Archie tried to play a tune, but nothing seemed to come to him. All he could think about was how he'd lost all his breath and how awful it had seemed. His mind swam around it, ever-circling, unable to leave this lap.

And that wolf he'd seen. No man. Mustang?

Men were men and wolves were wolves and that was that.

But what if?

"You okay?"

Archie turned to see his dad standing on the threshold. Archie winced immediately at his stern expression. Despite Fred's worried question, Archie had known he was in deep shit the second he'd slipped out of his dad's car to go to Pembrooke.

"Dad, before you say anything, I was trying to help-,"

"Archie, it was reckless." Fred said, "But that's not what I'm really worried about. You. You had a panic attack. Have you been getting them recently?"

"No! No, it was just a one-time thing," Archie tried to push it away, despite how his chest clenched even thinking of it. For all the time his dad believed him, this time, he stood firm.

"Archie."

If Archie had not had the night he had, perhaps it would have been easy to lie to his dad, assure him all was right. As it was, Archie wanted to be little again; he wanted to be able to run to his dad and explain everything and for his dad to hug him and make him cookies and his mom to be here to kiss his cheeks. He wanted everything to be easily explainable; the rattling of skeleton bones outside his window was just a branch, the monster under his bed was a toy that lit up at night, the spooky screams from his basement were just that old radiator.

And he wanted to think things in life had that sort of logical reasoning behind it, but the things he was seeing?

And what did he know, he was a teen. Just a kid that wanted to play football but was seeing horror visions every time he turned a corner at school.

He was tired, mostly. Tired of getting no sleep, tired of wondering what was happening, tired of pushing to find answers so hard and just getting farther and farther away.

So he relented.

"Dad?"

It must have been his voice. His dad closed the door and sat next to him on the bed.

"Yes?"

Archie looked at his hands, sure for a second, he was going to sound mad and nearly stopped. But there was a bit of gravel under his nails and he was back in that bar and he couldn't.

"I don't know how to say this but...I've been seeing things…"

XXXX

Four women (and two unborn children) spanning four generations sat at a grand oak table in a dining room, with a party echoing far away. A grandmother, who was patting Polly's head. A mother, who couldn't make eye contact. A teenage pregnant girl who was trying not to cry, but pregnancy hormones were a bitch. And one young witch that didn't want to be the first one to talk, but knew they had to.

"This isn't the place to do this," Alice said, shocking Betty that she was the one to offer up her thoughts first. Alice Cooper was masterful at the silent game, "But it's come to a head. And it's just going to get worse."

"It was my babies, wasn't it...I thought I couldn't do magic." Polly sniffled.

"You cannot, but it did not take away the genes, just silenced them," Grandma said sagely, "I would have been more shocked had then been completely mortal."

"So...this is normal?" Polly rubbed her stomach.

"Not that I know of," Alice said and her mother gave a quick nod. From Sweet Pea's face, Betty had assumed as much.

"They were protecting their momma," Polly whispered in awe and affection, "Oh!"

"You cannot trust the Blossoms," Betty dropped her voice to a hiss, "Jason might have been good-,"

"Jason was nothing like them!" Polly shot back, and Betty backtracked.

"Right, no. I wasn't…" She coughed, "Nevermind. It doesn't matter. Did you see Penelope's face? I don't believe for a second she wants both of you. She wants those babies, more so than ever."

"I mean," Polly frowned, "She did lose her son. Not to give her any credit, but perhaps she just wants to feel closer to him?"

"I would doubt it. Penelope is always playing the long game."

"Then what's the long game here?" Polly asked, "I just don't get it. Even if they are powerful, would they be able to control it as newborns?"

"Doubtful. Magic is tied to emotion."

"Baby proofing is gonna be a nightmare…" Betty whispered in horror.

"Then I don't…"

"I'm not sure what her plan is," Alice said, but Betty didn't entirely believe her mother, "But do know that I sent you away because of this. Because I thought that Penelope would try something. You can't be a mother if you're dead too."

"You'd let me come home?"

"Well...you're protected here…" Grandma said cautiously.

"It's not home though. I want my babies to feel like they're at a house, not a halfway point." Polly insisted, "And I don't trust Hermione."

"Smart girl," Alice said proudly.

"Well, what about dad?"

"He doesn't know about magic," Alice scoffed, "He's not a warlock. We'd...figure it out later."

