Betty took a deep breath and carefully bent back, her legs locked around the rope she was dangling from. As she straightened she gripped the rope and untangled her legs before bringing them down and sliding the rest of the way down.
"You're getting quicker," Cheryl clicked the stopwatch, "You knocked two seconds off your time."
"I feel a little like a stripper doing this sometimes," Betty admitted.
"You'd be more of a stripper if it was a pole," Cheryl waved Betty to follow her to the speed bag where they both quickly taped up.
They worked up a good sweat before the alarm on Betty's phone went off.
"Time," Betty said, "I gotta shower."
"What?" Cheryl gasped, "We've got another couple of hours."
"I told you, I'm meeting Archie and his dad to go Christmas tree shopping," Betty reminded her.
Cheryl was huffing as she responded, "I thought you wanted to patrol."
"Of course I do," Betty replied, "We've been training like crazy for months. Even Nana has said I'm ready. A couple of hours this afternoon isn't going to change that."
"Fine," Cheryl frowned.
"What?" Betty looked at her.
"It's nothing," Cheryl huffed.
"Out with it," Betty challenged her.
"I guess I'm a bit annoyed that you've managed to maintain a personal life through all of this, when all I really have is Nana," Cheryl sighed heavily.
"And me," Betty added.
"And you," Cheryl nodded, "But not at school."
"We can change that if you want," Betty pointed out, "But it might be hard to explain that after years of hating one another, we're now friends."
"Yeah, I know."
Betty tilted her head, "On the other hand, it might not be hard."
"What do you mean?"
"We could say we've bonded over missing our siblings."
"The holidays do bring out the longing," Cheryl conceded. "Maybe after the holidays...did I tell you that Toni is thinking about moving in with her aunt and uncle here in Riverdale to have a more stable life while she finishes high school?"
"Really?" Betty smiled, "That'll be nice for her. I'll have to bug Polly about getting her own phone if that happens."
"She's already working out the communication angle for Polly," Cheryl replied.
"I really like Toni. She seems cool. She said her aunt and uncle live on the south side. Will she go to school there, or do what Jug does and cross the line?" Betty asked.
"You didn't hear? South Side High is on the verge of closing," Cheryl said.
"What?"
"Jingle Jangle Fumes," Cheryl elaborated.
"Oh wow," Betty replied, "I really can't say I'm surprised. Does that mean we'll have an influx of Serpents and Ghoulies?"
"Serpents, probably," Cheryl nodded, "Ghoulies aren't really that interested in keeping up their grades."
"Fair point," Betty conceded, "It would be nice to see my cousins a bit more frequently, even if they are a few years younger than me."
"Franny's still in middle school, right?" Cheryl asked as they went into the bathroom.
"Yeah," Betty nodded, "Pete's older. He's a freshman this year."
"It might be better for them both in the long run," Cheryl offered, "South Side High hasn't been known for their stellar academics. There's a reason Jug is where he is."
"I know," Betty nodded, "I can't believe it's going to close down so fast though. It wasn't even around when Mom and Uncle Mike were in high school."
"Can't do much when the drugs have infested the school," Cheryl replied.
Betty stripped and went into the shower, "So, what are you going to do with the rest of the day?"
"Be bored and avoid going home," Cheryl said.
"You could go Christmas shopping. I'm sure Nana would go with you."
"Spending all that time in crowds going crazy over the latest crazes that are a total waste of money," Cheryl huffed, "Hard pass."
"Just promise me you won't stay here and train all afternoon," Betty said.
"I promise to not stay here all day and train," Cheryl dutifully responded.
Betty frowned to herself as she cleaned up. She had a feeling Cheryl was lying to her, but there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it.
-d-d-d-d-
Betty breathed in deep as she stood amongst the pine trees. It smelled so good here.
"Hey, Betts, over here," Archie waved at her.
"Hey, Arch," Betty greeted him with a chaste kiss before she greeted his father, "Hi, Mr. Andrews, thanks for inviting me."
"Always happy for your company, Betty," Fred grinned.
"Where should we start?" Betty looked around, totally out of her element. Her mother was anti-real Christmas tree, so they'd always had an artificial one. She had no idea what they were looking for, and even though the Andrews family always had a real tree, she'd hadn't been invited to join them in the selection process until now.
"We start with some cider and cookies," Archie pulled her towards the warming house where a buffet of sweet treats was waiting.
"Hey, Archie," the bespectacled woman smiled at him, "I was wondering when you and your dad were gonna make it up here."
"Hi, Mrs. Lang," Archie smiled, "How are you?"
"We're doing well. The crowds have been keeping us busy," she replied, "Good thing you came this weekend. We're going to be sold out by Sunday evening."
"That's great."
"And who is this lovely young woman?"
"This is my girlfriend, Betty," Archie introduced.
