Thank you for your patience! I am back after some very busy time and then some much-needed vacation (woo-hoo!), and I am delighted to be sharing this chapter. :)
Thank you also for your encouragement as I got through all of the heavy lifting and then recovered from it! Your reviews always mean so much, and inspire me immensely. :)
LeafGreene01, you made me laugh by picking up on the Jughead Jail line. And I'm really excited about the chaos too! That is a great question about Betty's parents, and I think their arc will be slightly tamer in this universe. In part because I enjoy the normal moments too, and they are harder when those sorts of dynamics are in play. But never say never; I'll be interested to see how things develop as the divorce moves forward! I haven't seen that show, but you have me curious now. I should have more spare time in a month or two, and might be in need of a new show. Thanks for the recommendation!
Natureliesbeneath, thanks not only for your lovely review but also for checking in to make sure I was still alive. I know I said it might be closer to a month between chapters for a bit, but going past a month(!) and (let's be honest) actually getting anywhere much past two weeks is a break from my usual. It felt strange, and I've been itching to get back too! I hope you enjoy this chapter. :) And I'm loving having more Archie already, too! I have been thinking very explicitly about writing with more of a mystery (closed tour mystery?) feel this time, so I am very glad that came across as well. I'll look forward to hearing more of your thoughts!
Skyrider45, I love how you always catch the references. That makes me smile every time! I've also enjoyed getting into everyone's different well-meant approaches to helping out, and I liked how you zeroed in on Fred being a good dad, Brand and FP supporting Jughead in their own ways, Archie keeping a close eye on everything... and how that all looks different from each perspective, which complicates what should be a unified push toward healing and normalcy! Good eye for that line for Betty because I wanted the scene to go on for plot reasons... but I couldn't do it without a complete acknowledgement that it was against Betty's better judgment/natural impulse - because I think I'd have run too. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
Woodscolt215, thank you for your note! That was particularly well timed, and a great shot to the arm because that is such a lovely compliment. Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!
-Button
00000
"Thanks!"
Williams had her body angled so that Jughead could not see who was at the door, apparently thanking her for something.
"Anytime. I'm glad to hear that nobody got shot," Williams said sincerely. "Although I gave you fair warning."
Several voices laughed. Apparently they could not tell when Williams was being sincere.
Jughead frowned as he tried to piece together what the exchange could possibly be referring to, and why he was not being permitted to see the people at the door.
"Are you sure we can't tempt you-,"
"I am far too valuable to be wasted on the likes of you." Agent Williams was still being sincere. At least, to Jughead it sounded like she was – but the voices laughed a second time as if it had been another joke.
Then there was movement at the door as someone spoke in surprise: "Hey, wow, is that a-,"
Williams nearly body-checked the person who moved toward her to get a better look at Never; the pup had trotted over to investigate the newcomers. Trigger was poised tensely beside Jughead on the couch, practically in shield position, which was odd behavior for him.
"Take a step back. All of you. We let you into the park and so far you've done just fine following directions; don't go messing things up now." Agent Williams' tone was suddenly forceful – and Jughead thought it sounded like she was looking for an excuse to snap. "You do not touch anything or anyone in this location. Do not make me repeat that."
Whoa. Maybe Agent Williams didn't want them to see him.
The group didn't laugh this time, but they didn't exactly seem cowed either; they merely thanked Williams again, told her cheerfully that "the offer still stands!" and then left.
Chloe was shaking her head when she turned away from the closed – and deadbolted – door to face Jughead. She looked worried. "Maybe it was a bad idea to hide you here."
"Who was that?"
"Breaking Fast. They dropped by the park to check in with Davies; they're on the approved visitor list – and they know where you're located, thanks to that bus." Williams looked completely disapproving of that fact, for some reason. "It's one thing to have us watch out for stray hikers, but quite another to make us play doorman."
Oh. That didn't seem like a big deal at all, considering the scenarios that had been playing in Jughead's mind. Maybe that was annoying to the FBI, though this was literally the only time they'd had visitors. But the conversation Williams had just had seemed to suggest that a whole lot more might be going on than just the band dropping by.
"Why were they visiting Brand?" Jughead leaned forward. "And why would he want to shoot them?"
"Doesn't Davies want to shoot everyone?" Agent Williams gave Jughead a deadpan look that he met with a frustrated expression; they engaged in a brief staring contest until it was clear to Williams that Jughead was not going to accept that answer without some level of protest.
"Because the fool band wanted to be let in without calling ahead," Williams raised an eyebrow and smiled darkly. "Wilson says they're cleared, so whatever they chose to do with that was on them. They were warned."
"They just drove right up, without…" Jughead gave a low whistle and ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe we better call Dad and Brand. Like, now. They're probably not in a great mood since I took off. Who knows-,"
Williams' phone began buzzing.
