I'm alive! It's been a series of health thingies (thankfully with nothing ultimately rising above that technical level of medical "thingie"!)
Thank you so, so much for your lovely notes and supportive missives during this time, too - they were the encouragement I craved, and as I wean off of the last drowse-inducing medications over just a few short weeks (huzzah!), I hope to be more faithfully around and posting. :)
LeafGreene01, I'm really sorry to hear my fears confirmed - that the site is giving more folks than just me fits. I hope this one posts and is available properly today! I love your theories, too, about how things might be coming together and who might be involved (Banks may be in here somewhere, I agree!).
Natureliesbeneath, thank you so much for your lovely review and all of your continued patience and support! I also love love love how you see the threads potentially spooling out in so many possible directions. The new Alice complication in the cover story, Dax and Jughead being thrown together a bit more, the crazy brewing just outside as everything tour-related goes viral, and oh yeah - the usual medical stuff that just doesn't quit. I hope this chapter is satisfying and raises even more dynamics as things move closer toward maximal chaos. :-D
Skyrider45, it is great to see you back and reading! (and writing! I have some reading to do now myself!) I had to chuckle/wince about your personal experience with influencer culture and how it will likely be nothing but trouble for the band. I loved your analysis of how everyone is trying with questionable success to not be "brutish" with Jughead even as they try to push him along a very narrow path of safety that requires Jug to be active and on top of a lot of skill he really should not be expected to have. And YES to the early mornings! I've been cringing as they lose more and more sleep (I should create sleep logs for FP and Brand in particular, lol) and I'm eager to hear your thoughts as the Archie-related dynamics get more complicated.
Enjoy!
-Button
00000
"A bomb threat." Dax's voice was flat, but he was moving in an instant.
Jughead winced as he was pulled against the man and a huge arm crushed his chest. "Wha-,"
"Sarah?" Dax bellowed Agent Sarah's name far too loudly, and far too close to Jughead's left ear. "We're clearing the building. I'm taking Cyrano out now. We'll cover the east doors."
"I'll take the west doors." Sarah snapped into action, disappearing.
They moved swiftly as well; Jughead was still in Dax's grip and tried to keep up with him as the large man booked it down the hallway, jerking left and right as they went, in order to check each room that they passed. It looked like everyone had started moving towards the exits at the same time, though, and they were taking up the rear.
Or… maybe not. It looked like a lone figure was pushing his way upstream through the people pushing their way out of the building.
"Is that-," Jughead was cut off for a second time when the arm over his chest tightened painfully.
"Kent. So help me, if I find out that he's responsible for this too…" Dax trailed off, but his arm did not relax one iota as Clark made a beeline to them.
"Come on. We don't have a lot of information; you need to get out and let the professionals sweep the place." Clark was all business as he confronted them in the hallway.
Dax's arm somehow managed to become even more tense than it already had been.
"Are you okay, Jon?" Clark was looking from Jughead to Dax sharply.
"Yeah." Jughead heard his voice come out in a wheeze.
"Oh, uh-," Dax loosened his grip and gave Jughead's shoulders a teeth-rattling shake of apology. "Sorry 'bout that, Cyrano."
Before Jughead could say anything else to reassure Clark, Dax was hustling him firmly along once again.
Clark made a noise of protest and followed right on their heels. "Hold up. Jon, Penn's looking for you; I can take you to him."
"No." Dax's tone was sharp and he abruptly sounded like he was getting ready for a fight. "He's not going anywhere with you. Not today."
Jughead looked up in confusion at Dax, whose jaw was set.
"Dax. He's shaking." Clark's voice rang with finality even though his features were creased with concern. "I really think he needs to-,"
"You think what?" Dax rounded on Clark, his voice filled with venom, but somehow he did not slacken his pace toward the exit even though he was now facing the FBI agent instead of looking where he was going – Jughead was still stumbling in his attempts to keep up. "It is a very good thing that my man here is a beast. If you were a teenaged intern who had faced down what he has and were now evacuating under threat of possible explosives, then I think you'd be in a whole lot worse shape than Cyrano is."
