Jughead paced in front of the couch as Betty was still trying to get her clothes back into place. He paused briefly in his pondering to appreciate the beautiful goddess that was his girlfriend. She'd let her hair air dry this morning, leaving it in soft waves. She hadn't put on any makeup either, her dewy, pink skin natural. She was so beautiful it was surreal, so kind, so sexy, so smart. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the lust that had just pulsed through his body, causing him to stiffen beneath the zipper of his jeans. They had literally just had sex, but just the sight of her had him wanting her again.

He sat down next to her on the couch and looked at the picture of the seven teens from Goldhead. There weren't many framed photos in Jughead's house, none of his parent's wedding day or any of his dad from high school. This was the first time he'd seen what FP looked like when he was his age, and Jughead looked unnervingly like his dad. FP was tall and lanky, hair dark and wavy, same Serpent jacket. The only difference was Jughead had his crown beanie and his eyes were blue instead of brown like his dad's.

Sheriff Keller was blonde, a stiff looking collared shirt buttoned up to the very top button. He was the only one not smiling in the picture, his gaze was off to the side, his mouth set to a frown. Mary's hair was a brighter red and Fred's was styled into a pompadour, and they looked very much look they did now. Hermione was dressed in skintight black jeans and a thin, white cotton t shirt under her petite Serpent jacket. The jacket didn't belong to another member, but had obviously been tailored to fit her. Her eye makeup was heavy and dark, her black hair ironed straight. Hiram wore torn jeans and a wife beater tanktop under his jacket. His hairstyle was similar to Fred's, but Hiram was sporting a black eye and a cut on his chin, signs that he had recently been in a fight.

"Veronica's parents were Serpents," Jughead said. "Interesting."

"And this cabin never burned down," Betty said, looking around its small living room.

"Yeah," Jughead said, nodding. "Maybe it was rebuilt? But who would have done it? And why is it still in Michael James's name?"

"One of the seven did it," Betty said. "Who else would put a framed picture of them in here?"

"So what do we do? What's our next step?" Jughead asked. "Maybe I should try calling Eric or Snake. Maybe they've resurfaced." He pulled out his cell and did just that. Snake's phone was shut off completely and Eric's went to voicemail after several rings.

"We can't go back to the hospital now since I freaked out on Hiram. He'll probably call the cops. Hermione is a liar. She won't tell us anything."

"Go see my dad?" Jughead suggested.

"We don't know exactly where he is," Betty reminded him.

Briefly, Jughead had forgotten that his dad was on his way to federal prison. Yes, it sucked when his dad was locked into a holding cell in the Riverdale Police Station, but this was worse. It always got worse for Jughead. And that's why he was still nervous about Betty. In his heart, he knew that she loved him, but with his track record, he had to wonder when the other shoe would drop. When his life would turn even more sideways and he'd lose her.

Betty must have sensed that something was off with him, because she leaned over and kissed his cheek, and then placed her hand on his knee. "We're going to find him." If only that was all he was worried about. "Mary has to be on the ground in Chicago by now. I'll call her." Betty dialed her number and she answered on the second ring. Betty put her on speakerphone.

"Betty, I just heard what's happened," Mary said. "I'm heading back this afternoon."

"We need to speak with FP right away. Keller moved him without telling anyone. Jughead is worried, and so am I."

"Wait, what?" Mary asked. "Where's FP?"

"What are you talking about? You don't know? Keller moved FP to federal prison, at least we think. We're not exactly sure where he is. All we know is that Keller moved FP."

"That's not possible. I'm his lawyer and Keller would have had to notify me before he did anything."

"Something's happened, Mrs. Andrews. We're not sure what but FP and two Southside Serpents are missing and we think it has something to do with Fred's shooting." Mary sighed into the phone. "We know about Goldhead," Betty said, though they really didn't know much of anything. "It's the reason Fred got shot, isn't it?"

"Yes," Mary replied, her voice unwavering.

"What happened twenty-five years ago? What's the big secret you share with Keller?"

"I'll be back in Riverdale by nightfall. I'll explain everything then. Keller moved FP for a reason, probably to protect him. I know you think that Sheriff Keller is working against you, but he's on your side. I swear."

"Is my dad in danger?" Jughead asked.

"No more danger than the rest of us," Mary said.

"Should I be worried about my mom?" Betty asked.

"No, Alice wasn't there that night. She's the only one of us not at fault. I'll be there in a few hours. I'll tell you everything I can."

"Tell us now," Betty said.

"I can't. It's not safe," Mary said.

