"Abby, thank you for coming." She walks into the Blue and Gold room to see Betty and Kevin.
"No problem, it got me out of dinner with the Lodges, so what are we doing?" She took the empty seat next to Betty.
"Kevin has been talking to Chic as a client to get information. I was hoping you would help us." She told her the purpose of meeting here.
"Why?" Abby did not want to see or hear that.
"Because Chic doesn't open up to me. I have to know if the person I invited into my house is safe." Betty needed to know if it was a one-time incident or if she was going to be having to clean up his messes from now on.
"You think he'll open up to a client before his sister. I never did it but I figure Cam-ing 101 has to be never give your real information out." Abby didn't see the logic behind this.
"Thank you." Kevin pointed at her while looking at Betty. "Betty, I can't keep doing this anymore. He's your brother and it is weird."
"Kevin, every time I try asking Chic questions about himself, he gets defensive or starts to cry as a diversion." She didn't know if she could hold herself back from hitting him the next time she saw fake tears leave his eyes.
"You're catfishing him?" Kevin felt gross doing this. Not the cam-ing but the deceiving.
"If it's the only way to get Chic to open up. I…" Betty did a Kim Possible level puppy pout. Kevin sighs as he opens the laptop. "You can use this to help Kevin know what to say. "Betty passed Abby a whiteboard and marker.
Kevin got on the site and after a few casual greetings, Betty started writing questions. "So, do you ever P and P? You know, Party and Play?"
"You keep asking me that and I keep telling you no." Chic's voice came from the laptop.
Betty put up three fingers. "You know... This is our third-time cam-ing and you haven't told me anything about yourself." Kevin stumbles over his words.
"Yeah, well, you haven't taken your shirt off yet. So we're even." Chic showed that he wanted to get down to business.
"I'm shy." He shrugs, looking at them with panic from over the laptop.
"Okay. What do you wanna know?" He sighs. Betty gave him two thumbs up. They were able to get him to tell them a few basic meaningless information like favorite food, color, tv show.
When the cam-ing is over, Abby's phone rings. "Chic is calling me, he hasn't done that in weeks." She looked at Betty with wide eyes, wondering if he knew somehow.
"Really?" Betty was surprised because he used to text her a lot.
"Not since the night that Hiram bought the trailer park." She would text and call him but he never answered. He kept his curtain closed. At first, she was relieved that maybe he got bored with her. Then the scary thought maybe the unstable guy was upset with her set in. She was on edge to the point she spent most of her nights at the Sweet Pea's, Tomoko's, or Trev's house.
That made Betty pause for a second before she told her to answer the phone. "Hey, I thought you ghosted me." She pushed the green button then the speaker.
"You missed me?" Chic sounds gleeful about it.
"I didn't say that. It's just weird you are calling when you haven't in weeks." She put a hand on her hip.
"Jeez Louise, I've been busy lately. Don't be so clingy." He sneers.
Abby glares at her phone. She was about to remind him about the times he texted or called over and over until she answered. But, Betty waves her hand to tell her not to argue. "What did you call for?"
"I just had this weird cam-ing session." He told her. They freeze up.
Abby cleared her throat. "I don't want to know those kinds of details."
"It wasn't dirty, that's why it was weird. I had three sessions with this guy and all he does is ask me questions. Basic normal questions." He found Kevin to be odder than his freaky clients.
"Maybe he likes you and wants to know you." Judging by Kevin's face he didn't like that answer. He feared that Chic would grow feelings for him when he wasn't trying to date him.
"That is not why people go on the dark web. He is not a bad-looking guy, he could get a date if he wanted to. He doesn't need to pay for one." Chic felt uneasy.
"Maybe he is shy and is practicing talking to someone that is not going to reject him. There are a lot of good-looking people that don't have social skills." She is trying to help Kevin who looks ready to throw up.
"I guess that makes sense. Look, I got to go but I'll text you. I wouldn't want you to miss me too much." He hung up after she said goodbye.
"Can you believe that he is calling me clingy?" She opens up their texts to scrolls to the time he texted her 15 times in a row. "Look, at that. He knew I was working."
Betty took the phone to look through the texts. Kevin looks over her shoulder. "He's funny." He chuckled when he read the comments he made about 90-day fiances. A show that he introduces her to.
"He seems so normal and likable with you." Betty never saw this side of Chic. Her eyes went wide when she saw the video of Abby dancing around in her room that was taken while he was standing in his room. Under it was a comment that someone was always watching. "Does he do this a lot?" She showed the phone to her.