"Girlfriend? Archie, you're going to break my poor Grace's heart," Mrs. Lang teased.
"I think Grace will find someone else."
"True," she nodded, "But you Andrews boys have been my girls' first crushes. First my Lina with your dad and now you with my little Gracie."
"Give my apologies to your granddaughter," Archie chuckled.
"Best trees available are in the south field," she lowered her voice, "You didn't hear that from me."
"My lips are sealed," Archie made a show of zipping his lips as he snatched up a few cookies.
"Help yourself, Betty," Mrs. Lang suggested, "And don't forget the cider. We make it from trees in our orchard. It's award winning."
"How can I refuse?" Betty took a few of the cookies.
"Enjoy the fields, and if you have a question, we've got lots of knowledgeable staff to help you," Mrs. Lang replied.
Betty waited until they were out of earshot before she teased Archie, "Should I worry about Grace?"
"She's eight," Archie grinned, "You have nothing to worry about."
"Good, but speaking of women and crushes, any movement on Grundy?"
"She keeps rescheduling the appointment with Dad and the principal."
"Has she backed off in her criticism of you?" Betty asked.
"I'm no longer failing," he grumbled, "But I'm only getting a C minus."
"I'm sorry, Arch," Betty frowned, "Maybe I should do some research."
"The principal has indicated that he's running out of patience with her," Archie replied, "He has reminded her that she is still under probation. If she wants to keep her job, she must finally cave to the meeting."
"In that case, she's tomorrow's problem. Today's is finding a good tree," Betty looked around them and smiled when she saw a familiar face, "Veronica?"
"Hey, Betty, hey Archie," Veronica greeted them eagerly, "This place must be the place to be. It's crazy busy."
"It's the best tree farm for fifty miles," Archie wrapped his arm around Betty's waist.
"I didn't think you and your mom would be interested in a real tree," Betty stated.
"Mom's on the fence, but I'm trying to convince her to start some new traditions now that we're out of the city," Veronica explained, "This may be a once in a lifetime opportunity."
"Is she here?" Betty looked around.
"She's in the warming house," Veronica stated, "She's talking to one of the tree people about the different kinds of trees and which ones shed their needles the least."
"Are you guys ready to start looking?" Fred came up to them, "Hello, Veronica."
"Hi, Mr. Andrews," Veronica smiled, "It's nice to see you again."
Fred smiled, "I saw your mom in the warming house. If you need help selecting a tree, let me know. Archie and I have been picking out Christmas trees since he was knee high."
"I'll keep that in mind," Veronica laughed as Archie rolled his eyes.
"I'm new at this, too," Betty chimed in, "My mom doesn't want to deal with the clean up, so we've never had a real tree."
"A fellow novice," Hermione joined them, "Mija, let's get looking. I have a shift at the diner in a few hours."
"Hello, Mrs. Lodge," Betty greeted her.
"Hello, my dear," Hermione smiled as she and Veronica set out to find themselves a tree. "Happy hunting."
"Let's start looking," Fred told Betty and Archie, "We'll want to be done before nightfall."
Betty and Archie wandered through the trees and compared them.
"I love this one. Do you think it'd fit in your living room?" Betty pointed towards an eight foot balsam fir pine tree.
"Betty has a good eye," Fred kicked at the base of the tree to knock out the accumulated snow. "Looks like a straight trunk."
"Nice work, Betts," Archie whispered in her ear, making her smile.
"Do they sell wreaths here?" Betty asked.
"Yeah, but we have one already for our front door," Archie said.
"But we don't have one for the treehouse," Betty smiled.
"You want to decorate the treehouse?" Archie chuckled.
"Yep," Betty bobbed her head, "You've already strung it with lights, so it's halfway decorated already."
Archie considered the idea and nodded, "Yeah, okay. I like that idea, but if we're gonna do it, let's do it right."
"What do you have in mind?"
"Mistletoe," Archie grinned.
"You and me need to have a talk later," Fred patted his son's shoulder as he handed him a saw, "Get cutting."
Betty blushed, realizing what Fred wanted to talk to Archie about and looked around for a distraction. She spotted the Lodge ladies and waved.
"I'll be right back," Betty said before walking over to Veronica, "Hey, having any luck?"
"Yeah, we're thinking about this one," Veronica replied, "Mom thinks it might be a bit small for our space though."
"You could always start small this year, and if you like it go bigger next year," Betty offered, "But what do I know?"
"More than me," Veronica smiled, "In other news, Reggie asked me out...again."
"V, have you ever seen A League of Their Own?"
"Sure," Veronica nodded, "Tom Hanks, right?"
"Right. There's that scene at the beginning when Geena Davis's character is talking to Lori Petty's character and she says, so-and-so likes you."
"Right, and Lori's character says that he's one step up from dating a pig," Veronica remembered, "But an important step."