"Why?" Betty asked. "Are we in danger?"

"You'll be fine, but be careful. Don't poke around too much."

"Why all the cloak and dagger? Just tell us," Jughead said.

"I can't!" Mary yelled into the phone. "I have to go. I promise I'll tell you everything as soon as I get there."

Betty's finger hoovered over the end call button, but Jughead spoke before she could press it. "What did you mean when you answered the phone?" Jughead asked. "You said you'd just heard something and that was why you were heading back earlier than planned. What happened?"

"It's Fred. His doctor said he was sleeping when the nurse last checked on him, but there was some sort of commotion in his room, and then a little while after that he slipped into a coma."

"It was Hiram!" Betty said. "He came in right after us, and don't tell me he wasn't up to something nefarious."

"Hiram is a shady businessman, but he's one of Fred's oldest friends. He would never do anything to hurt Fred."

"Fred had an affair with Hermione," Jughead interjected. "I'd say that's a pretty good reason to have Fred shot."

"He did what?" Mary asked, her voice shrill, but then she calmed down. "No, that doesn't even matter. Hiram was there that night. Besides how could Hiram have been Fred fall into a coma? That's a medical condition. It's from complications from her surgery."

"Maybe he drugged him," Betty suggested.

"Besides the coma, Fred is fine. Keller told me that he was going to put a cop outside his hospital room."

"There wasn't one there earlier when we visited," Jughead said, and maybe that was a good thing. If a cop would have been there when Betty attacked Hiram, Betty might have been taken down to the station.

"One is there now. I called and checked." Mary hesitated for a moment, but then said, "Call Sheriff Keller. Tell him that you know about Goldhead. He'll explain as much as he can, as much as he knows. I'll be back as soon as I can."

And she hung up her phone. Betty called it back, but Mary had shut her phone off. "I don't understand why she couldn't just tell us over the phone. It's not like we're being bugged."

Jughead shrugged. "You never know."

Next Betty called Sheriff Keller, but there was no answer. "Damn it. Why is nobody answering their phones?" she commented. But then Jughead's phone rang.

"Hello?" he said. He turned it to speaker phone and showed Betty that the call was coming in from the Riverdale Police Department.

"Jughead, it's Carol. I found out the federal prison where FP was supposed to be booked. I'm friends with warden. FP never showed up."

Shit. "Any word from Keller?"

"Nothing. He's MIA, which is very strange. Sheriff Keller always answers his calls or his walke. I found his squad car parked in the very back of our lot. His civilian vehicle is missing though. I'll keep calling him, and I've put out an APB on his jeep."

"Thanks again, Carol," Jughead said.

"I hope you kids figure this out," Carol said. "Good luck."

"Shit," Jughead said. "My dad, Keller, Eric, and Snake are all missing. Fred is in a coma, and Mary is too scared to talk about Goldhead over the phone."

"Should I be worried about my mom, too?"

"Mary assured us that she wasn't there on that fateful night twenty-five years ago."

"Eric wasn't there, either, and he's missing, too," Betty said.

"Good point. Let's head back into town. You can tell your mom to maybe take Polly on a weekend getaway, and I can check on Archie, see how Fred is doing."

They left the cabin, but took the picture with them. As the truck bumped down the wooded drive, Jughead glanced over to Betty. She was back, the sold, strong girl he loved. But he loved the other girl, too, the scared, sad girl he'd seen when they got to the cabin. He loved all of her, every beautiful inch.

"How are you?" he asked her. "You seem to be feeling things just fine now." Thinking of what they had just done on the couch in the cabin, he smiled over to her.

"I feel good," she replied. "Thanks to you."

He cocked his eyebrows at her. "I can't take all the credit."

"At least part of it." She reached across the bench seat, took his hand, and kissed it. "Thanks, Jug, and not just for the sex, which always fantastic, by the way. Like how are you so good?"

"It's an innate gift all the Jones men have," he said, cocking his eyebrows at her." They both chortled.

"But really?" Betty asked.

"You know how I love to read? Well, remember that summer before 8th grade when I broke my arm?" She nodded. "I was so bored, and I couldn't ride my bike to the library, so I read everything in the house twice. Then I found all my mom's romance novels under her bed. They were an excellent source material."

Betty burst out laughing. "That explains so much," she said after she recovered. "But seriously, thank you for sticking by me, through all of this."