"Speak of the devil." Williams grinned, and Jughead was surprised to see how amused she looked about taking what would surely be a tense call. She answered the phone. "Davies? I heard you didn't shoot them. Good boy."
Or maybe it was just that Williams enjoyed baiting Brand, Jughead thought with a grimace.
There was a brief silence and then Brand's voice boomed through the phone speaker loudly enough that Jughead could hear him accuse Williams of wanting to give heart attacks to both him and FP, and then speculating that maybe she knew precisely where "Jones" was.
"Oh, did you lose the kid?" Chloe winked at Jughead. "That didn't take you very long."
That was a strategic misstep – they'd been in the park long enough that her comment was conspicuously inaccurate. And, Jughead reflected, a mistake of that nature was very unlike Agent Williams... which meant it was probably intentional, and her way of bringing Brand up to speed.
Jughead's eyes narrowed as he bristled over Williams' brusque treatment of the wolf pack, but he couldn't help but be impressed.
"Kid?" Brand bellowed through the phone, clearly having put the whole situation together in an instant. "Well played; you've clearly learned some important lessons. Now get your butt back here. We need to talk."
Williams yanked the phone away from her ear, scowling. Then Brand began speaking at a more appropriate phone volume and Jughead was no longer able to listen in.
After a few seconds, Williams responded to whatever Brand had said. "Nobody saw him. One of 'em got a look at Never, but-,"
Jughead heard Brand clearly again when his godfather let loose some creative curses. Yikes.
Williams simply rolled her eyes and took control of the conversation again. "That's real professional, Davies. Almost as professional as-,"
Agent Williams' eyes landed on Jughead and she cut herself off abruptly.
When she spoke again, her tone was unnaturally level and soothing. "Look, we'll figure it out. I'm actually on your side. Nobody wants to fish his scrawny self out of another situation, and I think that fading into the background for a while would do him some good."
Jughead tried out a dangerous glower to indicate that he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself… but when Williams had to stifle a laugh and then turn away from him to focus on the phone call, it seemed like it had not worked quite as he'd intended.
Dang it.
"Just say that Never's a canine unit." Williams sounded puzzled over whatever Brand had gone on to say. "In training, then. Whatever. You're a BS artist; play to your strengths."
There was a silence and then Brand said something that made Williams laugh appreciatively.
"You're welcome. Don't let it go to your head." Williams turned back toward Jughead and motioned him toward his winter gear. "He's getting dressed right now. I'll walk him over."
"You don't have to-," Jughead began to protest.
"She's walking you over," Brand bellowed through the phone. "Congratulations, kid: you're officially a flight risk."
Williams gave Jughead a sympathetic smile and a shrug that said she did not disagree with Brand.
"I need to talk to you about something, too, Davies. I'll fill you in when we get there." Williams wrapped up the call quickly after that, leaving both Jughead and Brand in suspense about what that 'something' might be.
Well, whatever questions she'd had about wolf pack dynamics were probably well and truly answered. Jughead could only hope she wasn't too disturbed.
00000
Veronica frowned down at her phone. She needed to call Fred – yesterday, if not sooner – but it was not just the urge to procrastinate the uncomfortable conversation that was distracting her from picking up the phone.
The app for the tour was blowing up: as of thirty minutes ago they were trending in the news, and everyone had an opinion. Or a quip. Or a meme. Nobody seemed pleased, either.
Veronica's bedroom door rattled in its frame under a forceful knock. "Veronica! Did you see the news?"
Alice sounded excited, which surprised Veronica; maybe it was better news than the tour members' comments had suggested.
"Come in," Veronica said instead of answering the question. She liked to be on top of news, and it felt somehow wrong to admit her ignorance of the details right away.
Alice burst into the room, practically pirouetting with excitement.
"So, you know how Jughead's going to be incognito on tour and we're supposed to act like we don't know him and all? Well, this 'leak' – and you cannot tell me it was actually an accident – sounds just like something he would do. Wouldn't it just be amazing if he was the embedded journalist?" Alice laughed with delight at the notion.
'Laughing with delight' was something Alice did now. Again, that is.
Now that some time and therapy separated her from the initial shock of her mother's crimes and incarceration – and now that Sweet Pea had been outed as a devoted older brother figure to Finn instead of a hardened and unrepentant human trafficker – it was like Alice had simply decided to go back to being herself or die trying.
The change in Alice's attitude was not unpleasant, exactly, and was clearly a very good sign for her healing process… but it could be overwhelming at times.
It had been easy to forget what a strong personality Alice had when she'd been so subdued under the pressure of the events of the past eight months or so.
And right now Veronica needed to not be distracted by all of that. She had a job to do.