Jughead was warmed by the praise, even though he noted that Dax had not contradicted Clark about the claim that Jughead was shaking. Hm. It was weird what he missed sometimes when adrenaline kicked in.
It was also weird how intensely angry Dax was with Clark specifically; that was new.
"Jon-," Clark attempted to address Jughead again.
"No. You talk to me." Dax snapped the words out harshly and then broke into a jog that Jughead was hard pressed to keep up with in his awkward position.
Huh. This wasn't making sense, and Clark was probably going to shoot Dax if this kept up for much longer.
Or maybe that was more of a Brand move.
Jughead was not sure he was thinking entirely clearly… but something about Clark's body language really looked like he was about to casually-but-brutally incapacitate Dax.
"You know," Jughead tried for a conciliatory tone, "maybe-,"
"Shh. Don't say a word," Dax hissed into Jughead's ear.
Jughead could feel himself quivering then.
Maybe he was being kidnapped; maybe Brand knew something and had sent Clark to retrieve him before he was spirited away from the tour. Maybe Dax was planning to–
"He's a journalist. He might be cooking up a story that'll sell big," Dax hissed again into Jughead's ear. "I think he caused the electrical fault. And now this happens, and suddenly he's right here? No. No way. And you are fast becoming a very photogenic lightning rod for everything that's going wrong on this tour."
Jughead bit his lip, making a face as he tried to keep up; this was all completely out of left field.
Brand must be wrong about Dax if this was the man's analysis – and Dax's response was to protect Jughead.
Well, whatever was going on, playing along seemed like a good move. Obviously Clark was not the one creating the various tour crises, but If Dax actually knew anything helpful, it seemed likely that he'd confide in Jughead – if only to convince the teen to believe Dax's analysis.
"Hey. Breathe." Dax sounded worried now.
Jughead sucked in a lungful of air that felt like it burned his lungs – he must have been holding his breath without realizing it – and then nodded. "Yeah. I-I'm okay. Thanks. Uh… let's lose this guy."
"You got it." Dax's reply was grim.
Jughead had only a split second to regret his words before Dax's grip tightened once more and they jerked sideways.
Before Jughead could regain his equilibrium, they had exited the building through a side door and were hustling through a frigid blast of wind toward the street.
"Hey!" Dax had hailed a taxi and was shoving Jughead inside before the teen could even identify which street they were on.
Clark exploded out the same door – just in time to see the vehicle drive away.
Jughead winced at the look on Clark's face. This whole thing was definitely freaking his friend out.
"Don't worry about it. He didn't get anything he can use," Dax said, dropping a hand reassuringly onto Jughead's shoulder. He gave directions to the cab driver.
"Wait, where are we going?" Jughead asked, unable to follow the swift relay of information.
"To the back entrance of the hotel. I think that we'd better meet up with my team and then lie low while we wait for your mother to arrive."
Jughead's lungs burned as he stopped breathing again; the interior of the taxi started to tilt. Dax knew Gladys?
Who on earth had he just gotten into a vehicle with?
"Uh, my… my mother?" Jughead forced a long, slow draught of air in through his nose and held it for a count of three. The dizziness didn't quite recede, but at least the intake of oxygen stopped it from ramping up any further.
Dax nodded, giving Jughead a strange look. "She's the SAC who has jurisdiction. I can't imagine she won't check it out personally, given you were on the site of a bomb threat."
Oh. Ohhhhh.
Jughead's mind raced, trying to puzzle out if this was a good thing or a really, really bad thing.
"And… While she's here, you should talk to her about how Brand's been treating you." Dax held his hands up as if to say he was leaving it at that – washing his hands of anything further. "One man's opinion."
Jughead managed a weak smile. "I'll, uh, take it under advisement."
