Jughead made his way through the room focusing on evening out his breathing and shifting himself in his black jeans to hide how hard he still was. Watching Betty had been one of the most erotic things he had ever experienced, the way she had surrendered to him was something he could easily get addicted to. He was no stranger to being with women but nothing had ever satisfied him the way it did to satisfy her. He tried desperately to clear his brain as he descended the stairs to the living room, where Sweet Pea, Joaquin, and Fangs stood talking amongst themselves. When they realized he had re-entered the room, they quited and waited for him to talk.

"Any news?" He asked finding his place among them. Fangs was the first pair of eyes he actually met and they were staring at him knowingly, and almost empathetically which for some reason bothered Jughead that he was able to read him in a way that he shouldn't. He raised his eyebrows at the young serpent in challenge and Fangs looked away quickly.

"Nothing yet, but we are following a few solid leads," Sweet Pea nodding assuringly. "You didn't catch any details?" He asked his leader. Jug tried to think back to the car, but that part of the night had felt like a lifetime ago. He let out a frustrated sigh forcing his brain to think more clearly. He had a feeling he knew already who was following them, in fact they all probably knew, but he sincerely hoped they were wrong, and judging by the fact that no one else was willingly stating the obvious name they were all thinking he could only assume they all wanted to be wrong.

"It was a black sedan, couldn't be holding more than 4 of 5 people," He recounted, reaching towards his pocket before remembering his phone was still on the kitchen counter.

"So we think at least 4 bodies?" Sweet pea pressed, trying to gain more information. Jughead shot him an exhausted glare.

"I don't know, they never got close enough for me to see a head count," He answered flatly. Sweet pea just nodded turning his attention to his phone as he typed out a message.

Jug heard the door upstairs open, and his eyes trailed up to the stairs as she finally started descending, her blonde hair pulled up into ponytail and the same clothes she had worn the night before. Her eyes met his and she smiled softly before her lips fell, and he realized his face still held a cold stare. He forced his features to soften and smiled back, not really having any idea how to switch modes so quickly. His face went back to stone as he turned his attention back to the his crew, finding it much more comfortable to be emotionless and hard. His expression finding the sweet spot of unreadable.

"Betty," Sweet pea nodded at her in acknowledgment, the other guys looked at her as well, Fangs even waving timidly. She waved back smiling sweetly and found her way to Jugheads side, handing him his crumpled up shirt shyly, he took it casually and slipped it over his head as they continued their conversation.

"Are you still heading to the Bronx? Even with all of this happening?" Joaquin asked obliviously. Jughead closed his eyes keeping his composure, but he already felt her curious eyes burning a hole in him.

"New york?" Betty asked cautiously. He opened his eyes then, glaring slightly and noting the still air that had filled the room uncomfortably.

"Its club business," He answered in a clipped tone. Looking around to the other southsiders, who seemed to have all caught on that the conversation was over while she was still present.

She nodded slowly catching on as well. They stood there silently waiting for his next instruction, he sucked in a deep breath pushing the impending exhaustion from his head and cracking his neck loudly to one side and then the other.

"Sweet pea you're with me and Fangs, Joaquin can you handle dropping the package off?" He asked tilting his chin in her direction. She shifted next to him her eyes narrowing.

"I am not a package," She glared, her cheeks flushing a soft pink, he leaned closer to her, his hand itching to touch her face, but he stopped himself, straightening his back.

"It was a joke Betts," He replied somewhat coldly.

"I don't see you, or anyone else laughing," She challenged, hurt evident on her face.

"This guy?" Fangs quickly interjected, hooking his thumb at Jughead exaggeratedly, "he doesn't laugh, I don't think his face knows how," He smiled cheekily at Betty making her smile, Jughead rolled his eyes but was grateful for the boy trying to help.

"I got it boss," Joaquin finally answered his question and Jughead just silently nodded as they all started walking towards the front door. He stayed behind a beat and turned to the small girl next to him. She was clearly trying to communicate a million things as her eyes searched his face, but he just shook his head sightly, and made his way to her back pack still leaned up against the wall, lifting it up and handing it to her.

"You got all your stuff?" He asked quietly, aware that his club members were still watching him.

"Yeah, I think so," Her eyebrows pulled together adorably as she patted herself down obviously doing a mental checklist.

"You sure?" He asked pointedly, she looked up meeting his eyes confused "You didn't leave any dignity up there?" He teased motioning up the stairs playfully, and she glared shoving her hand into his chest pushing him, as she pouted making him crack a smile and catch her hand bringing it up to his lips, he froze for a second remembering the eyes on them, but it was too late, he planted a soft kiss, quickly letting go. He turned seeing all of their eyes wide before quickly finding anywhere else to look.

"Outside," He commanded, and they filed out the front door and towards the driveway. Jug grabbed her hand back in his and walked her towards the door, she stopped in the hallway, prompting him to turn and face her. Her eyes looked so tired and he felt a strange wave of guilt knowing he was the reason in more ways than one. "I really was joking," He tried "You're much more than a package, and your dignity…" He paused thinking carefully of how to put words to his already confusing feelings "It's safe with me," He finally decided. That earned him a warm smile.

"You're really leaving then?" She asked her small hand squeezing his, he just nodded not really knowing what else to say his normal silent demeanor returning. "And it's...safe?"