Veronica stared at Alice as blankly as she was able to manage, abandoning any plan of pretending to know what her friend was talking about. It was far safer to play dumb. "I guess so?"
The members of the band had been told all about the embedded journalist arrangement – out of necessity, since they'd be working closely with Jughead throughout the tour –, but they had strict orders to tell absolutely nobody else about his secret role with a major magazine.
A lot of people took this very seriously, too, including the magazine. The band had to join a series of secure video calls and get lectured at length by different professionals from the magazine and from the FBI on how to keep from blowing Jughead's cover.
Special Agent Davies had given them a whole lecture about how conspiracies invariably failed eventually, clarifying that the goal was merely to keep it together until the end of the tour. He'd even given them some bizarre mathematical equation that was supposed to demonstrate that telling even one person more than they needed would cause Jughead to be outed exponentially sooner.
That part might have been made up, but Agent Sarah had not contradicted him, so Veronica figured it was pseudoscience that was intended to explain a real phenomenon – which meant it might as well be real, for their purposes.
Regardless, Veronica really did not want to be responsible for anything derailing Jughead's life further, or disrupting the tour, or messing up anything else. Listening to the professionals on how to avoid those undesirable outcomes seemed like a smart move.
Only now something had been leaked. Veronica wondered how that would figure into Special Agent Davies' calculations.
"Anyway, I texted him my suspicions and he's completely into the idea. He even said he might write some articles, just privately and for practice, and try his hand at it." Alice was grinning widely. "He totally has dibs on covering the tour, of course, but I'm totally going to talk to Betty about all three of us writing articles and maybe releasing them all together as a special issue for the Blue and Gold. Or maybe even for The Register."
Veronica blinked, but her smile did not waver; Jughead had said what? Playing along with Alice's joke was either a ridiculously stupid gambit or it was utter genius.
With this cover story, nobody would be suspicious of a security intern asking a whole lot of questions while rumors swirled about the presence of an embedded journalist. They'd know about Alice's pact with him, and all would be explained away.
Or, Veronica thought, people would not know about the pact with Alice. How would they? Instead, Jughead might be lulled into a false sense of security by this cover story he'd invented with Alice, and he'd make himself an obvious target.
Veronica considered this for a few long moments, but it didn't change anything: she was pretty sure she knew what she had to do.
"Hey, Alice," Veronica spoke regretfully and sincerely; she really did enjoy spending time with Alice as her friend had more and more good days. "I need to make a few phone calls. The band is practicing this afternoon, and we should probably make a plan to meet with Mr. and Mrs. Andrews as well since this is a press-related issue."
It sounded completely plausible; Veronica congratulated herself.
"Oh! Of course!" Alice's eyes lit up even more. "Good luck with all of that; let me know how I can help. But right now I've got loads of new inspiration I need to sort through. Heaven only knows why this news inspires me, but I'm not one to question the muses. You call Archie and I'll see if I can get Sweet Pea on the phone."
Veronica froze. "Um… why would you call Sweet Pea?"
Alice's demeanor had lightened up a lot when they'd found out about Sweet Pea's placement with Tim, Finn, and Roger – but the notion of her calling Sweet Pea on the phone was still shocking.
"I need to get information from him for a proposal. I'm trying to convince Gunnar to write another song so the band can do another benefit, this time for all of the Southsiders who were displaced-,"
"Alice, do not do that." Veronica cut her off swiftly. Her heart was pounding and she shook her head emphatically. "FP and Brand told us in no uncertain terms-,"
"The Serpent King and the FBI told us, you mean," Alice replied, and she was not just undaunted – she was almost chirping with excitement. "There's way more going on here than anyone is willing to admit. Gunnar says there is no way the band can 'hijack' even one concert on somebody else's tour after what happened in Toronto, but if I get enough evidence to really sell him on the injustice of the situation, then maybe-,"
"It is not just Gunnar you have to sell on this." Veronica heard her tone radiate solidity. Professionalism. "Alice, there is no way we could do that. And honestly? I don't think anyone wants us to. Special Agent Davies is still trying to figure out what to do with the funds that were raised last time."
Alice cocked her head to one side. "Huh. That's true. I might need to sit down with him as well."
Of course that was Alice's takeaway. This was like trying to stop a runaway steam engine with her bare hands.
And you know what? Veronica had enough to worry about. She would have to delegate this, just the way Archie was always suggesting she hand off other tasks.
There was one person who was completely equal to the task of stopping Alice.
"Have you asked Mrs. Andrews?" Veronica asked, keeping her tone neutral to avoid giving away any of her motives. "She might be able to help you figure out the details. And the legalities."
"Oh! Great idea!" Alice was practically bouncing as she moved toward the doorway. "I'll go write up my idea for her."
Veronica smiled and nodded encouragingly. Mrs. Andrews would shut that down with prejudice, and no doubt do it in thirty seconds or less.
