Betty walked into Pop's and looked around. She spotted Mike in the corner. She gave him a quick wave of greeting before she joined him.
"Hey," Betty smiled as he rose to greet her.
"Good morning, Peanut," Mike greeted her with a hug, "Merry Christmas Eve."
"To you too," Betty shed her jacket and scarf.
"I always love hearing from you, but I have a feeling you have an ulterior motive, so what's going on?"
"I need to ask you about Mom," Betty said.
"Here I was hoping you wanted to meet up to give your favorite uncle a Christmas present," he chuckled as he slid an envelope across the table.
"What's this?" Betty opened it to find a gift certificate to her favorite clothing store.
"Just something from me and my lady," Mike grinned.
"How's Aunt Lucy doing?"
"She's good," Mike nodded, "She sends her love. Frannie says thanks for the journal."
Betty smiled, "I'm glad she liked it. How's Pete?"
"Hell on wheels," Mike smiled a little.
"Runs in the family," Betty winked.
"Absolutely. Now, what do you want to know about your mom?"
"Are Polly and I her only kids?"
Mike choked on the gulp of coffee. "Ask that again."
"Mike, I found out something. Polly and I have an older sibling, don't we?" Betty rephrased her question.
"Damn, I always figured you'd find out eventually. I was hoping you'd be an adult by then," Mike sighed, "Yes, Alice had another child before she and Hal were married."
"My dad isn't the father, is he?" she felt tears well in her eyes.
Mike shook his head, "I was the only one who knew. Our dad barely noticed she was gone when Old Lady Cooper sent her to the Sisters to have the baby. FP was drunk half the time by then. I honestly think if he hadn't gotten busted and taken the army instead of hard time, he'd be dead right now."
"Mr. Jones is the father," Betty nodded, "I had a feeling."
"He and Alice had a bit of a thing," Mike stated, "It was sort of on the side. Alice was way more into your father and the opportunities that came with being Mrs. Cooper, but Hal's mother didn't like Alice one bit...didn't like her southside-ness."
"She didn't want my mother to corrupt her son," Betty concluded.
"That's one way of putting it," Mike bobbed his head, "FP loved your mother...more than either of them realized. He would have done anything for her. He'd probably have offered to marry her if he'd found out."
Betty frowned in response, especially knowing that FP had married Gladys because she'd gotten pregnant with Jughead.
"No one else knows?"
"Crystal knew," Mike admitted, "I couldn't lie to her."
Betty smiled a little, "I found an old picture of her and mom when I was doing my family tree project last year. She was very pretty."
"Yes, she was," Mike confirmed.
"So, Mom had this baby and never spoke about him again?" Betty asked.
"Pretty much," Mike nodded, "But you don't go through something like that and come out the same person."
"I've seen the pictures. Once upon a time, Mom knew how to smile," Betty nodded.
"Elizabeth," Mike frowned at her.
"Sorry," Betty pulled something from her purse and slid it across the table, "I thought you might want this for that box you have up in the attic. You clean up nice. Your prom?"
"Yeah," Mike nodded as he glanced at the picture, "Thanks, Kid."
"Thank you," Betty nodded, "I should get going."
"Betts," Mike reached for her hand, "Go easy on your mother. Nothing about what she went through was easy. Giving up a child for adoption that you didn't want to give up does things to you."
"She wanted to keep him?" Betty choked up.
Mike nodded, "Yeah, and I think if she'd told anyone the truth, she would've been able to."
Betty frowned, "Thanks for being honest with me. I'm sure you don't want to relive all of this either."
"Nothing about it sits well with me, especially since FP is one of my closest friends," Mike replied.
"I know you said when Mom was pregnant, FP was just starting his descent into alcoholism," Betty started, "If he'd been sober at all, would you have said something?"
"I would have thought long and hard about it," Mike admitted.
"Fair enough," Betty said, "Merry Christmas, Uncle Mike."
"To you, too, Peanut," Mike rose to give her another hug, "If you want to talk about it more, let me know."
"I will. Thanks," Betty smiled as she left the diner.
