Betty felt like she was in a horror movie, but no one knew it except for her.
She was shocked she'd made it through her speech at all. Sure, it had felt good to plan it at the time, thinking of how she'd do some 'malicious compliance' for Mayor McCoy about how even people like Jughead or FP were 'Riverdale', just as much as she and Archie were, and how she wanted everyone to do better, but her mind was everywhere else.
Her mind was in the waters being given out. The food being handed out. The garlands of flowers hung everywhere. Every inch of this place had Betty wondering what was going to send them all into freefall.
Jughead hadn't appeared. Not that she'd thought he would, but he'd expressed that if he had time after seeing his dad, he'd come. Sweet Pea had shown up, lurking in the corners at the last minute, looking absolutely exhausted. Even from the stage, she could see bags underneath his eyes and the way his body was sagging.
This Alpha thing would kill him if he didn't figure some tricks out fast.
Still, Betty could not even think about that for too long.
She was waiting for the shoe to just…drop.
She gathered her friends after the speech.
"Kick-ass!" Archie said, trying to high-five her.
"You really knocked it out of the park. And my mom was fuming, but she'll never admit it," Josie said, nudging her.
"Our little orator!" Veronica teased.
"Okay, okay, that's all good, but what about the…thing?" Betty prompted.
Everyone was silent, "Nothing here yet," Midge said, "And I'm very in tune, of course. But I really don't feel anything off, yet."
"Yet. Exactly. Yet!" Betty hissed.
"Okay, girl, you're starting to sound a bit crazy. No offense," Veronica said, "But honestly, maybe we're being played."
"Were not!" Betty said so sharply and so angrily that it drew the attention of some people passing by.
"Sure, sure, okay, shh…." Sweet Pea said, going to touch her shoulder. She jumped away, not willing to let him and her show something she didn't mean to, to project something to her gathered friends, to play her hand about what had happened between them ealier. Though, the kiss circled in her mind like a vinyl being played, a song where you couldn't get the tune out of your mind.
From the way Sweet Pea pressed his lips, it was clear that he was thinking the same. She swallowed, focusing her attention back on the concern at hand.
"Tonight is the perfect night. When the town is celebrating, it would be poetic to have it tear itself apart. What does Penny think?" Betty asked, turning to Sweet Pea.
He gave a haggard sigh, "She agrees. Most likely, if she were to unleash something, it would be tonight. She can't guess what it is, however. It could be anything. There are some futures even too difficult for her to decipher. But I feel fine. You guys?"
"Just chipper!" Kevin said, "I mean, I pulled my shoulder working out, but I think that's just me."
"I think I have an idea," Betty said, fingers shaking as she unlocked a tiny tin, "I made more of the suppressants that Sweet Pea showed me. I think we should all take them."
"What do they do?" Archie asked uneasily, "And why?"
"Well, it's targeting either humans or supernaturals. What if we were neither? These turn off what it's like to be a wolf or a Grimm or a witch. You can't use your powers, but you're not in either category anymore. Not a human, but not a wolf. Or, not a human, but not a Grimm. I think it's a loophole."
"Naw, uh-uh," Sweet Pea swiftly shook his head, "I need to be able to phase if shit hits the fan. If I can't, I'm leaving my pack vulnerable."
"If I can't protect people, I'm basically useless!" Archie protested, "And you!"
"I have potions. I can still hand them out as a non-witch. I mean, you guys are putting a lot of faith in the idea you can fight out whatever enchantment is thrown our way!" Betty argued angrily, "What if you can't control your own strength?" She asked Archie, "And what if you just become one with the wolf entirely?"
Both Archie and Sweet Pea mumbled half-hearted answers, but Betty could tell they weren't keen on the whole situation.
"I'll take one. And at the first sign of danger, I'll pop it," Josie said, wrapping hers in a napkin, "I'd rather be safe than sorry. I don't know if I could stop myself if the urges overtook me."
"The Fae isn't usually affected by spells, but," Midge shrugged, taking one as well, "Perhaps it's a new breed of danger."
"Will it protect humans too?" Kevin asked, "Put us in that in-between stage too?"
