Living Without A Heart

I Told You So

It had been a week since the teens found Jason's bulldog jacket under the maple sign. They all stood looking at the jacket, desperate for ideas.

"We must be missing something... Here Arch, put this on!" Betty spoke.

"What? No that's weird!"

"Please... I don't know about you guys but I always lose my lip balms in my jacket lining..."

"Okay, that seems a bit of a stretch..."

Betty ignored all the comments and ran her hands over Archie's hips and his back. Veronica watched her with a sour look on her face. Suddenly Betty's eyes lit up as she found something. Fishing the object out of the jacket, she revealed a silver USB stick.

"Betty - you're like the real Nancy Drew!"

She smiled in response and plugged the USB into her laptop, the others sitting so they could also see the screen.

A bruised Jason was bound to a chair. Ropes coiled around his slim wrists like tree branches. Purple and red splodges stood out on the pale boys skin. They watched as the teenager was taunted and beaten. They fell silent as another man appeared on screen... Clifford Blossom.

He whispered something in his son's ear before he stepped back and produced a gun. Looking directly in Jason's frightened eyes, he squeezed the trigger...

"Omg..."

"Jeez..."

Everyone was pale and shaking. Tears caressed their faces.

"Cheryl, you need to get out of that house. You're not safe..." Betty called Cheryl and then she and Jughead rushed home on his motorbike.

*****
Alice sat in her office at the RR staring into her cup of coffee she had let go cold. How she wished it was something else in her cup.

Out of nowhere, Alice felt the warm hands of her husband on her shoulders; they sent an uncomfortable feeling through her body as she tensed up.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?"

"Mmhm..."

"Are you gonna get any work done today?" He asked, his hands tightened on her shoulders.

"...just thinking..."

"Here's what's gonna happen... I'll go and get us some lunch and a fresh coffee and then we can get on with it- yes Alice?"

"Whatever."

"What was that?"

"Yes! Jesus Hal I'm just thinking! Go ahead."

"Good. I'll be back soon," he smiled in a condescending manner.

As the door closed, she finally relaxed.

"Hey mum, where are you?"

"Hello darling, I'm at the Register. Is everything alright?"

"I'll be there in five."

"Eliza-" she tried but was cut off.

As promised, Betty burst through the door with Jughead trailing behind her.

"Mum, you need to watch this!"

"Hello to you too!"

"I'm sorry. Really you have to watch it."

"What is it? You haven't got into trouble have you?"

"It's proof mum..."

Alice looked at the eager couple and watched the CCTV footage. She leapt off her chair with a massive grin on her face.

"Mum? This isn't exactly the reaction we were expecting..."

"Jughead love, you can't get your hopes up but this is... we better get this to Tom!" Alice said more to herself than to the boy.

"I know, I know but he didn't do it! Mrs C, he is innocent!"

"... I know..." she smiled.

*****
"Tom!"

"Alice? What brings you here?"

"Evidence. CCTV footage of the basement at the Whyte Wyrm the night Jason died,"

"What? How did you--"

"Just- watch it. You'll see FP was the one who killed him,"

"Alice--"

"He didn't do it Tom..." she whispered.

"This isn't some article for you to write this is about justice for the murder of a teenaged boy..." he warned.

"I couldn't give a damn about the article, this is about my daughters boyfriends dad being innocent... This is about Forsythe..."

"I'll take a look but Alice, he isn't innocent... he is still going to go down for some time. He won't be out any time soon,"

"Just--" she sighed in defeat "Don't let Hal know I was here,"

"Okay... do you want me to take you to see FP?"

"...yes please..."

-----
"I told you so." Alice smirked. The woman  stalked over to the prison bars.

"Alice? What exactly did you tell me?" FP couldn't help but smirk back at the look she gave him although he noticed a sad look in her beautiful features.

"I told you that I know you...I know you FP..." she breathed. She reached her hand out and he gratefully accepted.

"The kids found the CCTV footage... you lied. Why did you not tell me what was going on? I could have helped you but now you lied and you still can't come home even though you didn't kill him!"

"I panicked okay? I had to protect my son!"

Alice's eyes were shadowed and her hair was untamed - she looked different from when he last saw her.

"Al?"

"Hmm?"

"What's wrong? What's changed from last time you were here?" He questioned softly and concerned.

"...Hal is back..." she whispered and FP sighed in response. "The girls wanted their parents back together - i just want them to be happy."

The serpent king placed his hand on her wet cheeks - her eyes glowed with tears.

"Shh, shh, shh... At some point Ali, you have to put your happiness first. Ever since we were our kids' age, you've been punishing yourself. When was the last time you allowed yourself to be happy?" He rambled "You act like you are indestructible but you're not."

"I guess you'd know best, huh?"

Alice mirrored his hand position and stroked his cheek. Slowly, he titled his head and placed kisses on the pads of her fingers, the palm of her hand, her wrist... she shivered and another tear rolled down her cheek.

"...don't, I can't..." she stammered "I haven't forgiven you FP. We're not suddenly okay because you didn't murder someone! This was just... just a momentary weakness but it won't happen again. My husband is waiting for me." She cried...

"Some husband he is..."

A/N hi guys! Sorry it has been so long since I updated this story- almost a month! Sorry this chapter is so short too.
I hope people are still interested in my story...

Stay safe... x