life. He felt no emotion. He just felt empty without her safe.

"Jug!" Archie's voice sounded tense but not in a pitying way. In a freaked out way. Jughead looked up at Archie, who had a letter in his hand.

Grabbing the letter out of his friend's hands, Jughead examined the ruffled paper. It was dirty and torn in places, the writing was in pen and was slightly visible even though it was folded. On the front in big words, FOURTEEN DAYS was written in dark blue ink.

Jughead felt his heart flip and sink and then flip again. He was drowning in his guilt and grief. Shakily, he unfolded the letter and read.

Juggie~

Hi. Everything looks pretty abhorrent. Listen, I'm very elegiac. Hope ur ready… the caretaker holds injurious cutting item. Never work alone. Read everything. Haste. Observe. Ur special. Everything.

You have fourteen days or I end up in the river. He says it's either you or me. Please don't choose me.

Don't forget about me. I love you.

~Love, Betty

Jughead's eyes narrowed. It was her writing. Still, the first paragraph just seemed so poorly written. Betty never abbreviated 'Your' to 'Ur'. Panic and grief burned in his heart. She must be delirious, either from blood loss or pain. Tears trickled down his cheeks, falling on the paper, falling beside the other dots of water on the paper. Her tears.

Archie hugged Veronica, the raven haired Latina burying her face in her boyfriend's shoulder and her body shook slightly.

Looking back to the note, Jughead let his gaze travel over every line. Every curve in her perfect handwriting. He examined the way she wrote his name, eyes blurry with tears. "I love you too Betty." he whispered.

"What?" Veronica asked, and Jughead glanced up. He shook his head to explain he wasn't talking to her. She nodded and composed herself, trying to brush the tears from her eyes casually and secretly.

Jughead looked back down the note and something surged inside of him. Something compelling and sure. He was going to find out who had her and where. No matter what. Enough moping. She was alive for now. He had two weeks. He had fourteen days. He had three hundred and thirty-six hours. He would find her or he would make the sacrifice and give himself up.

And so he planned.

Veronica flew open the Pembroke's doors and rushed in. Tears made her face red and blotchy, not even makeup could hide the tears now. Her best friend, the one person who saw the good in her because she understood, the one person who chose to be her friend just because. Veronica wasn't even sure Archie could just be her friend and not her boyfriend.

"Veronica, what's going on?" Hermione questioned, rushing up to her daughter.

Veronica wrapped her mother in a fierce hug and the tears started again. They clouded her vision, once again letting her makeup run farther down her face and chin.

"Betty- she's missing. We think she's…. She's been… been kidnapped…" she barely choked out the last words. Hermione tensed up at her daughter's words before hugging her daughter tighter to comfort her.

"We'll find her…" the mother whispered, keeping Veronica close. In that moment Veronica felt like a child, holding onto her mother and hoping things could fix themselves. But she knew. This wasn't one of those times. So instead of feeling comforted, she cried.

And cried.

Archie kept the truck parked as he watched Veronica try and walk to the hotel entrance with dignity. But he saw her running for the elevator the moment she entered the building. Archie knew she was hurting. He saw the man at the front desk call after her and Veronica call something back, causing the man to stop rigidly and turn away.

Once everyone was gone and Archie was alone. He slammed his fists against the steering wheel, cursing loudly. The car shook at his hit and he sucked in a breath. Resting his head on the wheel, he felt his body shake as he was racked with emotion and tears.

One of his best friends were gone.

Archie felt tears lodge themselves in his throat as he brought his head up, void of any emotion other than anger. He was going to knock the person who took her down dead if Jughead didn't.

Brushing a hand through his red hair, Archie clenched his fists and swore loudly once again. His fists were then brought down on the arm rest and he felt anger surge through him.

Reminding himself that he needed to go to the gym before he broke his truck, Archie started the truck up and started driving. And he drove.

And drove.

And all of them hoped.

Betty for Jughead.

Jughead for Betty.

Veronica for good news.

Archie for justice.

A/N: YIKES, so tell me what you think of everybody's point of view in one chapter. If you guys like it, I might keep doing it... if not I'll stop... Thank you for reading! Great job if you guessed Chic! Give yourself a high five! What do you think is with Betty's weird note?