"I don't know," Betty sighed, "But take one. And give one to Dilton if you see one. And I'll try to find Jughead. And guys…please? Don't take it now, just…wait on it." She asked the two hold-outs.
"Fine. But only for you, Betty!" Archie said, wiggling a finger, "Are we going to Pop's for milkshakes like usual?"
"I have a prior commitment," Veronica said swiftly, almost too fast, "I can't."
Any other day, Betty would have bothered her about what this 'commitment' was, but tonight...tonight her mind could barely focus on anything else than worrying that everyone would die before dawn rose.
"I think I need to make more potions," Betty mumbled.
"Pack," Sweet Pea said.
"Told my dad I'd help with crowd control after the Jubilee," Kevin replied.
"Dinner with my mom and a bunch of town officials," Josie shuddered, "Trust me, I'd rather be at Pop's."
"Oh. Right. I'll just see if I can find Jug or something," Archie said, clearly a tad disappointed.
Betty sighed, patting his shoulder, "Sorry, Arch."
"Naw, no. It's cool." Archie said as they walked outside, "Things are different now. I gotta get used to that."
"Not that different. Tomorrow, we'll all meet for a burger, right?" Betty encouraged, hating to see Archie so dissatisfied.
"If we're alive," Kevin muttered under his breath. Josie hit his shoulder hard.
As they stepped out of the town hall, the inhabitants streaming down the sidewalks, a clap of thunder roared overhead. It was unseasonably warm for the end of October, so most people had elected to enjoy the warm weather and walk there. But now, heavy rain poured down, like some god was dropping buckets upon their heads. People moaned and groaned, patting for umbrellas or trying to call cabs, or just accepting the warm rain and racing home.
"Weird. The forecast didn't say rain," Midge said, scratching her head.
"Dilton would say we're in a simulation and it's the government," Sweet Pea offered with a smirk as he used his jacket to try to shield himself.
"Whatever," Betty rolled her eyes, "Even the weathermen are human." She pressed her lips, "If something comes tonight…I'll be ready."
She knew her friends probably thought her a bit too intense, but she was not going to let anything happen.
Not if she could help it.
XXX
Nervous, but sure of herself, Veronica wrung out her hair as she pushed the door open to Pop's with her hip, arriving at a scene of merriment and good-natured spirits. Everyone was talking about the freak rainstorm, on a level with what some were miscalling a monsoon, and a poor Pop's employee looked frazzled as he tried to mop up wet spots on the linoleum floor, just to have three more people waltz in.
"Poor Sisyphus," Veronica chuckled to herself.
She approached the bar, leaning over to wave to Pop, "Archie been here yet? Or Jughead?" She asked, glancing around. None of her friends were there.
"No, sorry Miss Lodge. I'm surprised I haven't seen Jughead today," He said, "If I see 'em, I'll give a holler."
He misinterpreted her interest as wanting to see them.
It was quite the opposite.
She was hoping she could slip in and out before Archie ever arrived if he managed to even find Jughead.
She'd sat with that bottle of blood and a handful of Cheryl's pills in her bedroom for far too long before deciding she should just get on with it. And, she was halfway into making a smoothie before it hit her…
She wanted Pop's.
Either this would be her last meal ever, as in this wouldn't work and she'd absolutely die, or this would be her last meal as a human. As a vampire, everything would change. Either way, when faced with the question of what she wanted her last human meal to be, the answer was alarmingly simple…a Pop's burger. The ultimate comfort food.
So she ordered a strawberry milkshake and a greasy burger, and told herself she was going to eat the whole thing, fries included. None of her previous weight-watching half-nibblings or skipping the fries.
She deserved it.
Want to learn the ultimate weight loss secret that doctors hate? Veronica thought bitterly, Just become a vampire and never eat carbs again!
Luckily, everyone was in their own little bubbles and she was able to find a booth near the back and no one even noticed her. No one saw the way her hands shook as she accepted the tray, or how she had to stand still to keep herself from tearing up, getting emotional over something smothered in butter and cheese.
She ate her burger first. She sank into the juicy tenderness and relished the fat that ran down her fingers and lips as she ate. She licked the salt from her fingers that were transferred by the fries and felt like, for the first time, she was living totally unbothered by the usual hangups and worries she had.