"Wait, I thought witches were through the male lineage," Betty asked, sitting straight up.

"It is."

"Then dad-,"

"It's some grandmother or something I'm sure," Alice said, completely blase, "He wouldn't have a clue but I'll admit I don't know either."

"Well, are you one?" Polly asked, turning to her mother and grandmother, "Or else, how do you-,"

"We're-,"

"No, of course not," Alice gave a short laugh, "You stay in Riverdale long enough, you notice things. My job is to get into other people's business." Alice said with a wave of her hand. Betty once again was sure her grandmother was about to say something else, but Alice narrowed her eyes at her mother, defying.

At least Alice was acknowledging this, the big supernatural elephant in the room, Betty thought. They couldn't have expected their mother to have complete honesty.

"Oh." Polly paused, "No, that's not where I was going. I mean, will dad be on board with me and the babies being at home?"

"He'll just have to get over it," Betty said, squeezing her hand.

"He won't make another appointment for me, will he?" Polly asked, "I mean, at this point...I'm terrified to think what these babies would do if someone tried to-,"

"Tried to what?" Alice's face was furious.

"You know…" Polly said quietly, looking down, "He was adamant last time. That's why I had to get away with Jason, we had to escape, we had to-," She gave a shuddering breath, "He told me it was a mistake and I shouldn't live with the weight. He said it would end me. He didn't even ask me what I wanted!"

Alice stood abruptly.

"Mom," She said curtly to Grandma, "It's been a long day. Why don't you get Polly to bed? I think I need to go home and have a chat with Hal."

XXXX

"Polly's finally asleep," Betty murmured to her Grandmother as she exited, sighing. She'd used a very small sleeping spell on her; something noninvasive and low-key. She'd half expected the twins to blast her through the walls, but she'd felt her magic connecting with theirs. They'd...helped their mother get to sleep. They'd recognized Betty's magic as their own and had all done their part.

It had sent shivers up Betty's spine.

"What a fine mess this was," Grandma Smith sighed, "I'll start cleaning up. You have a gentleman caller waiting on you," She said with a hint of humor. Betty spun to see Jughead waiting. She was glad she hadn't said anything about her magic...she'd been so caught up she hadn't even realized he was standing there.

"Betty, I should have told you about my dad when I had the chance," He said, brows knit in worry.

Betty tilted her head in confusion. THen, she remembered. So much else had happened that night that the 'reveal' that Jughead's dad was a Serpent hadn't even ticked on her list of things she was thinking about.

She pressed her lips together.

"Juggie, I already knew."

"What?" Jughead's eyes were wild, frantic, "But how...he hasn't...he wouldn't-," He began.

"No, no, of course not!" Betty couldn't really explain everything to him, but she didn't want to sit there pretending like this was news to her, "Sweet Pea."

Jughead's face darkened, "Why, I oughta-,"

"No, don't," Betty kissed his cheek, "He didn't mean it. I mean, well, he didn't think it was some big secret and I guess I didn't either. I don't see you any differently." Or your father, she wanted to add. In fact, she was consistently awed by the power, restraint, and leadership that his father had over his wolf tribe, but Jughead only saw him as a drunkard.

"I wanna ask him." Jughead said with a sense of vigor, "I need to know what he knows about Jason."

Betty was tempted. Sweet Pea and her knew that FP knew far more than he was letting on, but she doubted he'd let anything slip. However...maybe if it was his son…

"Let's."

XXXX

Hal was enjoying his night. Girls were out, the game was on, his beer was cold. Things were good...until his wife stepped right in front of the TV.

"Hey, Alice, you're blocking-,"

"What did you say to Polly when you found out she was pregnant?" He knew a furious Alice when he saw one. This one was leaps and bounds past furious. He opened his mouth to answer, but never got the chance, "Did you make an appointment for her? With a doctor? That you offered to pay for? Behind her back? So she could 'fix' her 'mistake'?" Alice seethed, stalking up to him.

Hal knew he was in trouble.

"Alice-," That was all the confirmation she needed, just the tone of his voice and the way he held his hands up.

"Bastard! So you did to Polly what you did to me?"

"This is why I didn't involve you. You'd overreact," Hal said, trying to keep his cool, "You weren't ready, neither is Polly. Not with what's inside of her."

