Alice was waiting impatiently at home as the big search for Jughead went on. Fp had pleaded with her to stay with JB, and she did without a second thought.
Jellybean didn't really want to do anything other than play Minecraft, so after supper Alice let her go up into her room and do so.
She was pacing around the house, cleaning everything until it was spotless. She couldn't even count the amount of times she had scrubbed the counter.
She cared a lot for Jughead, he was FP's son.
The front door opened slowly, causing Alice to make her way over to the door worriedly. FP and Betty walk in looking distraught. She could see the mascara under her daughter's eyes, while she saw an expression on FP's face she couldn't quite read.
"Anything?" Alice asked hopefully.
Betty just gulped before walking past her mother and making her way upstairs to her bedroom while Alice never tore her eyes off of her.
She stared at the stairs, worried for her daughter. She still never tore her attention from the stairs as she spoke to FP.
"JB is upstairs in her room, if you want to-" she turns her head at the last word and is taken off guard when FP pulls her into him and embraces her tightly.
Her mouth gapes open as she feels her stomach turn, taking a shocked moment before wrapping her arms around him. She didn't know exactly what had happened yet, but she knew it wasn't good.
"He's dead." FP chokes out, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
Alice's breathe hitched hearing his statement. She's about to respond, but is met with a loud sob escaping his mouth. Soon enough, he's uncontrollably sobbing in the crook of her neck.
FP has never cried in front of her, ever. She has never witnessed this man cry. Hearing his loud sobs as he clutched onto her for dear life, broke her heart.
Her breathing quickened for a moment as a tear fell from her left eye, seeing FP break horrified her. She quickly dismissed her own feelings though, this was about comforting FP.
His knees buckle, taking them both down slowly as Alice didn't have the strength to keep them standing. They just lowered to the ground slowly, and sat on the ground as he buried his face further into her.
"Okay, okay. Breathe, honey. I need you to breathe." Alice whispers, gently rubbing his back.
He tries to listen to her gentle words, but nothing could help him at this moment. His son was dead, and he couldn't do anything about it.
His body shook in her arms as she lovingly caressed his hair, whispering softly that it was going to be okay.
It took him awhile to calm down, she didn't know how long she has been holding him for. His sobs deescalated, and all she could hear were sniffles. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the heart wrenching conversation they were going to have.
"FP?" She said softly.
He sniffles. "Yeah."
"Are you okay?" She pulls him away, just enough to look at his face and immediately teared up.
His eyes were bloodshot from all the sobbing, and she could only imagine how much his throat was killing him.
He opened his mouth to respond, but closed it and just shook his head no, shutting his eyes tightly.
She took his face in her hands and caressed his cheeks with her thumbs. He allowed a few tears to escape, causing her to bite her lip to hold in her own tears.
"I'm so sorry, honey."
He nods before looking at her to find comfort in her eyes. He needed her, he needed her more than ever.
"I-I don't know what to do." He chokes out.
"It's okay, it's okay. We'll figure it out together, I promise. I've got you, FP." She smiles sadly at him.
"It's not okay, Alice." He raises his voice slightly, causing her to jump. "My son is dead, dead! He doesn't get to grow up and live his life, while I'm still here, a goddamn drunk who doesn't know how to protect his own son." He growls trying to escape her embrace but fails.
"Hey, hey, FP stop. Look at me." She demands, turning his face around gently to look at her. "This isn't your fault, you couldn't have known. Jughead didn't deserve this, but neither do you."
"I should be dead for what I put my kids through, and you through, and-"
She shushes him by kissing him gently. Until now, he didn't know how much he had needed her lips on his. They were so comforting, he felt like he could do anything with her love.
They broke apart and placed their foreheads together, as Alice intertwined their fingers.
"You are such a good man, FP. You truly are the best man I know, and Jughead is the replica of you. You went through a rough patch, but you fixed yourself up for your kids. You got the job as sheriff in this horrible town, you live on elm street. You tried to put your family back together for them. You are an amazing father, FP. You couldn't have done anything , you didn't know." She reassured him with a broken voice.
Hearing him talk so poorly about himself made her heart ache. He was an amazing man, and an even more amazing father. She was so proud of the man he had become.
"I don't deserve you." He shook his head.
"You deserve so much, FP. I'm here for you, we'll get through this together." She whispered, letting some tears escape.
He looked at her for a moment, taking her in before kissing her tenderly. Holding her as close as possible, scared that she might be gone soon too.
They pulled back slightly, needing to catch their breathes, but stayed wrapped up in each other's arms. Alice leaned her back on the wall, while FP placed his head on her lap as she ran her fingers through his hair.
"I love you so much." He whispers, caressing her knee.
"I love you too, FP. So much more than you know." She smiles slightly.
"Thank you." He says gently, slowly turning his head to look at her.
"I'm always here for you, FP. Always." She promises, leaning down to kiss him softly.