-d-d-d-d
"Heads up, Cher. New player on the scene," Betty spoke into headset.
"Who is this bozo?" Cheryl whispered, "I've never seen him around Riverdale before."
"He looks sort of familiar though," Betty used the screen grab of his face Cheryl managed to secure to do a facial recognition. It didn't take long for the results, "Holy crap! That's Veronica's father."
"Did we know he was in town?" Cheryl asked.
"V hasn't said anything," Betty typed quickly, searching for information, "Though she might not know. According to the records, he just got released from prison this morning."
"Merry Christmas," Cheryl remarked sarcastically.
"As far as I can tell, Jingle Jangle should be nowhere near his wheelhouse. What is he doing here in Riverdale?" Betty thought out loud.
"I don't know," Cheryl said, "Betty, that Serpent, Tall Boy, is here again."
"Oh crap, FP isn't going to like this. He tries to keep his people out of these kinds of messes," Betty stated.
"You're gonna have to tell me one day why drugs are such a hot button for your family and FP's," Cheryl said.
"One day," Betty promised, "But back to Hiram. I'm guessing the government still has most of his empire under lock and key."
"Probably," Cheryl nodded.
"What if he's trying to rebuild?"
"With Jingle Jangle?" Cheryl asked, "Seems like a bad idea for someone already on the government's radar."
"It's how he started," Betty said, "He used to work for a man named Vittorio Alto."
"Oh, that smarmy S.O.B.," Cheryl snarled.
"You've heard of him? He was before our time, and he hasn't been seen in a long time."
"Nana tried to stop him," Cheryl said.
"That's the guy?" Betty was shocked.
"That's the one," Cheryl confirmed, "She eventually had her revenge, but he's the one that put her in the chair."
"Running drugs for Mr. Alto gave Hiram his first arrest," Betty said.
"So he's going back to his roots, lovely," Cheryl replied, "We've got to write this up."
"Leave the recorder going," Betty said, "I'll transcribe it after Christmas, and then we'll drop a copy of the recording in Sheriff Keller's inbox and send another one to the parole board."
"Do you really want to alienate Veronica?" Cheryl asked, "She might find out one day."
"I don't think Veronica and her dad get along well, especially since he committed some pretty heavy crimes in the city that sent Veronica and her mom into exile."
"Be sure about this, Betty," Cheryl advised.
"If he's meeting with the Ghoulies that means he'll be involved with their business," Betty said, "I will not tolerate drugs."
"And Veronica?"
"She won't either," Betty replied, "I'm certain of it. She already knows her father is a criminal, and she's not on board."
"Okay, then," Cheryl agreed, "I'm on my way back. Time to get home for Christmas Eve dinner."
"Damn," Betty nodded, "Me, too. Your gift and the one I got Nana are on your bed. Merry Christmas, Cher."
"To you as well, Betty," Cheryl responded as she made her getaway.
-d-d-d-d-d-
Betty rushed over to the Andrews home after having an icy, yet typical, Christmas morning with her parents. Polly's absence hung over the occasion like a lead balloon, but Betty was determined to have a good holiday. She knew Archie and Fred wouldn't disappoint.
She knocked lightly on the door and waited. Fred answered the door with a smile.
"Merry Christmas, Betty," he stepped back to let her inside, "Arch? Company."
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Andrews," Betty quickly shed her coat and gloves and hung them up, "Thanks for inviting me over to spend some time together. It was quite depressing next door."
"I imagine your folks are missing your sister something fierce today," Fred gave her a paternal smile.
"They're not the only ones," Betty said, "How are you?"
"Not bad," Fred smiled, "Mary called a little while ago."
"I know Archie wishes he could have spent time with her over the holiday break," Betty frowned slightly.
"She's in the middle of a big case and couldn't take the time," Fred sighed, "She sent a plethora of gifts to make up for her absence."
"That was nice of her," Betty smiled when she saw Archie coming towards them, "Hey."
Archie gave her a chaste hug despite wanting to greet her quite differently, but he didn't want to spark his father's need to have more 'talks' about their relationship.