"We were going to send her to my mother. Why wasn't that enough?" Alice asked, shaking. Hal was tired of being the bad guy about this, not when he was in the right and...and he knew it!
"Because of what's happening right now!" He snapped, "Because her life is being ruined by a monster growing inside of her! By that family."

"A monster," Alice's voice was tight, "Funny, you didn't seem to have the same opinion when I was pregnant with your daughters."

"Oh, you know what I mean," Hal hissed, "I won't have my daughter having a child with Blossom blood, and not with the dirty blood too that you-,"

"Get out!" Alice was snarling, "Get out! Get out before we do something I regret! You know what I'm capable of." Alice shook her finger, "And don't you dare-,"

"That child will be nothing but unholy," Hal said coldly, knowing he couldn't take Alice in this state.

"Children," Alice's voice was hard, "Twins."

Hal bit his lip, said nothing and began to pack his things.

XXXX

Talking to his dad was a huge bust; it wasn't anything they didn't already know from Polly, plus, it was awkward as hell. His father was on edge and Betty was on edge and Jughead was just confused and frustrated by it all.

"Do you feel like there's more that he's not telling us?" Betty asked as they exited the trailer, returning to his place.

"I'm not sure. I guess I don't know him well enough anymore."

"Know who?" Sweet Pea was making Hot Pockets.

"FP," Betty replied before Jughead could lie, "About the case."

"Oh, yeah, he's hiding something."

Jughead couldn't help his jealousy, "He knows?" He asked scathingly.

"Hey, Sweet Pea has helped us more than once," Betty snapped, "There's no need to be like that."

"I'm not being like anything!" Jughead flopped on the couch, "I'm just...why the hell does he know?"

"I'm nosy," Sweet Pea said quickly, a bit too quickly.

"I mean, I believed him about the other stuff. You did too, didn't you Betty?" Jughead asked, feeling small but needing some reassurance, "That he's not...a killer?"

"Of course I believe him, Juggie. You're dad's not like that."

Jughead relaxed, "Good. I didn't think so either."

What Jughead missed, though, was above him, Sweet Pea and Betty shared a look...one that if he saw, would tell him that perhaps they knew about the skeleton in his father's closet, and the blood on his hands, whether he meant to or not.

XXXX

"Jug?" FP asked as the trailer door swung open.

"Just me boss," Joaquin said, coming in and waving a friendly hello to FP. There was hardly anything friendly about the current climate, "Why would you think I was your son?"

"He came by earlier. Lots of questions," FP inhaled hard. He was worried about how much he knew... magic-wise, especially since he was dating the witch now. She couldn't keep things a secret forever, not so young without anyone to help. It was only a matter of time, but he wasn't about to demand they break up. He doubted that would win him any points with his estranged child.

"The heat is on," FP stood, stuffing Jason's varsity jacket into a bag, "If the cops come around, this is our insurance. In case everything goes to hell."

"It's already there, respectfully, sir," Joaquin stuttered, "One day, he's going to realize. Jughead is going to look at me and-,"

"Hey, no." FP turned, shaking his head gently, "I've seen worse. We're not there yet. Not sure that's comforting any, but we've gotten through bad patches with other shit. This is no different."

But hell, they all knew it was.

FP handed the duffle to Joaquin, "Keep it safe. Stash it," He said. There was a pause, "How's it going with the Keller kid?"

Joaquin sighed, but smiled, unable to hide it. It was the same expression Jughead had around Betty today, something that did make FP's mostly cold heart warm. He liked to see kids being kids...falling in love, and all.

"It's...good. We're legit now, I guess you could say," Joaquin said, looking up, terrified that FP may tell him no.

"I'm glad, I am. But remember...we can use him."

Just like that Joaquin's face dropped, "Use him. Yeah, right, sure."

"Kid, ah, heck," FP winced, "You know that...we...in this time…" He struggled for the words, "Just, don't let him use us. Flip the table, if you gotta. And be careful."

"I am," Joaquin said, face blushing.

"Of your heart," FP said quietly, "Nothing good ever really lasts."

XXXX

"We're just going to get the paperwork done."

FP grinned at Fred in a friendly way, a 'no trouble here' sort of smile. Fred, jaded by his life, took a pause before his good nature took over.

"Of course. Let me get the guys going," He said, patting Hermione's shoulder.

Once they were out of earshot of their very human friend, FP sucked in through his teeth, glancing at the woman beside him.

"I asked around, about those bruisers after your man's crew. Turns out they weren't local."

