Falice: From A to Z

Ghosts

Summary: "I'm the Ghost of Valentine's Past. Nice to meet you, Alice."

She just blinked. It was the wine. It had to be the wine. Even though she didn't feel woozy, her legs were firm on the ground, and her mind was as clear as ever, it had to be the wine.

"I'm here to show you something," he continued.

Rating: T. Mostly for coarse language. 

Genre: Supernatural/Drama

Notes: Set after Alice shows up at the trailer and before the musical aka before FP blows it, before the Chic and Black Hood reveals.

This one is a bit of a departure for me. Please let me know what you think!

PS I don't get this show's timeline at all, so I made an executive decision and decided to pick Valentine's Day for this fic. Real Charles would have been born sometime in February, and The Trailer Scene would have happened after Christmas but before the spring? I think? Who knows?

~~Ghosts~~

On the eve before Valentine's Day, Alice Cooper found herself alone in her living room with a glass of wine and an open book on her lap. Her eyes glazed over the first page approximately half a dozen times, yet if anybody asked, she would not be able to tell them what it said. All she knew is that it was one of Betty's old books and the pages were yellowing and the edges curled like bunny ears.

Her record player was cranked up, Billie Holiday crooned and covered the silence of her empty home.

Everybody was gone. They had all left her.

No. That's not accurate , reminded the little voice in her head - the same voice she was trying to drown with a bottle of merlot. You told them to go .

First it was Polly who she pushed towards the nuns. Then she kicked her husband out. Twice.

Even her long lost son left without a fight when she told him to.

Betty had left and then come back. But she would probably just leave soon anyway. It only made sense. Alice had pushed everyone else away.

Right now, her youngest was off with Veronica celebrating "Galentines" whatever that was. Then tomorrow Betty would be with her boyfriend doing who knows what. It was only a matter of time before she left like the others and didn't come back.

With a cry of frustration, Alice tossed the novel she wasn't reading onto the coffee table. This clearly wasn't working. The loneliness was seeping in and all she wanted was to cry and pretend that everything was okay.

Alice took a careful sip from her glass. The dark burgundy drink was filled almost to the top. She needed it after the month - year- she has had.

Then, she reached for the tv remote and browses through Netflix, cringing at all the rom-coms it was suggesting. Eventually, she settled on some kids' show. Something nice and simple. Something that would allow her to escape.

Two bottles later, her show stopped and the screen questioned whether she was still there.

She was too busy sleeping to notice.

-

Alice's eyes fluttered open and she was greeted with Jughead sitting across from her. Only he was not wearing his beanie, he was a decade older, his hair was a few shades lighter, and his jaw was more square.

She immediately darted towards the fireplace and grabbed the poker.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?" she pointed it at the intruder.