Oh…if every day, every meal, every moment could be like this.
Then, when she was sure no one was looking, she quickly dumped Nick's blood into her milkshake and swirled it quickly.
She had picked strawberry because it was the far superior flavor, but also because blood mixed in just made it pinker. Nothing out of the ordinary.
It also masked the taste.
But Veronica was determined, and she had precious few days before her father arrived home. She wanted to be an adversary when she did.
If her father didn't want to meet his match, he shouldn't have trained her as well as he had.
As she was finishing her fries and wondering how long she should wait, to really be sure that the blood would settle and allow her to change properly, a group of soaking-wet girls entered Pop's.
They were young; middle school. The way they giggled and gossiped filled Veronica with tender nostalgia. They were all on their phones, apparently trying to call someone to pick them up from this thrashing storm. All the tables were full up, as everyone had chosen to come and grab a bite to eat here tonight, and they did a circle around, hoping to find something.
As they passed Veronica's booth, she noticed that one of the girls was limping badly and it seemed like she had a gash on her leg.
"You can take my place," She offered, "I'm about to leave anyway."
"Thanks!" One of the girls chirped, helping her friend sit down. Up close, it looked even worse.
Veronica sucked in through her teeth, "What happened?"
"A wolf." One of the friends sniggered, and this had Veronica frowning. She studied them, but before she could reply, another girl hit the first friend.
"She just joking, duh! She tripped over a tree branch!" One of her friends said, bursting into laughter. For the glare and the furious look in the girl's eyes, and the way the rest all were dissolving in laughter, it seemed that it hit a nerve.
"Inside joke?" Veronica asked.
"Something like that," The injured one said testily.
"Sanders, you're just clumsy!"
"Well, if she hadn't tripped into you-that tree, I mean, she'd be fine. Yo- uhm- it was in her way," The one who had given the tree story pointed out, "Ooh! My mom's calling; I need to get more bars." She stood up, going over to a window.
"Sanders?" Veronica echoed. Somewhere, it rang a bell, though she was too preoccupied with her own worries to really try to think of where she knew that name from. All she did know is that something about the story was hitting strange.
"Nickname," The girl said quickly like Veronica had caught her in a lie.
"Hey, I know that your mom probably told you to never accept drugs from strangers, but I swear I'm not trying to hurt you or anything. I just have some great painkillers, and it looks like you need them." Veronica offered, having found the pills she'd tried to give Archie moments after he went on stage, from when he was wrapping his probably broken hand.
"I'll be fine," Sanders said quickly.
"Sure, but you look like you're in pain now. It might take an edge off."
Veronica put the pills on the table, "I don't care either way. Just thought you could use it. You look like a cat dragged through the mud."
"Or a dog," Sanders said with a half-toothy grin.
If Veronica were less worried about herself, she thinks she would have been able to make the connection. Realize that she was a werewolf. Perhaps even remember that she was Sweet Pea's special little mentee. She didn't. And it didn't really matter; if she had, she wouldn't have known that tripping into her friend, which is how she really got that wound, would not close up like a normal wound was going to, and she'd have a scar for quite a bit for her own clumsiness. Either way, Veronica still would have offered. But perhaps she would have been forthcoming about what they were.
All in all, Veronica cared very little if Sanders accepted the pills or not as she let her table to the rest of the middle school girls.
If only she knew, in that very moment, what she set into motion besides just her own plots.
As she exited the diner, she checked her phone; 9:48 pm.
Raining lightly now, and wanting to be alone with herself in these final moments, she began walking back towards the North Side.
She was far away from the diner when 10 pm hit and everything inside just burst into frenzied chaos.
XXX
Betty had elected to take the pill, so when 10 pm hit, at first, she didn't realize that the switch had flipped.
She was making potions, trying to prepare. Sweet Pea, having decided that for the first time since his ascension things were okay with his pack, had come to help her. And it was chill; they were joking around, making good progress, and in general, Betty was starting to think she was being over dramatic about the whole damn thing.
Until Sweet Pea dropped a vial and made a choking sound.
"Sweets?" She asked, confused, and turned to see him hunched over, spitting out saliva onto the ground and sweating profusely.
