Mine (a Riverdale fanfiction)

Part of His World

The Black Hood called the next morning. Betty had been awake half the night wrestling with whether to tell him the name of the Sugar-man, the name Cheryl had given her, and as she answered it, she felt very calm. "I assume my time's up."

"Yes, Betty. Have you found him for me?"

"I did."

"Good girl."

She should have shuddered with revulsion, hearing a murderer's praise, but she felt nothing.

"Now tell me his name," the Black Hood demanded.

"I could," she told him. "But that wouldn't do you any good now. I've already notified the Sheriff's office. You'll just have to read his name in the expose I just published in The Blue and Gold. Care to comment?"

"I told you what would happen."

"The Sugar-man needed to be brought to justice, not execution," Betty argued. "He will be dealt with in the right way."

"You're playing a risky game."

"Yeah. But it's my game now."

"Which is what, Betty?"

"A game that ends with me catching you," she said firmly. That was the endgame here now. No more being drawn into darkness. She would use the darkness inside her, harness it, and end this her way. "I found out who killed Jason Blossom. I found out who the Sugar-man was. You're next, Black Hood. I'm breathing down your neck. Can you feel it? Can you feel me?"

The call ended without another word, and she took the phone away from her ear feeling good about her decision ... and a little bit worried about what his next move was going to be.

*****

Jughead sat at the table in his trailer, head in his hands. How had he not seen that Mr. Phillips was a drug dealer? All that talk about not wanting it in his paper, not wanting it in the school ... Jughead was a fool not to have seen through him.

A knock came at the door, soft and tentative. The way his chest tightened, all breath gone, told Jughead who it must be, and he waited for her to go away. He didn't think he could handle her tonight.

But Betty Cooper was nothing if not determined, and she knocked again, harder, before turning the knob and walking in. "We need to talk, Jug."

"Not now." He turned away from her so she couldn't see how much he wanted her here.

"Yes. Now. This has gone on too long already." There was an air of determination about her as she came in. Whatever she had been struggling with the last time they were together, she had overcome it. Jughead envied her.

"What, you came to explain why having Archie break up with me by proxy was an act of love?"

"Yes," Betty said simply. She took a seat at the table next to him. "I was trying to protect you."

"From what? The only person who ever hurt me was you." God, it was true. He wished it wasn't.

"I know. I know, Jughead, and I wish I hadn't had to."

"Then why did you?"

"The Black Hood."

At that, Jughead turned to look at her. "The Black Hood?" Of all the things he'd thought she might say, that was probably the last.

She nodded. "He's been ... calling me."

"You mean, after that whole thing with the code book?"

"Yes. He ... he thinks we're alike." She had lost her composure, getting to her feet and walking away. "I don't know how he knows about—about this darkness inside me, but he ... he does. He wanted me to tell him things, to give him names, and—"