Archive of Our Own ^beta

She's ashamed of how little time it takes for her to break.

Archie's been in juvie for barely a month, and she's already putting everything she has to trying to get him out. After her father bans her from visiting Archie, she's willing to do anything.

She's willing to do anything, including humiliating herself in front of her father.

She's not oblivious; she knows how much he cares about her. She has a considerable amount of power over him, she knows. And yet, she's not cruel enough to take her father's obsession and wield it like a weapon against him, not yet, not because of this. But this, this is something she can do. She's a Lodge, and she learned from the best. Manipulation is just another way of caring.

So, one evening, she walks into his study to see him sitting on the plush armchair, a glass of whiskey on his hand. He looks up when she enters the room, watches closely as she closes the door behind her. He lets her take the glass of whiskey from his hand and put it on the table.

She doesn't hesitate as her feet carry her forward until she's standing right in front of him. Smoothly, she slides into his lap. She feels the firm thighs beneath her as they shift just slightly to accommodate her. His face betrays only the faintest traces of confusion. "What's all this–"

"Hey, Daddy," she says sweetly. She wishes it didn't come so easily. She wishes she felt more uncomfortable, she wishes her daddy's lap didn't still feel like the safest place on Earth, even after all the things he's done.

And he must know, must suspect she's up to something. She's been nothing but hostile towards him lately, so her crawling into her lap all of a sudden might raise some alarm bells. Still, he doesn't prod immediately. His hands settle on her hips, like it's something natural. Perhaps he's just happy at the sudden burst of affection.

"So... I was thinking about what you said earlier," Veronica starts.

"And what, pray tell, were you thinking about?"

She huddles closer, places her hands on his shoulders. She breathes deeply, like she can will herself to mean what she's about to say. "My loyalties have been… misplaced, lately. You're mad that I chose Archie over you and so you want to punish us–"

"Mija–"

"That's fine! I get it! But I want you to leave Archie out of it," She says, like it makes sense, like she means it. It's not fine, and the only reason she does get it is because she knows her father and how his mind works. "You're not mad that he threatened you. You're mad at me, not him, so there's no point in ruining his life just so you can teach me a lesson–"

She takes a deep breath and makes herself look him in the eye. "What I mean is that I'm willing to make peace with you."

A phantom of a smile crosses his lips. "I'm guessing you have conditions for this… peace, you're offering?" her father says. Because as much as she hates it, he knows her. Too well.

"I do, actually," she says. She moves her hands from his shoulders until they're cradling his face, like that will convince him. She feels the faintest traces of stubble against her palms. "If you get him out of jail, I'll break up with him."

He scoffs and takes her hands away from his face. "Oh, don't lie to me. Even if you did do that, you'd be getting back together the moment I avert my eye."

"I wouldn't! I swear, I'll stop associating him altogether, I won't even speak to him, if you just– I know you can get him out of there, so why don't you just," she takes a deep breath. Tries to calm herself. "You get him out of there, and my loyalty will be only to my family. To you."

For a moment, the air is filled with silence. He pulls her forward by her hips, the space between their bodies growing smaller. She can feel his breath on her face when he says, resigned, "Even if you are telling the truth, it is beyond my power to–"

She can't take it. "Stop! Just stop pretending like you can't do it. I'm not stupid. You got him in there, you can get him out of there," she says. She can feel the irritation growing, but simultaneously, the desperation has yet to fly away. She needs him to do this for her. She's willing to beg and grovel if he won't reason with her.

"Veronica–"

"Get him out," she punctuates each word, willing him to listen, "and I'm yours. No tricks, no games. You said it, it's me you want to punish, not him. And I've learned my lesson, okay?" Archie doesn't deserve her father's wrath.

"It's a tempting offer, I'll admit…" he seems to mull it over in his head, "still, how do I know you're not lying?"

"What use would it be? If I break my promise, you can just easily throw him back to jail. You did it once, you could do it again."

He seems suspicious still. Perhaps for a good reason. He's never been one to trust blindly. But she's his daughter. If anyone can convince him, it's her.

"I get it now, Daddy. I– my loyalty should be to my family. And I care about Archie, enough that I don't want him to suffer for something he didn't even do. But I get it. My loyalty, first and foremost, should be to my blood, not some boy I met a year ago."

A tear rolls down her cheek. She hopes he doesn't know she's lying through her teeth.

His fingers move up to graze her cheek and gently wipe away the stray tear that escaped. She nuzzles her face into his hand. It's much more genuine than she'd like.

"You really mean that?" he asks, and it's full of wonder, like he can't possibly believe his plan worked out. "You'd do that for me?"

"Yes, Daddy, I mean it. As long as you don't hurt anyone else because of me, I promise I won't give you any trouble anymore."

"That's – that's music to my ears, mija. I was hoping you'd come around, eventually, but I didn't expect it to be so soon."

"So you'll do it? You'll get him out?"

"I will see what I can do–"

"Daddy."

"Yes, I'll sort it out. As long as you keep up your end of the deal," he sighs.

"That's– that's amazing. When do you think–"

He cuts her off. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. You sound awfully excited, considering you just promised me you would not be in any sort of contact with him…"

She lets the excitement wane. She doesn't want to upset him, for once. A small smile lingers on her lips despite herself. "And I won't! I'm just happy that we can, you know. Be done with all this."

"Well, in that case, I'm happy you're happy," he says, and she never thought it would be this easy. A part of her doesn't believe it, even now. Deep down, she didn't think he'd actually agree to it.

"So, it's settled, then," she declares. For effect, she leans forward and gives his cheek a quick kiss because she knows he'll eat up any affection she gives him. "Thank you so much, Daddy."

She moves as though to stand up, but her father's arms stop her. They wrap firmly around her waist, making it impossible for her to get away. His fingers gently dig into the small of her back. She's so close to him that their chests are pressed against one another.

"You're welcome, mija." He presses their foreheads together, his eyes unrelenting, "But I'm warning you. Don't betray me again, or I will do much worse than lock your boyfriend in jail."

Her breath hitches. The words are earnest: she knows this is a promise he intends to keep. And she falters, for she does not want to see what he means. She falters. But her plan has to work.

Her plan has to work, or not only does she doom herself, but Archie as well. She'll suck up to her dad for as long as she has to.

And, disappointingly so, it's not all that difficult. She stays right there in her Daddy's lap while his hands wander to cup the back of her neck. She lets him believe she's on his side.