FP was glad he was not in wolf form. If he was, all anyone would hear right now would be a record replaying the word 'fuck' over and over and over again.

He needed to find Joaquin and Sweet Pea and lock their memories so that the other wolves did not see that Jughead knew. Or, he needed to forbid them from turning until he figured out how to break this.

And what now? You didn't find out unless you triggered the curse. Those were the rules for everyone.

Did he contact Penelope to make a memory wiper? Did he convince Betty to make one out of the respect and love she had for his son? Did he try to snap Jughead into the curse another way, one that didn't involve killing? Did he allow him into the pack as an honorary member, despite being completely non-magical as of now?

The questions were endless and so consuming he did not notice someone approach him.

"FP. As block captain of the Neighborhood Watch, I am obligated to ask you what you're doing on this side of town."

FP knew that voice anywhere. He wasn't sure whether to scream 'fuck' to the skies or laugh. But he bottled up all his worries to turn, offering a roguish smile.

"Neighborhood Watch. Makes sense," He said.

"What are you doing-," Alice began to repeat again, louder.

"It's Jughead's birthday today." He said.

He wasn't sure if Alice would back off, but he was unsurprised when she just lifted her chin higher, "The party seems to be over. And you have no business over here anymore."

"Don't act so high and mighty, Alice. You may not live on the Southside anymore, you may not dress from the Southside, but we both know the truth," He leaned in, enjoying the way her face twitched as he made cracks in her composure, "Snakes don't shed their skins, and wolves don't shed their pelts."

Alice's jaw locked hard, "Goodnight, FP," She hissed, "Leave."

FP raised his hands up, a surrender motion, "You're still fine as hell, Alice. Too bad you've turned into a bad copycat of a Stepford wife." He said, not even needing to look to know that that insult hit exactly his mark.

He missed riling Alice up.

XX

Betty lay sprawled in Jughead's arms on the couch-to-pullout-bed that had been set up in the living room. Maybe it was for them, maybe it had been intended for someone else. It didn't matter; no one else had come to claim it, so for this slice of a moment, it was theirs. Her cheek was against his shoulderblade and he wrapped a protective arm around her, as though trying to shield her from the knowledge of everything he knew. His brain was running a thousand miles per hour.

She yawned and Jughead gave a soft, warm smile down at her. He knew she couldn't stay here the whole night, but what was the harm of an hour or two? He'd wake her…he was not going to be sleeping tonight, if ever again.

"Whew! What a party!" Sweet Pea said, coming in to raid the remainder of the food.

"Shh!" Jughead hissed at him. Sweet Pea turned, catching Betty's weary eyes and drowsy expression and nodding knowingly. He sat down on one of the remaining couches, about to eat, but Jughead sent him a thousand-watt glare. Sweet Pea pursed his lips.

"Right, right. Yeah, you know, I have shit I need to do anyway." He said, gathering his foot quickly, making a bee-line toward the kitchen, "You just, ah, yeah," he waved a hand to dismiss his own half-thoughts. Jughead was pleased he was giving them this little bubble of a moment.

Betty stirred on top of him, "And all this time, I thought you were a lover, not a fighter."

Jughead stared ahead, his heart pounding and his hands aching, "I'm both." Or, rather, there was something inside of him, something snapping and growling and inhuman, "The party was nice until it wasn't," He said after a second, "But that's not on you."

"It wasn't?" She was so needing of his approval, of his assurance he wasn't mad.

"Lots of shitty things happened tonight but you were not one of those," He promised her.

"I should have told you about Chuck," Betty groaned, "But it was embarrassing. And it's hard to admit that there was a part of me that wanted to see him suffer, wanted him to hurt. Some black force just took over. I'm sure it sounds…stupid."

Jughead thought about how he had wanted to claw Chuck's throat out tonight and winced at the memory, horrified in himself, "No, of course not. I understand."