Hermione was calculating, like she always was, "Why tell me, not Fred?"

FP gave her a half-smile, "One of my guys said he knows 'em from a stint doing time in the north, in Montreal. Pretty sure we know who has business up there." He said.

"Hiram? But why would he…" Hermione paused, looking back at FP's men, "Why would he risk that?"

"Here's another twist. Sweet Pea, who was here, smelled something. Well, he smelled almost nothing. But he got a smell of wolves."

"Wolv-why would," Hermione stopped walking, "Hiram wouldn't. He likes our own kind."

"I know, I know, thus my surprise. They were really trying damn hard to cover their scent. They had no way of knowing a Serpent would be on the team, so why disguise themselves like that?"

"I don't know," Hermione said honestly, "I'm not sure what my husband is playing at," She said in a cold tone.

"Maybe it's personal, and maybe this is nothing," FP said casually, but from Hermione's pinched face, they seemed to know better, "Or maybe things are more fucked up than we think."

XXXX

"It itches," Moose told the team at practice. He was benched, of course, but wouldn't miss it...not with their big game approaching. Reggie sat with him on the bench, along with the others, during a break.

"Dude, duh. I mean, it's not a cast. You could just unravel it for a quick scratch," He pointed out.

"Not sure that's a great idea," Archie said, "They put that on for a reason." Who knew Archie to be the voice of reason? Times were strange. Archie was acting weird all of a sudden, Reggie considered, but he mostly ignored it. He couldn't focus on two things at once...and Sweet Pea took up a lot of his effort.

"I gotta," Moose moaned and began to untangle the bandages, and sighed once he got to his skin, "Oh, sweet relief," He moaned.

"What the heck is that?" Archie asked, lifting his arm. Moose turned it around and frowned at the strange mark.

"Shit...that looks like-,"

"A vampire bite," One of the linebackers snorted, "That's weird as hell dude. Sorta a cool scar for later, though! At least you got a funny story out of it, or could tell people it was vampires."

Reggie felt the hair rise on his back, though he didn't know why. What he did know is that when he looked up, Sweet Pea looked like he was about to vomit and was as white as a sheet.

And that got Reggie thinking...if werewolves existed...perhaps vampires did too?

XXXX

Polly stepped out of the cab in front of Thorn Hill. her heart was racing frantically, but she tried to push it down.

Inside of her, the twins were perked up. She could feel them now. She could feel how they were ready to protect her at any cost.

She knew they would, whether or not she wanted them to.

She could stay at home, safe, with her mother and grandmother, and Betty.

Or...she could find out more about her heritage, about what gift she never got to use, about the gifts her twins would have...magic. And she could try to figure out what happened to the love of her life.

Polly had always been far too curious for her own good. Some might call it a Cooper personality trait, she thought with a wry grin.

That is, perhaps, how she ended up pregnant in the first place.

XXXX

Sweet Pea watched as Betty clutched her necklace again, murmuring words under her breath. He prayed and wished with all his might that Polly would answer on the other end; and god, if he could grant wishes, he'd grant this one.

It didn't take a mind reader to guess that like the thousand times before, there was absolutely static silence on the other side, and from the way Betty snapped the necklace off her neck and threw it on the worktable, she was reaching a breaking point.

"Betty, what can I do," Sweet Pea asked in a low voice. Betty turned, a small fire blazing behind her. She turned and cursed and doused it out with a pitcher of water by her table, running her fingers through her hair. She was frazzled and unkempt.

"It's like she's shut everything down, and I can't...she wouldn't…" Betty bit her knuckle, trying to keep from crying, "Do you know any more spells to contact her?"

"Other than the ones we've tried?" Sweet Pea's face was pinched, "Betty…"

She shuffled away from his touch, "Then no." She said curtly, turning back and cutting her hand to draw blood above a mixing bowl, "There isn't anything you can do."

Sweet Pea tried not to be offended by her tone, but it still hurt. He couldn't help it.

Jughead should be here with her, but he couldn't. Not without a big conversation that he was Alpha-locked out of having with him, that is. Betty had thrown herself into the portrait after learning of what Polly had decided to do and hadn't come out since.

It had been days.

She'd told Jughead that she needed family time right now, and like the dutiful boyfriend he was, he believed her. Sweet Pea wasn't sure why he was allowed here. Well, he sort of knew. She'd called and asked about some old untranslated spells, but why was he allowed to stay when every avenue was a bust? He wasn't sure...and wasn't going to ask, lest Betty nearly smite him away.