And the relief that followed felt fantastic. Maybe there really was something to this delegating business.
Veronica would just have to keep that in mind when she spoke with Fred Andrews. This might not be all bad. It could be an opportunity, though for what remained to be seen.
00000
"Did he talk to you?"
Sarah would have glared, but they were on the phone so it would just be wasted energy – and she did not have any energy available to waste. "Yes, Chloe."
"And?"
"He's injured, nearly fell off a cliff, and may be in imminent danger from a Southside faction."
"Hold on... Which one?" Chloe laughed at her own joke, which seemed wildly inappropriate given that she'd been the one to orchestrate Sarah being backed into this corner.
Agent Sarah Quinn was being forced - against her will - to take her hard-earned (and, granted, about to expire) vacation time and join the security team for the tour. She was being coerced, anyway, by the dramatic sob story she'd been presented with.
Then Sarah thought about Chloe's words and realized that she had a point: the description did fit more than one of the members of the wolf pack. "Wow. This is really not good. I've been feeling manipulated, but maybe they do actually need me."
"You think?" Chloe snorted. "Did you get DeSantos and Max placed? Or are you handing them off for now?"
"DeSantos, yes. Max is going to take a little longer – but the plan has been made and we have a tentative timeline."
Chloe let out a low whistle. "You work fast under pressure."
"I work fast when I have no choice whatsoever, you mean?" Sarah stifled a yawn.
"I would have dealt with whatever you didn't get done, Sarah. Give me some credit." Williams sounded as though she was frowning. She must be offended.
Sarah was clearly not firing on all cylinders.
"I know. I'm not saying you aren't completely capable, Chloe." Quinn took a deep breath. "It's hard to let go. It's hard to relax."
"I think you'll catch up on some sleep and be under a lot less pressure on the tour," Chloe said slowly, "but you do know that you aren't actually going on a vacation, Quinn. It's not like you need to figure out how to – gasp – lie on a beach or anything crazy like that."
It was a fair point.
"It is a relief, though. Thank you." Sarah was embarrassed that she hadn't said that sooner. First thing, in fact. "Really, this is well timed, and you were the more logical person to go. But I've been burning out fast after everything and this change of pace might be exactly what I need to keep from screwing something up royally."
"Hey, just you keep the injured, cliff-diving, under-imminent-threat ones safe and we'll call it square." Chloe laughed at her own words for a second time.
"I will do my best," Sarah promised with a small smile. It might be a weak promise but, given the circumstances, that really was the best she could do.
"And lie low. This doesn't have to be strenuous; you are the redundant warm body on site." Williams was suddenly earnest. "There is a real security team for the tour. Davies is just there to babysit, and let the record show that is his job and not yours. You are only there as backup to the backup, so if you play your cards right it should end up being pretty darn close to that beach vacation, minus the sand. I know you are completely capable of turning it into drudgery, so… do me a favor and don't, huh? Get some rest and come back sane."
It wasn't a bad way of looking at things, and Williams had more of a point about Sarah's tendencies than she'd like to admit.
"Deal." Sarah smiled again. "I will do my best to keep an eye on things from a reclining position. I will come back well-rested, mentally and physically - and completely caught up on sleep."
"Now you're talking."
00000
Brand buried his face in his hands. "We are not going."
FP snorted. "It's a little late for that."
Jughead was lying on his back on the foam mattress that they'd taken from a bunk when they'd begun sleeping in the seating area. Brand was to his left, on one couch, and FP was to his right on the other couch.
They'd gone to bed over an hour earlier, but none of them seemed able to shut up long enough to even attempt to sleep.
"The kid's cover has as many holes in it as a colander, and information is leaking even faster than you'd expect in that situation." Brand groaned for maybe the millionth time. "What is wrong with that magazine that they can't keep their people contained with a simple NDA?"
"Or it was someone involved with the band who wanted the press for the tour," FP reminded him. They were not sure who had leaked the information, and nothing had come to light so far even though the FBI had looked into it.
Not that they'd looked into it very thoroughly as of yet; Brand had complained loudly about that through most of the time that they'd spent cooking dinner.
"And it's not that I don't appreciate the way you think on your feet, kid – although maybe I don't appreciate that, come to think of it… but seriously?" Brand heaved a massive sigh. "You're not supposed to even know Alice Carter, and don't forget that your story is that you barely know Archie and the band in your professional capacity as 'spoiled little rich security intern.'"
"I'm not an intern," Jughead protested, since that was really the only part of what Brand was saying that he could object to. The rest was sadly a fair critique of how everything was supposed to play out.
"You are the alleged recipient of nepotism, so whatever your job title may be, expect it to look a lot like being an intern." Brand frowned. "If it looks like anything at all, that is. I still think we should scrap the whole plan."