He itched to tell her. But he needed to know more. He needed specifics, he needed truth before he could. It was only when she was fast asleep on top of him, only a few moments later, that he whispered into the crown of her hair the biggest secret of tonight.

"Betty, my dad's a werewolf…and I think I am too."

XX

Sweet Pea opened the back door. With one hand, he slipped the shot glasses into his pocket, his other hand pushing the screen door ajar. He'd been expecting that he'd have to pull out his skills on lock-picking from Youtube, but apparently, doors were just kept open. Well, doors were kept open in the Southside too, but that was because there was nothing worth it to steal in anyone's trailers. But here? Well, that was sure a lot of trust Alice was putting in her neighbors.

The numbers on the stove's clock blinked nearly midnight. He took his shoes off, being courteous, and tilted his head. He couldn't hear anyone still up, not even Nick kicking in the Witch's Portal.

He was halfway up the stairs when he was caught.

"Jordan; give me one reason not to call the cops on you right now. Or, your alpha," Alice said, standing below the stairs, scowl present on her face and her arms crossed tightly over her front. She was in jeans and a sweater still, weird for this time of night.

"Sorry, Mrs. Cooper. Just doing a task for Betty." He jerked his thumb upstairs, hoping to get out of this conversation quickly, "And if you're really so inclined, I'd prefer the cops," He said with a wince. If FP knew they were consorting with Nick and trying to bring Jason back, FP would surely have his head for meddling. And for disobeying Alpha's orders, though Sweet Pea would like someone to appreciate how clever his workaround was. Can't think of Jason and his death? Well, let's make him sorta un-dead.

Alice stayed where she was, eyes narrowed.

"The vampire."

"He's locked away, for now, but I don't think he'd take kindly to being let out during daylight." Sweet Pea said, "He might have a fancy workaround, but hey, I don't want the Vampire Mafia to come after me if I fu-er, screw up." He tilted his head, "I'm surprised you knew he was one."

Alice scoffed, "His stench is bad enough. It's pretty unmistakable."

"Uh-huh, and you've smelled a few in your day?" Sweet Pea asked. Her comment struck him as strange. He, as a werewolf, obviously thought the scent of vampires was noxious and vile. But he didn't know humans could smell it too. He'd never thought to ask that. Humans could tell they were very cold, he supposed, so maybe the smell was something that they too could sense.

That made him carefully sniff his own shirt, concerned…could humans smell him? Did he just perpetually wander around smelling like a wet dog? Damn, he needed to stock up on his deodorant tomorrow.

"Where is my daughter, by the way?" Alice said.

"With Jughead and Archie. They're just watching a movie," Sweet Pea fibbed easily. He'd been lying since he'd been born. Betty deserved a few more moments without her mother barging in, "She'll be back home soon. But it's been a rough night."

"With that boy, I'm sure it has been," Alice said, making a slight turn, as though ready to storm over and drag Betty home.

"I don't get it," Sweet Pea spoke, making her pause. He was stalling Alice, sure, but more than that…he honestly was curious, "You don't seem to hate me with a passion of a thousand suns, and heck, I'm the werewolf. You hate Jughead. He's 100% natural human. And I know you have no lost love for Serpents," Sweet Pea scratched his head, leaning his arms over the banister, "You just hate Jughead."

"As a mother, sometimes you know when someone is not right for your daughter," Alice said sternly, "I'm just protecting her!"

"Betty does not and will never see it that way," Sweet Pea said empathetically, "She's not only sixteen, but she's a witch. She is more than capable and she knows it."

"Don't think I have far superior opinions of you, Jordan," Alice said after a long moment, "Which reminds me, now that we're here, what are your intentions with my daughter?"

