shadows of the past [bughead]

Chapter 6: wrap me in your comfort until I get hot

He blinks at her a few times and stays quiet. He doesn't think he heard her correctly, "What?"

"What did you just say?" he asks again when she doesn't answer.

"That's where he kept me," she repeats, this time a little quieter than the last.

"Kept you? Betty, what are you talking about?" he looks down at the picture one more time, "Are you saying you-"  he can't bring himself to continue the question. He doesn't even know what he's asking.

"Betts," he tries again when she doesn't answer. She's looking down towards her hands, avoiding his eyes, and he's almost afraid of what he might find in them.

"Are you saying you were there? That killer kept you there?" The words don't feel real as they leave his mouth. This can't be true. He's talking about his Betty. The girl he once promised to protect forever. The girl that has been through so much in her life. The person who has had more than enough trauma from serial killers already.

"Twelve days," she whispers, still not lifting her gaze. She hasn't admitted that to anyone since her therapist repeated the facts listed in her file.

Jughead lets out a frustrated sigh and brushes his hands through his hair in disbelief.

"Twelve days," he mutters under his breath, more so to himself, trying to make sense of what he's hearing, "He kidnapped you for twelve days?"

The girl in front of him doesn't move, her head too busy racing with her own thoughts and regrets.

"H-how? W-what? H-How did that-" he can't bring out a sentence. She was kidnapped. By an actual serial killer.

"It was my fault."

"What?" his eyes shoot up at her, "How was that your fault?"

"I was stupid," she says and Jughead can't believe what she's saying.

„We were on this mission and I got this huge lead to where he was currently located and keeping a girl but the backup was taking so long to get there."

She takes a small break to take a deep breath as she recalls the memories.

"I- I heard her scream and I just couldn't wait. I-I had to save her, you know? I just wanted to save her. She needed help and I was so close I couldn't just have ignored her. I-I promised her parents to bring her home."

She doesn't know she's crying until she sees the tears fall onto the bed.

Sighing, he reaches out to touch her face and wipes them off her cheeks, "So, you went in."

"I was too late," she murmured and even though he already guessed that, he feels his heart drop.

Jughead doesn't know what to say. How are you supposed to react to that? He's so mad. He's so mad that she went in on her own. He's so mad that she put herself in such a dangerous situation even though she must have known not to do so. He's so mad that she's always trying to do the right thing. So mad that she never puts herself first and so mad that he wasn't there to stop her. And god, he's terrified. He's so terrified of what he did to her in there. Terrified of what she went trough and shaken by the realization that he could have lost her because of it.

"God, Betts..." His own eyes are welling with tears as he wraps his arms around her in a hug.

"I know," she laughs tearfully and shakes her head, "So stupid."

"I tried to find out what happened to you and why you weren't in the field anymore after I talked to Veronica but I couldn't find anything."

"It's classified. He's still out there."