*Present Day*

After they came to one last stop, they heard Byrdie shut off the truck before getting out and walking around to the back to open the hatch. "Alright, ladies! Let's go in to meet The Boss."

"Byrdie!" A new voice was heard from the building in front of the truck. "Where've you been? Took you long enough."

"I kinda had a little mishap trying to take a hostage. But it's okay. I now have TWO hostages." She said, dragging Penny and Alice out of the back of the truck. The nerves in their feet stung when they hit the gravel below so hard.

"Whoa!" The other Ghoulie made his way around the truck with a grin when he saw both women handcuffed to each other. "Well done, Byrdie. Although….The Boss may have a little problem with this." He pointed at the cut on Alice's arm.

"Like I said," Byrdie began, "...I had a little mishap."

"Well, as long as the cut's not too deep." He stepped closer to Alice, putting his thumb on her cut and pushing on it hard. Alice hissed, but she fought the urge to scream. "Should be fine." He let go and licked the blood off his thumb before turning to head back inside.

After a few minutes, the Ghoulie had returned with several others, including The Boss who made his way down the steps toward the three former Serpents. He sniffed the air. "Ahhhhh. I love the smell of fried snake. Nice job, Byrdie." He nodded with approval...though not for long.

The sound of a few police sirens filled the air and Sheriff Keller's voice was heard over the intercom. "Everybody freeze and put your weapons down!" The red and blue lights lit up the night and all officers exited their cars, shielding themselves with the doors and pointing their guns at the Ghoulies. Sheriff Keller spoke through the intercom once again. "Let the hostages go!"

"How did-" Byrdie began to question.

"Put your hands up and let the hostages go!" Keller shouted with authority.

"Alright, alright." Byrdie let go of Penny and Alice, slowly putting her arms up in defense.

One of the deputies cautiously stepped forward, taking Alice by the hand and leading her and Penny to stand behind his police car door. He used his own handcuff key to unlock theirs, freeing them of each other. "How did you guys hear about this?" Alice asked the officer as she rubbed her pained wrist.

"Your son and daughter." He answered quietly. "They followed you all the way from the Whyte Wyrm and let us know every turn they took until we caught up with them. Once we reached Byrdie's truck, we made sure the kids turned around and drove home safely."

"Oh, thank God!" Alice let out a breath she'd been holding in. "Thank you." She thanked him, finally feeling her freedom returning to her.

"Told ya we'd get out of this alive." Penny smiled at Alice.

"I said keep your hands up!" They heard Sheriff Keller yell once more and soon, shots were fired. From which side, they could not tell as they quickly ducked behind the police car door.

"Go around to the back of the car." The deputy ordered Alice and Penny as he took out his firearm. "Go!" He shouted as gunshots came from the Ghoulies.

"Alice?" Penny said the moment they made their way around to the back of the car.

"Hm? What?" Alice leaned up against the trunk, looking to her right. She felt Penny's hand on hers and she looked to the woman on her left. "What?" Penny looked down at the spot of blood on her stomach that quickly grew as her breaths were shortened. "No." Alice put her hand over the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding. "No!" She felt Penny's stomach heave up and down as she struggled to breathe. "Wait, wait, wait!" Alice cried, putting her other hand under Penny's lower back. The wounded Serpent began to slither down the back of the cop car, falling farther into Alice's arms, eventually landing in her lap.

"Alice." She struggled to get out. "T-t-tell-tell FP that I for-forgive him." She could hardly breathe. The less she could, the less Alice could and the journalist fought hard to keep her eyes open as she cried. She felt Penny's body growing cold and panic took over her.

"SOMEBODY HELP?!" She screamed over the sounds of guns going off.

"Al-Al-" Penny fought to keep her eyes open. "Ali….I love y-you." A tear fell down Penny's face. "Th-thank you for sav-saving me."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Penny?! You're not leaving! It's you and me! Remember? It's you and me." Alice cried, hugging the only true best friend she'd ever had tightly to her.

Penny opened her eyes one last time, smiling up at Alice's sad ones. "This is only gonna make you stronger."

Alice felt the moment she left. Something in her soul felt different. She couldn't explain it, but she just knew and she broke right there in the middle of the road, chaos around her as bullets flew through the air. She heard none of it. She bent down, kissing Penny's lifeless body on the forehead as she waited to wake up from her nightmare. She never did.

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*Six Months Later*

"Hey, baby."

"Mmmmm…" Alice lightly hummed with a smile as FP kissed her neck from behind, wrapping his arms around her stomach. "Good morning." She said, standing in front of the stove while she finished up breakfast. "Bacon or sausage?"

"Is that a trick question?" FP asked with a chuckle.

"Ummm, it better not be, Mr. Jones." She responded when he stepped away, finishing to set the table. "If my man prefers sausage, then he may not be my man much longer."

"I'll take the bacon, ma'am." He laughed, sitting down once he finished setting the table.

"Good choice." She giggled. "Kids! Breakfast is ready!" She yelled up the stairs.

"Mom?" Betty said as she made her way down the last step. "Do you know when Polly will be here?"

"I don't know, Betty. She-" Alice was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. "Oh! There she is now!"

"Mom." Polly said as she carried both baby car seats into the house. "I hope you don't mind, I invited Cheryl to eat with us. Is that okay?"

Alice wanted nothing more than to do one of her full body eye rolls, but she kept it in and gestured toward one of the seats at the table. "Of course that's alright, Polly. Have a seat wherever you'd like Cheryl."

"Chic, did you wake up Jughead?" FP asked his eldest son.

"Yeah, he's just changing."

"He better be. I'm not going up there to check every four minutes like yesterday morning." Forsythe the Second received a glare from his wife and he changed his mind. "Just kidding. I'll be right back." He ran up the stairs, much to Alice's wishes and within a few more minutes, both men returned, fully awake.

"I heard there is a new Smith-Cooper-Blossom-Jones family member, excluding my niece and nephew?" Cheryl said with pep and excitement. "May I meet this new addition?"

"Yes, of course. Follow me." Alice said, waiting for Cheryl to stand from her chair. "She's not so good with strangers yet, so when there's lots of people over, we keep her in here, but with one person at a time, she is just so lovable and adorable."

They made their way to the room that used to be Hal's study and Alice carefully and quietly opened the door, letting Cheryl in first and then immediately following as she closed the door behind her. The red head teen knelt down on the ivory carpet, looking lovingly into two big brown eyes. "She's so beautiful, Mrs. Jones!" Cheryl admitted. "How old is she?"

"About two months old now." Alice gushed. "Isn't she amazing?"

"What is she?" She wondered, extending her arms for an embrace from the golden haired pup.

"She's a Lhasa Apso."

"Wow!" She pet the puppy for a little bit before kissing her and heading back toward the door with Alice. "Bye bye, puppy! Bye bye!" Cheryl blew one of her infamous kisses to the dog and left the study, returning to the dining room with the rest of the clan.

Alice stepped out of the room, but she kept it slightly open as she smiled down at her and spoke to her dog before closing the door. "Be good, Penny. I love you! Mwah!"

The End.