"I brought you both gifts," Betty produced a couple of gifts from the bag she brought with her.
"You didn't have to do that," Fred smiled.
"You saved me from a miserable day alone with my parents," Betty said, "Yes, I did."
"Have a seat," Fred motioned her into the living room, "We were going to watch some classic holiday fare. I hope you don't mind."
"I'd love to," Betty settled on the sofa with Archie sitting beside her. "Open your gift, Arch."
Archie opened the package and smiled when he saw the title on the record, "Bob Dylan at Carnegie Hall?"
"I hope your dad still has that old turntable in the attic," Betty smiled, "I saw it in a thrift shop. I couldn't believe someone would give up an autographed copy of an album, but it seemed too perfect to pass up."
"Wow, Betty, this is great," Archie flipped the record over to check out the album playlist.
"Glad you like it," Betty smiled, putting her head on his shoulder.
"Hang on a sec," Archie leaned forward and pulled a box out from under the tree, "For you."
Betty smiled and unwrapped her gift, looking at Archie, "A first edition of Beloved by Toni Morrison? I love it."
"I guess you and I had the same idea," Archie chuckled as she flipped the book over and began reading the back cover.
"Great minds think alike," she took a chance and kissed his cheek.
"Apparently," Archie grinned.
"Ready for a movie?" Fred came in.
"Wait, Mr. Andrews, you haven't opened your gift," Betty told him.
"If you insist," Fred picked up the wrapped package and opened it, "A photo album?"
"Take a look," Betty encouraged.
Fred flipped it open, "Where'd you get this?"
"One of the boxes Jug brought home had a whole load of pictures. I went through them and found Fred Andrews: The Teen Years," Betty explained.
"Oh geez," Fred began flipping through the pictures.
"There's one of you with your brothers and your dad," Betty said, "You're all holding hammers."
"I was about Arch's age in this picture," Fred smiled, "Thank you, Betty. This is quite thoughtful."
"No problem," Betty said, "You know, Arch, you look a lot like your dad."
"Yeah, Mom always said I looked like him growing up," Archie blushed, "Except for the hair. That's all her."
"I like it," Betty smiled, "It goes well with what you got from your dad."
Archie blushed a bit fiercer as Fred got the movie going.
"You look good in red," Betty patted his cheek.
"Thanks," Archie mumbled.
Betty put her head on Archie's shoulder and took his hand.
They were midway through the first movie when Betty heard her phone ring.
"Is that you?" Archie asked.
"Yeah," Betty went to grab her phone from her coat pocket, "It must be Veronica. No one else would be calling me today."
Archie paused the movie as Betty answered her phone. She turned to the guys after a moment, "I'll take this in the garage. You don't have to wait for me."
Fred and Archie were left to look at each other in mild confusion. They had a perfectly good office just steps away, yet Betty chose to go outside into the garage. Before either could vocalize their concern, Jughead returned home from his celebration with his father.
"Hey, Jug," Archie greeted his friend, "How was lunch with your dad?"
"Not too bad," Jughead nodded, "He gave me a copy of How to Write Crime Fiction."
"Sounds pretty on point," Fred chuckled.
"He seems to be doing really well," Jughead replied, "He's even talking about getting a legit job."
"If he needs work, I've always got room on my crew for him," Fred offered.
"I'll let him know. We're supposed to have breakfast on New Year's Eve," Jughead nodded.
"Pull up a chair, Jug," Archie motioned, "We're watching holiday movies."
"Are you sure you're watching it right?" Jughead looked at the frozen screen.
"Betty got a phone call. She took it in the garage," Archie explained. "We're waiting."
"I see," Jughead grabbed a chair, "Got anything to eat?"
"Didn't you just have lunch with your dad?" Archie asked.
"You new here?" Jughead smirked.
"I'll make some popcorn," Fred headed for the kitchen.
Archie looked at Jughead, "Did your dad like your gift to him?"
"Yeah," Jughead nodded, "Thanks for the idea."
"It seemed right when we found the pics of him and my dad in high school and one of them with tools."
