Blind Love

Stay with Me

"That'll be it for today, make sure you're ready for tomorrow."

A sigh of relief accompanied with heavy panting filled the silence in the cell. This cycle of violence had been going on for a week, and they were not sure how much more they could take.

"You okay, Jug?" Veronica rasped, crawling over to him.

Jughead was barely holding up. With that no longer healing knife wound and harsh daily tortures, he looked and felt half dead.

Veronica located his lips by gently touching his face, careful not to press on any bruises or cuts, then poured a little water in his mouth from the dish of water they were 'rewarded' after surviving the attacks.

He thirstily gulped down the water to his dry throat and laid his head back down, too exhausted and painful to move.

"V, your cheek," he lifted a shaking hand to touch her cheeks, where on one side there was a knife cut and on the other was a dark bruise.

Veronica did not even flinch as he wiped away the blood on her bleeding cheek. That was the least of her worries. She was pretty sure her arm was dislocated again, her wrists were still broken and her ribs were probably broken too.

As for Jughead, his right eye was so swollen he could not open it, his skin was decorated with bruises and blood, and his abdomen hurt so much from the knife wound and uncountable punches that he could not sit up.

"We're not going to make it out alive, V," he coughed. "I'm sorry."

"Shh," the youngest Lodge shushed him. "Don't say that, we're going to get out and see our friends and family and—"

"Look around you, V! Look at us! We're not going to last any longer unless someone saves us," he made out furiously through his coughs.

"Hey, even if we really die, we'll die together right?" Veronica fought back tears as she tried to reassure Jughead in an unconvicingly trembling voice. "Fight together, make it out alive together or die together."

"Veronica, I'm sorry."

To her horror, she felt wetness on his cheek.

"I... can't."

"No, no, no, no, Jughead! You can! Stay with me! Stay with me!" Veronica's chest heaved up and down frantically, ignoring the shots of pain from her broken ribs that came with the motion.

"Tell dad I love him, tell Betty... and I need to tell you...," Jughead rambled on breathlessly

"What are you saying? Jughead! Stay with me! I'm getting help! I'm—" Veronica's voice was shrill with panic.

She had never been this scared before in her whole life. Jughead was not dying on her! She could not calm herself down. It was getting harder and harder to breathe as her panic attack intensified.

"Ah, such dramatics! Perfect!"

Veronica whipped her head around and saw two masked men with chairs and cameras entering.

She crawled over to them kowtowing and pleading. "Please! He needs help! He's dying! I beg you please! I'll give you anything you want! I...ow!"

The man had kicked her away mercilessly with his polished boot. "I want your ass on this chair. And that goes for Corpse over there too!"

"He's not dead!" Veronica half weeped, half protested.

"He will be soon if you don't get your asses on these two chairs pronto!" The man snarled, slamming the chair on the floor loudly. He was losing his patience fast.

Left with no choice, Veronica tried to heave Jughead onto the chair, but both were too weak to succeed.

With a groan of impatience, the man heaved Jughead up carelessly, then threw him down. He started to tie Jughead to the chair with thick rope so he wouldn't fall around.

Once Veronica did the same, the other man did the same to her. She winced at how tightly the ropes were tied, especially hurting her broken wrists.

He ripped her eye mask off suddenly and Veronica's eye hurt at the bright light that was shining on them. She turned to check on Jughead. His head was hanging limply to one side and his eyes were closed.

"Don't look so dead, kids!" The man laughed at his own joke. "We're live in three, two, one!"

The computer screens in front of them illuminated with Hiram and Hermione's faces on one, and FP's face on the other. Their anxious looks turned to horror once they saw their children on the screen.

"The biggest forces in town ain't so big anymore, eh?" The masked man cackled. "After all, I've got your children in my hands."

"Let them go! What do you want?" FP demanded, banging his fist on the table.

"Forward, aren't we, FP? I like it. Straight to the point then," he rubbed his hands in glee.

"You want your children? No problem. I want the Lodge's Northside," he pointed to the Lodge's screen and the Jones' screen respectively. "and the Serpents' Southside in return."

"I'll have you know my forces are surrounding you. Surrender immediately or face the consequences," Hiram replied stonily.

Veronica squinted at her mother. Hermione was not doing a good job composing herself as she saw her daughter's state, while Hiram seemed unshaken.

"And I'll have you know I'm calling your bluff, Hiram," the masked man said, amused.

"Look, this is non-negotiable. Either you let us control Riverdale and work for us, and get your children back; or you keep your precious little land, but lose your children," he held up a big knife for emphasis.

"What are the details of the conditions?" Hiram, ever the business man, calmly asked.

"Glad you asked, it's my favorite part," the pleased man explained. "Hermione will continue being mayor, Hiram will continue doing whatever shady business you do to keep being rich, and FP and the Serpents will do whatever business we ask you to do. You work for us. Whatever you do, will be controlled by us: and whatever you earn, will be given to us."

"Agreed, now give me my son back!" FP wasted no time in saving his only son. There was no hesitation on his determined face. His son was always his first priority, even if it meant giving up the Serpents, temporarily at least, until they found a way to overpower this new unknown force in Riverdale.