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It had been a month since Gladys came back from Toledo. Jellybean and Jughead were catching up on the sibling fights they had missed out on. Jughead loved having the family back together. FP saw how happy he was to have his sister and mother back in their lives.
"Dad can we go to Pop's?" Jughead walked into the bedroom. He was laying in bed staring up at the ceiling before his son came in. He took him out of his daze. Gladys was laying right beside him. She had her arms wrapped around him as they snuggled. FP was not feeling anything towards her but he felt urged to do it if that made Jughead happy. Jellybean appeared beside his side of the bed.
"Can we daddy? I want pancakes for breakfast." Jellybean had her front teeth missing. When she smiled her tongue stuck out in between the gap. "Of course sweetheart." FP couldn't resist his adorable baby girl. He pulled her close and showered her in kisses. She giggled and tried to squirm away. "Pancakes not kisses."
"We can have both," Gladys sat up and kissed FP. He didn't feel the spark he felt when he kissed Alice. The kids were watching so he had to force himself to smile. This was all for the kids. "Breakfast as a family is something we have to start getting used to."
"I'm starving. Can we go now?" Jughead said causing his mother to laugh.
"Once we get dressed," FP put both his feet on the ground and stood up. He grabbed a t-shirt from his drawer and looked for his pants. Jughead and Jellybean were already waiting for them outside, eager to go to the diner. Gladys was changing into her clothes too. She watched FP look at himself in the mirror as he fixed his hair. She went up to him from behind and wrapped her arms around him. "Isn't this great? We are just one big happy family. Giving this marriage another try was a good idea." FP didn't say anything. He simply nods for her and goes into the closet. He slips on a flannel and walks out to meet the kids by the car.
"Can I drive?" Jughead asked.
"Can he not kill us? I want pancakes," Jellybean said. Jughead glared at her. FP tossed him the keys. It's not like he hasn't driven him around before. "Daddy! I want breakfast not a funeral."
"It will be fine. He can get us right over the train tracks in one piece." Jellybean climbed into the backseat. FP took the passengers seat and rested his elbow on the door. He let his head fall into his hand. He was purposely trying to hide his face in order to hide his unhappiness. He loved his kids but he was living a lie. Gladys sat behind him and talked to their daughter.
At a window booth was Alice and Betty. They were creating a better mother-daughter relationship by bonding more. FP saw her in there and couldn't stop thinking about her. "You alright dad?" Jughead asked when they arrived.