Yeah, Brand's analysis must have been way off base. Jughead frowned as he shot one last glance out the back of the taxi, as if he might still be able to see Clark panicking on the sidewalk they'd left behind.
"I'll deal with him." Dax's voice was heavy with anger. "You don't need to worry about him again."
Jughead schooled his features into what he hoped looked like relief. He nodded once, then ducked his head. They'd get to the hotel soon, and then Brand would work out getting Jughead back.
Ten minutes, tops. That was all he needed to manage.
00000
"Hi everyone," Veronica said chirpily as she addressed the excited crowd. "I am going to need you to follow me right now. We have a very special surprise for our fans, but we'll all have to move quickly or we'll miss out."
There was a ripple of excitement in the fans surrounding them. Veronica steeled herself so she would not wince or cringe at the thought of her fears coming to life – a stalker being in the group, or the crowd growing over excited and dangerous just due to sheer numbers.
Archie's presence just behind her was steadying; Veronica motioned for him to follow her.
"We're going to a special coffeehouse just a block or so-," was it two blocks away? Three? Veronica couldn't remember for sure, but there was definitely a coffeehouse and it was somewhere in the right direction.
"The Caffeinated Bird Sings?" A fan blurted out the name breathlessly. "That place is incredible. Are you playing a set? Is this, like–,"
"It's a surprise." Archie held a finger up to his lips, then grinned. "I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed. But you need to hurry. Let's go!"
Veronica shot her boyfriend a grateful smile as the small crowd moved swiftly – away from the venue and toward safety.
A forest of phones were out – and raised. Veronica pasted on a broad smile as she realized that she and Archie were being framed in dozens of selfies as they made their way down the street toward the coffeehouse.
Archie was smiling too, though it was entirely unclear whether that was because he'd realized everyone was photographing (filming?) them or because he was actually delighted to be heading to give an unsanctioned, likely a capella performance for a select group of devoted fans.
Which, come to think of it, actually sounded awesome. Veronica felt a thrill run through her.
The mental image of the two of them singing together for an intimate gathering warmed Veronica further as they moved further from the threat – protecting all of the fans in the process – and toward safety. And coffee.
Archie held his arm up in an invitation, and Veronica gladly tucked herself under it.
"You think Betty got some good shots too?" Archie asked brightly. "This tour is nothing like I expected, but I'm starting to think that might be part of its magic. Live music is all about the unexpected. The 'yes, and' of improvisation, you know?"
Veronica couldn't help but smile, even though she was mildly worried that Archie could frame a bomb threat, possible shooter, and worrisome electrical issues so positively.
Or maybe he meant the band – Veronica in particular – going viral, their concerts selling out, and the tour's unexpected expansion.
Scary as all of that was on so many levels, it was also… flattering.
Veronica had to admit that she'd been thinking about it too hard from a security perspective, which was far from the whole picture. These were good things, even if the pace and the sheer scale was overwhelming to the point where she felt dangerously close to a panic attack if she thought too hard about them all at once.
The clump of delighted fans made their way down one block and then another. It looked like it was three blocks away after all, and Veronica was relieved when she spotted the coffeehouse she'd had in mind.
Only then she saw the crowds of people streaming into it.
"Uh… Veronica, that can't be a normal afternoon rush for a coffeehouse," Archie said, his feet slowing on the sidewalk. "Maybe we shouldn't-,"
"Yeah, no. That looks like a-," before Veronica could even say the words 'mob scene,' the fans surrounding them began to cheer and shout.
"Damian did come! I knew tagging him would get his attention. Especially with this many people doing it at once," a young woman exulted.
"I can't believe it. I mean, he must have already been here for the concert or he never would have been here so quickly." She high-fived the other young woman.
"Are you kidding? Of course he was here. He is obsessed with this tour. And with Veronica." A young man nodded knowingly.
"Damian! Over here!"
"Damian!"
Veronica and Archie exchanged panicked looks.
"This is, like, what we're paying Brand for, right?" Archie was fumbling with his cellphone. "He can handle this."