"We're going. I don't want him anywhere near Riverdale, and hopefully he can just… fade into the background." FP sighed heavily as he echoed Chloe's turn of phrase. He was silent for a few seconds as he considered the phrase and regarded his son. "Or maybe in any scenario where we have to depend on Jughead to be inconspicuous, we're just doomed."
Jughead shot his father an affronted look, but once again didn't have a whole lot that he could say to defend himself.
Brand grunted, amused, but then spoke thoughtfully. "Well. I don't think the band was making veiled threats; I think they really believe there's a curse or a poltergeist or something. But that doesn't really reassure me, since I do believe something is not right about this tour."
This was really not going well. Jughead was tense, looking for an opening to say something helpful. He just had to go on tour; there was no way he was staying home. Not now that Betty was officially going.
Thankfully there was one thing Jughead could say to reassure both his dad and Brand, even though it was a little awkward, all things considered. "Agent Sarah did agree to come. So that's something. Right?"
There was a long silence.
"Ye-es. It's a very big something. That's why I asked her," Brand finally said. He was choosing his words carefully, and it was clear that a lot was being left unsaid.
"It's because she's overworked and needs a break. That's why Agent Williams suggested you ask her… right?" That was the 'something' Agent Williams had wanted to talk over with Brand, though it had seemed like she had spoken in a lot of code with Brand at the time. Jughead knew that a lot was going on and it was very complicated, but if the dead of night in a tourbus in a nearly-deserted national park was not the right time and place for Brand to fess up, then there likely would never be a right time.
"If you have something to ask then ask it, boy," FP grumbled. "Enough with the twenty thousand questions."
"Save those for the tour," Brand added with a hint of a laugh in his voice. "Just… maybe try for the barest hint of subtlety."
"Well, why is Agent Sarah suddenly able to leave her ridiculously enormous workload just to come with us?" Jughead asked, impatient now that the adults were teasing him. "What happened? And how is everything going to get managed while she's on tour with us?"
"The leak happened," Brand said heavily. "And her workload is its own problem; believe it or not, other people do work at the field office. And it's the end of the year; she had some vacation time she needed to use or lose. Using it sends a clear message that she can't be overworked indefinitely."
Jughead stared at Brand, dissatisfied.
"Agent Williams is pitching in so everything is taken care of; this was her idea," Brand finished.
And okay, that finally made some sense.
"Well." FP said the word like he disagreed with something Brand had said, but he fell silent and did not elaborate.
"Well what?" Jughead demanded.
"Agent Williams originally wanted to come herself, only the band saw her so they now know that she's FBI," Brand admitted. "So this is plan b. Williams came up with it and is helping out."
Something didn't track.
"The band has been begging you to bring more FBI along. It shouldn't matter that they know who Agent Williams is. So why-,"
"Why are you so swift to pick up on these details?" Brand interrupted, but there was a note of pride in his voice that he could not quite hide. "Honestly, kid. I ask myself that about you daily."
"Brand, just tell me-,"
"Because Agent Quinn is going to be a decoy." FP spoke up wearily. "This goes no further, do you understand? Shut up, Brandon-"
Brand was making an irritated noise that made it clear he didn't like Jughead knowing this.
"We're going to drop a few subtle hints that she's the embedded journalist, just to be on the safe side," FP elaborated, "and that's going to give her cover so nobody expects her to be FBI – which means they won't know what she's capable of. That should also help with hiding you a little more effectively. People won't be looking for a journalist if they think they've already found one."
Huh.
"Only none of this is going to work if we can't get a handle on the massive number of people who need to keep their stories straight," Brand groused.
"What are you talking about? It's just us and the band," Jughead said doubtfully. "That's not a 'massive number of people.'"
"And the magazine. And anyone who recognizes you, even with your hair longer and lighter – especially since I am not sure it's going to stay this light. We are not professionals. All of this could get out of control very quickly." Brand made another frustrated sound.
They had taken some time earlier in the day and dyed Jughead's hair a medium brown with blonde highlights. Brand was finally getting his wish as well: as part of the disguise, Jughead was combing his hair in what Brand deemed a more mature style that was 'suitable for college.'
It wasn't awful, but Jughead was resisting Brand on principle at this point. It wouldn't be terrible to try it out as a disguise, though, since that made it clear that he was not capitulating. He could see what he thought of it.
Each physical change was subtle, but when Jughead moved like Jonas – a muscle memory that seemed like it might never leave him – even FP had raised an eyebrow and said that Jughead would be very difficult to recognize when he was out of context.
Only the moment anyone recognized him, or if anyone got an inkling that they should be looking for him on the tour, then Jughead would no longer be 'out of context.'
