Chapter Text
Veronica - 2:00
It was on a Thursday at 2:00 am when the body of her father was found.Hiram Lodge was dead.
Veronica, when she first heard the news, was from one of her father's henchmen, one day later of her father death, in front of the Vasa’s ship at the museum. The ship had been sunk at it inauguration in 1628. She had just graduated from the University of Örebro in Sweden. Like the ship, she thought would start her life, but it was all the beginning of her doom.
Veronica did not have much choice, as after the man delivered the news he gave her a plane ticket with a message from her mother saying, “go back to Riverdale”. She packed her bags and after 10 hours she had arrived in her home country.
Veronica had not been here for more than seven years, and many things were not the same anymore. As she entered the city, the sun already was already down, she saw a sign saying, “Welcome to Riverdale, city of progress”, and she could already see the tips of some tall buildings from afar.
"Apparently, many things have changed around here since the last time I was here.” the driver smiles at Veronica from the rearview window.
"Since the incident that drove you out of town, the gang warfare has become increasingly bloody, it's only been with the political measures of new mayor Archie Andrews and his deputy mayor and wife Betty Cooper that things have improved. Well, at least until your father's death."
Veronica swallowed; it was a lot to process in a few words. She should have known that the invitation to her father's funeral would not just be about that, if another gang member killed her father it would mean war. That is the last thing she wanted. She run from there at first for a reason.
Ironically, or not, the thing that made the most sense in this whole story was Archie as mayor and Betty as his wife. She remembers from high school, how they constantly gave each other lustful looks no matter who they dated. They got so lost in each other; it was almost disgusting to see them together while Jughead, Kevin and her were left aside in their quit particular group.
Most importantly of all, she would have to deal with her father's death not in just the mafia perspective but emotionally; it is something she hasn't allowed herself to think about much since she got the news.
"We arrived Miss Lodge.” The drive says taking her out of her through.
Veronica opened the window and in a moment of Deja-vu, she looked up and walked into the Pembrooke hotel.
Archie - 8:00
Reggie was pacing back and forth, nervously, the sound of his footsteps could be heard outside from Archie's office at City Hall, while the Red hair is standing beside his desk. It’s have being 8 hours that Sheriff Mantle and him have argue over evidence found at the Hiram Lodge murder scene.
When Reggie called at dawn after finding Hiram's body with a shot to the head and a leather cloth with the Serpent symbol on the side of his body. Archie knew he had entered a very dangerous zone.
"We've been discussing this for hours, what's changed? You agreed to hide the evidence earlier." Reggie laughed sarcastically.
"Well that was before Hermosa Lodge got around my neck and threatened to bring the feds here." Archie took a step back, sitting in his desk, his mind already starting to go hazy. Reggie looking scared in a way Archie had never seen him before. Now he understands why, if Reggie tells the truth he will start a gang war, if he lies he could even end up arrested for hiding evidence of a crime.
“Look that night, when you found the body, it was with you only Munroe and Minetta, we just give them an extra bonus upfront this year. And they will shut up, not even the feds will suspect a thing.” Reggie stopped and walked towards Archie, shaking his head in the negative.
"What if they find out? uh? I don't want to go to jail! And if you do, the city will fall into darkness." Archie thumped the table, let out a frustrated sigh.
“If you tell the truth the Lodge family will go to war with the Serpents, Mafia and a street gang war will be the end of Riverdale. I can’t let that happen! I've already lost my father to gangs’ violence, Reggie; I won't let any other child lose their father the same way.” Reggie turn his eyes at ground, all they are just kid at time, when a Ghoulie shot Fred at Pop’s.
Years ago, Reggie and he had gone to Jughead's trailer one night because they were bored and they went there because they knew Fp would not be there. The idea was for them to find something to do together, but then Reggie found a bottle of whiskey hide on the kitchen. Therefore, to Jughead's displeasure, they drank themselves out. The next morning his dad picked them up and took them to Pop's, they had a hangover, so in that moment Archie was eternally grateful that his dad didn't scold him, he gave him a look, we'll talk later kid, over the coffee he drank.
When the bell on Pop's door rang, whatever, everything seemed to go very fast, and very slow at the same time. Too fast for Archie to the man in the Ghoulies jacket ran to the counter and pointed his gun at one of the attendants who had the mark of a Serpent on his neck. Too fast, to see Reggie run towards the man thinking he could take the down the ghoulie, as the man with the gun turns to shoot him. However, he was too slow to try to avoid his father jump ahead and take the bullet instead. He was too slow.
