Jughead Jones

“i would say a strong eight out of ten,” she smirked, teasing because he had always been a hundred out of ten to her, keeping her arms around his shoulders so she could pin herself against him. betty knew she had missed him, she even caught herself glowing over his beanie… the beanie that had secretly been growing on her from the beginning but she was reluctant to admit it. “nu-uh,” she shook her head at his words, the smile still bright on her features. “i know i’m the one who should be telling us to get out, go… explore or something but i like it in here. just me and you.”

“ Only eight? I guess it could be worse..” he teased her a he kissed the side of her head. Being intimate with her was something he truly missed, being close to her and feeling completely content with his life. She has  always been the missing part, the missing piece of him that made his life empty. A sigh of relief left his lips. “ I like it too, Betts. Thank you for not making me go out.” Most of his days were spend on the streets, looking for evidence for various reasons and sometimes all he wanted was the comfort of his bed and the joy her smile brought to him.

“because your detectives are men of the law. my people… they do whatever it is that they need to do, they’re not held back by something as simple as morals or whatever. so, yes, i would say that… they have a much bigger chance than your people do.” he chuckled. “did it look like i’m hiding? mr. jones, if you travel down the street and then turn right - you’ll see a very big building, named the farm. that’s where you can find me, whenever you want. i’m not hiding. maybe betty is, who knows? did the two of you fight about something.. recently?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at the other. “well.. what are conversations with betty always about? she was wondering whether i’m conducting some evil plan against her and your friends. i told her the truth,” i am. “i’m not. i simply want to enjoy my second chance, be with my wife and.. live. that’s all.”

Jughead was not convinced that the sole reason why he has not found Betty yet was because him and his colleagues were on the right side of the law. They had resources and techniques Edgar did not possess and it seemed as if the other was trying to confuse him. “ She would never hide for me.. at least that’s what I think..” he seemed uncertain as if the other and his manipulative words finally got to him. “ Your wife is here too? That’s convenient.” He whispered through gritted teeth as he wondered about the chance the other was offering him.

“i’d kill them,” she wasn’t even afraid to admit it, because.. unlike jones, unlike betty, she couldn’t care less. “they wouldn’t get that far. they’d be dead before they could even think of getting that threat out. there aren’t many people out there that i’d do that for, but.. for bret, i would. no matter” and she wasn’t even afraid to admit that - of course not.. she found for what was hers, she always had, she always would, even if that meant getting her hands dirty, every now and then. but… wasn’t that what jones was trying to prove?  damn him. so, instead of answering his question, she simply smiled. “you’re too smart for your own good, you know? not that you would have ever caught me admitting that, back in the day, but.. it was nice to have someone over at stonewall who wasn’t a true and complete idiot. someone who was.. a challenge. i guess it’s always us, the quiet ones, who are the biggest threads, um?” she paused, looking over at him with a smile, because.. it was true. they were more alike than he probably realized, weren’t they? both writers, both had come from difficult backgrounds, both had something to prove and… both had someone they’d do anything for. yes, very much alike. “right back at you, jones, right back at you. like i said.. nice to talk to someone who doesn’t make my head hurt with all of their idiotic stuff.” and yet, at his words, she grew quiet for a moment, looking over at the distance for a moment. “maybe. maybe not. bret agrees, he says that i could, but.. i don’t know. i’m meant to be like my mother in everything else, so.. who was to say that i wouldn’t be as bad as her? and i can’t risk that, i can’t.. i can’t put my daughter in danger just like that. i promised bret that i’d do everything i could to.. to get her back, but.. i’ve been stalling. and that’s why.” wow, talking to someone was truly… therapeutic, but.. donna had never taught she would be doing it with one of her great enemies. at least… that was what she thought he was. maybe not. “it’s not, is it? i hate this damned book contract and everything i’ve had to do to get it. true, i like everything else that comes with it, but.. everything i’ve had to give up, in order to get it.. it’s exhausting. i’m exhausted. and bret, he.. he’s so determined, this is all he wants and.. i can’t, for the life of me, bring myself to tell him that.. it’s unlikely it will happen anytime soon,” tom griffin had warned her it would be a difficult procedure, but.. she hadn’t brought herself to tell bret, not yet. and yet, at his words, she lifted an eyebrow. “you could.. do that? you’d help.. help me? jones, i.. you could have been dead, because of me. i planned on you being dead.. all because of that contract. why on god’s name would you do that? i imagine betty won’t be too pleased.” and yet, she needed to know. “august 12th. six years ago. i can pay you for this, you know? you don’t have to do it for free. i mean, i wouldn’t dream of it, after all.. we’re not friends. but if you do.. i suppose i could wave the white flag. as long as betty doesn’t try anything, of course.”

