Cingulomania

…~*~...

A/N: I am literally still in shock about this last week's episode. I won't do y'all dirty like the writers of our beloved show, I swear it. Also, we should be getting back to Riverdale, getting our Falice and Sweet B fix as well. There may or may not be a surprise visitor from South over yonder. At any rate, without any further ado… Here is Cingulomania. ~S.C.

This is a work of fanfiction, no copyright infringement is intended. I own nothing pertaining to The Archie Comics/Riverdale universe.

Chapter 17

…~*~...

Bennie-Jo was well aware of the Serpent drama before Jughead even made his way to her tiny house on the other side of town. His tear stained face was filled with emotion for his step mother, someone she'd heard about to almost neaseum. She wanted to be his center point, the one he cried for, the one he spent every waking hour thinking about. She'd never really wanted any other boy to want her as bad as she wanted him to want her, he was special. She knew that he had potential to dote on her, and treat her the way she felt she should be treated. So she held him while he let the tears soak her blouse, she kissed his swollen eyelids as he spoke of the woman that had started out hating his every breath. She tried to tug on his belt end to distract him from his incessant talk about this Alice woman, pushing her hands away, then took a step back.

"Bennie, I don't have time for this, I'm leaving, we have to make sure that Alice is alright, that the baby is okay. I'll call you when I'm able. I just wanted to say goodbye, let you know that I was going." He reached out toward Bennie-Jo, to offer her a hug after their time together, she was ticked to say the least. Slipping away from his embrace, doing her best to keep him coming for her yet he didn't. He really wasn't phased by her rude shrug from his outstretched arms. On the other hand, she did notice that he wasn't still reaching for her, which caused prickly heat to raise in her cheeks.

"How dare you Jughead Jones!" Her nails dug into the soft flesh of her palms, Jughead noticed that action; he remembered another blondes hands rolling into fists of bloody anger. The knot in his throat fell into the pit of his stomach, he took another step back without thinking.

"How dare I? I'm not obligated to you Bennie, we're having a good time here." Jughead wasn't trying to have a long term relationship with anyone, much less this random chick from another state who seemed to be showing her bat shit crazy colors now. It'd only been a few days, and here she was acting like a jealous ex girlfriend.

"You aren't obligated? Who said you were Jughead? Jeez Louise, catchin' feelins' already? Doesn't seem your style." Arms folded in front of her, she was trying to guard herself. "I just thought you were staying is all. I thought we had something good going on." She turned away from him, swallowing back the emotion that had risen in her own throat, shocking even herself.

"Right, something good, hmm. There's no charter here in Florida, that means I have to go. Family first, that also means I have to go." Something inside of Jughead told him to run as fast as he possibly could, and he did. He couldn't figure out what it was that was causing him to feel such unease, but he jumped on his bike and turned it on the spot, dirt and grass flying around him as he went.

He didn't look back, never seen Bennie-Jo run out of the house. Never seen her rage flow through her veins, nor did he see the hair that she pulled out of her own head in frustration, and he certainly didn't see when she threw the rickety patio furniture into the lawn, or how she stomped on the shards of wood and wicker. She was a loose cannon, he was right in leaving when he did, she was out for blood now. She screamed with all of her might, the blood vessels bursting in her eyes despite her guttural growl into the air. Bennie-Jo was hellfire and she would destroy everything in her path until she was satisfied with the results.

Jughead was miles away by the time Bennie-Jo's Father returned home, his front yard looking like a hurricane hit. Knowing it was Hurricane Bennie, he didn't know how to handle her anymore. Her erratic behavior was becoming a concern. He couldn't hunt down every Tom, Dick, and Harry just to appease her. He couldn't justify breaking arms or blacking eyes for her benefit any longer. Her newest conquest was one of his own associates afterall; the kid didn't even know what he'd gotten into, what hell he'd unknowingly unleashed. He was dealing the Serpent's marijuana, had been for months now, to pay the bills. After his wife passed away, he had no choice, he was raising their little girl alone on a sole income. Thanks to Ronnie, he was back in business.