"Well, Reggie's our one step up guy. He's also our obligatory psychotic jackass," Betty told her.
"He's kind of cute when his mouth doesn't get in the way," Veronica admitted, "But it does...a lot."
"Yeah, and the fact that he almost never looks you in the eye," Betty added.
"A bit problematic," Veronica conceded.
"Just threaten him with a swift kick in the balls," Betty advised, "He'll back off."
"I'll remember that," Veronica nodded and looked around, "Truth? I have my eye on someone, but I'm not sure he's interested."
"Okay, I'm just making sure here, but you do know Kevin's gay, right?"
"Oh, please," Veronica scoffed, "I knew that the moment he opened his mouth."
"Good," Betty nodded, "I'm pretty sure you're not interested in Jug."
"He's a good friend, but I'm pretty sure he's got his eye on someone."
"Is it someone I know?" Betty asked, remembering her conversation with Archie after Thanksgiving.
"I'll tell you later," Veronica stated as Hermione approached with one of the helpers who would assist them with cutting down and loading up their tree.
"How do you plan on getting this home?" the helper asked.
"I don't suppose you deliver?" Hermione asked.
"That's not necessary," Fred interjected, "Hermione, I'll bring it by your place tomorrow morning."
"That's so sweet of you, Fred," Hermione smiled.
"I'll load it into my truck," Fred told the helper as he handed Hermione a slip of paper, "Bring this to the teller in the warming house to pay. I've already got our tree loaded. Betty, Arch is waiting for you at the truck. He didn't want to leave the tree unattended."
"Sounds like Arch," Betty snickered.
"Call me later?" Veronica said to Betty.
"Why don't you come over for dinner? It's just me tonight. Mom and Dad are getting tomorrow's issue ready. I was going to order pizza. If that's okay with you, Mrs. Lodge."
"That's fine with me," Hermione replied.
"Did you need a ride, Veronica?" Fred asked.
"No, we're not too far. I'll come over around five, B," Veronica said.
"Pepperoni okay?" Betty asked.
"Sounds perfect," Veronica smiled.
Betty waved as she followed Fred to his truck which Archie was leaning casually against.
"Are we getting a second tree?" Archie looked perplexed as Fred loaded another tree into the bed of their truck.
"It's the Lodges' tree," Fred explained, "I offered to take it over tomorrow since they didn't have a way to get it home."
"Can I have five minutes? I just want to grab that wreath," Betty said.
"Take your time," Fred nodded.
"Thanks, Mr. Andrews," Betty darted over to the display of wreaths.
Fred looked at his son, "She's got plans tonight, so why don't we go out to dinner?"
"Sounds good to me," Archie bobbed his head.
"And we'll have that chat I mentioned," Fred patted his shoulder.
"Dad, we're nowhere near ready to do what you want to chat about," Archie said, "I promise."
"We're still going to chat," Fred replied, "Because when the time comes that you are, I want you to be prepared. I'd rather not be a grandfather just yet."
"Alright," Archie nodded as Betty came back, holding up a wreath for his approval, "I like it."
"Good. We'll hang it up when we get home," Betty smiled, "By the way, we didn't have plans tonight, did we? I just asked Veronica to hang out."
"Nah, Dad mentioned you had plans, so he and I are going out to dinner," Archie replied.
"Cool," Betty replied, "We'd better get back to your place and get to decorating. I told Veronica to meet me at 5."
"Plenty of time," Archie helped her into the truck.
"Thanks for letting me tag along with you guys today," Betty said, "I had fun."
"Glad you joined us too, Kiddo," Fred climbed into the driver's seat.
-s-s-s-s-s-s-
Betty looked at her watch and frowned. It was almost five-thirty and still no Veronica. She decided she'd give her five more minutes and then call her.
Just as she was about ready to snatch up her phone, it rang with a call from Kevin.
"What's up, Bestie?" Betty answered.
"Hey, Betts, Veronica asked me to call you," Kevin replied, "She's currently giving her statement to my dad. She was the victim of a mugging as she walked from the diner to your house. Apparently you had plans without me which I'm willing to overlook because Veronica is a bit shaken up."
"Oh my god!" Betty exclaimed, "Is she okay?"
"Physically she doesn't have a scratch," Kevin assured her, "Apparently she got the better of the goons."
"Good for her," Betty grabbed her jacket, "Tell V I'm on my way. Did she call her mom?"
"Yeah, she's on her way, too," Kevin said, "I'll let her know you're coming."
"Thanks," Betty said, "Hey, Kev, how far from Pop's was she? I don't want to hit any interference on my way."
"She was a couple of blocks from your street," Kevin replied, "I don't have a lot of specifics. She said the guys ran off, but she probably broke their noses."
"Score one for those self-defense classes she took in the city," Betty stated, "I'll be right there."
On the way, she dialed Cheryl.
"What's up?"
