Sweet Pea and Hal made it home a little over an hour later, with his mom riding on the back of his father's bike. Taking a quick glance at Andrews's house, he noticed that the lights were off. Good riddance, he thought to himself. Taking off his helmet, he hurried up the walk to their house, smirking slightly as he heard his father laugh. Hal Cooper knew that Sweet Pea would do anything for his sister, including being the first one to check on her.

Hurrying inside, he called out for Jughead and Betty; heard their responding footsteps coming from the living room, as well. He looked towards them, spotting Betty walking towards him, and he hugged her quickly. She was the only one who could make him – all the Serpents, really – show affection. "Andrews leave you alone?" Sweet Pea asked, voice nothing more than a hiss.

"Well, not really," she murmured apologetically, and Sweet Pea was ready to commit murder. She continued a moment later. "He came over here when Jughead pulled up, asking if I was going to be at the game on Friday."

"How the hell has Andrews not been kicked off the team, yet?" Alice demanded, and Hal wrapped his arm around her.

"I would like to know that as well," Hal said.

"Because I haven't told them anything," Betty reminded them, and Sweet Pea heard the very visceral tiredness in his sister's voice. He looked at Jughead, who nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead, before speaking.

"How about we get you to bed and then I'll be back here first thing in the morning?" Jughead asked.

Betty sighed, glancing at her parents before acquiescing to his wishes. "All right." She gave him a quick kiss and then climbed the stairs to their second floor. Sweet Pea turned to Jughead.

"Did Andrews get in her face?" Sweet Pea asked quietly.

Jughead scoffed at him. "Like I'd allow him to do that."

Sweet Pea nodded in appreciation. "Head out and we'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, man," Jughead agreed, hugging his mother goodbye and clapping Hal on the shoulder. "I'll be here around seven-thirty."

"Okay, sounds good," Sweet Pea replied. They all watched the younger Jones leave and head out to his motorcycle, and then Sweet Pea looked at his parents. "I promise, nothing will happen to her."

Alice softened her gaze on him, patting his cheek fondly. "We know, honey. You're a good older brother."

"The best," Hal added.

Sweet Pea grinned and then headed upstairs to check in with Betty. Pausing outside his sister's room, he knocked on the door and only entered when she told him to. Pushing the door open, he smiled softly once he saw his little sister in bed. "Hey."

"Hey, Sweets," Betty murmured, and he walked into her room completely. Going to sit down on her bed, he looked at her.

"Are you sure you're all right from Andrews's harassment this evening?" Sweet Pea asked.

Betty smiled slightly. "I don't know if I'd call asking me if I was going to the game harassment or not."

Sweet Pea clenched his teeth together. "Any time the asshole talks to you – or even looks at you – it's considered harassment, Betts."

Betty laughed quietly, shaking her head at him fondly. "I'm all right."

"You would tell me if you weren't, right?" Sweet Pea asked, always having to check.

Betty smiled at him tenderly. "I would, Sweets. You know that."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and stood up, smiling at her. "Yeah, I know, kid. I just need to check. All right, I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. You get some sleep, all right?"

"All right," Betty replied, scooching down into her bed, and Sweet Pea chuckled quietly.

"Yell if you need me," he added, before heading out of her room and shutting the door behind him softly.

XXX

It was a petrified scream that woke Sweet Pea up in the middle of the night. Blinking, he threw back his covers and ran towards Betty room, bursting through the door seconds later. "What? What's wrong?"

He glanced around, spotting Betty pointing a shaking finger towards her window as she stayed curled up in the center of her bed. His parents came rushing in, and Hal looked around the room hurriedly, before his eyes landed on his daughter, who was looking shaken up. "What happened, honey?"

"Archie...," she trailed off, shaking her head, and Sweet Pea felt a white-hot anger permeating his bones. She tried again. "Archie was outside of my window, on a ladder."

Sweet Pea hurried to her window, glancing out of it grimly. "The ladder is still there but Andrews is gone."

"I'm going to be having words with Fred Andrews tomorrow," Alice said in a dark tone.

Betty shook her head, expelling a defeated sigh the next minute. "Don't bother. It's my word against his. And the ladder is ours."

Sweet Pea ground his teeth together in frustration as he realized Betty was right. Still. Still . "That does not give him the right to climb the ladder at three in the morning and watch you sleep. I'll be having words with him with mom as well."

Betty sighed and nodded her head, getting up from the bed the next moment. Sweet Pea looked at her. "I've got to pee. I'll be fine."

Sweet Pea watched her leave the room; shoulders hunched inwards and felt his heart pang. He wondered when it would get better.

XXX

"Andrews was staring at her while she slept?" Jughead demanded in a dark tone later that morning. They had all pretended like they were going to go back to sleep for a few hours, but Sweet Pea knew better. He met Betty downstairs for coffee and the two siblings stayed up the rest of the night.

"I'm going to kill him," Sweet Pea snapped.

"No. No, you're not," Betty said quietly, but with conviction. "You don't need to add murder to your resume, Sweets."

"Betty, I don't give a fuck about that," Sweet Pea replied in a dangerous voice, but she shrugged her shoulders wearily, and his heart ached.

"I do," she replied firmly. "No one is going to jail because of this creep."

Sweet Pea and Jughead shared a look as Jughead rubbed Betty's back.

They wouldn't get caught.