"Misdirection is our best strategy. You need to be boring. I should be boring, too, since I am known to be closely associated with you. That means Sarah needs to be interesting and attract some attention." Brand sounded thoughtful. "I'll be working on that. We've got forty-eight hours before we leave and we have the beginnings of a plan. This isn't terrible."
"Yet." FP sounded dire but also amused; he must be encouraged by Brand's perspective.
Jughead was relieved, since the change in how Brand and FP were talking about the plan that meant it was quite likely nobody would actually try to keep him home from the tour.
Whew.
He was really looking forward to spending time with his friends.
00000
"Special Agent Davies is putting every possible effort into protecting Archie and the band from anything that might come up," Mary declared firmly. "It is his first priority, and you know how obsessive he is, so stop watching YouTube. That is not helping you sleep."
The tour was beginning in two short days.
Fred had spotted a news story about a famous pop star who had been mobbed and nearly trampled.
That had led to a very doom-and-gloom scrolling session.
"I don't know, Mary. This might not be simple. We keep acting like Archie is a one-hit wonder who may or may not be up and coming, but the fans seem to be getting a little… obsessive."
Fred motioned to his computer screen, which was filled with headlines that were trying to characterize why fans were particularly enchanted with Archie and speculating on whether the meteoric rise would continue, stabilize, or peter out. What they all agreed upon was that the 'key' to Archie's incredibly strong and wide appeal was a mysterious 'secret sauce' – the phrase all of the reporters seemed to have agreed to use – and that it had few parallels with other musicians.
Archie Andrews was considered a phenomenon.
It fueled the fire that he was too new and had too little musical output for any real trends to emerge. Archie's explosion onto the music scene also had some complicating factors: namely, Jughead and Brand Davies and the impromptu 'benefit concert' that had captured the imaginations of so many (many, many) people.
This many scare quotes in the journalism sent a clear message: even Fred could not be sure of what they might be dealing with on a tour. Perhaps Fred was especially unsure.
Mary shot the computer a skeptical look. "Are all of those just the same article repackaged again and again?"
"No." Fred had looked and, beyond the repetition of a few phrases that seemed to be catching on, the writing was original. It wasn't even bad in some cases. "This is real."
Mary sat down beside her husband, rolling the second office chair over so she could take a better look. She seemed suddenly engaged with the problem, which was both encouraging (because it suggested that Fred wasn't crazy), and scary (because it suggested that Fred wasn't crazy). "Well, is there anything you think we should be talking to Brandon about? He will know a lot more than we do about keeping a famous teenager safe."
"I've been reading a little bit, and so far it's seemed like the obvious." Fred shrugged. "Do you want to look at some of what I've found?"
"Sure." Mary smiled. "Let's take a crack at this together. If we read up then we might come up with ideas of our own. Brandon always seems open to feedback, and he often says he appreciates having more information and input so that he can make better decisions."
Fred hid a smile of his own; nobody had missed the ways in which Brand Davies sat up and took notice when Mary was around. In fact, if the agent didn't act like a cowed schoolboy, Fred might have felt a little uncomfortable by the obvious attention Brand gave Mary.
As Fred's shoulder brushed against Mary's, it was nice not having to contend with even a hint of jealousy.
00000
"Hey, boy wonder." The man was the picture of intimidation (immensely tall, jacked to the point that he was probably on steroids) and he loomed over Jughead in a manner that made it clear he was very much in the habit of looming.
"Is that the best you can come up with?"
Jughead heard himself snap the words irritably, but he instantly regretted them. This was not a time for making enemies – or for attracting any attention at all, bad or good – and this was not a guy Jughead wanted as an enemy in any universe.
That was not to say Jughead didn't mean the words; 'boy wonder' was a stupid phrase for the man to use. Clearly it had been meant to demean Jughead, but in fact it referred to Robin, who was maybe not the most intimidating superhero ever – but neither was he a slacker.
Huh. Come to think of it, maybe the intended insult was more accurate than the man had known.
This was Jughead's first introduction to the security, musicians, and crew; dinner had been provided at the venue they'd be spending the next two days at, and everyone was doing a little work, a whole lot of socializing, and what appeared to be an impressive amount of drinking.
So far first impressions were strong but straightforward: the security Breaking Fast had hired for the tour were physically imposing but more brawn than brains, to borrow another stupid phrase that seemed to be altogether too accurate at this moment.
"What, do you have some notes for me, Cyrano?" The man was mightily amused, which was thankfully miles ahead of angry or vengeful.
And wow, that was actually a good line.
Jughead quickly mentally revised his opinion of the man's brains – or at least the breadth of his reading material.
"Uh-," Jughead, on the other hand, was not making the best impression. Obviously.