"You act like it's such a chore," he replied. "It's a privilege. And it's not like it's so easy with me."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not easy to love, I know that." His entire life, everyone around him had such an easy time leaving him, even Archie. Yes, his best friend had been there for him recently, but there had been so many times Archie had ditched him for something else, someone better, cooler, more normal. And his own mother had abandoned him, his father had never said he loved him. As long as he lived, he would never think he deserved love, especially not from a goddess like Betty.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted all the way over so that she was right next to him. She looped her hand through the bend in his arm. "That's where you're wrong, Jughead Jones," she said. "Loving you was the easiest, most natural thing in the world to me. And I'm not the only one who loves you. I know you have a hard time seeing it, but so many people care about you."

He kissed her cheek briefly before turning back to the road. With all the bullshit he'd been dealt in his life, none of it mattered if he had Betty. "Here's what I think," Jughead said. "Just like when they were in high school. Sheriff Keller is the linchpin in all this, he's the one keeping the secret together and hidden. He hung around to make sure they didn't get into trouble when the Whyte Wrym was opened, and now as the sheriff, he's doing the same thing. I feel like Keller knows who really shot Fred and is covering it up. Just like he covered things up twenty-five years ago."

"But Mary said that we should trust Keller."

"Keller has been nothing but a bumbling ass.

"And I don't think it's a coincidence that all this happened right when Hiram Lodge came back to town."

"I could talk to Veronica. Tell her what's going, and maybe warn her that her parents might be in danger, too."

"No," Jughead said. "Ultimately, Veronica is a daddy's girl. She won't be any help. Let's keep this between us for just a little while longer."

"But I don't know if we should. I have a feeling this all stems back to the Lodges," Betty said. "I don't think it's a coincidence that all this happened right when Hiram Lodge came back to town."

"After all, Veronica has been running around town, whining to anyone who would listen that she thinks her dad had something to do with Jason's murder. Maybe she's actually right about the murdering part at least. I wouldn't put it past him to be the reason behind Fred's shooting."

"But how do we prove it?" Betty asked.

"I don't know yet."

They both turned their attention to the Cooper's when Alice stepped onto the front porch. She was dressed in business attire, ready for the day. Betty should go inside and make sure that Polly was okay, and he needed to check on Archie. "Go talk to your mom," Jughead said. "I'll come pick you up in about half an hour. I'll see how Archie is doing, too."

She kissed his cheek and slipped out of the truck. Betty was met by Alice and then Polly who had also come out onto the porch. Good. Polly was okay and so were her babies, one less thing for Betty to worry about.

"Arch?" Jughead yelled out when he got inside. "You here?"

"In the kitchen," Archie called. "I'm making pizza." Archie was at the kitchen table, his head down, chin resting on his stacked hands as he stared at the oven.

"You okay?" Jughead asked. "I heard about your dad."

"I'm just taking a break, a shower, grabbing something to eat, and then I'm headed back up there."

"Do you want some company?" Jughead asked.

"Nah, Veronica is coming with me. So's Kevin. They were just here, but wanted to stop by Betty's before we went back to the hospital."

Jughead sat next to Archie at the table. He should give Archie some credit and fill him in on what he and Betty were up to. "Betty and I think your dad's shooting wasn't random."

Archie sighed and look to him. "I don't think so either. My mom has been acting really weird about all of it."

"Has she said anything else?"

"No, but I just get this vibe from her." Archie started to say something else, but then the oven dinged. "There's the pizza!"

They ate the meal, and as they did, Jughead made sure to keep the conversation light. He wasn't naturally an optimistic, bearer of good news, but Jughead did his best to lift Archie's spirits. Once they'd finished and cleaned up their mess, Archie said, "I'm going to shower and get back to the hospital."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" Jughead asked even though Veronica and Kevin were going to be with him.

"I want you to figure out who shot my dad. Do what you and Betty do best. Solve this mystery. I'll be fine. I'll have Veronica by my side. I told her I loved her, by the way," he said.

"And?" Jughead asked.

Archie grinned, an act that was once so normal to him. It'd been too long since Jughead had seen his best friend happy. "She said it back, dude."

"Congratulations," he said, genuinely happy for Archie. "I'll let you get cleaned up. I'm going over to Betty's, Call me if you need anything."

"Will do," Archie said, saluting Jughead.

As Jughead jogged down the front steps, he noticed that Alice's station wagon wasn't in the driveway. Alice must have listened to Betty and left town with Polly to be on the safe side. Jughead let himself in the front door. He went up to Betty's room, but she wasn't alone. Kevin sat, perched on her window seat and Veronica was laying across Betty's bed.

"Why are they here?" Jughead asked. "We said we'd keep this just between us, remember?"