"What the hell have ya done Bennie-Jo? What is the matter with ya?" He grabbed the girl by her wrists, pulled her around to look at him.

"Don't touch me! Leave me alone!" She thrashed about, trying to free her arms from her Dad's massive hands.

"God damn it Bennie! Stop this shit, right now!" He swung her around, trying to get her inside of the small house. She screamed a gutteral animal like scream then kicked at his shins.

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF ME! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Then next thing she knew, she was being tossed onto the couch like a rag doll, it made her more angry. Her Dad pulled out his cell phone and made a call. She began to pull pictures from the walls, smashing the frames and glass onto the wooden floors. Her Dad left her on her own, and went out front.

The red and blue lights came into view when she finally made it to the kitchen, kicking chairs and the table across the small berth. She wasn't coherent when the police came barreling in through the front door, she was barely sane enough to stand. It took four officers of the law to take her down to the ground, and another two to cuff her. Her struggle was so great that she began to bruise with her thrashing, she couldn't care less, she just wanted to destroy everything.

"Take her away, for awhile this time, I can't do this anymore." The large man, went back inside to gather a few things, then he would make his way to Riverdale, to learn from FP Jones and his crew.

…~*~...

"Hey there Mama Coop. How are you feeling?" Toni got the call from Betty just after her shift at the Wyrm. She locked up and settled into her car when her phone lit up and rang loudly in the small confines of the beater she drove. She answered it, knowing something had to be up since she had just been with Betty and Alice a few hours earlier.

"I'm okay Toni dear. It's just painful, my stomach and my back." Alice laid a hand on her slightly swollen abdomen. She was in more pain than she was leading on, she could feel the wetness between her legs, knowing it was blood flowing there, onto the pad the nurse had given her upon her arrival. She had been pregnant three times, and this had never occurred before, she was lost.

"I'm so sorry, I wish you guys had told me sooner, I would have shut down the Whyte Wyrm hours ago." Toni sat in the vacant plastic chair next to Betty, taking her hand in her own, immediately giving it a squeeze.

"We didn't know that she would be admitted." Betty looked exhausted, she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders too.

"I could have helped, you shouldn't be here alone, just the two of you with our men out there in the damn swamp. I got a message from Jughead, they're on their way. FP is balls to the wall, they're riding through the night. I called in a favor from Philly though. They should be able to drive from there, be a day sooner." Tony pulled her hair up, wrapping a hair tie around her pink locks.

"What would we do without you Toni?" Alice smiled softly at Toni. She'd missed this, a family, her Mom.

"Get some rest Mama, I'm not going anywhere." Alice obliged the teenager, setting her head on the pillow and closing her eyes. She just wanted to feel FP's stubble on her forehead as he kissed her there. His calloused palms upon her arms, her cheeks. She missed him, longed for his scent in her nostrils, his voice in her ears, his lips upon her own.

"You still should have told me at least, I could have been calling favors in Florida. You're a pain in the ass chick." Toni settled into Betty's side linking their arms together. "Get some rest, I have a couple of the girls making some food, they'll be in soon with it. The slop they give you here would turn a dead man's stomach." Betty smiled at her friend, then obliged the girl.

"My Mom is right, what would we do without you?"

…~*~...

FP was beyond tired, he had to ask Sweet Pea to take over driving the van for him. There was a slight hesitation, seeing as the boy had never driven a vehicle towing a trailer loaded with their bikes before. Hyper aware of the lines on either side of the street, and the five other guys in the vehicle with him, Sweet Pea's eyes were wide with worry. Fangs was sitting in the passenger seat, looking out of the window at the guardrails zooming by them. The silence in the van was deafening, it made everyone feel more on edge. FP was in the farthest row back, stretched out on the bench seat with his leather clad arm over his eyes. Sweet Pea snuck a peak in the rearview, checking the status of each of his brothers behind him. Jughead was looking out of the window behind Sweet Pea, checking out as much mentally as he could. Jughead took his phone from the confines of his jacket to check it, clearing his throat, he made eye contact with Sweet Pea.

