Snakes and Ladders - Falice

When We Were Young

Everybody loves the things you do, from the way you talk to the way you move. Everybody here is watching you, 'cause you feel like home, you're like a dream come true.

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When Alice had found out that the only reason Hal had asked for a divorce was because he was about to come into a significantly large inheritance, she felt one million times better about the situation. Knowing that her husband was simply a scumbag who so easily chose money over his wife of over twenty years instead of someone who was so wronged by her that he desperately begged for a divorce allowed her to hold her head high once more.

But, that prosperity was short lived. When Betty discovered that Chic had no Cooper blood, the dreaded question was finally asked. If Hal wasn't Chic's father, who exactly was it? It shouldn't have really been that big of a deal; many of teen pregnancies were the result of careless promiscuousness. But, the fact that Alice had persistently been so secretive about who the father was told Betty everything that she needed to know.

Whoever he was, he was vital to the story that was the present. "Whoever the father is, is not going to be a part of our lives. So, there's no reason to open old wounds that have healed many times over." Betty wasn't buying it for a second. Her mother sounded mad as she spoke, indicating that those old wounds were far from healed.

Chic's father was important to know, Betty could tell. But, if her mother wasn't willing to tell her, then there wasn't much that she could do about it. She had no idea who her mother even knew back in high school let alone who she'd slept with.

But if by chance you're here alone, can I have a moment before I go? 'Cause I've been by myself all night long hoping you're someone I used to know.

It wasn't until the next day when her mother had appeared in Betty's bedroom after an argument that a new piece of information was added to Betty's intel. Chic had just brought to light the fact that Jughead and Betty were sleeping together, and Alice was terrified. Hearing that nearly brought a tear to her eye as she spent the next countless hours obsessing over the fact that her daughter could easily become pregnant with a Jones' baby. It was all too uncanny. When Alice realized that she would have to talk to her about it, a slightly awkward conversation ensued, but Alice was reminded that Betty was a smart kid, Alice had raised her well.

But, the truth had been withheld for so many years that it now felt vile. Alice needed to tell someone, even if it was just a snippet of the truth. She couldn't let it burn holes inside of her any longer. Which is why she looked away from her daughter and braced herself as she spoke her next words. "I am very well acquainted with how alluring the Jones men are." It felt like a relief just to get that simple thought out there in the open.

Betty shook her head, "Woah, wait... Mom, did you and FP...?" Alice just shrugged, unwilling to speak the truth aloud. "I mean, is it possible that FP is Chic's dad?"

Before Betty could even take her question any farther, Alice shut her down definitively. "Absolutely not." One look into her daughter's eyes and Alice could tell that she didn't believe a word of it. Alice had always been a terrible liar, though she'd done it so very often. And Betty had always been able to see right through that.

Betty herself didn't care who the father was, she just wanted her mother to tell her and to understand why it was such a big secret. What Betty didn't realize was that the reason that it was such an immense secret was because Alice was still very much in love with the father of her son, and she wasn't ready to face the repercussions that revealing who the father was might force to upon her.