Saving Her

Chapter 51. Knowing

FP and Alice had been home for a while and the only person whom was back was Jellybean as she had homework to do.

"Forsythe, can I ask you something?" Alice asked as she slipped into a sleeping nighty for the evening.

"What's that?" he wondered, pressing a soft kiss to Lana's head as he'd rocked her to sleep. As he would listen, he'd be entirely fixated on the precious girl; she was his treasure.

"Well, I guess it's more of a comment..." she rolled her eyes to herself as she took a seat on the edge of her side of the bed. "I think there is something really serious going on with Betty and I'm worried. As her sort of stepfather-father in-law-father figure and my closest companion, I'd like your opinion. Do you think I'm crazy and overreacting? Or do you agree?"

He sort of chuckled; not only at her bearing title, but at the tone she used when describing herself. "If I'm honest, yeah, I think she's going something. School just started up a couple weeks ago, maybe she's stressed out."

"I thought so too, but then I realized that she has been this way since Lana was born, not to mention the nightmares," she curled up to the two of them, gazing down at their beautiful girl. "Do you think she's mad about the baby?"

"She was your biggest supporter, babe, I don't think so," he shook his head, feeling guilt immediately.

As the children were hiding everything that happened on the night of their sister's birth, FP realized that he was hiding information too and unintentionally as he had been occupied with Alice and their new baby. At the current point in time, he knew his news would bring about a hiatus because he knew about Betty's kidnapping, but her mother didn't. He also knew Penelope Blossom had something to do with the children the day after Charles had returned. Although Jughead had been gone a mere twenty-four hours, less if that, he knew something happened. He also knew Betty was in hysterics when she explained that she had shot her father, but he was at a dead-end only because he hadn't heard anything about the death of the Black Hood nor did the girl mention it again. Since he was on another level of life as his daughter was being born, he seemed to have lost her after that, only happy that she was back home and safe because she had disappeared for about five days total.

"FP?" she snapped her fingers in his face. "Are you tuning me out?" she arched a brow.

"I'm sorry, I just have a lot to think about. I'm sorry, you were saying?" he urged her to speak.

"Have you heard anything I've said?" she added in wonder.

"Worried about Betty... You think she's mad..." he rephrased their previous topics.

"Yes, but there was more, mister. I asked you what you were thinking about and then I'm wondering if there's something between her and Jughead, relationship wise... They've been awfully quiet. Do you think there's something wrong with them--" she cut herself off with a gasp. "Oh, God, what if she's pregnant?" she panicked.

"Okay, now I'll tell you, you're crazy. Jughead mentioned she was on the pill. I asked him if they were being safe and he told me that, which was totally not my business, I was looking for yes or no, but I figured you knew and I didn't want you to think I knew because I asked her or something perverted, so I kept it to myself," he explained in slight haste once the key point was out in the open.

"No, she doesn't tell me anything!" she sighed and dropped her head on to his shoulder. "Ugh, thank you for telling me, that's very good to know and gives me peace of mind," she rolled her eyes. "But besides that, I can tell there's something wrong. I just know there is and she doesn't want to tell me."

"No, I don't think it's you..." he commented.

"Well, mind you, I'm her mother, so I'm sort of the last person she's gonna wanna talk to. Maybe she's not over everything that happened; maybe she found out that I couldn't get custody of her?"