"Everything okay Jug?" Sweet Pea asked earnestly, his brows knitting together with worry. They all knew about the crazy little blonde in Florida, it was quite difficult to ignore.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jughead looked from Sweet Pea to Fangs, who was turned around in his seat, then out of the window. "I guess I'm not fine. I'm just worried. I didn't exactly leave things on the right foot back there. I think I really screwed the pooch this time." Jughead bit his lip, looking from Fangs to Sweet Pea.

"That's putting it mildly brother." Fangs was fully turned in his seat now, left leg bent to lean on the arm rest. "I heard some the Wild Boys talking about the last guy she was involved with, he got sent up on domestic charges. Aggravated assault and battery too. She was unscathed Jug, not a scratch. She's bad news, let's hope she took the hint." Withdrawing the pack of cigarettes from the front pocket of his jacket, Fangs pulled one out and lit it, the light warm amber of the lighter illuminating the front seat slightly.

"I was worried about that, I heard that around town, people gossiping. I should have listened. I've just been, preoccupied. I think it's out of my system now." Jughead met Sweet Pea's eyes in the rearview again.

"Let's just hope she isn't going to be looking for you any time soon." Sweet Pea was feeling for Jughead right now, he didn't want to see one mistake turn into jail time or worse. What a punishment for wanting to have a good time.

"I'm going to keep a low profile from here on out. I'm with you Sweet Pea, I hope she doesn't come looking for me." Jughead looked away from the two boys in the front seat.

"Of all the girls in all the swamps, you had to find the one crazier than Cheryl. Tough break man." Fangs twisted himself in the cloth captain's chair, returning to his own mindless staring out of the window. "You don't think she'd actually come looking for you do you Jughead?" Fangs had a bad feeling about the girl from the start. The way she'd rushed over to help Jughead when he'd sucker punched Fangs in the back of the head. How she would narrow her eyes at the other Serpent's when they met up. It kind of freaked Fangs out.

"I sure hope not Fangs." Then the boys went silent, not wanting to say what they were all thinking.

They were hours out of Riverdale now, five if Sweet Pea had his mileage correct. He would drive about two and half hours, then let Fangs take over before his own eyelids gave into sleep and exhaustion. He couldn't help his mind racing, wanting desperately to see his girl and feel her soft lips meet his own. He needed to hold her, to smell her sweet floral scent. He needed to sleep in his own bed, to feel the weight of his comforter over his aching body, Betty tucked in next to him. Home is what he longed for, and a peanut mallow sandwich to satiate his hunger. He was a simple man, a man of few needs.

Fangs was watching his friend's thoughts bounce around in his head, he was overthinking as usual, probably about Betty Cooper, probably about food. He knew it was too much to ask his buddy to share his thoughts with him, a little too much information if he were being honest with himself. Fangs Fogarty totally understood the infatuation with Betty, but this was beyond wanting to know the girl a little better. His friend was lost to them all now, thinking about cuddling no doubt, or smelling her hair. It was kind of funny, thinking of Sweet Pea sniffing a girl's hair, or just wanting to simply lay down next to one. He wished that he had the good sense to find a girl that turned him into a bitch, had him wishing his pillow case was doused in her perfume, or that she had left her sweater in his bedroom so he had an excuse to go see her. He felt the gulf between him and his friend more than ever now, wishing there wasn't one there.

By the time he'd finished his own musings over the love affair that was Sweet Pea and Betty, his friend was losing sight of the road. His eyelids hung heavy and he yawned freely now.