"Sweet Pea?" She asked louder, approaching him.
"Stay…back…" He groaned, grabbing his head.
"Why? What happened? Did you mix something wrong?" She asked, so worried and so in her own head that she didn't reach the conclusion she'd been prepping everyone else for…that this was what was coming for them.
"The spell…I dunno how…it's started…" Sweet Pea ground out, wheezing hard.
"What? What do you mean?" Betty demanded, "Sweets!"
He looked up, and Betty inhaled sharply. His eyes were bright yellow.
"Everyone is feeling it. No one can control it." He said, fingers grasping the table edge. Betty took four steps backward and was about to turn and run when Sweet Pea let out an offended sound.
"What, do you think I'm going to tear your throat out? Kill you?" He asked, absolutely horrified, "Chase you down like prey?"
"But I thought you said-,"
"Betty," Sweet Pea gave a hard laugh, "I'm very much in tune with my wolf. We know this, right? This spell opened a connection for some, but it's no different than how I always am. I'm not going to just tear out and murder the peasants of Riverdale." He chuckled, amused, almost.
"Then why are you...why are your eyes like that? Why are you breathing hard?" She crossed her arms, "You'd better not be lying!"
"The spell plays upon letting out our worst vices, doesn't it? For magical folk, it's a bit more...bloody. But it might be different if you are human. It's still...affecting me, Betty. Oh, god, it's getting to me." He said.
"Then, what?" Betty asked, taking five steps towards Sweet Pea. When she crossed an invisible line, one in which she could reach out to touch him, he flinched away. Hurt, she pulled her hand back slowly. Sweet Pea winced at her expression, dropping his head into his arms and groaning. When he answered, Betty almost couldn't hear.
"Repeat that?"
"Lust, okay?" He mumbled, face bright red and embarrassed, "It's...lust."
Betty stood, stunned and just blinked at Sweet Pea. She liked her lips, shaking her head.
"I'm not sure I understand."
Sweet Pea looked Betty up and down, biting his lip and frowning, cheeks flushed crimson, and she felt like his eyes were memorizing her body, "Take a guess."
"Me?" She gaped, "Wait...me?"
"Yes," He replied, "The things I want to do to you...it's more...all those ideas that were just ideas are dying to let loose. My good self-preservation skills and impulse control is hanging by a thread."
Betty, knowing she should offer him a pill, couldn't help but let herself get drawn in by the low vibration in his voice, the urge that pulsed as he spoke. She wondered if she also had abstained from taking a pill early on, what would happen?
It was nice to know that her next words were all her own curiosity.
"What do you want to do with me?" She asked, too curious for her own good, coming to stand next to him. Sweet Pea, leaning over the work table, turned his body slightly. He pulled her in front of her, hoisting her up to sit on the table, so that he stood between her legs, and she was face-to-face with him.
"What do you think?" He asked, teasingly, biting down on her neck, not enough to draw blood, but enough to make her gasp. As he pressed against her, she could feel his desire against the inside of her thigh, and a full-body shudder raced down her spine.
"Oh, Betty," He moaned, pressing his forehead to hers, "I can feel your thoughts. And it goes both ways..." He whispered. She would be incredibly self-conscious about the way her thoughts were detailing her own desires if she didn't see flashes of Sweet Pea's own needs like a thrumming of a heartbeat against the back of her mind.
She felt how they were on the precipice of it; of Sweet Pea clearing off the rest of the table, laying her back, slipping her underwear off, his fingers between her thighs, her hands unbuckling his pants...and Betty, though totally sober (though perhaps drunk on the feeling of being so desired), would let him.
Sweet Pea grasped her blonde hair in his palm as he brought her lips up for a kiss. It was nothing like their kiss before, but this one made Betty melt into him. She pulled him against her more, forgetting for a second what had started this, why they were here together until;
"Please, Betty, give me the pill," Sweet Pea croaked, "Or else I'm not going to be able to drive these thoughts away. And I want you so badly," He whimpered.
"But-,"
"I gotta...the pack...and the town..." He dug his forehead into her collarbone, breath hot on her exposed shoulder, and both his hands at the small of her back, clinging to the shirt there like it was his lifeline.
