Just The Two Of Us <Sweet Pea FF>

66. Halloween

"Those tapes are so creepy" I say, cleaning the mugs "I don't see the point in doing it, I mean everyone in riverdale received one. The only thing I get from this is: We are being watched"

"The bigger question is: who still owns a VCR, like honestly" ronnie laughs rolling her eyes.

Archie and Monroe enter the diner dressed as super heroes in super tight tights. I try to suppress my laughter but fail miserably and a chuckle comes out of my mouth.

"We look ridiculous" archie complains
"You look adorable, both of you" Veronica's hands touch her cheeks
"Then why is Julia laughing?" Monroe points at me
"Because you look adorable" I press my lips together.

"What are our names again?" Archie asks, not impressed by the costumes ronnie organised for their Halloween Party at the gym.

"According to Katy, you, Archie, are pureheart the powerful, and you, Munroe, are the shield" she points at them.
"Right on" Munroe murmurs and I start chuckling again.

"Do you guys need a ride to the centre?" He continues
"No, I'll take an uber. I still have to do some cleanup over here"
"And I'll help her" I say, raising my hand

"But save a dance for me, pureheart, won't you?" V steps closer to Archie and snails her arms around his neck.
"Goodbye, the shield" I wave at munroe who is about to walk through the door.

Ronnie and I continue working and cleaning up the diner until it got pretty late.

"So what is the deal with you and sweet pea?" She asks, trying to sound uninterested but I know the question has been burning on her tongue.
"We haven't talked since our camping trip"

"Really? But didn't yo-"
"Yes, I know what I said. But weeks passed and it never came up again" I say, letting the wet cloth run over the coffee machine.
"That's unfortunate"

I decide to not ask her about the 'plan' they had, if sweet pea tells the truth.

The bell jingles and a man enters.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but we're closed" Ronnie excuses.
I look up to see a middle aged man with a beard and a cap on his head.
He is wearing a denim overall and a flannel shirt over it, looking pretty much like your average riverdale dad.

"You know, I've been driving straight the last 18 hours. I-- I could really use a cup of coffee and a home-cooked meal." He sounds exhausted but ronnie doesn't answer. We both worked hard today and just want to go home, we won't reach Archie's halloween party in time anyway.

"I'll be quick, I'm trying to get home to my family by daybreak" the man adds.
V sighs, giving in "Take a seat"
"I'll get you a menu" I nod

With a thank you the man steps inside and slides into a booth.

"There you go. Right off the grill" I put the plate down in front of him a couple minutes later
"I really appreciate it. Hey, can I show you something?" He asks as I was just about to walk back behind the counter.

He takes out a picture and Ronnie joins us.
"It's my family" he smiles
"My wife and my two little girls"
"Aww" escapes my mouth. There is a beautiful woman with two girls in her arm standing in front of a huge tree.

"Aren't they angels?"
"They are. They're beautiful" Veronica takes the picture into her hands "and really lucky to have a father willing to drive through the night for them"

"I'm gonna get you a refill" I turn away and he takes the picture back into his hands
"Thank you"

"You know a little birdy told me that Munroe thinks you are pretty" V wipes the counter and I grab the can with the coffee
"The shield? Wow I feel like Gwen Stacy" I walk back to the table while touching my chest.

"No, but archie already told me. I just-- I just think I'm not really over sweet pea yet. I don't think I ever will"

V leans down on the counter and sighs. She probably thinks this is really romantic when in real life it is awfully painful telling someone you love them and not hearing it back.

"I'm not usually on kitchen duty so I hope the burger was all right" she speaks up, addressing the man.
Music is playing on the TV in the background.

"Delicious. Nothing like a home-cooked meal" he says and grins into my direction
"Well, we here at Pop's try" she chuckles "Any room for dessert?"

"We have pumpkin pie. Homemade" I add since he really seems to like homemade meals. His wife must be a good chef.
"Oh, well. I will take a slice of that"
"Alright" V smiles and I turn around to get a piece out of the tray.

Veronica puts the dirty dishes onto the counter when the TV peeps and the music stops.

"We have breaking news. An extremely dangerous patient escaped Shady Grove Treatment Center earlier today. A serial killer nicknamed the Family Man, Michael Matthews, forced his many victims to cook him meals before brutally murder them."

My head slowly rises to look at the TV.
Homemade meals.

"He is of average height and medium build. After escaping from Shady Grove, he killed a trucker and stole his clothes and vehicle-"

Ronnie quickly turns of the tv. We look at each other and both now who is sitting right in front of us. Slowly, we turn around. V forces a smile on her face and the man does too.
Perhaps 'smile' wasn't the right word for it -- the top row of teeth was showing, and there was a faint curve to the lips, but there was no crease below the eyes, no movement of the cheeks. It is a grimace, at best.

I take the pie and step away from behind the counter, V right behind me. My heart is beating in my throat, and the deadly silence hurts in my ears.

In a split second the man's expression changes and everything gets loud.
I let the pie fall to the floor and run behind Veronica who opened the secret door to the speakeasy.

We escape behind the glass door and she locks it, standing face to face with a serial killer. Still smiling he bangs on the door. One look at his eyes before we run downstairs, eyes full of madness.

"What do we do? What do we do?" I cry, the pounding on the door still audible.
"Behind the bar" she orders.
In the hurry I knock a glass of cognac over the bar, the brown liquor running down to the floor.

I got it!
I grab a bowl and fill it with the next best bottle of alcohol I can find.
The glass shatters and I hear his heavy boots crashing down on each step.

I push the bowl into Ronnie's hands and run to the light switch, she understands my plan.

We both kneel down, hiding behind the bar in the dark, hoping my heart isn't pounding loud enough for him to hear.
He flicks his lighter, to see something.
The next thing I hear is his chuckle. This horrible chuckle, sending shivers down my spine.

He is now right in front of the bar and looks up to see his first victim, veronica with the bowl in her hands.
Another chuckle.

I get in position and give her the signal to pour the liquor down on him. I grab a stool and hit the man who just caught fire. Ronnie jumps down the counter and we both run upstairs.