Sweet Pea blew out a long sigh, "Because you're protecting her?" He asked. She didn't make a motion to reply, just stared him down. And she was sort of terrifying like this, "Okay, look, me too. She's come into this world of magic and it's dangerous and confusing and strange and she's coming in far later than most, so she's having everything happen in double-time for her," Sweet Pea made a whoosing sound and accompanying motion with his hand, "And I'm just trying to keep her sane. Take your pick of what you like; a mentor, a friend, a teacher, a companion, the Virgil to her Dante-," He saw Alice's eyebrows shoot up and he felt a thrill of superiority. Alice was not good at her poker face, and her thoughts were obvious. He gave a dry, sardonic laugh, "Yeah, yeah, I read things. I'm not dumb. There's more than rocks rolling around up here," He said, tapping his head, "The Southside isn't the greatest education, but hey, I'm more than capable to protect her." Sweet Pea said firmly, furious at the thought she would think him unworthy.

"That might be true, but what's in it for you?" Alice asked, recovering from her surprise quickly.

"What?" Sweet Pea's mood faltered.

"Is it an Alpha command? Do you dream of being a teacher? What is it? I just…I'm trying to understand why you care so much. Why are you Virgil?"

Sweet Pea blinked at her. He could have replied that yes, it had been a command at first, but now…"She's my friend."

There was a long beat. "You're being honest," Alice said, tone low and voice stretched out, as though this was not what she was expecting.

"Of course I am," Sweet Pea drew back, "I don't want money or fame or any of that shit. I just don't want her to feel alone going through this like I was. And I like spending time with her. I think she's brilliant too. She's so powerful if you just could see that and-," He noticed that Alice was now trying to hold in laughter, "What?" He demanded sharply.

"Nothing, you have just…made your intentions now very clear to me," She said. She sobered, her face turning back to a stern, unwelcoming expression, "Get that vampire out of my house, boy."

Sweet Pea sighed, feeling like he was missing some significant something of that last bit of conversation, "Yes, ma'am. Was my intention." He mumbled, going the rest of the way up the stairs.

Nick was in the small hut, mostly where they'd left him.

"Sorry for the wait."

Nick looked up at the sky, scowling, "Time passes differently in here, I suppose. I hardly felt like much at all had passed. That, and perhaps I'm just…so enthralled by all this magic. It's addicting," Nick said.

"Yeah, I know, I know," Sweet Pea sighed. He motioned to Jason, still catatonic, "No dice? Is he fated to be a frozen vegetable forever?" Perhaps in bad taste, but Sweet Pea was sort of proud of that joke.

"No, I don't think so," Nick said, though he wasn't certain. Nick was often annoyingly arrogant, so it was unexpected for Sweet Pea to catch him so unsure, "His mind is…awake." Nick made a swirling motion around his head.

"Oh?"

"I went inside of his mind and talked to him. It's a maze in there. I don't know if I'd be sure how to get out either. But he wants to, he's just trying to get past those walls." Nick explained.

"Couldn't you zap him to the finish line?" Sweet Pea sighed in frustration.

"I doubt that's how this works, Karan," Nick shook his head, confirming what Sweet Pea feared.

"So…" He threw out his hands, "What's the prognosis, doc?"

"I would think he should wake up soon. I reminded him of his progeny. I might have spoiled the surprise of the twins, but he is even more incensed to finish it. I theorize once he finishes the maze, he'll awaken. I don't have any guesses for how long, so I wouldn't ask." He said, anticipating Sweet Pea's next inquiry.

"Damn. Well, okay, not terrible news, then," He said, kicking a chair in front of him. The shot glasses clinked in his jacket, "Oh, yeah, hey…you mind doing something for me?"

"Another request?"

"I think you'll be interested in this one too, Nicky."

Sweet Pea pulled out the shot glasses and handed one to Nick, who sniffed it. His eyebrows pulled and he sniffed it again, frowning.

"What was in here?"

"I don't know. That's the point. But something about it smells off, doesn't it?" Sweet Pea prompted.

"It smells like nothing," Nick said, and Sweet Pea nodded, hoping they were on the same page, "Absolutely nothing, which, between us, we should be able to smell something. It's as though literal nothingness was in here, but we both know that's not true. It's being masked off from us in some way."