"Yeah, he likes to give off a creepy vibe once in a while, but that's because he thinks it funny to put people on edge." At least that's what Abby has been telling herself.
Betty wasn't convinced since she knew what he was capable of.
"I know you said this was your dream growing up but I had no idea you thought about it this much." Abby looked through the box her dad took out of storage.
"Hey, Arch, check this out!" Fred called when he heard footsteps on the stairs. "When I applied to college to be an urban planner... This is before Grandpa already got sick, this was a presentation that I made for some program I never got into. Riverdale. A small town with a big future." A opens up a poster that looks like a Jetsons version of Riverdale. The sibling chuckled at seeing how advanced he thought the present would be. "Sounds corny, huh?" He thought they were laughing at the concept instead of the poster.
"No, Dad, this is awesome." Archie shook his head.
"Yeah I like the slogan, it's your future Riverdale that's funny looking." She pointed at the flying car.
"Hey, they promised us those." He laughed.
There was a knock on the door before it opened. "Hello? Archie! Mr. Andrews?" Veronica's voice echoed through the house.
"She is just letting herself in now." She whispers. Fred lightly slapped the back of her head. "Oh, goody! You're all here. So I fully realize I'm putting the cart before the horse, but I was spitballing some design ideas, and I think I may have come up with a few potential campaign logos." She put down a folder to show them a few she made.
"Veronica, those are terrific, I gotta say, but... Oh!" He was going to say he wanted to make his own but he saw one he thought was perfect. "Now, that one, that's my favorite."
"Mine too." Veronica was happy they had the same pick. "Great. So I'll have some buttons and T-shirts printed ASAP."
"Hey Veronica, I wanted to show you something that's in my room." Archie pulled her up the stairs before she could respond.
"Ew, could he be more transparent?" Abby gags.
"Stop it." He thumps the back of her head.
"Stop, you're going to ruin my hair." She whines.
Abby was sitting by Toni, who was sitting next to Cheryl at the will reading. "I, Clifford Cochrane Blossom, being of sound mind and body, do here inscribe the terms of my last will and testament. Firstly... Ownership of Thistlehouse will stay with our beloved matriarch, Roseanne Blossom. To my wife and partner, Penelope, I leave ownership of our greatest treasure, Thornhill, the exquisite mansion she made a home." The Lawyer read the will.
"The charred husk of an empty house. That sounds about right, Mother." Cheryl whispers to her mom.
"Now, the reason I contacted you and you all traveled to be here. Any and all remaining assets of my fortune will be divided in half. The first half will be distributed equally to anyone in Riverdale who can prove with medical authentication that even one drop of Blossom blood flows through their veins." He was interrupted by the door opening.
"I knew it!" Alice came storming in.
"Alice, what the hell are you doing here?" Hal stood up.
"Accusing you publicly. You only wanted a divorce so that you could cheat me out of your big, fancy Blossom payday. It's not just my payday, the girls share Blossom blood too. My lawyer is gonna rip you apart. Isn't that right, Attorney McCoy?" She went on before her lawyer could advise her to calm down. "I will be taking half of whatever blood money you get from this inbred cesspool of a family." Toni and Abby laughed while the people behind them gasped. "Yeah, that's right. I said inbred." Alice glares.
"Would you please just leave?" Penelope stood up. It was a bold move considering she was sleeping with her husband.
"Shut your face, you half-melted ten-cent trollop!" Alice finally got to tell her what she thought of her.
"Oh, this is riveting, I can't breathe." Toni held her belly. They watched as she had to be escorted out of the building by security.
The man went on to read the will. "Now that the interloper has been escorted from the premises, we can finish our business. As I was saying... The other half of my fortune will go to my true heirs, Jason and Cheryl."
Cheryl stood up and gave a smug look to her mother. She moved to stand behind the podium. "As the one true Blossom heir, I feel it is my sacred duty to say a few words. The Blossoms have been bathing in blood since Great-Grandpappy Blossom killed his brother. The original sin of Riverdale. Well, I stand before you to say, no more. No more blood. No more madness. No more horror."
"Here, here." A man who appears to be Clifford Blossom walks into the room. Nana Rose held her chest as she gasped. "Couldn't have said it better myself."
Abby got up to run over to Cheryl when she saw eyes roll back into her head. She dove to the floor to stop her head from hitting the ground. With Toni's help, she got her to a couch.
"Claudius." Nana Rose gasps.
"Yes, Mama. I came home. I figured it was safe now that Clifford was gone." He bent down to be face to face with his mother. She hugs her long-lost son.