Betty, feeling foolish, nodded. She fished her hand back, finding the pill box. She handed one to him, her fingers shaking, and he took it. She watched as he chewed it slowly, and then inhaled, before stepping away.
"Thoughts gone now?"
When Sweet Pea opened his eyes and glanced at Betty, his irises were back to normal, "They're never gone," He said with almost a rueful smile, "Just tucked back away in the box of things I'm not supposed to open."
"Sweets..." Betty began, and laughed, almost angrily, because she shouldn't want him as much as she did, not when her breakup with Jughead was so fresh and still hurt so much, "I want you too." She offered up, "Perhaps if we survive...we can open that box up again?"
Sweet Pea looked like she was about to tell him that it was a joke. After a moment, he gave a tentative smile, "Alright. Sure, yeah. I'd really...really like that."
Betty leaned up to give him a kiss, "Me too."
They packed up any potions that were finished and useful quickly, shoving them into pockets and bags and anywhere they could fit them. They worked swiftly, before running back toward the portrait hole. At the front, just as Betty was about to step out, Sweet Pea's fingers grasped around her wrist. As she aspirated a voice of surprise and confusion, he tugged her into his arms, giving her another long, desperate kiss.
"Wha...what was that for?" She mumbled, confused.
"Because I want to, and I don't know..." He swallowed, "I don't know what this night will bring. But if I didn't get to kiss you and missed out or if something happened..." He shook his head, "I'd be angry forever." He pressed his forehead to hers, "Please, be safe. You gotta survive this."
"Sweets, I'm staying with you," Betty insisted firmly, "We're doing this together."
"The world could be on fire out there. We could get separated. I know I have no right to ask you to stay behind, so this...that kiss, if it's the last, will have to suffice." He said.
"There will be more after," Betty said, feeling brave, "We will both come out of this night a-okay."
"Promise?"
Before Betty could reply, a shrill scream from downstairs sent Betty's blood cold.
She leaped through the portal and fell off her bed in her panic, tripping down the stairs to find Polly absolutely terrified and traumatized, grasping her neck. Rivets of red ran between her fingers and she was pale as a ghost and frantically scooting back on the carpet, attempting to whimper a scared, "Ja…ja…Jason! It's Polly!"
Betty turned to see Jason approaching, fangs out and eyes totally blank of any emotion of connection to his pregnant fiancee.
"Oh, fucking hell!" Betty groaned, "Where's mom?"
Polly just gave Betty a wide-eyed stare and Betty realized that it was probably not the time to ask her questions.
Betty did the only thing she could think of at the exact moment; she grasped her mother's award for excellent journalism from the curio cabinet and whacked him over the head with it.
He went down hard.
"Jeezus! I was just two seconds behind!" Sweet Pea groaned, "Can you not take down bloodthirsty killing machines, please?"
"No time. Besides... c an't kill him twice at least," Betty muttered to herself, glad that she couldn't give him any lasting brain damage.
"Hey, hey…" She said, turning to Polly, "It's okay…I'm going to go and get a potion, alright? Just sit tight. I promise I'll be right back." She said. Polly tried to grip her hand firmly but had lost enough blood that she couldn't hold on very long.
"Sweets?" She asked, "They fell. Next to the bed."
"On it." He said, running back upstairs. He returned with the bag of potions and her phone.
She forced the calming potion down her sister's throat as a new text message came in. She glanced at the screen to see it blowing up with texts and notifications.
Midge was unaffected but reported the same that Betty was seeing. Kevin said it was like a Black Friday, but far worse. Dilton was panicking.
Nothing from Jughead, Archie, Veronica, or Josie.
She pressed her lips together; they were all very capable people. She had this to worry about. She looked up at Sweet Pea, sighing.
"We need to get a pill into Jason; he'll be okay, right? Like it won't just kill him or something- and help Polly."
"I don't know what he'll do. I've never given a vampire a suppressant. Let's tie him up, just to be on the safe side and not give him one." Sweet Pea said, shrugging.
He took care of tying Jason up and administering a sleeping draught to hopefully keep him in dreamland until this passed, and Betty rubbed a salve into her sister's neck wound, shushing and quietly comforting Polly.