"Brand is not that good." Veronica was surprised by how sure she sounded – she hadn't known that she held such a strong opinion of Brand's so-called professionalism until this moment.
"That might be true, but I'm here."
The voice was so unexpected that Veronica jumped halfway into Archie's arms. "Where did you-,"
"Car. Now." Brand dropped an arm around each teen and in moments was ushering them into a vehicle that was pulling up alongside them.
Mrs. Andrews was driving and she looked… grim.
"Oh. Hi Mom." Archie made a face as he slid into the backseat.
The deafening silence from the front seat spoke volumes.
"Back of the hotel," Brand directed. "Everyone's rendezvousing there. We'll have backup very soon."
Mrs. A nodded curtly and the car drove away just as the fans began reacting.
Veronica watched with wide eyes as the crowd began milling, looking for them, and her breath caught in her throat and her heart began to pound. It felt like she was being hunted.
"It would have been fine." Archie's tone was low and soothing; he took Veronica's hand in his.
"Yes." Brand's tone was dry. "Because there was no way on earth I was going to let either of you do what you were planning to do."
"The bomb threat-," Veronica had to stand by that part of her decision; it might have saved lives.
"A bomb threat is by definition a possibility." Brand cut Veronica's objection off sternly. "Your insane fans are a reality."
"They are not insane." Archie tried to stick up loyally for their fans.
"Oh, trust me, some of them are. And those fans are very real." Brand shook his head, clearly frustrated. "You need to start taking that seriously and you need to stop taking risks."
"Your father is on his way." Mrs. Andrews finally spoke, her voice tight. "I couldn't convince him otherwise when he heard what was happening."
Archie felt his body go cold. "But Mom, he needs to recover. He shouldn't be coming here – or anywhere – when he hurt himself by walking."
"Well, why don't you call him then. Tell him that yourself." Mrs. Andrews' tone was clipped with anger and she did not so much as glance in the rearview mirror.
Archie fumbled with his phone once more. "Hello? Dad?"
Veronica listened with increasing concern as Archie pled with his father over the phone – and was apparently unsuccessful.
As the conversation went on, Archie's shoulders began to slump with something that looked a lot like shame.
"Yes, Dad. I know." Archie's eyes were on the floor of the car as they pulled up behind the hotel. "I'm sorry. I just–,"
Fred's voice rang clearly through the phone as he announced that his decision was final.
"Okay. Just, I'm sorry." Archie ended the call and quickly dropped his eyes from where his mother was now staring hard at him in the rearview mirror.
"I hope it was worth it," Mrs. Andrews said sharply.
Ouch.
Veronica saw her own mother through the glass doors of the hotel's rear entrance. She probably needed to brace herself for parental wrath, too. Veronica squared her shoulders as she slid out of the car's backseat.
But Archie seemed to do the opposite; shoulders rounded, he slunk towards the hotel.
It made Veronica's heart hurt to see him.
And then she saw Mary's expression. It looked like Archie's mother was carrying a whole lot of regret, worry, and anger.
Veronica slipped through the door that Brand was holding open, his head swiveling conspicuously as he looked for the next disaster, and it was nothing but a relief when her mother grabbed her in a warm hug.
"Oh, mija, I was so worried." Hermione held Veronica close. "That was incredibly brave, but please don't ever do that to me again."
Alice was standing a few paces away. Betty was pacing, and even though she smiled at Veronica when their eyes met, she kept glancing out toward the street.
"Jughead hasn't made it here yet?" Veronica guessed.
"No, he has," Brand corrected her. He looked over at Betty as well. "He's with Dax's team, upstairs. They got here before anyone else."
Betty slumped with relief.
"I would have thought Clark'd fill you in," Brand said, scanning the room.
Clark was nowhere to be seen.
Veronica wouldn't have thought anything of it – Clark was undercover with the road crew, after all – only Brand's expression made it clear that he thought something was wrong with this picture.