"You'll be safe, I promise, Joaquin will get you home," He reassured her trying to take a step toward the open door but she didn't move, holding his hand tighter, she watched him, her eyes burning with an emotion he couldn't quite place, determination maybe.

"Not me," She said sternly "You." He nodded then realizing her train of thought. He pulled her into a tight hug, resting his chin on the top of her head, her hands reached up around his back clutching onto the fabric of his shirt.

"Yeah Betts, its nothing I haven't done a million times," he pulled back lifting her chin with his index finger to make her look at him.

"Why does that not make me feel any better," She said more as a statement her eyes looking at him wearily. He smiled gently, pulling her chin forward and bending his head down to kiss her, officially not giving a shit who was watching. She leaned into him, making him instinctively want to deepen the kiss but he forced his hand to stay at his side, reminding himself the sooner she was home the sooner she was safe. He pulled away then, gently pushing her in front of him. They walked out the door, all the serpents looking in different directions, and he actually laughed out loud making them all look back to them shocked, and he just shrugged.

"Joaquin, you wanna take the car?" Jug asked grabbing the keys from his belt loop, and tossed them in the air, the boy caught it effortlessly "She doesn't do bikes... Yet." He looked at her wickedly from the corner of his eye. Betty finally let go of his hand and walked towards the car, joaquin finding his way to the drivers side. Fangs stood at the passenger door opening it for her.

"Well I'll be damned, he does know how to laugh," Fangs whispered to her, but Jug heard it clearly and he watched the pretty blonde beam an effortless smile as she proudly sunk into the car.

"Hey King," Joaquin called over the top of the car, "You missing your crown?" He motioned towards the dark grey beanie that was still tossed in the back seat.

"Leave it," he responded cooly, knowing he wouldn't be needing it where he was going. "Or better yet, Betty… Hold on to it for me?" He turned his attention towards her and she just nodded, not really understanding the significance of it, but it wasn't lost on his fellow serpents who all had raised eyebrows, Sweet Pea even let out a low whistle.

"All hail the queen!" Joaquin bellowed playfully slapping the top of the car and sliding in, and slamming his door while Fangs gently closed Betty's. Jughead rolled his eyes, returning his focus to the girl through the now rolled down window.

"Can you call me, or text, or something," she called out as joaquin turned on the car the low rumble drowning out her voice.

"I'll try," He nodded honestly crossing his arms over his chest, watching the car reverse down the gravel pathway before turning quickly making the tires screech loudly, and Jughead made a mental note to put the serpent in a chokehold the next time he saw him for driving like that with her in the car.

"You good?" Sweet Pea asked. Jug realized his hand had involuntarily lifted and he was pinching the bridge of his nose between his eyes. An action he had found himself doing far too often. When he was frustrated, tired, mad, pretty much an emotion that would inevitably result in a headache. Deep down he knew it didn't really work, but when he was still just a kid, maybe 14, and was just starting in club stuff his mom and sister had still been around, and at the time the then 7 year old decided she would be a magical healer, she had made healing ointments out of grease and mud, pretending they would help his battered up skin as he found his way through the violence of the serpents. One day he got sick of playing pretend for her, he remembered the day exactly, it was the first time he had ever felt an actual bullet break through his skin, right above his collarbone, at 14 being shot was terrifying, but the most painful part was that it was his own dad who had pulled the trigger, good ol' FP, always there in his signature drunken rage to toughen you up. Some of the older serpents had patched him up and gotten him to his mom, who was probably beyond high at the time, because she quickly made a joke of the whole event telling Jellybean that she was gonna need more than just mud, and thrust a full bottle of whisky at the two kids, laughing. Jughead had snapped when JB actually tried to take the bottle so she could make something, he had yelled at her, that it wasn't his body that hurt, and threw the glass bottle against the floor at his mother's feet watching it shatter before storming out of the house and into the common area of the trailer park and lighting a cigarette. Jelly bean had followed him, her innocence not letting her fully understand the situation. She had asked him if it was his heart or his head that hurt and in true Jones fashion he said only his head. He recalled her little voice.

"If you pinch your nose, it's a pressure place, it will make all your headaches leave…"

"You mean pressure point?" he had laughed

"That's what I said," she shrugged "sometimes I try to pinch my heart but I can't reach," she huffed not realizing the gravity of her words, his heart broke for her and the life she had to live because of their family.

"Oh yeah?" he smiled lovingly at her "and it works?" she nodded proudly and waited so to appease her he lifted his fingers and pinched his nose feigning relief. "Where did you learn that?" he asked ruffling her hair.

"I made it up," she shrugged and with that she turned back and ran into house.

That was the same night his dad had gotten picked up and it was the last real interaction he had with Jellybean before the club took his life over and his mom sent his little sister to go live with their aunt in the upper east side of New York. It was the end and the beginning of him, so even though he knew it had no real effect he would still heed his little sisters words, finding comfort in them.

"Yeah," He replied to Sweet Pea shaking his head and snapping himself back to reality, "I gotta grab my phone," he tilted his head and sauntered back to the house as the other serpents mounted their bikes. He found his way quickly to the kitchen grabbing his phone off the counter, not bothering to check it he slid it into his pocket and started back out the house, but his instinct told him to take his phone back out and the front screen lit up showing a text from an unknown caller. He slid his thumb across the screen opening it, his blood running cold at the words staring back at him.

Will Miss Cooper be joining us?