"Babies..okay?" Polly asked in a throaty, breathy tone.
"I'm sorry, I'm taking a suppressant. I don't have my normal witch powers. I'd take you to a hospital right away, but it's literally a free-for-all out there." She said.
"What…s…happening…"
"A curse," Sweet Pea swore, "A fucking witches curse!"
"Jason doesn't know what he's doing. This isn't him. He'll probably be horrified in the morning," Betty reminded Polly, as she stared warily at his body.
"Babies…shoved…back…saved…me," Polly said. She didn't finish her sentence but Betty understood; if they hadn't, Polly may have been dead before Betty even got downstairs.
"Where's your mom?" Sweet Pea asked.
Polly shrugged, eyes wild and confused.
"Okay, okay…I need to go now. I need to go and help others. I'm going to put you in the witch's portrait and turn it around. It's the safest place for you, I swear," Betty said, helping her to her feet.
As she spoke, there was the sound of growling and splintering wood from the basement. All three froze, staring at each other.
"What the hell?" Polly asked, starting to hyperventilate again.
"You help her, I'll deal with that, whatever it is," Sweet Pea said, running down their steps, "Move, get her out of here!" He yelled back up.
Polly didn't need to be told twice.
"You still have the necklace?" She asked.
"Of course I kept it."
"If anything goes wrong; you use it. I need to fix this or save who I can. But I'll be back here ASAP if you call." Betty murmured as she began to shove potions into her backpack frantically, as many as she could fit.
"I love you," Polly whimpered.
Betty turned, "I love you too, Polls."
Betty couldn't find Sweet Pea but heard no more noise from the basement, and there were so many issues to face than that one. Plus, Sweet Pea was capable.
Her phone pinged. An SOS from Josie.
Damnit. She needed to go to her.
She almost screamed in frustration. She told Sweet Pea she wouldn't leave his side, but she didn't have time to see what was going on. She told herself she would meet up with him as soon as she could.
She hated that he was already predicting the truth; they had to split up. She prayed the rest of his worries didn't come to pass.
She flung open the door just as someone; Veronica, was about to knock.
They stared at each other for a long, terrible moment. Behind Veronica, from the treeline of town, Betty saw plumes of smoke.
"It's started." Betty said, "C'mon-," She said, grasping her best friend's hand, "You can help me administer pills and potions."
"Betty…" Veronica said, whimpering, and it was only now that Betty realized that snot was dripping from her nose and she looked wrecked and scared shitless, "I've done something I thought was brave, but it happened tonight and you'll think I'm stupid. But I need you and your help right now."
Betty turned stiffly, "What happened?"
Veronica was pale, and shivering uncontrollably, and collapsed in Betty's arms. Rather, she started to buckle, and Betty caught her, her elbows skidding on the concrete steps to keep Veronica from splitting her head open.
"Veronica!" Betty said, slapping her cheeks. Veronica weakly opened her eyes.
"I needed to even the playing field. Get on all your levels," She said, and at first, Betty didn't understand it at all, "I took…some…of Nick's blood…I drank it..half an hour ago," Veronica said, as though each word was excruciatingly difficult for her to say, "And then…I took…this…" She said, opening her clasp palm to reveal a small black pill, "I'm about to die, B…" She whimpered, "And I'm scared about what comes next."
Betty took the pill and sniffed it. Even without her powers, the scent of death and decay was overwhelming. It smelled like carrion.
Betty threw it away out of fear, the pill burning into her palm.
Veronica was lifeless in her arms, her eyes staring upwards at the sky, blank and looking at nothing at all.
"Veronica?" She said, shaking her friend's shoulder violently, "Vee, please be joking, please! Please!" She said, growing more and more frantic. But Veronica didn't budge and Betty couldn't find a pulse.
"Sweet Pea! Sweet Pea, help me! Come help!" She screamed back into the house, her throat raw as she shook Veronica in the light rain, on the steps of her porch, praying to see a flicker of life in her friend's body once again. But she didn't see anything at all.
Veronica was dead.
XXX
Archie felt a tingling before it hit. So subtle that he almost mistook it for a breeze just wafting up the back of his neck, standing his hair on end, until he remembered…his window wasn't open.