The security team really had a lot of baggage, Veronica reflected. None of this seemed like something other bands on tour had to contend with.
"SAC Wilson's on her way," Mary Andrews suddenly said, looking up from her phone.
"Well, yeah." Brand seemed unsurprised, but he sighed and began massaging his forehead. "Anyone know where FP is? We've got a whole ship's worth of loose cannons, but he's got the potential to do the most damage right now."
Veronica felt an irrepressible urge to laugh that felt very wrong. It must be a stress response.
Besides, one look at her mother's expression… not to mention Mary's expression… made it clear that Brand was not the only one worried about what FP Jones might or might not do.
Veronica looked over to Archie, who still looked like a scolded puppy. At least she could do something productive about that.
Moving near her boyfriend, Veronica slid one hand out to catch Archie's.
Archie shot Veronica a sidelong glance, but the tension around his eyes relaxed.
"We'll still go on," Veronica said quietly. "Give them time to sweep the place, confirm that it was some sort of hoax, and we'll be back inside in time for a sound check."
Archie's eyes crinkled again, but this time with a smile that he carefully hid from the adults. He squeezed Veronica's hand gratefully. "I am so glad that someone's got their head in the game. You have no idea."
Veronica smiled back. "After this much trouble, we've got to bring it. Otherwise, what is all of this for?"
Archie cocked his head to one side when Veronica motioned toward the group spread around the room. He nodded with more conviction than Veronica had expected.
"Yeah. Exactly." Archie frowned, but it was with determination and not displeasure. "The tour gets bad? We've just got to bring it even harder. Make it worth it."
That was not what Veronica had meant.
But… Archie was squaring his shoulders. He stood up straighter, catching Gunnar's eye – and somehow using that eye contact to cause the drummer to look livelier than he had a moment before.
Mrs. Andrews did not miss the re-animation of the band. She clapped her hands together once, with a crack that demanded everyone's attention. "All right. We've all got work to do, and we need to do whatever we can here, since we won't be back in the venue until it's cleared. If it's cleared."
Brand nodded. "Odds are it will be cleared, but don't expect a lot of time in the venue before we're expected onstage. Go warm up, strategize, and do whatever it is you do to come up with the-," Brand made a dramatic waving motion with both arms, "-magic."
Okay, Veronica could do without the sarcasm.
But, she reflected with a smirk, it was kind of nice to know that the band was successfully capturing a zeitgeist that eluded even Brandon Davies' ability to adequately describe it.
"Just let me know if you're planning to take up stage diving," Brand added dourly, giving Veronica a hard look that suggested he'd noticed her reaction.
"No. You are not insured for that," Mary Andrews interjected with a wide-eyed look that told Brandon very obviously to shut up.
Archie laughed. "Not until we get harnesses so you can fish us back out when it inevitably goes wrong. No worries."
Mrs. Andrews blanched.
"Not on this tour." Brand shook his head in exasperation. "In fact, you know what? Not while I'm heading security."
Hermione shot Veronica a conspiratorial smile, clearly enjoying Brand's discomfiture.
Gunnar was snickering.
Even Betty was smiling wanly.
Veronica knocked her shoulder affectionately against Archie. He draped an arm around her and grinned down at her. "Okay. Well, it's back to the drawing board then."
Veronica grinned back up at him. Maybe Brand was more accurate than he'd intended in his description: Archie and his ability to manage a crowd really was magic.
00000
"Huh. I… I think that I need to make a quick call." Jughead was on the elevator, heading up with Dax to rendezvous with the rest of the security team. "It's… a friend. He's thinking about doing something stupid."
"Do what you gotta do, Cyrano." Dax had relaxed a great deal once they'd entered the hotel – and he'd finally let go of Jughead, which had been a relief… but not as profound a relief as Jughead had expected.
He must be getting used to being manhandled. That was a scary thought.
Or, perhaps equally likely, there was competing relief in Jughead's growing assurance that Dax was looking out for his best interests, and those of everyone on the tour.
