diamond //sweet pea//

//eight//

Dallas had started her research. Despite her longing for a family, a nervousness had set up shop in her chest. So she had kept her quest mostly to herself, letting Sweet Pea think she had given up. She had only told Cassidy, someone who didn't know how to judge and only wanted people to be happy.

"So, that's him?"

Dallas held her head low, hood nearly over her eyes. They had been staked out at Pop's for nearly two hours, waiting for Jughead Jones to show up. Her brother.

Cassidy turned her brown eyes up to look at her. "Dark hair? Beanie?" she asked.

"Yep," Dallas replied back, popping a few fries into her mouth.

"Say hello to your brother Dal," she muttered with a head shake.

Dallas watched as the boy sat down at a table with a red-headed boy, a blonde girl, and a dark-haired girl. He smiled when he sat down and it seemed like he must come in a lot because Pop brought him food almost immediately. Smiles could be seen from all around the table and a new feeling bubbled up. Jealousy. She had lived her entire life, jumping from place to place, never staying anywhere long enough to make any friends.

"What do I do?" Dallas asked, shifting her body slowly to get a better view of Jughead.

Cassidy snickered biting into an onion ring. "Could you imagine, 'Hey Jughead, you don't know me but I'm your sister', ha! Classic."

Dallas threw a napkin at Cassidy, who merely swatted it away and flipped her hair. Dallas sipped on her milkshake as a million thoughts raced through her head.

"I'm gonna do it," she said rising to her feet. Cassidy's eyes widened as the petite blonde got ready to blow up a teen boy's world. Cassidy grabbed Dallas' wrist.

"Listen, Dal, I'm all for justice and I think you deserve it, but maybe this isn't a great way to do it."

Dallas paused for a moment, taking Cassidy's words into consideration. And for a quick second, she thought against her mission for vengeance, but when she saw Jughead and his crew of privileged children get up to leave she panicked. In that spilt moment, she watched her last chance at happiness walk out the door. So she did the only rational thing she could think of. She followed him.

Out the door and into the fall evening she bolted. Nearly tripping over her own two feet, she could hear Cassidy's voice pleading her to stop.

"Jughead Jones!" She yelled, her breath forming a cloud of white.

The group of four turned around, stopping mid laugh to watch the deranged girl. Her breathing was heavy and ragged. Her mind told her to stop, but her heart and the longing inside urged her on.

"Can I help you?" He narrowed his eyes, racking his brain for a memory of her.

"Yes, I think you can," she said breathlessly.

The entire world seemed to stop in suspense. Most importantly Jughead stopped and waited.

"Well?"

"I'm your sister."

________________________________________________________________________________

It had been an eventful night for Dallas Wiley Jones. She had confessed her relationship to Jughead and to say he didn't take it well was an understatement. Naturally he laughed in her face and had kept going. But when she brought up her mothers name, things changed.

Evidently FP Jones had had his fair share of fights about Cindy Wiley with his wife. Always accused of loving her more than she. And it was a fight about exactly that, that drove Jugheads mother away from Riverdale.

It was now well past 2am, and Jughead has gotten up to grab drinks and food for the pair. A friend of Cassidy's, Hazel Hathaway, had shown up and kept Cass company while the siblings talked.

"Alright, go on. Tell me everything," Jughead spoke slowly.

"My name is Dallas Wiley Jones. I'm 16. My mother was Cindy Wiley and my father, is...well your father."

"She was your mom?"

"Uh yeah, when I left my mom was all but living. They were going to pull her plug but I couldn't watch that happen. So I was shipped out here," she explained.

"Oh, your mom is....dead then."

Dallas nodded, no sadness left in her. Especially not for the woman who robbed her of her childhood.

"When did my dad and your mom....." he trailed off.

"Sometime in October of 2000. I did the math. I was born on July 6th so that's the only thing that makes sense," she told him.

"My birthdays October 2nd," he added with a sheepish smile.

"What I worked out from my mother, was that FP didn't know until my mom was six months along with me. He was going to tell your mom but then found out she was three moths along with you. And I guess he said he wanted nothing to do with me or mom," Dallas finished. Her face fell and as much as Jughead wanted to hate her and Cindy for ruining his family, he felt bad for her.

The two sat there until the break of dawn. Sharing stories and getting to know one another. And because they had spent the entire night talking over coffee, Pop Tate had made them breakfast free of charge. Which Jughead took gladly.

"I don't know what the situation is with your dad, but if I could. I don't know. Meet him. Just tell him I'm alive and here. That'd be. Nice."

Jughead pauses from his mid bite and cleared his throat.

"Yeah. I think that'd be okay. He's...better than before."

Dallas didn't know what that meant, but if he was going to introduce her than who knows. This could be the very thing she needed to get a jump start on a better life. 

"Thanks Jughead. I know this must be really weird. It's weird for me too."

"It's okay. I get it." He waited a long while. A strong silence growing between them. "We're family now."

Dallas quickly got the impression that his home life was as unsatisfactory as hers. She really didn't know yet, but it didn't matter what FP Jones thought about her. She had a brother who seemed to, if nothing else, care. And that was all she had ever asked for.