Toni and Abby heard whispers from the relatives about Clifford's twin. "I would ask that everyone leave, now." Penelope kicked everyone out.
Toni and Abby didn't move. "But, Cheryl is not awake."
"I can take care of my daughter." Penelope sneers. The teens didn't budge.
"I won't let anything happen to her. Since my house is the only one in good condition I got more say now." Nana Rose held her head high.
"See ya later, Nana Rose." Abby hugs the woman before leaving.
Toni and Abby walk out of the house to see Sweet Pea waiting on his bike by Toni's. "So, how much is she getting?"
"Half of his money. So, good news and a good show." Toni straddles her bike and puts her helmet on.
"Shows? Did someone not get enough? Rich people." Sweet Pea scoffs.
She got on top of the bike."I'll tell you about it at the Whyte Wyrm. Let's go, this place gives me the chills." She felt like it was a setting for a horror movie.
"Really? Then shiver against my back." He looks over his shoulder to smirks at her.
"Come on, I'll already be vibrating enough because of the bike." She wraps her arms around his waist.
"Should have mentioned that first." He teases, starting up the bike.
"Babies." Abby sings as she runs out of her house to meet Chic who was pushing a big old fashion stroller. "So cute, what are their names?"
"Juniper and Dagwood." He told her.
"My god, just bully them yourself." She thought of how cruel that other kids were going to be to them, especially the boy.
"Right." Chic smiles at the idea of them being picked on.
"So, how are you liking your other sister?" She asked as they walked to Sweetwater River.
"She has been avoiding me. These babies have been taking all of Alice's time. She is not even interested in getting to know me anymore." He pouts.
"Why don't you play with the babies along with her? Babies can be fun." She picked Juniper up when she reached out for her.
"Maybe." He slowly put his hand out for Dagwood to grab onto. He giggles when Chic wiggles his fingers.
"Aw, so cute." She put Juniper on her hip to take out her phone to take a picture of them. "See, you can be making memories instead of feeling ignored." She put her phone back in her pocket to use both hands to hold Juniper high in the air and bring her back down. She did that a couple of times, getting the baby to giggle.
"I guess," Chic watches Abby giggle along with the baby.
"I'm telling you there is more to a family than a mom. You have sisters, a niece, and a nephew. Betty and Polly are a little stand-offish but they come around when they get to know you. But, you have to let them do that." She grabbed the pacifier from the stroller to give to the baby.
"Yeah, yeah, save the lecture for your boyfriend." He rolled his eyes.
She rolled her eyes back. "So, how's that clean client of yours?" Betty had invited her to help chat with him again but she rejected it. It felt wrong to do that when she was Chic's only friend.
"I think he was an undercover cop trying to see if he could get me to admit to more than just cam-ing." He sneers.
"What gave you that idea?" She never heard of that theory.
"He was talking to someone off-screen. They were probably telling him what to say. I get them from time to time. They're all the same, they just want to talk. Think treating you like a 'human' and not a piece of meat is going to make you open up to them." He put air phases around humans.
"Hey, I was at the hearing for Clifford Blossoms's will. You could get a payout from the Blossom." She told him.
"Polly and Betty told me. I do not feel comfortable taking money from some dead guy I've never met. I had a problem with drugs before so needles would be triggering." He shook his head, not wanting to hear about the will anymore.
"Well, I don't think it'll be that much anyways. The Blossoms are a big family. Who knows how much money he has after the investigation." She could see his point of view. But Betty must be more suspicious now. She looked down when she felt Juniper put her head on her shoulder. "Aw, she's sleeping." She coos.
"Everyone at the house will be happy, they are difficult to put to sleep," Chic remembers the hours of crying that happens in the house because of babies that fought every nap.
"I am a woman of many talents." She smiles with pride.
"You're something." He gave her his genuine smile of the day.
Polly ran over to them when they went into Cooper's house. "What did you do to my babies?"
"Nothing, Polly. They're fine." Chic said in a calm voice like he wasn't being accused of hurting babies.
"I got them to go to sleep, which Chic said was a tough task." Abby brags.
"You were there the whole time." Polly looks at the redhead.
"Yeah, Chic invited me on the walk. Is that okay?" She knew a mother could be protective.
"It's great. Thank you." Polly hugs her before taking the babies into another room.
"I told you she would be grateful." Chic patted her head.
"How was the walk?" Alice looks between them.
"Good, Abby was all excited because she saw a wild rabbit." He sat down next to Alice.
