𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐛𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐦 [𝟐]

xxxvii. gravestone.

ENOCH WALKED with Betty into the room their mother was staying in, Betty had her arm linked with her brother's as the woman opens her eyes and saw the two twins at the door. "Betty. Enoch." She said and Enoch smiled just the faintest at her. "Mom... are you engaged to Edgar?" He asked her and she looked away, sighing softly.

"Edgar and I have a deep understanding of one another." Alice explained to her twins and Enoch glanced at Betty. "That's what I thought." She said and Enoch looked back at their mom then held out her hand towards their mom. "Betty and I wanna show you something." He says.

Alice got up and took his hand before he and Betty lead her out of the room. On the way there, Enoch kept looking at Alice as she drove. When they got there, Enoch and Betty just stood there and their mom looks at them. "What is this, Betty?" She said and Enoch sighed softly. "I paid someone to help me track down Charles' grave." She said and Enoch looked towards their mom.

Her reaction sort of broke his heart. "I'm so sorry, mom, but you haven't been talking to him at the Farm." He told her and Betty looks to him before looking over at their mom. "Your son... has been here, buried and dead, for the last five years." She said and Enoch looks at the tombstone.

In the car, Enoch sat in the passenger seat this time while Betty sat in the back seat and their mother sat in the driver's seat. "It's just so sad." Alice said and Enoch stayed staring down. "I know, mom." Betty said and Enoch pursed his lips. "So sad that you two won't let me be happy at the Farm." She said and he looked at her right away.

"I don't know when you're gonna give up, Betty. Especially you, Enoch." She said and he slowly shakes his head. "You saw his gravestone." He said, glaring at her. "I'm sorry, Enoch, but I spoke to my son, my oldest son this morning." She said and he gulped. "I'm sorry, too, mom." Betty says and even though he was expecting, Enoch looked away and closed his eyes as his sister put the cloth over their mother's mouth, Alice passing out.

Down in the bunker, Alice woke up to find herself cuffed to the bed and her twins sitting there, Enoch on a chair at the table and Betty on the bed by her legs. "Where am I? What did you do to me?" She asked Betty right away. "I chloroformed you." Betty said like it was no big deal. "Don't worry, mom, you're safe." Betty tells her.

Betty got up and walked away as Enoch went over to the bed and sat down. He leaned over and kissed their mother's forehead. "Enoch, please..." She begged and he just sighed. "Betty says we're gonna help you, and I-I want my mom back, so I'm willing to do anything to have her back." He said and then stood up as well, walking over to Betty.

"Edgar always starts with questions, so I'll do the same." Betty said, sitting on a chair next to Enoch. "Do you remember this?" She asked, smiling as she flipped the photo album to show her. "It was your first day at The Riverdale Register. You were so excited." Betty said and Enoch smiled. "And now I'm an on-air reporter for RIVW, thanks to the Farm." She said and Betty looks down.

"Eighth grade graduation. You cried that day, do you remember?" Enoch said as he showed her the picture next. "That's the past." Alice said and he tries to hide his hurt as he looked down. "I'm someone else now." She says and Betty grabs the photo album. "No, no, the past is... part of who you are. You're Alice Cooper." She told her. "You bought a house on Elm Street. You painted our front door red." She carried on, smiling.

"I lived with a murderer in that house." Alice said right away, tears welling up in her eyes and Enoch slowly shook his head. "You raised us and Polly in it, too." Betty said, pointing to herself. "Bad things happen, mom, but you can't get rid of your past, because then you'd lose the good parts, too." Enoch said and reached up, sniffling and wiping a tear away from underneath his eyes.

"There's been so much pain."

Betty got onto the floor in front of their mom, "I know, I know, but... that's what makes us stronger." She said with tears and Enoch moved to sit next to their mom. "Edgar doesn't see that, mom, you have to believe us." He said but she refused to look at either one of her twins. "Believe you? Okay, so tell me the truth. Was that really Charles' grave?" She said and Betty doesn't answer.

Alice looked at Enoch and then back at Betty. "So, how can I trust you? You lied to me. You faked a gravestone." She said and stood up. "Look, I love you, both, I love you, both so much. But you're gonna have to let me go." She said as she sat back down onto the bed once more.

A tear rolled down Betty's cheek as she looked up at her before standing, "I'm sorry, mom." She said as she turned away. "No..." Alice said softly and Enoch stood up as well, grabbing his coat. "I have to go to school, but, um, I'll come back to check on you." Betty said and picked up the photo albums. "No, Betty." Alice said faintly and her daughter simply sets down the photo albums onto the bed next to Alice. "This is your life. Look at it. And remember who you are." She tells her.

On her way out, Alice tried to reach out for her but she managed to slip past her and to the exit. Enoch picked up his backpack, sighing. He was gonna go but she quickly grabbed his arm. "Oh, come on, baby boy, please," she looked at her with tear filled eyes and he cleared his throat.

"Mom... I love you." He pulled his arm away. "But it made you seem ignorant and like you didn't care when you said you lived with a murderer in that house. What? Like I didn't? Like Betty didn't? We did, I did too, mom. Do you not remember when he tried to kill me? When he put his hands around my throat and tried to kill me? Because I do, I had nightmares about it while you were running off with that fucking farm!" He exclaimed and then he rubbed his eyes. "I'm gonna go, Sweets is picking me up..." He said before heading down the little tunnel and heading up the ladder.

   

   

   

   

   

    

    

    

authors note i DONT CARE if she's crazy, alice cooper crying always makes me cry