"Uh-huh." Sweet Pea quickly recapped what had happened at the party and he could see the interest grow on Nick's face.

"The Blossom Witch, you say?" Nick set the glass back down, "My, Karan, you certainly do know what grabs my attention. Now I must know." He began searching for a bag of some sort, as he told Sweet Pea, "As I'm raiding her hut, why would you not have your own witch examine this markup? I know you trust her far more than you trust me."

"That's true," Sweet Pea snorted, finding a rickety chair to plop down in, "But she didn't find anything much amiss. She'd be a hard sell, and she has so much more going on. And plus, the other thing, Nick…you forget she's only just come into her powers literally like a month ago. She's really making strides, but analyzing potion ingredients and make-ups is like…" Sweet Pea waved a hand, rubbing his forehead, "So very far down the list of things to get through. Years away. She wouldn't even know what she's looking at."

"Hmm, what great power she already has. Tell her she's lucky to have you as her gatekeeper, otherwise you know I'd have her myself one way or another," Nick said, finding not quite a plastic bag, but something comparable. He turned and laughed.

"It's not funny."

"You are. The way you bristle, how your fangs are bared…you do care for her so. As I said, she's lucky," He said, "And relax. I respect our working partnership, Karan. I'm not foolish enough to endanger it. I feel as though I am just beginning on this chapter with Riverdale," He nodded to Jason, "Due to him and a few other…possible outcomes. So I'm sure I will see her again. And perhaps when she is more learned, I can help her."

"Nick," Sweet Pea warned.

"She's yours. I understand, no need to rip my throat out," Nick waved him off, "I'll have my best warlock examine this. The bartender you met; I also have a powerful sorcerer in my corner. Not like yours, but raw power, while intriguing, is also useless without the proper training. So keep that comfort too that I'm not sure I want to babysit a new witch. It's tiring work. Any work with new creatures is exhausting and don't you also babysit the new werewolf pups?" Without waiting for his answer, already knowing, Nick clicked his tongue, "Not how I'd spend my time. But it's admirable I suppose, if not draining."

Sweet Pea gave a half-laugh, still angry with Nick, "Yeah, you got that right."

"I will let you know as soon as I have any news," Nick said, raising the shot glasses.

"Will you?" Sweet Pea asked, standing between Nick and the hut entrance.

"I have no reason to hide it from you. Because I am sure of one thing, something you must already know…this feels like a warm-up to something else. Cheryl does not seem the type to so casually spike non-magical humans and think that someone would not catch on. Which means she's banking on something bigger. And I, for one, am desperately curious as to what that will be. But I also know that you are useless if you're dead in a ditch because of whatever this contains that I didn't warn you about. You have much more use to me alive." He patted Sweet Pea's arm, "That's a compliment, kid."

"Gee, thanks." Sweet Pea motioned to the forest, "I'm going to make sure you find your way out."

"Lead on," Nick said, grinning, "You know, I was very unsure if I should make the trip down here," Nick said as they began making their way back. Sweet Pea groaned.

"And now?" He was afraid of Nick's answer, and rightfully so.

"I think I might need to make Riverdale a more common stop when I need some drama in my life."

XXX

"Well, that party was a bust," Archie groaned, "I'll never be invited anywhere again. The kid that threw a shit party."

"Hey, I accused Cheryl of twincest. If people are going to talk about something, it'll be that." Veronica nudged his arm as she helped in shove paper cups into plastic bags.

"It was weird. The shot. I mean, Sweet Pea was so against it, and I wouldn't have pegged him for someone not down to party." Archie recalled, pausing. Veronica turned to see Sweet Pea rummaging in the kitchen, but it looked like maybe he was helping to clean too. He turned and gave the pair a little wave, before stuffing something in his pocket and heading toward the front door.

"It got us drunk real fast," Veronica said with a snort, "They need to market whatever that was better. Most of us went from totally fine to totally impulsive, all in like three seconds," She said, placing a description of the weirdness of that drink that she got the feeling Archie couldn't place.

