Jughead stared at Betty. She was favoring her left leg, was leaning her weight onto a cane. If he needed proof that she was hurt long-term in the attack, here it was. He pressed a shaking hand to his mouth, feeling someone – probably Sweet Pea or Joaquin – put their hand on his shoulder. "Betty..."

She looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Jughead. Jug, what are you doing here?"

Sweet Pea snorted and pushed his way in. "We're here to help you, blondie."

Jughead sighed, following the rest of the group. "Despite his brashness, Sweets is right."

Betty crutched her way into the living room, and Jughead spotted a dark-skinned girl staring at them. "Uh, Betty? Who the hell are they?"

Jughead watched Betty as she looked at Toni, then Jughead. "Toni, meet the Serpents. And Veronica."

If Toni was surprised at the mentions of the name 'the Serpents', she didn't show it. She looked at them, then Veronica, then back at Betty. "I would have preferred pizza."

Betty laughed; the sound world-weary in ways that tugged Jughead's heartstrings. She sat her crutch down and eased down onto the chair, Jughead's hands fluttering uselessly because he wanted to help, help, help her. Betty closed her eyes in a grimace and Jughead's heart wrenched. She spoke up. "How did you guys find me?"

"That would be my doing," Hiram said as we walked into the room.

Betty stared at him. "Hiram..."

"We've missed you, Mija," Hiram said, bending down to press a kiss to her forehead. Toni huffed and Veronica looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Who are you ?" Veronica snapped.

Toni laughed, standing on her feet. "I'm Betty's best friend."

Veronica glared at her, then looked at Betty. "Were you ever going to call us?"

Betty was staring at Jughead, and he knew he was who she wanted to hear from most. "What do you guys know?"

"We know that you were attacked two years ago, Betts," Jughead began, voice shaking. "We know that you came to England and Alice went to Germany."

"Was she hurt, too?" Cheryl asked.

"No, thank God," Betty murmured.

Jughead sighed, because trust Betty to be more worried about other people than herself. Suddenly she gasped and Jughead frowned. "Betts?"

"You guys can't be around me," she cried, forcing herself up with the aid of her crutch. "It's not safe for you! Those men -,"

"Are dead," Jughead cupped her cheek, trailing his thumb along the length of her skin. "They're dead, Betts."

She exhaled. "Dead? You're sure?"

"Positive, Mija," Hiram said quietly.

Betty clutched her cane, knuckles turning white, and Jughead hesitantly guided her fingers away from the cane and he held her hand in his, supporting her. "Dead."

"Dead, they can't hurt you again, Betts," he murmured. She looked at him, tears gathering in her eyes, then she collapsed into him, and he caught her. He felt her weight crumple against him as she broke down and cried. He held her up, running a soothing hand through her locks as he whispered fiercely into her ear." They can't hurt you again, baby. You can come home."

Toni walked up to them, handing her a compress. He accepted it as Betty pulled back, laughing wetly. "Thanks, T."

The doorbell rang just then. "That's Andy with the pizza. I'll be right back."

Jughead helped Betty sit back down, then Sweet Pea sat next to her, gripping her in a fierce hug. "You should have told us."

"They would have killed you," she choked out, wiping at her red and blotchy face.

"They would have had to catch up to us," Cheryl said, rubbing Betty's shoulder. Toni walked back in with the pizza again.

"Andy was bummed you couldn't answer the door," Toni laughed, and Jughead frowned.

"The pizza guy?" Jughead asked.

Betty laughed but ignored him. She looked at Hiram. "I can't come to New York, Hiram."

"You mean homie, darling," Hiram reminded her.

Betty laughed again, but it was humorless. "New York hasn't been my home in two years, Hiram. Not since I left."

Sweet Pea opened his mouth, but Veronica nudged him in the ribs, and he closed his it again. Jughead spoke up. "You belong with us."

"I can't leave Toni," Betty said. "She's, my roommate."

Before Toni could reply, Hiram intervened. "Whatever made you think we didn't have room for her at the complex?"

The complex. A series of apartments Hiram renovated for all the Serpents. He wasn't happy about Veronica and Sweet Pea living together, Jughead knew, but they were adults. What more could be done? Toni looked at him. "Uh, no thanks. I'm not your charity project."

Hiram chuckled. "I've done research on you Antoinette Topaz. You're more of a sister than anything else to Betty, you're an ex-con, and it was your dream to go to NYU, before your parents died."

"What the fuck," Toni hissed. Betty held up a hand.

"Apart from breaking the law to get your information, what else do you know?" Betty asked.

"I know the first month you lived on the streets, not wanting spend the money Alice sent you with," Hiram replied.

Jughead felt his heart shear in half. "You lived on the streets?"

"Just until the night I came across T," she murmured.

"Yeah," Toni grinned. "Tried to pick-pocket me. Didn't know I had met my match on the streets."

Jughead felt like there was a story to that comment, but he'd ask at a later day. "Please come back with us."

Betty looked at Hiram, then Toni. "I won't leave without her."

"There's several spare apartments in the complex, Mija," Hiram replied, turning to address Toni then. "Antoinette, you're more than welcome to come back to the United States with us."

Toni looked at Betty, then Veronica, who hadn't taken her eyes off her. "Okay. I'll do it. What the hell do I have to lose?"

Betty looked at Jughead, and he stared at her, imploring her to agree. To go back home. She sighed. Then nodded. "Let's go home."