Archie didn't know much, but it was like there was some voice in his head- the voice of a thousand ancestors before him- telling him that something was coming on the horizon.
He nearly tripped down the stairs, finding his dad sipping a cup of tea and reading a book in the living room. He looked almost amused, expecting Archie to blabber something about how he snapped a guitar string or punctured his football, but Archie managed to eke out a short, clipped phrase.
"Something's coming."
Perhaps it was the tone of it; the absolute horror and revulsion that churned Archiie's stomach and made him sweat. Or maybe Fred knew well enough to just believe things as they happened, but he sprung up.
"What do you mean?" He asked frantically, grasping Archie's shoulders.
"Penelope released some spell on Riverdale. I thought it wasn't going to appear, but Dad…something's about to start."
Archie spun, watching the kitchen clock on the stove blink from 9:58 to 9:59. Archie swallowed hard, frustrated and angry and close to tears because he felt so lost all of sudden, so adrift.
"We have a minute. 10 pm, I'd bet," He spoke quickly, trying to shove all his words in as fast as he could, "I don't know what will happen to us. But humans are supposed to lose inhibitions. Give into their darkest sins or desires. And I don't know if Grimms are affected, but we're supposed to lose control of our human sides," Archie said, "So Dad, please, lock yourself in a bedroom and don't come out."
"Are people going to get hurt?" Fred asked, expression grim.
"Likely."
"Then I can't do that, and you know it," Fred said, going to the downstairs bathroom and grabbing all their first-aid supplies; gauze, bandaids, bandages, medicine…he threw it out as fast as he could, "Are you sure you don't want to…prepare?"
"By doing what?" Archie asked hotly, though it wasn't his father's fault. As he spoke, the clock ticked over to 10 pm and Archie could feel it. Like a shockwave rippling through everything, settling over his skin. He inhaled hard, but he didn't immediately feel any different…
"I don't feel more inclined to do something dumb," Fred said, standing, and frowning.
"I dunno. Maybe it takes a moment to settle in. I don't know how it works." Archie admitted.
"Stop me if I'm about to do something out of character. Use force if you have to," Fred instructed Archie, "Let's go."
"Where?" Archie asked, confused.
"Town Center. Where people celebrating are most likely to be. It could turn into a mob or mosh pit easily if what you say is true."
Archie nodded. He stepped outside, giving a quick glance at the Cooper house, but nothing seemed amiss. Perhaps they were already gone, having anticipated this far better than him.
He wondered where Jug was; he hadn't been able to contact him for a burger. And Veronica. He hoped that wherever she was, she was okay.
As they got in their car and started down the road, it became glaringly clear that something had worked.
It looked like vandals had torn through the outskirts of the city, pushing over mailboxes and splattering paint across houses and sidewalks. There were a few tendrils of fire curling up from unknown locations. There were a few humans they passed, stumbling around in the streets like drunkards, giggly and intoxicated, or so it would seem. There was a person laying on the street, unmoving.
"Get out," Fred instructed, putting the car in park, "And let's start helping."
The person groaned weakly as they approached and Fred rolled them over, telling Archie what to grab. He was his dutiful assistant, until he noticed his father spacing out, hands over an open wound, just staring like someone was clicking through his thoughts with a universal remote.
"Dad!" Archie clapped in front of his face.
"Sorry," His dad frowned, "My head's all foggy. It's hard for me to collect my thoughts. I'm having strange ideas…" He admitted, looking troubled, "Ideas I don't want to admit out loud."
"It's the spell, it's not you," Archie reminded, "We should get him to a hospital."
"I'll find help to get him in the car."
"No need," Archie said, easily picking up the body, "Super-strength." He reminded his dad.
As he was settling the person into the backseat, there was a gasp of relief behind them, "Archie!"
He recognized the voice as Valerie, and the other voice with her as Josie while he was turned around, but as soon as he shifted to see them, it was like some part of his brain was highjacked.
Siren. Bloodsucker. Creature. Monster. Dangerous. Kill. Eliminate. Save Humans.
