Two Pink Lines

23

"So Jellybean asked me something today." FP says quietly as Alice lays curled up in his arms.

"What did she ask you?"

"Well, she... she wants to see Gladys." Alice tenses in his arms when he says it.

"Oh." Is all she can manage to force out.

"Are you alright with that?"

She shifts up onto her elbows to look at him and raises an eyebrow. "It doesn't matter how I feel about it, FP. Gladys is their mother, and no matter how I feel about her, that's not going to change. She's done horrible things, but maybe it's good for the kids to get some closure, they deserve that much."

"I'm scared." He croaks out. Alice frowns at that, lifting a hand to stroke through his hair. "I want them to have a relationship with her but I can't trust her. I'm scared she's going to hurt them."

"She can't hurt them, honey."

"Not physically, no. But mentally, emotionally. She's never exactly had a filter and I'm just worried she'll say something and hurt them more than she already has."

"Well I suppose you can't exactly keep her from saying something but you can prepare them. Tell them not to take anything she says to heart. It's all you can do." She cups his cheek with her hand and gives him a small smile. "You just have to be there for them afterwards. Be there if she does say something that upsets them."

"I wish they didn't want to see her."

"I know, I do too, but as awful as Gladys is, she is still their mother, and if they want to see her, that's their choice."

"I wish you could come with us, I'd love to see the look on her face when she sees us together."

She smirks. "Believe me, I'd love that too. But I'll be here when you get home, you can rant my ear off afterwards."

•

"Well this is awkward." Gladys jokes as she sits across from FP, Jughead and Jellybean. "How are you guys? How's school?"

"Good, I've made a couple friends, the kids here aren't as bad as I thought they'd be." Jellybean answers.

"That's good. And Jughead? How about you?"

"School's fine. Betty and I are working on the school paper together so that's been taking up a lot of our time."

"You two are still together, huh?"

Jughead nods. "Yeah, going strong."

"We're living with her and her mom." Jellybean adds, earning an elbow from Jughead. "Ow! What? It's true."

Gladys raises an eyebrow. "You're living with Alice and Betty?"

"Well the trailer is considered a crime scene so Miss Smith said we can stay with her until we can move back in." Jughead explains.

Gladys locks eyes with FP, giving him an icy glare. "And how is it? How's Alice?" The way she says the woman's name, like it's poison on her tongue, has FP clenching his fists under the table.

"She's fine." FP answers. "Very welcoming."

"Yeah, I'm sure she is."

"She's super nice," Jellybean cheerily adds. "And she makes really good pancakes. Plus she gave me her other daughter's old room and let me decorate it however I want."