"Yeah," Jughead continued to bob his head, "He mentioned again about me moving back home."
"And what did you say?" Archie asked.
"I asked if we could give it another month," Jughead admitted, "I know it's been a few months but-"
"Don't do anything you don't feel sure about," Archie said, "You're good here."
"Thanks," Jughead replied as Fred returned to the living room with popcorn and several smaller bowls.
"We'll probably need more than this," Archie chuckled as Jughead immediately filled his bowl to the top and started munching.
"You are a bottomless pit, Jug," Fred chuckled as he reclaimed his seat.
"Dad says it runs in the family," Jughead smirked.
"Absolutely," Fred nodded as Betty came back in, "Everything okay, Kiddo?"
"Yeah," Betty nodded, "Merry Christmas, Jug. How was lunch?"
"It was really good," Jughead responded in between bites of popcorn.
"Are you okay?" Archie thought he saw worry written across her face, "Was that Veronica? Is everything alright?"
"Can we talk about it later?" Betty asked quietly.
"Sure," Archie recognized that whatever it was Betty was worried about, she didn't want to share it with the room. He took her hand, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.
After the movie finished, Archie pulled Betty into the garage to talk while Jughead fixed himself a snack in the kitchen.
"Tell me," Archie said quietly as they sat on the couch, curled together to stay warm.
"It was Polly," Betty admitted.
"Oh," Archie looked surprised, "I didn't know you were still in contact."
"Yeah, we've found a way to keep in touch in a way our parents can't find her," Betty replied, "She seemed good the last time I talked to her, but something felt off this time."
"She's due soon right?" Archie asked, "Maybe she's freaking out about the baby."
"Babies," Betty corrected quietly.
"She's having twins?" Archie looked down at her.
"Yeah," Betty nodded, "Look, Arch, I don't have to tell you-"
"Not a word to anyone," Archie smiled.
"Thanks," Betty managed a slight smile, "I can't put my finger on things, but something felt off when we talked."
"How do you mean?" Archie asked.
"Before Polly left, my parents were talking about sending her to the Sisters. I assumed it was because she was pregnant and that's where you send girls that are in trouble, but now I'm wondering if there was more to it," Betty admitted.
"You think there's something more?" Archie asked.
"I don't know, but I'm worried about her," Betty admitted, "She's never been the most stable person, and now she's on her own."
"What can you do about it?" Archie asked, "Is she settled somewhere?"
"I don't know if I should tell you," Betty stated, "It's not that I don't trust you. I just don't want you having to lie if someone asks."
"I doubt your mom is gonna come asking me if I know where Polly is," Archie smirked.
"And if she gets wind that I know and goes to Mr. Keller, and he comes asking?" Betty posed.
"Yeah, good point," Archie stated, "Is she safe?"
"I think so," Betty nodded, "She's made a couple of friends that have promised to keep an eye on her."
"That's good," Archie nodded, "You know you can always come talk to me about anything, right?"
Betty nodded, "I do. Same goes for you, you know."
"Yeah," he kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry your mom didn't come home for the holidays," Betty whispered.
"Yeah, me too," Archie sighed, "She said she might come for a visit when her case is done, but I'm not sure I believe her."
"I know I can't possibly begin to understand how hurt you were when she didn't just move out, but moved away," Betty started, "But if you ever need to vent or even cry, I promise I'll be there for you."
"I usually vent to my punching bag," he chuckled.
"Which I appreciate," she teased, "Especially when it's in front of your window and you're shirtless."
"Am I just man candy to you?"
Betty laughed and lifted her head to look at him, "Only sometimes. The rest of the time, you're my very bestest friend in the world/boyfriend."
"Not going to lie, I like seeing those skimpy tanks and shorts you wear to bed in the summer," Archie replied.
"The flannels aren't as enjoyable?" Betty asked.
"No," Archie shook his head, "How long do you think we have before Dad sends Jug in here to hang out with us?"
Betty checked her watch, "Ten minutes, give or take."
"Then we should be productive with our time," Archie leaned in for a kiss.
Betty climbed into his lap as they kissed.