"Have you been listening to the scanner?" Betty asked as she walked towards the station.
"I haven't," Cheryl responded, "I'm getting ready to head out though."
"Head to Seventh and Harper," Betty advised her, "Veronica was the victim of an attempted mugging. She thinks she got a few shots in, so look for someone that's worse for wear."
"On it," Cheryl replied, "Is Veronica okay?"
"I haven't talked to her yet. Kevin called me with the news. He says she's shaken," Betty responded, "I'm sure we'll all feel better if we cut off these would be muggers before they attempt it again."
"I'll call if I find anything out," Cheryl promised.
"Okay. Be careful," Betty told her before they hung up.
When she reached the station she entered and looked around, finding Kevin without a problem.
"Hey, Betts," Kevin replied, "She's still talking to my dad."
"Anything your father can go on to identify these creeps?" Betty asked.
"Veronica's sitting with a sketch artist right now. Mrs. Lodge is getting herself a cup of coffee."
"Okay," Betty bobbed her head as she noticed where he was sitting, "Are you playing dispatcher tonight?"
"Dispatcher is on her meal break," Kevin replied, "It's not like it's the most glamorous job at the station. All the cops are currently already dispatched to check out the scene of Veronica's almost crime."
"Her getting mugged is so random," Betty said.
"It's not so random from my dad's perspective," Kevin admitted, "There has been a lot of petty crime lately."
"Any ideas as to who's responsible?"
"Dad's making a list of the usual suspects," Kevin nodded.
"You've been watching Casablanca again, haven't you," Betty shook her head at his 'usual suspects' reference.
"Guilty," Kevin shrugged.
"Too bad it happened to Veronica," Betty frowned, "She'd already new to town. She's going to think we're all ghetto."
"She knows Riverdale has its good parts and bad parts like every other town," Kevin smirked.
"That's good," Betty sighed. "I guess our pizza party will have to wait for another day."
"Maybe," Kevin bobbed his head.
"Next time I'll invite you, too," Betty smiled.
"I'd be offended if you didn't," Kevin smiled.
Veronica emerged from Sheriff Keller's office.
"Oh, V, I'm so sorry," Betty ran to hug her.
"It's okay, B. I'm okay," Veronica hugged back, "Where's my mom?"
"She's getting coffee," Kevin said, "She'll be right back."
"Are you really okay?" Betty asked.
"I broke a nail," Veronica pouted.
"Only one?" Kevin snorted in response.
"But otherwise?" Betty prodded.
"No harm done," Veronica said, "Sheriff Keller is running off copies of the sketch their artist did from my description. I'm supposed to give Weatherbee a copy and ask you to run one in the Blue & Gold."
"Done," Betty responded, "I'm glad you're okay. I guess we'll have to do pizza and girls' night another night."
"I think that's actually exactly what I need right now," Veronica admitted, "Otherwise my mother might hover. I love her, but I just need to be in my own space to process."
"Whatever you want is cool with me," Betty assured her, "We can totally reheat the pizza I ordered or eat it cold."
"I hate cold pizza," Kevin shuddered.
"Do you mind if we include him?" Betty nodded at Kevin.
"Not at all. The more the merrier right now," Veronica smiled,
"I can get my dad to drive us to Betty's," Kevin offered, "I'm sure you don't want to hoof it after what you just went through."
"Sounds good," Veronica smiled, "Here comes my mom."
"Are you all finished?" Hermione asked. "Can we go home?"
"Actually, I'd still like to go to Betty's if you don't mind," Veronica replied, "We were going to have a girls' night, which I really need, especially now."
"Are you sure, mija? You wouldn't rather be home?" Hermione asked.
"I'm sure," Veronica nodded, "If I want to come home, I'll call. I promise, but I think I need to do something normal right now."
"Okay, I'll drive you," she replied.
"Actually, Mrs. Lodge, my dad can do it," Kevin said.
"Mom, why don't you go back to Pop's and finish your shift? We can use the money, right?" Veronica said.
"You're right," Hermione gave her a quick hug, "Be safe, and if you need anything, call me at Pop's."
"I will, I promise," Veronica smiled at her mom as the older woman left.
"I'd say let's go get hammered, but I don't think that's a solid idea," Betty giggled.
"No alcohol, just pizza and ice cream," Veronica stated.
"Deal," Betty linked arms with her and motioned to Kevin, "Are we ready to go?"
"Yeah, I see my relief re-entering the station," Kevin noted as the regular dispatcher was ready to reclaim her spot.
"And your dad?" Betty asked.
"Waiting outside in the cruiser," Kevin linked with Betty's other arm as the trio exited the station.
"Your chariot awaits," Tom chuckled as the trio climbed into the backseat.
"Think we could get him to activate the lights and sirens?" Veronica asked.
Betty giggled as they headed towards the Cooper house.