"Hello and goodmorning to you, too," Kevin quipped. "My dad called me earlier and said he was transferring your dad to the federal prison upstate. I'm sorry." He clapped Jughead on the shoulder, but Jughead shrugged him off.

He didn't want Veronica or Kevin knowing that his dad had been transferred to federal prison or that FP was involved in yet another shady thing that might have gotten someone killed.

"My dad said that FP committed a federal crime and that he belongs in the federal prison."

"Kevin, this FP we're talking about not some crimelord. It's Jughead's dad?" Betty said.

"I know," Kevin said. "And I'm sorry, dude, really. This sucks. FP isn't a bad guy."

"Um, thanks, Kev." Kevin's apology didn't mean anything. Kevin would never understand what it was like to be him. Kevin had everything handed to him. He had no idea what Jughead had been through, what he would go through his entire life.

"But it turns out that FP and your dad never made it to the other prison," Betty said. "He's not answering Carol's calls either."

"I'm sure he's just going through a patch of road with no cell service," Kevin said, but then Kevin pulled out his phone and dialed. As he waited for an answer, their attention was drawn to Veronica.

Veronica stood up suddenly, like she was about to introduce herself at an AA meeting. She cleared her throat. "You guys, I think my dad is behind this," Veronica said.

Jughead caught Betty's attention, and they rolled their eyes in unison. "No offense, Veronica, but you think that your dad is behind everything," Jughead said. "But I actually agree this time."

"He is!" she exclaimed. "Just because he's my dad doesn't mean I'm blinded by that. I still see him for who he is."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jughead asked. "I know exactly what kind of man my dad is. Yeah he's not perfect, but he's only ever done the things he's done to protect my family, because he loves us."

"Same with my dad," Veronica said. "And I'm not saying my dad is any better. Hiram Lodge is much, much worse. So is my mom. They choose to be bad. They like it, revel in it."

"Did you know that your parents were Serpents?" Betty asked as she pulled out the picture of the seven.

"What!?" Veronica exclaimed.

"Wow," Kevin said. "Your dad was a babe. So was your mom."

"Not important right now, Kev," Veronica said.

"So what are we going to do, V?" Betty asked. "Can you look around your place and see if you can find anything that proves your parents are involved in this?"

"Of course," Veronica said. "I'd do anything for you, B." She reached out and touched Jughead's forearm. "Anything for you, too, Jughead. You're my friends, better than family. And I'm with you. I think my dad is behind this. All of it."

"He wasn't behind Jason's murder," Jughead said, playing devil's advocate.

Veronica shrugged. "My dad didn't pull the trigger, but he had been forcing the Blossoms to pay him every month for the last twenty-five years. Maybe he had the same deal with Michael James." Jughead shot Betty a confused looked, but then Veronica explained. "Betty filled us in on Goldhead, even the dead guy in the not-so-burned-down cabin. What if my dad was blackmailing Michael James for some reason."

"At the time of Michael's James's death, your father was a senior in high school," Jughead said.

"But his dad wasn't. My dad has worked for my grandpa all his life. I wouldn't put anything past him, even as a teenager. My dad has threatened me, my mom, everything good in my life. If he's behind this, I want to take him down."

Kevin stood and looped his arm through Veronica's. "Come on, Ronnie. I'll drop you and Archie off at the hospital, and I'll go see what I can uncover at my house, and see if I can find my dad. He didn't answer his cell for me either, but he might answer our CB radio."

"Now you're betraying your dad?" Jughead asked.

"Nah, I'm proving his innocence. My dad isn't the jerk you think he is."

"I hope you're right, Kev," Jughead said.

"I am," Kevin replied. "We'll leave the crown prince of the Southside Serpents and his queen to what they does best."

All this time they'd been talking with Veronica and Kevin, Jughead's phone had been buzzing, an unavailable number ringing through over and over again. He fished his phone out of his pocket. "What?" he demanded when he answered.

"Jughead, it's Eric."

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked.

"It's a long story. Come to the Whyte Wyrm and I'll explain everything."

"Did you find your dad?"

"No, not yet, and I need your help. We all do. Bad things are happening on the Southside. Things are falling apart over here. All the Serpents want to meet with you. We need a leader, and that's you, Jughead. Bring Betty."

Betty had turned to him, looking at him expectedly as he hung up his phone and put it into his pocket. And he made a decision right then and there. "That was Eric. He wants us to come to the Whyte Wyrm."

"Did he find Snake?" Betty asked.

"No, but he says he has something he needs to discuss with us first. Looks like you're getting your wish, and I'll be meeting with the Serpents. As their leader."