Jason sat, still unmoving, in the corner of the workshed. He was looking less dead and more vampire-ish with each passing day, but alas, no movement. He knew it frustrated Betty because maybe Polly would come home if he was alive. She'd dabbled in some research into this too but was at a dead end.

Right now, Betty was throwing magic out far too dangerous and volatile for her own good.

The witch's shack they were in was cozy, but also very outdated. Felt like something straight out of a Harry Potter movie, and not in a good way necessarily. She'd decided if she was going to be serious about this, she needed a proper place to hole up. Sweet Pea, seeing how on edge she was, was unsure this was the right move, but she ignored all his warnings.

There were two walls up already. It wasn't a mansion, but it was going to be functional. Bedroom, kitchen, bathroom. He'd seen the architectural plans.

With the second wall, Betty collapsed on the ground, her head slick with sweat and her heart beating wildly. He could hear it from where he stood and there was a real part of him that was terrified all this would kill her.

"Use me," He threw out, pleadingly, "If you're going to do this, use me to draw magic. You're...you…"

Betty glanced up, shoving her hair in her face from her eyes, "You don't get it, do you? Every time I think of Polly I just get this wave of magic and it has to go somewhere Sweets." She whispered brokenly, "Or it will swallow me. I'm not using too much magic, I'm using too little."

Sweet Pea went and touched one of the walls of the new structure, feeling how the magic zipped around him, how tightly woven this spell and creation was. She was entirely correct...the magic pulsing out of her was unlike anything he'd ever seen.

"I'm going to stay here, until…" There wasn't a good answer when 'until' was, "Just in case."

Betty shot Sweet Pea her first real smile since this had all gone down, but it quickly faded. Sweet Pea knew why in an instant...he could hear Betty's mother calling from her bedroom.

"I'm not going," Betty said firmly, using the blood in the bowl to draw runes on the walls. They sank into the plaster, vanishing and anchoring her spells to reality, "So she can sit there and call all she wants."

Betty's relationship with Alice was a continual surprise. They'd both sobbed over Polly's leaving, but they had been rocky ever since.

"I'll see what's up," Sweet Pea sighed and began to walk back through the ever-sunny day in the portal forest.

He saw the frame hanging on nothing in the middle of the foliage and saw a window through to Betty's pink bedroom, her mother with one hand on the frame, but unwilling to enter. He knew that between the Cooper family, there was a sense of honesty about the magical world, a quite new one.

"Betty said you insisted on putting this up here," Sweet Pea said, nervous. He'd never done well around normal adults, "Even if you tried to suppress her magic."

"It's a family heirloom," Alice said tersely. Sweet Pea knew that she hated Jughead. Sweet Pea couldn't quite get a read on her feelings towards him...Betty had given her mother bits and pieces of the night she came into her magic, so perhaps Alice was refraining from murdering him just out of respect that he'd saved her.

That felt like years ago, but it really...was just a few short weeks.

"How is Betty?"

"Unraveling," Sweet Pea winced, "But honestly, this is the best place for her to be. A burst of magic in here? Maybe kills a tree. Out here…" He waved to her bedroom, back into their living dimension, "Fells a building, I dunno?"

Alice seemed to consider this and nodded after a long moment.

"I'm making sure nothing happens," Sweet Pea added quietly. Alice's jaw clenched and maybe she wanted to demand him gone, but she finally just sighed.

"She's lucky to have someone protecting her from your dangerous world." She turned and set a plate of perfectly cut sandwiches on the bed. In her way, she was trying to show her love to Betty but had no idea how to begin, "Lunch. I doubt the food in there is any good."

"No, it's acorns and berries," Sweet Pea snorted. He leaned out of the portal to grab the plate, not wanting to have Alice watch him kick around in his muddy shoes on the nice pale pink bedspread, "Thank you, ma'am," He added because he knew his manners.

"You're welcome, Jordan," Alice said, though it half sounded like she was eating glass, "Please come get me if there's anything wrong."

"Of course. Yeah."

Sweet Pea ate two of the six sandwiches on his way back as it was. Betty had denied food before, so he doubted she'd eat now. However, he was wrong, and she ravenously descended upon the plate as soon as he set it down.

"I made something for you," Betty said, pointing to the table, "Decided to try to finish it with all this...magic oozing out. It finally worked. I think."

