Betty didn't know exactly what Jughead meant when he said, 'they'd make them all pay', but she knew he would live by those words, no matter how much they may cost him. Them. Jughead always stood by every promise he made to her, and she knew this time would be no different. How could it be? Jughead detested breaking promises so much so that he hadn't promised her anything he wouldn't be able to deliver to her in the three years that they had been together.

She knew that Hal Cooper would see his reckoning, Sister Woodhouse and her mother, too. And she couldn't say she was exactly upset by that. How could she be? Her boyfriend was promising to deliver retribution to her on a silver platter. It would be beautiful. Fucking beautiful.

Expelling a soft sigh, Betty looked around her bedroom. It wouldn't be too much longer that she didn't have to call this hell home a house anymore. FP had filed a petition to have her live with him and Jughead, stating that her parents were incapable of raising her because they didn't care about her. He wasn't exactly wrong about that. Betty just hated it had come to this. To the endless nights of crying and hoping it would get better.

Hal was in jail, and her mother had sent her to that god forsaken home while she went and danced with the fucking hippies. If she had thought her mother held an ounce of love for her, she had been rudely shown the truth. Alice didn't care about anyone but herself. And she never had.

Just then, there was a knock on her front door, and she made her way to go answer it. She didn't know who would be standing on the other side of the door when she opened it and was surprised to see Cheryl and Jughead. She glanced at her watch. "I thought the Serpents had a meeting tonight?"

Jughead stamped a kiss to her mouth. "Pack a bag, Betts."

"What?" Betty asked, certain she had misheard him.

"I'm getting you out of this hellhole. Now ," he emphasized his words by giving her a gentle tap on the ass and sending her on her way. Betty had questions – lots of them – but she had long since accepted that when Jughead's mind was made up about something, it was entirely pointless to try and argue with him on the matter. And his mind seemed to be made up now.

Kissing him once more, she turned on her heel, and headed up to her room. Cheryl accompanied her and together, they filled two duffel bags. Betty looked around her childhood bedroom, unsurprised to find no ounce of remorse for leaving it behind. "Having second thoughts?" Cheryl asked quietly.

Betty snorted. "Not hardly. I can't wait to leave this place behind for good."

"Good," Cheryl chirped. "Because tonight, that's exactly what you're doing."

Betty felt a rush of excitement at Cheryl's words, and hurriedly followed her out of the room. Down the stairs they went, and then she was walking straight into Jughead's outstretched arms. He brought them around her, folding her in a hug, and she felt safe. She always felt safe with Jughead. He was the person who loved her the most – and saw her for who she was without wanting to change a single thing about her. She couldn't express how much that meant to her. "Come on, Betts. Let's go."

She nodded her head, following him out to the truck sitting in the driveway. Opening the door for her, she watched as Cheryl climbed into the backseat as Jughead threw her duffel bags into the truck bed. She didn't know where she was going – but it had to be better than was she was leaving behind. Jughead swung himself into the seat and interlocked their fingers, smiling at her the next minute. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he murmured, kissing her once for good measure before he reversed the truck, and peeled out of the driveway. She didn't even watch the house grow smaller in the distance as they drove away. There was nothing there for her anymore.

XXX

The Wyrm was filled with Serpents – old and new and her friends – and Betty was pulled into a tight embrace by Sweet Pea, then Toni, and finally Fangs. They held her tightly, whispering words of encouragement into her ear, and she finally felt like she truly belonged somewhere. She never had that growing up in her house before. She gave a tight hug to the three of them, thanking them for welcoming her with open arms, and then she followed Jughead up to the stage as he wolf-whistled to get the bar's attention. "Serpents! Tonight, we have the distinct honor of welcoming our queen into our folds fulltime."

The thunderous applause boomed out around the room, resounding in Betty's ears as she felt herself turn bright red. They really wanted her here. They wanted her apart of their group. She hadn't been included like this before and the thought brought tears to her eyes. Jughead beckoned her closer, and she went willing. "Tonight, there's no us and them. There's no northside and southside. Now and forever more, Betty is one of us. It doesn't matter that her mom is Alice Cooper. She has proved time and time again that she is nothing like her mother."

"Yeah," Toni called out, looking up at her. "That's good enough for us. Alice Cooper is dead to the Serpents but long-live her daughter."

"To Betty!" Sweet Pea yelled.

"To Betty!" Came the cry of a hundred voices. For as long as she lived, Betty would never forget this night. Forget the night she became one with the Serpents. Forget the night they accepted her as one of them. Jughead kissed her, Sweet Pea winked and clapped his hands.

Too bad that not all things good last.

She would soon come to find out the price she'd have to pay for showing her allegiance.