Analysis aside, though, Jughead had a job to do. He clicked a button on his phone and waited impatiently for the video call to connect.
"Hello?"
Dax was not quite craning his neck to see, but was obviously curious.
"No." Jughead's tone was warm, but as firm as he could make it.
"Oh. I guess you heard. Well-,"
"No." Jughead lowered his chin so that his eye contact was even more intense through the phone. "Absolutely not. I shouldn't have to tell you this, either. You know better."
Dax had caught a glimpse of the phone and now he looked puzzled. He was mouthing something to Jughead, but the teen ignored the man.
"This is not-,"
"Uh-uh-uh," Jughead interrupted, waving a hand in front of the screen as he cut off the man. "Fred, we've got work to do. And I for one will have a completely split focus if you're here. Stay where you are; stick to the plan. Get better."
Dax shifted closer to Jughead as the elevator dinged and the doors opened, and while he kept out of the shot, he got a clearer view of the phone screen. His eyebrows lowered in even more confusion.
"I've got to go, but is that understood?" Jughead felt a small smile cracking through his chiding facade and he hoped it did not undercut his message: he was completely serious.
Fred returned the smile regretfully. "Yes. Or should I say 'yes, sir'?"
Jughead was startled. "Whoa. Am I channeling Brand? God help me if I've gone around that bend."
"No." Fred chuckled. "That was pure FP. And not necessarily in a bad way. He has his moments."
Jughead smirked as he followed Dax into the hallway, and Fred's eyes tracked the movement through the phone screen.
"A-a-and you're working right now," Fred observed. "I'll let you go. And, officially, for the record… I'll stay put."
Jughead nodded, satisfied that Fred had been convinced. "Good. Say hi to, uh, the dogs for me."
Never had not been nearly as publicized as Trigger, but Jughead still had to consider his cover story.
"You got it. They're doing well." Fred smiled more broadly. "Say hi to Arch for me. I'll save the rest of the lecture for when I see him in person."
"Will do."
Jughead ended the call before he grimaced; he did not envy Archie the conversation that was no doubt coming.
"So. Do you take point with clients a lot?" Dax asked, his eyebrows raised.
"Huh?" Jughead looked up at Dax in surprise before he realized the massive misstep he'd just made: it had been obvious who Fred was, not to mention his connection to the tour.
There were a few ways to spin this, though; Jughead thought quickly. He landed on the the approach that seemed simplest:
"Oh, sure. Don't you ever delegate?" Jughead slid the phone into his back pocket, feigning nonchalance. "And let's face it, this kind of thing comes better from me than from Davies."
"Giving your boss marching orders." Dax's tone was flat, but a mildly impressed smirk played across his features. "Yeah, I just bet that comes better from the intern."
Jughead gave Dax a blank, hopefully innocent look, even though he was kicking himself sternly for the highly unbelievable lie he'd concocted on the spot.
Not only that… there was another major slip that he'd made. Before Jughead could panic, he decided to take a chance. He'd double down and hope that two wrongs made a right.
"It helps that I know him a little through FP." Jughead motioned vaguely toward his phone. "So it's a little more personal with this client."
"Ah. I was wondering how he knew FP." Dax was thoughtful. "Hmmm. Your role on the security team is making more sense all the time. And now that I see how you manage clients, I can see why Davies keeps you around."
Jughead wasn't sure if that was meant as praise or mockery. He turned away and took the lead as they continued walking down the hallway.
"Because it sure isn't your imposing physique."
Okay, there was the mockery. Maybe the rest had been meant as praise after all. Jughead flipped off the man over his shoulder, without breaking stride.
Dax laughed.
Jughead took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
It had been a whole lot longer than ten minutes and Brand had not yet reached out about getting Jughead back from Dax and the other security team.
But it was okay. Brand must think that Jughead could do this. And it was true: he was doing this.