"Sucks that Jughead nearly got into a fistfight for his birthday party," Archie said in a glum sigh.

"Party that just happened to coincide with his birthday," Veronica tried to cheer him up, then frowned, "Are we not doing that anymore?"

"Gosh, Ronnie, I just feel like I'm wrecking things. This party was for Jug; I chose to let them in. I'm worrying my parents about things that aren't their fault but aren't mine either, it's just…out of my control. And I'm losing my grip on things," He stomped on an aluminum can, coming smashing down on it.

"Welcome to my life."

Archie looked up at her, "You came in crying and here I am, moaning about me," He said, "Just another thing to ruin…"

"Archie, no, of course not. My issues are complicated. There are just so many lies and I just wonder when it all really stops. How can I trust them again?" She sat down on the back porch, "Do you feel that way at all?"

"I wonder what if I had left Riverdale with my mom. Would the sort of issues I'm having now, would they be the same? Would they happen at all?" Archie grasped grass between his fingers and threw it into the wind, "I think I would have been better off with her."

"No, no," Veronica crooned, turning his face towards hers, "We would've never met and that would have been a tragedy. That's all I know." She whispered, embracing the heat from his body next to hers.

"I'm messed up, V. I have so much going on and I can't explain it all to you." He warned.

Veronica gave a soft, almost angry smile, "Sing me a song I don't know at all," She said sadly.

Their first kiss was like two magnets. They just moved at the same time and when they kissed, it was celestial.

And, in the back of her head, Veronica heard Nick's voice…not in a creepy way, or a lustful way. Just the idea that if she wanted to become a vampire, she had to really want it.

And moments like this, on Archie's back porch with their hands clasped and his lips on hers, made her give her resolution to turn a pause.

She couldn't be sure, but she was fairly certain vampires didn't feel alive like this.

And, for the first time, she understood what Nick had been saying.

XXX

Something had always been off about Smithers. Not in a creepy way. He was very kind, but he always had such a twinkle in his eye, like he knew far more than Veronica could ever guess. But now, she had a pretty good idea why that would be.

The next morning she strode up to where he stood.

"Smithers, you've known my parents a very long time, haven't you?"

Smithers grinned, as though telling a personal joke, "Oh, my, yes. Ages. And ages," He added with a glimmer. She felt it in her soul at that moment that he too was a vampire, and perhaps one much older than both of her parents combined.

"Would you say my father is a good man?" She asked.

Smithers tipped his hat, "That is not for me to say, miss."

Veronica gave a light smile, testing the waters, "Is it the phrasing that makes it difficult?" She asked, referring to 'man', since technically, her father was no longer just a simple, mortal man.

"It is not of my opinion to make."

For as clever as Veronica thought she was, she forgot that she was dealing with someone that had perhaps ten times her life experience.

She paused, unsure if she wanted the next answer, "My mother?"

"Unequivocally good," Smithers assured, never missing a beat, "She always has been. You have her heart, Ms. Lodge."

Veronica wondered if push came to shove, even though he'd been with her father and perhaps the Lodge family in the larger sense for decades or eons, would he pick her mother over her father?

Those were all questions for another day, however.

"Thank you, Smithers."

XX

Archie had just finished almost everything when the front door opened. He moved quickly, but then hung back, surprised at how eager he was to see his parents, as though he was five, and not a teenager.

"Hey, sport! How was your weekend?" Fred ruffled his hair and pulled him into a side-hug, "You wanna take these?" He said. Already, there were four bags at the door.

"Wow, that's a lot of luggage," Archie said, hope flickering in his chest.

"Your mom thinks that perhaps this requires a longer stay than just a few days. She dropped everything, you know," Fred said.

"And we'll get to the bottom of it all," Mary said as she came in, "Fred, why don't you get the rest of the bags? Baby," She said, reaching for her son, "Tell me what's going on. In your own words."