“ I know you would Donna and perhaps because I still somehow believe you are a wise person, you’d understand Betty’s reasons too..’ he explained, it was not an attempt at manipulating her, far by it. All he tried to do was to find a consensus between them, they could not let their teenage rage and the foolishness they’ve shown to destroy the new chance they got once they came to this new lace. “ Why do you think you are meant to be like her? You are not meant to be anything. Everything you are today is based on your own choices, you have a saying in this Donna. You are no longer dependent on your mother and you can live the life you want.” And he hoped her choice would be better than her mother’s.  “ I will help you. I will not help the woman who tried to kill me. I will help the woman who wants the best for her daughter. I believe that this woman deserves my help. I do not want your pay. I will find her.” He said determined to do exactly as he promised. “ Betty won’t. As long as you don’t. It is as simple as that.”

Already drunk and perhaps influenced by a few pills, he was doing his job - being loved by the clients of the most famous night club and talking about love, oh - the epitome of love was right before his eyes ! His dear sister, he was sure she was somewhere here. With a laugh he greeted her, coming closer even though he stumbled a bit. " Oh my dear Love, where have you been hiding?" It didn't sound as Romeo and Juliet as he planned it to be but hell, who cared? He was just getting started. And with that he wrapped his sister in his embrace, ready to poison her with his life again.

“i was over it until she turned up at my front door threatening to kill us, jughead. she…” a deep breath in as she focused on her hand still holding his knee for dear life. a silent beg for him not to change his mind about them being together after all. “she said the black hood is here. crazy, right? except i saw edgar evernever die and he is very much here and alive.” there it was, donna had threatened them and then to bring her father into it? it had clearly hit a raw nerve. “i would love to be able to put this behind my back and forget it happened but we can’t do that with her still out there. don’t you see? she is never going to move on.” betty hated that she had found such a heavy secret, a secret that, of course, she never wanted to use against donna publicly. she had threatened it in hopes the girl would see sense but she was still insistent on having this fight and it was beyond frustrating. why? why did she have to seek betty out in the first place when she hadn’t been in betty’s thoughts for years. “i don’t want to use it… what i have on her but if i think for one second that she’s going to hurt you, jughead – that’s exactly what i will do.” did she mean that? or was it just the build-up of emotions talking for her? it was the second one as she felt her eyes glisten with tears. “i should have come to you with my findings first.” she had let donna get into her head, she was letting her win by making her be this person. this person that she wasn’t. “what do you want me to do?”

“ I do understand your frustration, Betts.” They’ve been threatened numerous times before but here they were, finding each other against all of the odds – they were still alive and while they were together? It meant he would assure they were going to be protected.  “ I know it is crazy and most of the things here which seem to be.. impossible are possible and I cannot tell you why because I am still figuring out the darkest secrets of this world, Betts.” He took her hands in his as he squeezed it. “ I do not care who is here as long as you are with me. We have fought all of them before and we’ve won. The only difference now is that we are smarter,we are grown up and we won’t let our feelings affect us. Thy are the same miserable people we’ve made before, can it be that hard?”he smiled at her as he kissed her knuckles. Their war with Donna was something he wished they could put behind themselves, it was something that he didn’t really need right now.  “ She would move on. I believe that Donna can be a better person if she wishes to, she just needs the right motivation.” He sighed and then nodded. “ She cannot hurt me, Betts. The moment she does, she will be dead. The moment I knew she was here.. I warned the people I work it about her. Do you think that a writer can be better at this game than the experienced detectives and the hitmen? Please..” he wished all of it could be over but it seemed Donna and Betty were too invested in her game. “ Let her go, Betty. We cannot use what you have. I saw Bret. I know what it is. We cannot involve an innocent child. We are not like that.”