"Hey there brotha, let me take this van to the snake pit yeah?" Fangs clapped a hand on Sweet Pea's leather clad arm.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks Fangs." He said through another yawn. "I appreciate it, you have no idea." He yawned again.

"No problem, I got this." Fangs laughed a little to himself.

Sweet Pea pulled the van over to the side of the road, doing his best not to wake the three sleeping guys in the back. Jughead watched the switch silently, wishing like hell that he could have his own friendships back. That he could just call up Archie or Betty and go for burgers or to the Bijou for a night of cheesy movies and dry popcorn. He longed for the camaraderie he'd once held with those two people. He wondered if he'd ever get it back, if he could ever be civil with Betty again. He'd be trying like hell to get it back to normal, he lived with the girl afterall, and next to Archie Andrews no less. He'd have to suck up his pride and push his way through the uncomfortable feeling of having to admit his faults. It was worth the pressure weighing him down.

"You good Jughead?" Fangs asked from the driver seat.

"Yeah man, I'm good." Jughead was pleasantly surprised that Fangs even asked him that.

"You sure? No potty breaks from here on out." Fastening the seat belt and adjusting the mirror, Fangs looked in the mirror at the beanie headed boy.

"Ha! Yeah, I'm good. I can wait if need be, lets get home guys." Jughead settled a little more into this seat, eased by the banter of his brothers.

"Okay ladies, hold onto your petticoats, we're off!" Fangs said as loud as he could without waking his President and friends up.

…~*~...

Alice Cooper laid in her stiff hospital bed, arms crossed in frustration. She hadn't taken into consideration that she had been stressing herself out the last few months. Her cramping and bleeding were from age and stress. She had cleaning the Whyte Wyrm and the house, making room for the baby in the smaller bedroom Hal used as an office. Throwing herself in it completely to keep herself from missing FP, she hadn't really noticed the fatigue at first, or the way her stomach had cramped that first day. The second day she was moving the desk out of the the room to the landing for some of the guys to move for her. When she went to vacuum the carpeted area, she felt the sharp pang in her abdomen. She sat down in the office chair, the only furniture left in the room. It was too much for her to handle, so she called Betty home from the Whyte Wyrm, hoping she could relax once her daughter was with her. No such luck, it was far too much for it to be a little cramp. By the time Betty arrived home, she was downstairs in the living room, holding her stomach and crying. Betty helped her to her feet, guiding her to the station wagon.

So here she was, pain subsided a day ago, being forced to eat jello and mush, and not being allowed to pee on her own. It was infuriating to say the least. Alice just wanted to be home in her own bed, eating a lovely croque monsieur and a hot coffee. She hadn't heard from FP either wich helped aid in her crabbiness. If we were being honest, she was angry that the doctor had forced her to stay in the hospital, that she could be resting in her own home, comfortable and full of Pop Tate's food. Her stomach growled as Toni and Betty came through the door.

"Oh Mom, have you eaten anything yet?" Betty came over to the table that swung over the bed for the patients. There was a tray with red jello, mashed potatoes, and a cup of cranberry juice. "Nevermind, I understand if you haven't." Betty made a face then placed the lid over the top of the tray.

"Blech, oh dear Lord, thank goodness we brought you Pop's. You might starve to death. So when do you pop this joint?" Toni plopped a greasy paper bag onto the bed sheets. Alice finally looked alive, a glimmer of hope gracing her face.

"Oh my goodness, lifesavers I tell you. They said when FP gets here, they will get my discharge papers and let me go. I need an adult to drive me home apparently. A bunch of tyrants if you ask me. Thank you for this." Tearing open the bag to discover exactly what Alice had been craving, she could have cried. A loud crunch rang out when she bit into the sandwich, her eyes closed with pleasure.

"He should be here soon, I got word from Jughead about twenty minutes ago. They have to swing by the Wyrm first though. How did Pop's know what you'd want?" Toni was puzzled when she'd ordered for Alice and Pop's told her to just wait a minute, he had just the thing.

