Collateral Damage ▻ Riverdale [1]

2.30

THE AFTERMATH
CHAPTER THIRTY

Once getting the call from Alice Cooper late that same night, she headed to Thornhill alongside Betty, Hal, and of course, Alice. She wondered if Polly would take this reveal and use it to tell everyone that Jason wasn't the father of her babies, but who knows.

Over and over, Alice loudly banged on the front door of the Blossoms family mansion. Finally, Clifford and Penelope opened the door, not seeming too happy to see the Coopers. Penelope glanced over at Queenie, who looked as if she hadn't slept in days. After finding out Jason's killer was supposedly her father, Queenie didn't dare show her face around Thornhill any longer.

Penelope noticed this and she didn't seem to blame the girl. Who would in her position? But Cheryl and Penelope didn't blame Queenie at all for what happened to Jason, even though her father confessed to it. After all, Queenie was hurt in the process of Jason's murder, also.

"Don't bother calling the cops, we're not staying." Alice informed them as she barged right in with Queenie by her side and Hal and Betty following soon after, "Polly!" Alice shouted out.

"What the hell is going on here, Alice? It's the middle of the night!" Clifford told them, but Alice didn't seem to care much at all.

"Oh, sorry to interrupt the witching hour at Thornhill." Alice retorted before she looked up at Polly, who was standing beside Cheryl at the top of the staircase.

"Polly, honey, are you okay?" Hal asked his oldest daughter concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," She answered in a calm tone before looking over at her Queenie, "Queenie, what's going on?"

"They're here to bring you home, Polly. They asked me to tag along to help convince you." Queenie informed her.

Cheryl made her way closer to Polly and linked arms with her, "She's not leaving us," Cheryl argued, "Unlike you, who didn't even tell us goodbye."

"She chose to live here alongside Queenie, remember? Queenie has been absent in the past few days, but she'll be back. She's just going through a lot," Penelope spoke up, "To live in a mentally stable, in which both of them do not half, remember?"

"Oh, I know all about your family, Penelope. And the incest." Alice told them and Polly became confused.

"What?" Polly asked, clearly confused about what her mother was talking about, "What incest?"

Clifford sighed as Alice began to explain, "Hal's grandfather wasn't just your grandpappy's murder victim, they were brothers," Alice informed the group, "Which made him a Blossom, just like Hal."

"Yeah, so what?" Clifford argued.

"So what? So everything, starting with FP's confession has a few gaping holes in it." Alice argued back and Queenie tried her hardest to keep her mouth shut.

"He's being used by someone with a crazy motive. For example, hiding incest." Betty added in.

Queenie couldn't stop herself any longer, she began to laugh, causing them all to turn to her, "What's so funny, honey?" Penelope asked with her arms crossed.

"Who's going to tell them, Polly. You or I?" Queenie spoke up as she looked at her friend. Polly let out a sigh as Queenie began to speak again, "You were right, we can't keep it a secret any longer. So, now's the time. Before something that we all regret happens."

"What is she talking about, Polly?" Alice asked her daughter concerned.

Polly gave Queenie a look that showed that she wanted her friend to do it for her. Queenie sighed, "Don't expect to reveal the news in a nice way," She warned the blonde before speaking up, "Polly's babies are not Jason's. They are someone else's. Those babies are no more Blossom than what they carry from their Hal's side of the family." Queenie clapped her hands together as they all gave her a shocked look, "And my work here is done."

"You lied to me, Queenie," Alice stammered, "Y-You told me at the diner..."

"What can I say, I'm a good liar. You could even go as far as to say I'm a pathological one, too." She admitted before she walked toward the door.

_____

The next morning, Queenie sat in a booth at Pop's with Jughead, Archie, and Archie's mother, Mary. She was a lawyer so after Archie asked her for help on FP's case she agreed.

They were papers scattered around the table and a waitress came over and poured Mary a cup of coffee, "Archie asked me to look into your father's case. I went down to the station and passed as his attorney to try and get as much information as I could." She explained to them.

"How's it looking, Mom?" Archie asked his mother out of curiosity.

"Well, unfortunately, between FP's list of priors, the anonymous tip, and the possession of the murder weapon..." Mary trailed off as she glanced at Queenie and Jughead.

"You can't forget about that bullshit confession," Queenie commented and then immediately noticed the looks she was getting, "Sorry, language."

"Things look pretty bad," She told them as she nodded her head, "I was with him all night and he never once budged from his story."

Jughead sighed deeply before he smiled goofily, "Well, if nothing else, at least he's an honest murderer, right?"

Queenie groaned in frustration as she rolled her eyes, "Jug, not right now. Please." She pleaded.

Mary looked down at her folder and opened, "Oh, and one more thing, who is...Joaquin DeSantos?" She asked and Queenie's eyes widened in shock.

"Did you just say, Joaquin?" Queenie frowned and Mary nodded, "That's one of my friends. And Kevin's boyfriend. What is he doing on there?"

"He was FP's one phone call." Mary informed them, "Jughead, Queenie, my advice to the two of you is, go and see your father, tell him everything you want to say. Once he's arraigned, things tend to move pretty quickly and there won't be anything left to do. So this might be your last chance."

Queenie shook her head while Jughead stayed quiet, "Sorry. No can do, I have to go kill Joaquin." She told them jokingly which caused Mary and Archie to frown, "Relax, I'm kidding. Jeez." Queenie got up before she headed to Joaquin's house to question him.