[Thunder]~[Jughead Jones]

Prologue: A New Home

A woman with red hair slips on her black button up coat presenting the sweetest, most nurturing smile she could muster to her 6 year old little girl dressed in a pink nightgown and similar red locks up held in two ponytails.

"Mommy do you have to go?" The little girl asks.

"Sweetheart I'm not gonna be gone forever you know that right?" She asked to which the young girl nodded sadly. The woman to sighed before realization hit her.

"Hey, I got something for you" she said pointing to the closet by the stairs before going in and reaching to the top shelf. When she came back out she had something tucked under her coat.

"Okay Natalie honey, close your eyes until I say so" she said to which her daughter complied.

"Okay go ahead"

The little girl opened her eyes to see a brown teddy bear in her mother's hands held out just for her. A comforting sight for any young child but even more soothing to touch which is exactly what she felt when she grabbed the bear with her tiny little hands and held it close with a gleaming, happy expression on her face.

"I Love it...Thank you mommy"

°°°°°

"Hey excuse me miss?"

Natalie Sawyer rubbed her eyes open for a minute then took in some of her surroundings. The kind old woman that had been sitting next to the young girl was out of her seat with her suitcase.

"Um, what time is it?"

"It's 8:00 my dear...we're finally in Riverdale" she spoke with kindness laced in her voice. Natalie looked out the window and found the bus had finally stopped, confirming what the old woman said to be true, so Natalie grabbed her backpack and bid farewell to the old woman after helping her down the bus steps. 'So this is Riverdale!' Natalie thought to herself even though she hasn't seen anything just yet.

Natalie didn't see who she was waiting for, yet so decided it'd be best to wait on one of the benches inside the bus terminal. She took out my copy of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women to kill time. 10 minutes had gone by when suddenly a familiar male voice pulled her away from her thoughts being immersed in the book.

"Natalie?"

She looked over her shoulder to find two people that Natalie hadn't seen in a long time. A certain redheaded boy who was now much more of a man since last they had seen each other, and an older man who stood with his hands in his flannel shirt pockets and wore a prideful but warm, loving smile on his face.

"Hi uncle Fred" Natalie smiled back before going to hug him. As our hug broke uncle Fred looked over my face. "Your the spitting image of your mother" he complimented lovingly causing Natalie to smile before turning to her cousin.

"Hey squirt"

"Ugh you know you're no longer taller than me right?" Archie scoffed rolling his eyes. "Yeah I know. But don't worry, to me you'll always be squirt to me" she playfully teased, ruffling his hair making him groan before giving her that bright warm smile he still had.

"It's so good to see you...Bambi" he says making Natalie giggle at her old nickname as they embraced each other in a hug until Fred tapped on her shoulder.

"Okay I got your things. Lets go kiddo"

°°°°°

As Natalie hopped out of the back of her uncle's pick up truck with her backpack hanging off her shoulder she took in the view of the house and a strange feeling welled up in the pit of her stomach. It was a strange because she hadn't ever seen it before and suddenly it was her home from now on.

As Natalie treaded up the walkway, she looked to the house next door and saw a girl her age with blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail just about walk into what she naturally assumed to be her own house.

The blonde gave Natalie a genuine smile along with a wave which Natalie returned. They held each others gaze until the redhead girl felt an arm around her shoulder.

"Alright let's get settled" Archie says guiding me into the house where we were greeted a furry little friend she had not seen since that one Christmas when I was 12.

"Hi vegas" she kneeled down scratching Vegas's ears while he licked her face. A hand belonging to her uncle reached down petting Vegas too.

"Come on kiddo, I'll show you up to your to your room" he spoke handing his niece her bag. Treading up the stairs, my uncle pointed to the white-painted door to her new room next to Archie's. Inside the walls were painted white(but back in the car Fred said she could have it changed to any color she wanted later on), with a bed covered with plain white sheets against the wall in the left corner. Over by the window there was a black vanity along with a set of wooden dressers nearby the closet.

Uncle Fred went back down stairs so Nat could settle in and to get dinner ready so she did.

She began unpacking some essentials she had in her bag but when she felt something soft at the bottom she grabbed it out knowing it was the teddy bear gave mother gave to her.

The one that she still kept all these years.

The one she'd always keep.

Natalie sat on the edge of the bed and took in everything she was feeling in that moment then just one thought came to her mind.

'Welcome home Nat'