Chapter Text
Prologue:
The door was closing, and Jughead's mind was racing desperately - but he was unable to form any thoughts aside from: 'Don't leave. Don't leave. Please don't leave me here.'
Archie looked back at him with a smile. "I'll see you Monday!"
The door banged shut, and Jughead felt his adrenaline-fueled internal monologue stop dead as barely suppressed panic morphed into something stronger, and closer to shock. The car outside started, and his friend drove away without him.
When a strong pair of hands dropped onto his shoulders, Jughead looked up without expression at the man who had complete power over him. There wasn't any pleading left in the teen, and at this point he knew that there had never been any possibility of a bargain.
Chapter One:
There was a pervasive sense of relief throughout Riverdale.
Families were resting more easily not only because the murder of Jason Blossom had been solved and his killer arrested, but also because the plot that was coming out in snippets of gossip indicated that the whole situation had been elaborate, half-cocked, and ultimately the death itself an accident - a combination that made it quite unlikely that this sort of tragedy could reach anyone else's loved ones. The more details were revealed, the easier it became to feel distant from the events that had seemed to lurk behind every corner in town just days before, when a random murder victim could theoretically have been anyone's child - and when anyone's child could still have been targeted by the unknown killer.
Even Archie Andrews couldn't help feeling some of that relief, despite feeling conflicted about the fallout for his circle of friends - and particularly Jughead, whose father awaited trial after his confession. No, even so, Archie had high hopes of life returning to normal. As he walked home from football practice, it was fantastic to have his greatest frustration be that he had not yet convinced his father, Fred Andrews, to let Jughead stay with them permanently. There was the secondary frustration of having to talk down Jughead for hours after his roommate of several weeks overheard Fred's initial refusal to let Jughead stay permanently; however, Archie had smoothed that over with Jughead, and was beginning to hope that Fred would be embarrassed enough about his words that it would give Archie's pitch some additional traction.
As Archie bounded exuberantly up the steps of his house, he was optimistic that, after a productive practice on a beautiful day, nothing could stop him. His request could not be refused; it was unthinkable. It was only as Archie pulled the door open to his home that he fully registered the extra car in the driveway, meaning there would be a delay before he could have that conversation.
"Dad?" Archie walked inside. He found Fred in the kitchen, alone. "Who's here?"
"It's a social worker, Archie," Fred motioned Archie further into the kitchen. "They're in the living room, so let's give her and Jughead some privacy."
"You called a social worker?" Archie felt a shock of betrayal as he realized the ramifications of this. "We only talked about Jughead staying here two nights ago! I thought you would take some time before-,"
"Archie, no. I didn't call social services," Fred interrupted, putting out a hand to quiet Archie. "Let's keep it down so they can talk. I'm not sure of all the details, but it sounds like Jughead has a godfather who is going to take him in."
Fred stepped toward Archie and gave him a meaningful look, correctly assessing that his son was not done objecting. "This is good news, Archie. I know you were hopeful that he could stay here, and I did give that some thought since we talked the other night, but you need to realize that this is good news for Jughead."
"You were thinking about it, then?" Archie felt his hopes surge again. "So if things don't work out with this godfather, then he might be able to stay here?"
"I was thinking about finding a long-term arrangement for Jughead," Fred clarified firmly. "A godfather having custody is a long-term arrangement."
Sympathetic as Fred Andrews was to Jughead's position, he did not want to reopen what had been a very tense disagreement on a fraught subject. "There is other good news, too. Jughead's new guardian is moving into FP's trailer, so Jughead can continue going to school at Riverdale High."
"Wait - Jughead's not moving to Toledo?" Archie blinked, and then pumped a fist in the air. "That's fantastic! You really should have led with that, dad."
Fred laughed quietly before shushing Archie again. He started pulling out ingredients for homemade pizza. "I'm sure we'll get the whole story after Jughead gets all of the information. Let's get some dinner going so we can invite the social worker to stay if she would like. Want to watch a movie tonight, too?"
Archie hadn't seen his father make homemade pizza in months, and movie nights had become scarce under all of the pressure of the last few weeks. In some ways, Archie suddenly realized, it had actually been somewhat stressful just having Jughead around. Maybe this really would be the best solution - and Jughead wouldn't have to leave school or anything. Things really could get back to normal, and maybe even better than before if the godfather was better than FP.
Well, with such a low bar, that was practically inevitable.
"You're on. What movie?"
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Late that night, Jughead was still trying to wrap his head around everything that had occurred. He was lying silently on his mattress while Archie snored on the bed nearby. Texting Betty the highlights of his news hadn't helped him make any more sense of the situation; instead of focusing on Jughead having a guardian, a plan, and the ability to stay local and in school, she had endless questions about Brandon, the godfather he had never met or even heard of until now.