These thoughts, violent, and bloody rolled through his mind like a tape, over and over. Or, it was probably less than a split second, but all Archie could see was an immediate danger that needed to be fixed. Swiftly, he grabbed an ax out of the back of the truck bed and swung, aiming right for Josie's neck. And he would have made contact, his actions so swift and so unexpected, had Midge not stepped from the shadows and held out her hands, blasting him away in a burst of light.
Archie hit his head on the concrete and his father rushed to him.
But Archie was made of stronger stuff, even before coming into his powers, and it knocked some momentary sanity into him.
"Oh, god!" He said, kicking the ax away, horrified. The thought of what he almost did settle into him like tar on his skin and he felt ill. He managed to turn and crawl away from his dad with just enough time to spare before he emptied his dinner onto the pavement, "Josie…I…I…"
"It's not you," Josie said, but it was obvious she was rattled, "Fuck...I'm texting Betty. She was right about all of this, goddamn."
"Midge, thank you," Archie said, turning, "I didn't know…"
"Fae have minimal powers. Not like Betty's, but we can do some tricks once and awhile. Our biggest thing going for us is being immune to Witche's spells and curses. It just burns through us right away. No one can fight this curse, far as I can tell." She said, which was probably meant to make him feel better.
"That's the good news!" Josie jumped in, "Since Midge felt it, just for a moment, it means that it will go away. It's not forever. We just need to wait for everyone to ride it out. With how fast Midge got over hers, and how fast she's burned through other spells, we think that at dawn, this should all be over."
"One fucking night of hell," Fred said and then immediately stuttered, "I mean, I don't mean to swear in front of you, but-,"
"We get it, Mr. Andrews. We won't tell," Midge replied, almost amused, "And if that's as bad as you start acting, I think we can handle it."
"The thoughts…they're clawing into my brain," Archie groaned, shoving himself against the wheels of the car, digging his fingers into his hair, "I can't stop them. They want me to kill you. It's like someone's screaming in there!"
"That's what it does. This spell." Fred reminded him gently, "It's messing with you, boy, and you're stronger. They're your friends…"
"I almost tore someone's throat out on main if that makes you feel better," Valerie said, "Until Midge found me. But the thirst, it's still there. We're going to the river. The safest place for me to be right now. In the water, riding this out."
"I can give you girls a ride," Fred offered.
"Just Val. I can't let my mom's town turn to shambles. And Midge isn't affected at all, so she has no reason to hide either," Josie said.
"With all due respect, you're just a high schooler," Fred said, "Perhaps it would be best-,"
"There needs to be a few people that know what's going on," Josie argued, "You should see it, sir. It's bad."
"Archie, take the pill Betty gave you," Midge whispered gently, rubbing his shoulder, "Take it."
"What pill?"
"It turns off powers. Betty's theory is if we're neither human nor supernatural, it won't touch us."
"But I won't have my Grimm powers for the night if I do," Archie whimpered.
"They're a great help, sure, but right now they're doing nothing. I don't have the power to blast you away if you go feral again. And what if you come across something your brain really hates?" Midge pointed out, logical, and gentle, "You're still Archie Andrews, football player. You're still strong without the powers, right?"
"Those powers didn't take away your kindness," Fred agreed, "Son, take it. I won't let you do something you regret tonight."
Miserably, Archie nodded, swallowing the pill in a dry gulp. Immediately, it was like someone had numbed him. He didn't realize how stark of a difference it was being a Grimm until he was utterly normal. He felt like someone had lobbed off an arm, but it was still there, dangling. He could still feel it, but not use it.
"Ugg, I hate this," He groaned, rubbing his eyes. However, the voices screaming at him to put Josie's head on a spike were gone.
"Better?" Josie asked cautiously.
Archie grunted, scowling, and nodded.
"I'm going to take Valerie to the water and this guy to the hospital. Where's the Sheriff?" He asked Josie.
"Not doing much. Kevin took the pill too, so he's sound. Last I saw, his dad decided he was going to see a movie he'd been wanting to see, finding no issue with leaving his son to deal with a magical clusterfuck. And Dilton was streaking naked. So it doesn't automatically make humans violent, just makes you free and abandon your inhibitions or good sense. But Kevin could probably use our help in Town Square."
"Okay," Archis said, grabbing his pack of weapons and magical aids from the back of the truck, just in case, "Let's go."