"It was so cute. I got a video of it." She pulled out her phone to show the rabbit.
"She spooks the poor thing when she squeals." Chic teased. The rabbit ran off when it heard Abby's high-pitched excited scream.
"I couldn't help it, it was cleaning itself with its paws." She imitated the rabbit licking its paws and pats its head. She showed Alice other pictures she took on the walk. Alice gushes at the one of Chic and Dagwood. Betty watched in disbelief at what she was seeing. Chic was worming his way into Riverdale, not just her house.
Abby was unable to escape another sit-down with the Lodge. Her dad decided to run for Mayor on being a well-liked family man. "Jughead Jones is breaking a story. A story about my plans for Riverdale. And rather than hear it from him, I think it's only right that you hear it from me." Hiram got right into telling them about how he was going to turn Southside High into a prison that would bring the town a lot of jobs.
"You're serious? Southside High is gonna be turned into…" Fred was not behind this.
"A private, for-profit prison," Hiram told them.
"Yeah, built on the bones of a high school. What the hell have we been building in SoDale?" Fred looked at Hermione.
"What we've said all along. Housing. For all the people who will work at the prison." She tried to convince him that it wasn't a lie.
"And you expect me to support this as mayor?" Fred looked at them like they lost their minds.
"We're hoping you'd be open to it. Yes." Hiram nods.
"Can't do it. I'm outta here." He stood up.
"Look, Fred…" He was going to try to get him to see his side.
"We've been in business for how long? And you didn't tell me. And the only reason you're telling me now is that it's getting ready to become public." Fred yelled.
"I'll admit, it's not ideal." He stayed calm.
"Not ideal, Hiram? You wanna turn the town that I love, my home, my children's home, into a prison." He pointed at his children.
"Fred, please let me tell you why and how this is the right move, for us, for Riverdale." Hiram got up to try and stop him from leaving.
Fred cut him off. "You save that for whoever it is that you find to run for mayor because we are leaving and we are leaving now. Come on, Archie. Abby." Abby got up to walk with her dad.
"Dad, I'm gonna stay," Archie said, shocking his family.
"Excuse me?" Fred tilts his head in disbelief.
"I wanna stay. I wanna hear what Mr. Lodge has to say." He stayed in his seat.
"Then I will see you at home then." Fred looks to his daughter.
"I'll meet you at the truck, dad." Abby glares at her brother. When she heard the door shut, she marched over to Archie. She kicked his chair out and put a hand on each arm of the chair to lean down. "I know you think everything the Lodge's shit is gold, but you better remember where your loyalty should lie. It should be with the man who sees you through everything. The man who forgiven and cleans up every fuck up you ever did. He'll even forgive you for standing by whoever they get to run, but me... I'll never forgive you for breaking our father's heart if you do this." She kept her glare on him as she made her way to the door.
"I hate them, they tear families apart and smile like their angels." She glares at the TV that showed the podium that Hermoine and Veronica Lodge are standing behind. They were announcing Hermoine running for mayor. Ever since that dinner, things at her house had been tense. Archie barely talks to them and when he did it would end in an argument because he always had to bring up the Lodges. She could see the sadness in her father's eyes whenever he would look at the chair that Archie normally sat in at the dining table.
Fangs turn it off. "Archie will come to his senses."
"Oh yeah, and when he does he'll be forgiven and guided back to his spot on the pedestal as the golden boy. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of him never having to face any consequences. He stabbed Jughead in the back how many times but he still gets to call him his best friend. He never does any chores but is still treated like a prince by my parents. He only works at the company when he feels like it but it is still going to be passed down to him. And now, he turned his back on my dad and I'm supposed to be okay with it because he'll come to his senses eventually. No, that's not good enough. Not this time. He wants to be a Lodge, fine but as far as I'm concerned he can never be an Andrews again." She paces so fast and roughly the Serpents thought she was going to make a hole in the floor soon.
Sweet Pea got up to force her into a hug. He knew from experience under rage was pain. She fought it a little before she broke down, crying into his chest. "How could he do this?"
"I don't know, I could never betray someone I love." He rubs her back. "If your dad decides to run, we'll do everything we can to get him the Southside vote."
"Hey, we'll hold a voting registry at the Whyte Wyrm." Toni got up to join the hug.
"We can offer a coupon for a free shot for every Southsider that shows up to vote." Fangs wasn't about to be left out of a group hug.
"Thank you." She smiles through her tears.
"We got you." Sweets Pea hated Archie for getting her this upset.