Jughead had tried to be patient, but when Betty asked about the godfather's highest level of education, he had finally stopped the inquisition by reminded her that he didn't exactly have people lining up to interview for the position of legal guardian.
Somehow that comment had seemed to make everything more awkward.
Seriously, though - as far as Jughead was concerned, the only question that needed to be answered was whether this godfather could stand to live with him in the Riverdale school district for the few years remaining between himself and adulthood. Then he could go to college and start his new life, hopefully with Betty if things were still good, far away from all of the people who had made decisions on his behalf for so long.
It certainly seemed unnecessary to ask those kinds of questions about Brandon, the godfather FP had apparently arranged for Jughead years ago. Beggars can't be choosers, after all.
All the same, it was kind of interesting that this godfather had portable work. Telecommuting sounded exotic and important in comparison with the manual labor jobs Jughead was more familiar with. With a rueful smile, Jughead realized that Betty had succeeded in making him curious about his godfather after all.
Pushing away all painful thoughts about his father, who was sitting in jail awaiting the "speedy trial" that was likely months away from even being scheduled, Jughead instead summoned a mental picture of himself sitting in the trailer, working on college applications on a modest laptop. His godfather might telecommute, typing away on a high-end laptop while sharing stories about his college experiences. Maybe Brandon had even graduated from one of the schools on Jughead's application list.
'Aw man,' Jughead thought as he turned over on his side on the mattress he used on the floor of Archie's bedroom. 'Now Betty has me hoping, too.'
Hope seemed like it was getting to be contagious in Riverdale these days, and it suddenly seemed right to Jughead that he should get a share (perhaps even a larger share than most) of the relief that had been spreading in the wake of his father's devastating confession. The suspense over the last several years regarding whether FP would be reliable or if he would disappoint Jughead was finally over; even if that meant that the worst was confirmed, it was a weight lifted just to finally, at long last, know for sure where he stood.
Maybe that worst finally happening would make space in Jughead's life for this godfather, and maybe having a guardian who kept food on the table and the wolves away from the door would be another weight lifted.
Jughead sighed as he reluctantly admitted it to himself: he was starting to hope.
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"What does proof of life even mean? Nobody's got enough extra body parts lying around for two or three years of that, and I think someone would eventually notice - even at a school like Riverdale High," Brandon craned his neck, causing Justin to stop cutting his hair yet again. "And how much haircutting do I really need? I'm not working in an office; apparently I just go to work every day on a computer."
"I haven't even finished the back," Justin positioned the clippers again as Brandon straightened his posture.
"Don't cut off the kid's fingers, Brand," Roy offered with a shake of his head. "Just send me a photo that is clearly proof of life once a week and monitor that work E-mail I set up for you in case I need anything else. Grow his hair, cut his hair, put a mark on him - just make it clear that you didn't take them all on the same day. That way, FP stays motivated."
"Oh." Brand considered this. "No kidding this is an easy gig."
"Make it work, and it's an easy few years," Roy agreed. "Blossom is paying us so well because he thinks you might have a challenge on your hands. He doesn't know you like I do."
Justin began shaping the sides of Brandon's haircut, but smoothly pulled back his scissors when Brand laughed hard enough to jostle him again and grabbed his beer.
"Ah Roy, and you don't even know me the way that Jones is going to know me. Raising teenagers gets a bad rap, but it doesn't have to be hard. He's going to get a quality education from me on that." Brand set his beer back down and motioned for Justin to hurry up with the rest of the haircut. Justin cautiously sheared off some uneven stragglers around Brandon's right ear, and observed with satisfaction that a business-like profile was finally starting to emerge.
"You should write a book." Roy rolled his eyes.
"I plan to have enough free time to take other jobs, not write a novel," Brand scoffed. "By the time Blossom wants Jones cut loose, I fully intend to have things fully lined up for the future. If the kid plays his cards right, he'll do okay too. I've got a lot to teach, and I'm guessing he's got a lot to learn."
"Proud Papa Brand," Roy smirked.
"As long as he toes the line, there's something in it for him." Brand shook his head impatiently, brushing away an itching stray hair that had fallen into his shirt collar. "Some things can only be learned through living them, and he'll be getting as firsthand an experience as there ever was."
Justin finished the haircut and began sweeping up silently, wondering if he should be so sympathetic for someone he'd never heard of before today. Whoever Jones was, having Brand take an active interest in him wasn't something Justin would wish on anyone.
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Betty met Veronica for lunch on Friday, and was disappointed but not surprised to see that Jughead and Archie did not show up in the lunchroom. Ever since Cheryl had responded so violently to Jughead's apology, Fred Andrews had encouraged the boys and Principal Weatherbee to look into another lunch location at least through the end of the quarter.