"I'm just messing with you, kid. Cyrano, hah." The man's face split with a wide grin. "I'm Dax. We were briefed about your team and told not to let you screw anything up. Nice of 'em to put it that way, huh? I'm gonna go a step further, though, and show some initiative. I'm planning on making you a part of the team for a few hours every day, so that way everyone gets a little slack in the schedule. You good with that?"
"Uh-," Jughead was painfully aware that he was repeating himself – incoherently, no less –, but he needed Brand to make these sorts of decisions. Brand was supposed to take charge of interactions with the primary security team, and Jughead had strict orders not to sign up for anything without getting it okayed first.
"I already talked to the big boss man. You're covered." Dax was studying Jughead approvingly now. "I like that you know who signs your checks; that's good. And I know which hours you're already spoken for, and I can work with that. If you're up for it, that is. It'll be good experience, though, and I hear you're new to this sort of gig."
Oh. Whew. Jughead relaxed and offered his hand. This could be an amazing opportunity to get access and information for his writing. "Sure. That does sound good; I'd like to work with you. And it's nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Dax shook his hand, but he was already looking around the crowded room and beckoning to two other looming figures. They approached and Dax introduced them without preamble. "Ben; Sam. This here is Cyrano. I just started to fill him in on what we're figuring for the tour. He's game." Dax turned back to Jughead. "You'll meet Kiara when we've got a quiet moment. She's our secret weapon."
Jughead shook hands with Ben and Sam. He wondered if Kiara looked like a bodybuilder too, or if part of being a 'secret weapon' meant looking unassuming.
"You can be our other secret weapon." Ben was giving Jughead an approving look now too. So maybe it did involve looking less imposing than the other security personnel. "Welcome to the tour, Cyrano."
"Oh, my name's Jon," Jughead corrected him. They'd decided to keep it simple, altering his name only slightly once again and banking on the context and Jughead's altered appearance to keep him hidden in plain sight.
"Your parents must've had no imagination. I'll never remember that." Ben guffawed once at his own expense, then patted Jughead on the shoulder. "Seriously, though, embrace the nickname; it can be a trick to earn 'em and you wouldn't want to offend whoever gave you that one."
Dax gave Jughead a conspiratorial smile, and suddenly they were a team – if only because they were now united in hiding the fact that Jughead had only possessed the nickname for a few minutes.
The buzz of voices around the room was charged with energy, and Jughead felt himself starting to get excited. The security guys seemed pretty cool. Kiara sounded intriguing. They'd already cleared things with Brand, so that meant these particular members of the tour had been vetted.
Jughead smiled up at them. "So, what do I need to know? I'm not on the app, so I am apparently way out of the loop."
Dax waved a hand dismissively. "That's just a bunch of gossip. You are missing nothing."
"Let's exchange numbers. We'll tell you what you need to know." Sam spoke warmly and he offered his phone with a wink. "We know everything before anyone else does, anyway. We're the tour's professional know-it-alls."
Jughead grinned as he exchanged numbers with the three.
"We'll show you the ropes tomorrow. Watch for a text in the morning," Dax directed. "Discretion, though, you got it? You'll be useless to us if everyone knows we're working together from the word go." His words were serious, but there was a teasing lilt to his voice that suggested he was pulling Jughead's leg.
"Yeah. Discretion; got it." Whether or not he was being teased, Jughead was eager to please them with his own initiative and willingness to work. Sure, it was just a tour and security would be pretty bog standard, he was certain – but learning alongside guys who made it into something of an adventure, and maybe even a brotherhood of sorts, was going to make this a whole lot more interesting even if it was mostly long hours of standing around and keeping painfully alert without anything to actually do.
Dax gave him another approving smile and a nod and then the three walked away.
Cool.
Jughead moved to the edge of the space and looked around the room, recognizing faces from time to time from Brand's cheat sheets. He hadn't studied them as carefully as his godfather had, but a few details swam to the surface and Jughead began identifying the relationships between members in each grouping. Most of the people seemed to be fraternizing with those they worked most closely with, whether they were road crew or musicians, though there was some mixing here and there.
The space itself was also interesting; the balconies, plural, were offset in a really cool way and the backstage was cleverly laid out so that it felt like being in a woodland-inspired maze of intricately carved paneling.
They'd have two concerts here; their first, the next day, and then one near the end of the tour, so he'd be able to compare and contrast it with the other places. Jughead found himself fascinated by the building as he began wandering around. There was a veritable labyrinth of hidden rooms and storage compartments, and it was energizing to see that the backstage area was alive with movement not only directly behind the stage – but also above it and below it.
This was an insanely cool venue.
Absently tallying the number of promising hiding places, Jughead spent the better part of an hour moving between clumps of chatting people he did not know but vaguely recognized, cheerfully identifying all of the ways he could beat Brand and FP handily at a game of hide and seek in this place.
Too bad they wouldn't get a chance to try.
"Kid."