Archie felt like he could spill out a Niagra Fall's amount of information, but he reminded himself that the secrets of Betty or Sweet Pea were not his to tell. His mother didn't need to know all the rest of it, not when he himself needed help beyond help.

His lips were still loose, and he told all of the things pertaining to his issues right now, skirting carefully along the edges of the magic that was pushing against his; his friendship with Betty, Cheryl triggering something to change him, or the wolf-pack dealing with a murderer.

Still, it was enough information, because as Fred came back through the door, Mary gave a tired, but not malicious, sigh in his direction.

"Freddy, you owe me $10. I told you he got my Grimm genetics."

XX

Cheryl rolled out of bed, surprised her mother had not come in, snapping for her to get up. She felt well-rested and there were pancakes waiting for her, smothered in syrup. Quite a surprise, and a sign her mother was in good spirits.

Cheryl was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Of course, Polly had a full banquet in front of her, as Penelope doted on her, insisting twins needed much sustenance. Cheryl knew this was true, but usually, she was regaled to eating whatever was leftover, even if the portions were generous.

"For moi?" She tried not to sound shocked, though this small act had put her off balance this morning.

"Your mom wants to see you when you finish eating," Polly said, finishing her dishes. She smiled as she stood, "They're active today."

Cheryl forced a fake, bright grin until she was gone. She personally thought that Jason was a terrible judge of other women, and whenever he woke up, she damn well was going to tell him that.

Her mother was in the potion's lab, a place she did not often spend her time. Her magic was not nearly as strong as Cheryl's, so it was difficult to achieve even simple potions. Cheryl had little patience for potion making, so the lab went unused.

"How was the party last night?" Penelope asked, unusually interested in Cheryl's life.

"It was…fun…" She didn't want to tell her mother too much. She was fishing, but for what, Cheryl was unsure.

"And the liquor was well-enjoyed?"

"Of course, mother. Most people will never get such an expensive drop of premium alcohol for their entire lives," Cheryl said, feeling quite good about bestowing such a gift upon her classmates, flaunting what she had. She had reveled and soaked in the compliments people gave her about the quality of it, as though she hadn't known that this was the 'good stuff'.

Her mother had off-handedly given it to her last moment. This was not unusual. Whenever Penelope and her father were in a good, stand-still fight, her mother would raid his expensive liquor cabinet and hand off a thousand-dollar bottle to Jason or Cheryl to consume. This usually got them at least talking to each other again.

"Did it fix the fight?"

"You know your father cannot just say nothing when his auction bottles start disappearing," Penelope said with a clever smirk, "I just told him I must have misplaced it somewhere."

Cheryl knew that this had to be a trap, somehow, but she yearned for her mother's acceptance. She wanted to be the daughter that had a relationship at all with her mother, that talked like this about everything all the time, "Now, tell me. It's been a long time since I've been to a teenage party. How did the night go down? I want to hear every detail."

Surprise colored Cheryl's reply, "You do?"

"Well, I just want to live a little vicariously," Penelope said, "Indulge your mother, will you?"

So Cheryl did. She broke down everything she remembered from the party. Her mother seemed genuinely interested, asking how Cheryl saw certain things happen or inquiring about her feelings towards events. It was so bizarre that Cheryl wondered if she'd woken up in an alternate reality, one where her mother actually enjoyed her presence.

"What are you making, mom?" Cheryl got up, sniffing it. There was no trace of magic, as far as Cheryl could tell.

"Dabbling in commissions, again," Penelope said with a casual shrug.

"I don't recognize this one," Cheryl frowned, reaching forward, but her mother gave her a harsh slap with the spoon in her hand. Yes, that was more familiar.

"I taught you better than to reach into unknown cauldrons," She said with disappointment.

"Sorry," Cheryl said, withdrawing into herself a bit, pulling back her excitement to talk with her mom.

"It's nothing special," Penelope assured, "Just what I think we could call a little bit of chaos."