"So what do you know about Jughead's new guardian?" Veronica asked right away. "Have you met him?"
"Jughead's only meeting him this afternoon, so not yet." Betty slid her lunch tray onto the table across from Veronica and Kevin, who was smiling as he texted but looked up to join their conversation.
Kevin had been a little tentative with his friends since Joaquin's gang affiliation had become public knowledge - and his father had agreed to Kevin's proposal that he and Joaquin continue to see one another, albeit only at prescribed locations and times. FP's confession had at least done the good of clearing Joaquin of any involvement in the kidnapping, drug running, and murder, but Sheriff Keller's response had been surprisingly generous, especially to Kevin.
His friends had tried to be as supportive, but Kevin could tell that none of them understood why he was trying to work things out with Joaquin - least of all Jughead, who regarded it as something of a betrayal now that he had cut ties with his father and, by extension, the Serpents. Kevin was still making an effort to bridge the divide, though, and recognized that his friends were doing their best with the situation.
Kevin held up his phone. "What's the guardian's name? We can Google-stalk him."
"I don't know." Betty shook her head. "Jughead knew hardly anything when we texted last night and it doesn't sound like he was really interested in getting the details before meeting his godfather."
"Men!" Veronica patted Kevin's shoulder in apology even as she maligned him.
"That's not usually Jughead," Betty said uncomfortably. "It's... odd."
"Well, we should definitely cancel our girls' night so you can help Jug move and get some information about this guy. Then you can call me and tell me all about it." Veronica was brusque as she laid out the plan, but she smiled warmly.
Betty stared at her food for a moment. "Well, that's actually why I asked about a girls' night," she admitted. "Jughead wants to get settled in alone and have some time just one on one with his guardian this weekend. I'm trying to give him space, even though it's killing me how little I know about all of this. Everything is going to change for Jughead, forever, and I just have no idea if this is a good thing or a bad thing. And it sounds like he has no idea either."
"As opposed to living with a murderer?" Kevin felt the words slip out and immediately regretted how harsh they sounded. "I'm sorry to say it quite like that, but, you know..."
"But he has a point," Veronica said slowly, watching Betty's expression carefully. "Wouldn't literally anyone be a step up from FP for him? It's not like Jug has long before he heads off to college, anyway, so this is just for a couple of years. It's not even like having a college roommate."
"That's exactly what Jughead said." Betty was frustrated that her concern wasn't shared, seemingly by anyone. "But - I don't know - shouldn't the bar be just a little bit higher for a legal guardian? This could be a huge deal for Jughead. This guy is his new family."
"It might actually not be that big a deal," Kevin interjected. "My dad works with plenty of foster parents, and there are lots of great ones, but basically someone who keeps up the trailer and accesses FP's money for Jughead would be better than some of the situations those kids have." Kevin hesitated, wondering if he should add any more. Seeing the set of Betty's jaw, though, he decided to make his point a little more clearly: "And Betty, seriously, I don't think Jughead's looking for a dad - and I highly doubt that some guy he's never met is looking for a serious father-son experience."
Kevin saw Betty begin to speak and hurried to finish his point. "It's totally cool of him that he's willing to move here, and that's great news for Jughead, but maybe don't push things. Having a more distant relationship with a guardian is not always a bad thing, especially if that guardian doesn't know what he's getting into. Too much pressure on this whole situation could always end up with Jughead alone again."
Betty frowned, horrified by this new perspective. "Kev, do you actually think that could happen if I pushed them to be close?"
"No. Of course not. Just... maybe?" Kevin winced at how incoherent he sounded. "I guess I think that it's complicated, and you should let them figure it out on their timetable." Kevin thought for a moment and then tried to explain further. "Look, just try not to make Jughead overthink it if that's humanly possible. And definitely don't make this guardian into some sort of savior or hero and put on all kinds of pressure. We don't know: he might already be iffy about the whole thing."
Veronica nodded in agreement, thinking of her relationship with her own father, which tended to go most smoothly when it involved a minimum of sustained interaction. "That makes sense, Kevin."
Betty seemed less than convinced. "So, what, basically don't do anything?"
"Let Jughead come to you? And let his godfather set the tone for whether you interact with him, maybe." Kevin shrugged. "I'm no expert. I just know that if this guy doesn't work out, Jughead's probably moving to Toledo. Just saying."
"First do no harm!" Veronica warmed to the idea. "Things will probably be more normal for him than they ever have been. Honestly, the biggest challenge will probably be for us to break the habit of worrying so much."
Betty was still uneasy, but she had to admit that Kevin had given her a lot to think about.
The last thing she wanted was for Jughead to seem high maintenance and scare off his best chance at a normal life in Riverdale.
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