Living Without A Heart

Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet

The title is Latin for 'As loyal as she began, so she remains'

"Hey Goldilocks!"

"Hello Mr. Wolf!" she teased.

"I'll try and not eat your grandma." he laughed "Do you reckon your parents would let you leave Riverdale for the night? or part of the night with me and Jackie?"

"What do you wanna leave for?"

"Well... my dad got some concert tickets off this woman he knows and asked if I wanted to take you as long as Jackie would take us,"

"Who are we going to see?!" 

"The tickets are to see Madonna, not my thing but--"

"Yes! I'd love to go!" she bounded from foot to foot with an obtrusive grin on her face.

The fifteen year olds sprinted to the trailer and was greeted by FP's father.

"Y'alright lass? I s'pose FP's told ya 'bout th' concert then?"

"Yes, he did sir!" she replied trying to compose herself "Thank you for thinking of me,"

"It's alright love! Ya family Alice, besides the lad won't stop goin' on about ya!"

"Dad!" FP hissed and simultaneously a blush crept up on his and Alice's faces.

"So do you reckon ya can convince your mam and dad? Sue will be fine with it but Tom's a bit more protective,"

"Oh easily, they wouldn't even notice if I was gone..."

"That's just parents for ya, ain't it love!" he jested.

"Erm... what time do we need to leave?" FP swiftly interjected.

"Right, sorry. Jackie's coming at six,"

"Okay, come on Ali-"

"You know you don't have to accompany me - what about people seeing you?" she tempted.

"What?" he laughed.

"Well I could always go with someone else. I know Benjie would love to take--"

"No way is that mamma's boy going to take my place! And anyway Madonna's a queen who'd miss that!"

Alice barked a laugh and she surmised "Aww... Careful Jonesy, someone might think you were jealous!"

"Pah! Me? Jealous of him? No way!"

"Oh Forsythe... you never have to be jealous..." she said stroking his chin patronizingly. She uttered under her breath but he heard it "I'll always choose you."

"...And anyways, I'll always be jealous of others around you. You are so beautiful everyone wants a piece of you but, if you were mine, I would want you to be all mine" 

Alice choked on thin air and her eyes grew wide.

"You don't do girlfriends Jones - even if I was 'all yours', you wouldn't be all mine!" she mused, trying to compose herself yet again.

"Just think of it as me getting it out of my system before I get into a proper relationship!"

"Ah right okay..." she chuckled "Nice defence!"

"Why thank you Miss. Smith..."

Alice carried on walking but FP stopped.

"I really want a burg--"

"Hey Al?"

"Yeah?"

"I would be loyal and faithful to you. I couldn't mistreat my serpent queen, could I?" he said seriously but smiled at the end.