Falice

Cult

•••

FP rushed over to Alice's house when he got a call from Betty. He parked his motorcycle on her front yard and took his helmet off. He sprinted into the house searching for Alice. He smelled a fire burning. Betty was standing by the stairs. He shoved his helmet into her hands and ran outside. He heard a man's voice chanting. FP got closer and was able to see Alice. She was holding a child. Beside her was her eldest daughter. She was also holding a child. FP walked over to the hose. He filled two buckets up with water. He turned the faucet off and walked over to the fire. He tossed one of them into the pit to shut the fire off. He then tossed the other at Edgar. "Hey, man what was that for?"

"Oops I missed." FP dropped the bucket and grabbed Alice's hand. He yanked her towards the house but stopped midway and took the child from her. "Wait here." He walked over to Polly. She held her free arm out expecting him to hand her her child but he took the one she had instead. FP walked back to Alice and led her inside. Betty walked by and FP put the twins in her arms before leading Alice to the couch. "Alice," He was waiting for a viable explanation as to what she was doing out there.

"Forsythe," She simply said. He gave her a stern look and crossed his arms.

"Alice, we do not put children next to open fires. That's a major red flag."

"They were completely safe."

"Are you listening to yourself? That guy is getting to your brain, babe."

"That guy happens to be a health guru."

"Health guru my ass. He's having you do some weird things."

"He's not wrong," Betty chimed in. She also noticed the pet name he gave her mother. "Did you just call her babe?"

"Thank you," FP said.

"Where did you even meet the guy?"

"He's from the farm. He's perfectly qualified to heal me from all of my miseries."

"He's qualified to be working for Captain Beatty," FP brought his hand up to his face. "I can't believe I'm going to have to give you the same lecture I gave Jughead when he was in elementary school. We do not play with matches."

"It was for a good reason."

"There's no good reason for big fires in out backyards, babe."

"There it is again. Babe?" Betty pointed it out again.

"Can you just promise me that there will be no more fires?"

"I promise."

"Good," He smiled. "Call me if you need anything." He grabbed his helmet from the table by the front door and headed out. "Keep an eye on her and call me if she does anything strange again." He kicked Edgar out of the house already so he wasn't too worried about him. Betty trailed behind with the twins. "So are we just not going to talk about the whole babe thing?"

•••

Fred heard a loud yell next door. It was Alice. Edgar and a majority of the members from the farm were trying to get her to do something she didn't want to do. She didn't want to go with them. "You've got to come with us, Alice. We're all in this together."

"I don't want to go! I don't want to leave!"

"Polly already left. Don't you want to join us."

"I don't want to leave. My life is here in Riverdale. I'm not letting it all go." Alice begged him to leave her alone.

"Alice we need to go," Edgar grabbed onto her arm. Alice dug her heels into the floor to hold her back as she was being dragged out. "Ease up, Alice. We're healing you."

"I don't want to go!" She felt the tears beginning to form in her eyes. He was going to force her to leave. She didn't want to leave her daughter behind and truthfully she didn't want to never see FP again.

"You heard her," FP walked in through the door. A couple of Serpents accompanied him. After Fred called him to tell him about the crowd of people and the yelling FP gathered up a few members and was on his way. "Let her go."

"Water boy," He scoffed. "She just needs to come with us and complete her healing."

"She doesn't want to go," FP challenged him. "I'm not going to tell you again, let her go." He gritted through his teeth.

"She needs to go."

"No she doesn't," FP said with a hint of bitterness. He wasn't allowing Edgar to take her away.

"She's going," Edgar was not stepping down. Members of the farm started to pile in to intimidate him. FP's Serpents began to pile in behind him. The gang members walked past him and closer to the cult members. "I beg to differ." FP smugly smiled. He was very confident. The cult members began to back away. FP approached Edgar and stood between him and Alice. He put an arm behind himself to hold her. "I'm not going to tell you again. Leave her alone or we will make you." FP threatened. "If I ever see you around here again I will personally rip those peppy teeth out of your mouth. Understood?"

Edgar gulped and nodded. He gestured for the rest of the farm to follow him out. They had to walk past the Serpents on their way out. They were terrified of them. FP turned to face her. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Alice answered his question by hugging him tightly. "He's gone for good now. No more joining cults, okay?"

"It wasn't a cult," Alice defended herself.

"Al-"

"Okay okay," She cut him off. "No more cults."

"But more kisses is okay with me," FP smiled. He poked his cheek out closer to her. She turned his face and kissed him on the lips. "Definitely better."

"No more farms. No more cults. No more Edgars."

"That's what I'm talking about, babe."

"Okay, again with the babe? Can we talk about that?" Betty walked into the house after watching cult members flee. The Serpents began to let themselves out. FP and Alice laughed and he walked her upstairs to her room so she could rest. Betty still stood by the door but was even more confused. No one was answering her question. "Any one? Mom!"

FP poked his head out from the corner and looked down at her. "She's always been a babe." That was all he said before going back to Alice.