"It's something I crave when I'm pregnant. Pop's knows I like his croque monsieur. It's devine." She was almost done with the sandwich now, having wolfed the crispy food down.

"Interesting. I've never had it." Settling back in the chair, Toni pulled out her phone, checking it once more for word from the guys. There was nothing, so she put it back in her purse.

"Nothing?" Betty was sitting next to her Mother on the hospital bed.

"Nope. Not a thing. Means they're hammering down.

"They better hurry, I'm getting antsy." Alice looked from one hand to the other, then to the napkin on the table with the tray.

"Who better hurry?" A gruff voice came from the doorway adjacent to them, causing the girls to jump. Betty was relieved to see FP standing in the doorway. She immediately got up from the bed and ran to Sweet Pea, they exited to room arm in arm.

"Oh FP!" Alice's arms flew into the air, her hands waving him toward her. He smiled wide at her, it'd been too long, even if it was only five days.

"I missed you Ally." He was by her side in a few long strides.

"I missed you too FP. I'm so glad you're home." She almost cried, she felt like she might burst.

"I'm here Darlin', we can go home soon." He pulled one of the plastic chairs to the side of the hospital bed to sit at her side. His leather creaked as he settled.

"The doctor is being called and they should have your discharge papers here soon. I made sure to stop by the nurse's desk before we came to your room." Jughead was beaming at his step Mother. He came to her side as well, giving her a hug then standing behind his Dad.

"So how's my girl, how's our baby?" FP was holding Alice's hand tightly in his own, worry crossing over his features.

"It's my own damn fault. I was cleaning the Wyrm, and then I cleaned out the office upstairs. Finally got rid of all that garbage. Then my stomach started cramping. I didn't think it was anything major, then I could hardly stand, then the bleeding. I'm not bleeding anymore, but I have to take it easy. I stressed my own body out, I'm too old for this and my body is just letting me know." She looked downtrodden and scared.

"Hey, you aren't too old, you just overdid it. Your crazy cleaning. I know how you are. You've always been a stress cleaner, you just stressed too much this time. I was coming home to you, the boys were coming home to you." Leaning over, he kissed her cheek, holding her face to his own for just a moment.

"I know, I know. I just don't like sleeping alone, I don't like it when you aren't with me. I need you. We need you." She was tearing up now.

"I need you Alice. I need our family." He was serious, looking her dead in the eye. He meant every word he said.

"We need you Alice." Jughead stood up now, looking from Alice to his Dad. "We all need you."

Alice looked from Jughead to Toni and to the other boys in the room. Then to Sweet Pea and Betty in the doorway. She was going to be alright, and she had her family to back her. She realized that it wasn't at all like when she was sixteen. She was in good hands, and she wouldn't be lost again. Letting the tears fall freely, she laughed a little bit.

"Okay, I need to get dressed then, can someone get my bag?" Alice asked wiping the wetness from her face. "It's in the closet behind you Fangs."

"No problem Mrs. C." Fangs opened the closet and pulled her luxury bag from the inside. He handed it to her, leaned over to kiss her cheek then left. The other boys followed suit and also exited the room after kissing Alice. She felt like she may explode.

"We'll see you at your place Mama Coop." Toni shot her a smile and took off down the hallway.

"We're leaving with Toni, Mom. I love you." Betty hugged her Mom, then FP, then Jughead. "Thank you Juggy." He smiled at her.

"No problem Betty. Alice, see you at home." Jughead smiled at Alice as well.

"Hey, I'll make sure the kitchen is cleaned just how you like it, okay?" Sweet Pea winked at Alice, patted FP on the shoulder then followed his friends and girlfriend.

"How did we get so lucky FP?" Alice pulled back the bed sheets.

"You call that lucky? I call it stuck." FP laughed.

"I call it lucky, we're blessed FP." She used FP's hands as leverage to get up from the bed, she felt stiff.

"We're so blessed Ally."