“won’t she? she seemed pretty determined to do it. and the fact she has my entire life in her hands.. i can’t stand by and do nothing, jones. i wasn’t made for that. and besides, i.. i don’t think betty and i could ever co-exist in the same town, in the same place, without wanting to kill each other. it’s not possible. holmes and moriarty, like she read at your fake funeral.” and she knew that now - she could see it, as clear as day, because.. maybe that was the way it was always meant to be - her and betty, meant to destroy each other.. meant to end it, together. she wasn’t meant to be happy with bret, to have a normal life.. she wasn’t meant for any of that. “yes.. that’s exactly why. she didn’t.. she didn’t deserve to be thrown into a family like mine, she was.. far too good. i was never.. meant to be anyone’s mother. bret, though.. he was good. he always was.  he wasn’t.. bad, like me. all he did was because he loved me, because.. he want to make me happy. he would have made an amazing father, an amazing dad and.. he would have made our little girl very much happy. i ruined him, just like.. like i’d ruin her. that’s why i couldn’t.. i can’t… normal is not for me. normal has never been for me.” and.. it wouldn’t,  she closed her eyes for a moment, shaking her head.. what was she even doing? talking about her feelings, with jones, out of all people? no - this was stupid.. get a fucking grip, idiot.  “there’s not. you fought to survive. all of us would have done the same thing - god knows i did it more than once.”  and he couldn’t blame himself for all of that, when.. when she was the real monster in here. always had been. she shrugged. “i suppose you could say that,” does one stop being a mother when their child is no longer around? “but.. you’re wrong, about one thing. bret would have been good. he always was. he was this.. golden boy, with a kind heart, always wanting to make his father proud.. i was the one who ruined him, when we first met. if he is the way he is today.. angry, bitter at the world.. it’s because of me. he would have been good to her.. if i wasn’t in the picture.” it should have been her in jail, it always should have, but.. she was too selfish. always had been, always would be. and yet, he was promising her more than she could have ever hoped for, and.. all she could do was nod, trying to blink away the tears that came to her eyes. “ i don’t even know her name or.. where she is. who she’s with or what she likes or.. who she is, but.. all i know is that i love her more than i’ve ever loved anyone. even bret. and i don’t.. want to ruin her life, not again, when.. she could possibly have a good one. jones.. thank you. for all of that.” and it might everything harder, because.. how was she supposed be alright with killing him now?

“ Donna.. tell me what are you going to do if someone threatens to kill Bret?” he questioned with one of his eyebrows raised as he took a sip of his tea. “ It’s not true. Both of you can live without the threats. You’ve been threatening me since you saw that I’ve managed to sneak myself into this new town. Tell me what are you going to achieve if we say that you kill me or Betty? Nothing is going to change Donna, it will not make a difference for you. You will feel even worse. Plotting a murder is different than committing it and even though some people are uncapable of feeling regret, I know you will at some point.” He was not there to convince her to stop doing whatever she wanted to do, he was just trying to pain a picture of her future because he had worked with criminals before and at the end, most of them regretted what they’ve done. There were those with no remorse but it was rare for someone who hasn’t killed before to feel free. “ I am glad that for once we can talk like adults without all of the threats, you are not that bad.” He teased her to lighten the mood as he took a sip of his coffee. “ You can be a mother.You just need to heal yourself first. We don’t need to repeat the mistake of our parents Donna.It’s not necessary.” He reminded her and then nodded. “  Maybe he would have but we both know that a prison experience changes a person if he remembers it. I believe that he could have been a good that but if we follow you logic, he could have repeated the mistakes of his father. Which we both know he wouldn’t.What I am trying to say Donna is that you can learn from the mistakes of the others and so something better for yourself. Your career is just beginning and what you’ve accomplished so far is to be admired but that’s not only what life is about.”heremnded her as he took a deep breath. “ I can offer to help you. If she was born in this town and if you know the date when she was born, I can look for her. I am not going to approach her or the family but at least I can tell you whether or not she is alright.” He was going to do that for her, he could see she was suffering and maybe that was going to help  her heal. “  I will never do that. Your daughter is off limits but if you continue to threaten me or Betty or if you hurt us,I have to do something and you know it. I cannot play defense all the time. I told you my point of view and that I do not want to this anymore but I cannot watch you destroy the person I love most. It doesn’t mean I would resort to desperate measures. As I’ve said, I will even forget you have a daughter if you want me to. I am not going to look for her to help you. I am giving you a choice Donna. That’s all I can do.”