Saving Her

Chapter 43. Panic

The next couple days had passed and Betty was getting ready to make an exchange with Edgar in order to get her brother back.

Jughead would be part of it with the Serpents but that was only because he didn't want Betty to get into everything alone. He was sure Edgar would do something shady and he wanted to be there for her and dad seconded his help. The teens were actually only staying at the Five Seasons for the sake of being close to home, Edgar and the station. But Alice figured they went somewhere yet again. FP would obviously be aware of what the kids were up to and he even helped them come up with something in order to tell Alice only because he couldn't just leave her to help them. Instead, he laid his trust in the hands of the other deputies, FBI agents and Serpents.

Just to keep things interesting and Jellybean in the know, Jughead and Betty decided it was a good idea to tell the younger teen so that she could help with keeping Alice occupied. And she would do so by keeping her so occupied that she wouldn't be thinking about the older teens or she would keep her busy by just being home.

Things in Alice's world would remain the same; bedrest, worrying about Charles, worrying about the children who would be away once again for the next few days or so, thinking about her new baby, worrying about FP while he was at work, but staying sane since Jellybean was there to keep her brain going.

"So, what are you going to name the baby? Is it a boy or a girl?" Jellybean asked as she rubbed the woman's stomach gently.

"Um, we'll we're not sure if it's a boy or a girl yet. We wanted to be surprised, but your dad and I have already come up with names for either," she claimed.

"Can I know them?"

"Nope, it's a surprise," she chuckled.

"Just tell me, neither are having to do with my dad's first name, right? We've already got three Forysthes and one Forsythia... Have mercy on the poor thing."

Laughing, "We're not naming the baby after him again. I told him that already. But obviously getting Jones as a last name..."

"What about yours? Smith is cool and isn't that Charles' name?"

"Yeah, but he should technically be down as Smith-Jones, but I was young when I had him. If I'm honest, I never wanted anybody to know he was your dad's or mine. Things were very different back then and FP was already with your mom and getting ready to have you guys. Then I was also with my ex-husband at the time and we were getting ready to get married and my name would change. After high school, your dad and I weren't exactly friends so, it would have complicated things if he would have known."

"I understand... sort of," she shrugged. "But I do know what you mean. Things were complicated so we can leave it there."

She nodded.

"So, what should dad and I make for dinner?" Jellybean switched topics immediately so that the woman wouldn't have a chance to gather her thoughts.

"I don't know... What sounds good?"

"You mean, you're not craving anything?" she laughed.

"Actually, no," she chuckled. "Give me some suggestions and then I'll start getting ideas."

"Okay... Um, well, wait... Now Pop's sounds good."

"We just had that for lunch," she smirked. "I mean, another vanilla shake doesn't sound so bad, but I should be good with sweets. How about buffalo wings?"

"Oh, that does sound good. Meantime, I'll make us a snack, we can order when it's closer to dad coming home."

"Okay, sweetheart."