"What did?" Sweet Pea picked up a necklace with a small wolf carving as a pendant, and as it caught the light, he saw the nearly iridescent gleam of magic. He sniffed.

"Hmm, something like a glamour charm?" He guessed but knew he was off. Wasn't quite right.

"You mentioned a recurring issue among wolves of tearing clothes if you accidentally change," Betty wiped crumbs from her lips, "And I have seen you naked more times than I'd already like, and I'd really hate it if I poofed and tore my favorite shirt, you know?"

"You stop getting attached to shit," Sweet Pea snorted, "Jughead would go mental. Like, that stupid hat? Yeah, that would be pulverized by an accidental shift in days."

"Well, I want to fix that. If I did it right...it should take your clothes to a pocket dimension when you start to change and bring them back when you turn human again."

Sweet Pea nearly dropped the necklace, "No shit? No more having to remember to stuff clothes in forests or take the time to get undressed or lose out?" He asked, never having even thought there was a workaround to this issue.

"Yeah, as I said, if it works," Betty said, "That's what I used your blood for. It's specifically yours, so you can't...lend it to Toni. I'd need her blood to make her own. I needed your DNA to make the pocket dimension so if you all changed at once, you wouldn't get confused and like, come back wearing Lan's skinny jeans."

"That's ingenious. You'd make more? How much?"

Betty shrugged, frustrated, "Should divert my magic to somewhere, someone that actually wants my help," She said bitterly. Sweet Pea winced at her tone.

"I'm sure there's a good reason-,"

"We've gone over this," Betty said, sounding very tired all of a sudden, "I just...don't get why she'd be so foolish."

"Oh, foolish like you are, so angry that you're creating entire subdivisions because you just can't control your temper? Foolish like breaking into the car of a teacher? Foolish like-,"

"Shut up, Jordan!" Betty hissed. Perhaps, if it were Jughead, he would have soothed her pain, like a good boyfriend. Sweet Pea was neither good nor her boyfriend, and honestly? Why the hell was Betty so shocked that her sister had turned around and done the very thing Betty likely would have done herself?

He asked this of her.

"Well, because...she's pregnant! She has shit on the line!" Betty threw out her hands. At this, Sweet Pea couldn't argue.

There was the sound of Alice calling from the front of the portal again. Betty slammed down her mixing bowl and wrung the blood from her hands, swiping a healing salve over it.
"God forbid, what now?" She demanded.

Sweet Pea nervously followed her.

"Mother-,"

Alice was beaming. She grabbed Betty and pulled her rather forcefully through the portrait hole, "Enough is enough, Elizabeth!" She pronounced, looking like a child at Christmas who had just had Santa lavish gifts upon her.

"Mom!" Betty angrily huffed, rubbing her arm where she'd grabbed her.

"Ma'am?"

"Jordan, out of the portrait," Alice commanded, "We have a big week ahead of us."

"We?" Sweet Pea asked, nearly tripping out of the portrait.

"Well, you are preferable to Forsythe-,"

"Mom!" Betty hissed, "Jughead is kind and sweet and-,"

"And strictly non-magical," Alice finished, leaving Betty floundering, "This is going to be a big week. Did you eat your sandwiches?" She asked. Before Betty could answer, she just steamrolled right along, "The Blossoms have always been a thorn in our side, ever since, according to your milquetoast father, Great-Grandpappy Blossom killed Great-Grandpappy Cooper. Well, it's about time someone brings them to heel."

"This is about Polly, right?" Sweet Pea scratched his head.

"Yes, and no." Alice clapped her hands together, "I'm researching and threatening to go public with their illicit magical activity. And if it doesn't bring Polly home, it'll make me feel better."

Sweet Pea looked at Betty, shrugging. They'd been dying to know more about the Blossoms since...forever. And, having an actual adult sorta on their side might help along.

"Okay, but why this week in particular?" Betty pressed.

"Word has it that the Blossom Board of Trustees has descended upon Riverdale like a cabal of vampires...erm, I mean... a flock of witches?" She looked at Sweet Pea.

"A group of witches is called a cauldron. A cauldron of witches." Sweet Pea said cheerily, absolutely making it up on the spot. Alice nodded in thought and didn't seem to question it. Besides, her mind was far away on something else.

"Either way...why? Why are they here? Somewhere...there's a story. We're going to find out."