Jughead jumped when a hand dropped onto his shoulder from behind, but he quickly composed himself. So much for being the stealthy member of the wolf pack. "Yeah, Brand?"
"We should call it a night." Brand looked altogether too casual; something must be bothering him.
"Why? What's up?" Jughead looked around, but everything seemed exactly the way it had seemed all evening: entirely normal.
"People are calling you 'Cyrano.'" Brand's expression didn't change. "We need to find out what was leaked and what we need to do about it. Now."
Jughead made a small noise of surprise.
"Yeah. This is not good. Let's go."
"No, Brand – no, that's not what…" Jughead realized what it sounded like. Cyrano, the secret ghostwriter. Of course that sounded like information had been leaked. "A security guy nicknamed me that because I, uh, was sarcastic when he made a joke. He asked if I wanted to, you know, suggest better insults for him to use. Like Cyrano."
Brand stared at Jughead. It was obvious that he thought his godson was lying. "A member of Breaking Fast's security approached you, insulted you, and you offered a better insult – and so naturally he started calling you Cyrano – and already the whole tour is aware of this nickname?"
"It's been, like, an hour." Jughead shrugged. "There's an app-,"
"I am well aware."
Brand must not have been thinking of the app, though; once Jughead offered it as an explanation, he actually looked less annoyed and a whole lot more like he believed Jughead. Whew. Another crisis averted.
Jughead spotted a familiar figure moving down the backstage hallway across from them. "Is that-,"
"Yes. FP's not happy either, but he doesn't want to be seen with you until we know for sure what's going on." Brand gave Jughead a stern look. "If you and I get seen together too much the same thing could happen, you know. We're more identifiable as a pair than we are as individuals."
This had been an interesting turn of events; both adults had arranged every portion of their schedules to keep Jughead closely monitored, and Jughead was rooming with Brand, but once they left the room in the morning they tried to keep a little distance between them.
It was a little weird, and the fact that both men watched Jughead like a hawk – only from across the room now, instead of right beside him – made it feel bizarre instead of like freedom or abandonment or really anything that Jughead might have had a precise name for.
The name Archie had already given this new dynamic – in part because Archie was also the lucky recipient of it – was 'the eye of Sauron.' That sounded more negative than Jughead felt about it, but seemed to hit the right pitch for the most part: it was kind of a joke, but legitimately uncomfortably intrusive.
Jughead saw an opportunity to tone some of that down, though.
"Look, Brand, I need to make friends if I'm going to get good material for my articles. And it will only look more suspicious if you check on me every time I have a conversation with my new friends." Jughead shrugged when Brand gave him a skeptical look. "I know this sounded weird, but have you seen that app? Everything on there sounds a little nuts, because otherwise nobody cares. It's just the, uh… the culture on this tour."
Even as Jughead spoke, he was getting some ideas for how to frame his first, introductory article. These were solid observations; Brand ought to agree with him, and then the eye might get to blink every once in a while.
"There is nobody else on this tour who needs to worry like you about that app or anything else." Brand spoke firmly – and in disagreement with Jughead. "Make your friends. But expect these check-ins and make them casual and inconspicuous because I am not backing off."
Brand's eyes flicked over to where Jughead had spotted FP. "Not just because he'd kill me if I did. Without your father having much oversight of you, we're essentially a man down – and I will not be the one who leaves you exposed."
That sounded weird, and perhaps even like Brand had something specific in mind. "Exposed to what?"
"Anything." Brand made a frustrated gesture. "You think I need a reason to worry about you at this point? You're barely on your feet after all the walking you've done today, just for instance. I can see your muscles shaking."
Oh. Fair enough.
Jughead shrugged, this time not making eye contact. It was embarrassing to be reminded that he was essentially a liability.
Then he remembered that Brand had cleared him to work with the security; Jughead's muscles relaxed. That was a clear vote of confidence. Brand must be nervous about the nickname and nothing more.
"What are you smiling about?" Brand still looked concerned. "We should get you to bed before you collapse. What did you eat?"
Jughead continued to smile as Brand peppered him with the usual questions. He smiled while they made a quick plan to meet up in their room in a quarter of an hour. He was still smiling as he wandered around to kill that time so they could stagger their exits from the dinner event.
When Dax caught his eye and returned the smile from across the room, Jughead's grin broadened.
Sure, Brand was Brand and he would always worry. But he was also letting Jughead get some experience, too, and be an adult while they traveled. Jughead deeply appreciated that, and craved the break it would represent from being under the 'eye of Sauron.'
Most importantly, this was going to be fun.
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Yay! They're on tour! (basically!)
I will love hearing any and all thoughts, and I do intend to be prompter with the next chapter. More like two weeks instead of a month, though one never knows. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next! Thanks again for reading along; I hope you are well!
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