That day Archie and Reggie changed forever, both felt responsible for different Fred death, as if they are the ones. Both could not be a kid anymore.
“So you are with me or not?” Reggie looked up; Archie looked at him and recognized the feeling his friend's eyes had, it was guilty.
“I am in.”
Betty - 12:30
Betty rubbed her hands together in an attempt to contain her mounting anxiety. She did not want to be here, she wanted to be in her bed crying silently. But Archie insisted, for the sake of her mental health, she should be here, sitting on a green divan, with the town's therapist, Ethel Muggs.
"So, tell me again what happened." The condescending tone in her voice made Betty want to punch her in the face so much.
Betty took a deep breath, trying to contain her emotions. She was so emotionally drained to hide any feelings anymore.
"It was a day ago I had bought a lunch to Archie and me, the news had just reported the death of Hiram Lodge, and we were getting ready in case we had to make a public announcement regarding that, but then. ...so I looked down..." Betty pressed her hands closer to her body as she held the cry as much as she could, whatever she could not stop her cracking voice.
"I saw blood, I... I lost my baby. I took out my cell phone to call Archie, because he was the first person I thought of but he already texted me at 12:30 pm, saying he had received. a message half an hour ago that he couldn't come home.” Betty now could not contain the tears and the sobs coming out of her moth.
She hated to show weakness to anyone. Now she just felt like a weak piece shit full of guilt.
“What you feel about that? Did his absence at this point make you feel any sort of resentment towards Archie?" Betty lifted up with red eyes, she glared at Ethel’s blank face while asking her those questions, Betty felt no sympathy coming from her, and even she could bet the woman might even enjoy seeing her suffer.
She remembers how in high school the two of them didn't get along very well. They use to have the better grades of the class, whatever Betty always super her even if was for little difference. Maybe therapy was not the problem, maybe Betty just don’t like Ethel at all.
“In that moment.” Betty let out another sigh trying to compose herself.
“I felt scared, I felt completely alone, and yes at the time I hated Archie for not being there.” Betty swallowed, her throat felt dry, her eyes swollen. She just wanted to leave.
"And after you went to the hospital, did that change?"
“Yes” Yeah, well it is not a complete lie; she does not feel hurt by Archie anymore. She's mourning what would be like to have a baby, but also relieved of what could be if the baby was not Archie's. However, she would never admit this fact, for that bitch.
"Well Ms. Andrews, I think we've made a lot of progress today, don't you agree? You are already opening more your feelings than your usual sections." Betty forces a slight smile onto her face.
"Yes." No, bitch.
Jughead –01:00
It was on a Thursday at 1:00 am, he hadn't slept at all, he was sitting in front of the computer looking at a blank page. He could not write. Moreover, he desperately needed a new book.
He swivels in his chair, and looks at his fiancée sleeping quietly on the bed, the sight making him smile slightly despite his tired eyes.
He and Jessica planned to get married in the summer of next year. However, sales of his book were falling and that was holding back any progress in planning the wedding.
Jessica wasn't happy about it, she wanted to get married soon and start a family, besides he knows that she feels partly insecure in this relationship because she knows so little about his past and his family. He could feel her look of curiosity when she found a picture of him with his little sister last month.It doesn't matter if she said that what is important, is their history from the moment they met, not their past.
Jughead rubs his heavy eyelids, and decides to lie down on the bed. A good sleep would do him good.
But, before he can get to bed, he hears someone pounding on his apartment door, very loudly. As he lives in New York, he decides to approach the door slowly, while the sounds of banging frantically could be heard through the apartment. Jughead picks up an old baseball bat he has been keeping since the last time the apartment was invaded.
Now near the door he looks through the peephole and sees a man a little shorter than him wearing a leather jacket and looking angry and nervous. Jughead had never seen him in his life. So he decides to take the comforting form, Jughead opens the door with his staff ready to strike, but stops when he sees the man lift up his shirt sleeve with the Serpent tattoo on his arm.
The man then without saying anything takes his cell phone out of his pocket, calls a number, and hands the device to Jughead.
Standing still, Jughead puts his cell phone to his ear, and the ones he hears catches him off guard, he hasn't heard that voice in years.
"Mom?" his voice sound a little insecure, actually he feels a weirdly sense of doom taking his body.
"Yeah, it's me son, the Serpents need you, it's time to return to Riverdale.”