Now what would Brand be expecting him to accomplish? Jughead tried to focus on that question as he made his way through the hotel. There must be something that Brand hoped Jughead would be able to learn or to do during this time.
He just needed to figure it out.
00000
The concert did happen that night and, after a heart-pumping flurry of rush work on the part of basically every single member of the tour, it began right on schedule.
The opening set passed in a series of indelible impressions. Archie felt like reality had been turned up well past the safe point on the speakers, and it was drilling itself into his every nerve: he was attuned to his own pulse; the rhythm, melody, and harmonies of each song; the frenzied tone of a crowd that had been given far more than it had dared to dream of in terms of excitement surrounding the concert; a low-key but steady stream of information coming from the completely dialed-in security team; and a single text message from his father.
'I'm not coming. It's nothing to do with you; Jughead talked some sense into me. I'll call later. I'm still worried about you, but I love you. Break a leg!'
It was nothing to do with Archie. The words were meant to be reassuring – Fred was not angry with him and avoiding talking –, except that Archie had wanted his father to stay home… and for him to do so because of Archie's pleas.
Alice was waiting when Archie ducked backstage for a breathless drink of water.
"Here." Alice adjusted the collar of Archie's costume and studied him critically. Then she grinned. "It looks perfect. I'll put a few stitches there tonight, but that should hold you for the last couple of songs."
"Thanks." Archie smiled at Alice between gulps of water. Behind her, Archie could see FP moving past Brand and Agent Sarah. His mother was watching FP and seemed worried.
Well, that was par for the course tonight: everyone was tense and on high alert. Where the crowd was energized and eager for more drama, the security team was acting like the secret service under imminent threat of an assassination attempt.
Archie appreciated it. This level of focus was kind of what he'd expected all along, honestly, when his parents had hired Brand. The man could be off-puttingly intense, but that was a plus sometimes. The band should have felt completely overprotected throughout the tour and not like an afterthought to Jughead – who was not in any danger, so far as Archie was aware.
Certainly not like Veronica and the sudden deluge of attention, both positive and creepy, that she was experiencing.
Just then, as if he'd conjured his best friend out of thin air, Archie watched Jughead stride into the backstage area with a wide grin on his face.
Alice began removing the water from Archie's hand, and yes – he needed to get back onstage. Now. He hesitated, though, and lifted a hand to wave to Jughead. He needed to turn back to the crowd, to the stage and the band, but something stopped him.
As Archie watched, he saw the moment when Brand and then Sarah noticed Jughead. And then both FP and Mary spotted him.
One by one, each set of shoulders visibly relaxed.
Archie stared at the scene, not at all sure why it made his blood start pulsing its way toward a rapid boil – but unable to stop his face from reddening as he realized why everything had been so tense.
Why the security team had been so hyperalert.
Why his mother had been scanning for threats, even though they had a perfectly good security team – team and a half, really.
Of course it had all been because Jughead was off with the other security team.
Of course.
"Go." Betty joined Alice, her eyes wide as she pushed hard on Archie's shoulder. "Gunnar's already-,"
A drum riff started the next song even though Archie was not yet onstage.
Archie jerked away from the girls, jogging swiftly back to his microphone.
Focus. Focus. Focus.
Archie spotted Damian in the crowd, holding up a phone to record the first lines of the song.
Focus.
This was the only reason any of them were here, and by God, Archie was going to make it worth all of their whiles.
No pressure. Archie smirked to himself at the thought, and then he lifted his chin to look up at the crowd.
Shooting Damian's camera a cocky grin, Archie belted out the words and was pleased to hear Veronica's backing vocals blend perfectly with his own.
It was a relief when all thoughts of Jughead, Fred, Mary, and the security team melted away.
And after that, there was nothing but the euphoria of performing.
00000
I'd have loved for this to be three times as long to make up for the long absence... But more is coming and I hope this was a nice fix in the meantime.
Be well as we take on 2024 all together! And thank you again, so much, for all of your encouraging notes - and ultimately for the amazing gift of you reading along. :)
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