Falice 2

New Man

He told her not to wait for him when they discussed his desire to leave town with his thirteen year old daughter. He had high hopes for them picking things up from where they left off, but he didn't think it was fair to make her wait for him all those years that he knew he would be away.

Eventually, seven years had gone by and he was still not back. It had gotten harder the longer he was away. She missed him dearly, but she couldn't keep holding on. And eventually, she taught herself to move on.

His son came back to town before the man himself. Jughead had been able to update his father on what was going on in town, but most importantly on the one woman he was too afraid to verbally ask about.

FP laid on the couch staring up at the ceiling. His phone was pressed up against his ear as he listened to his son. He was catching him up on his current trip back to New York for his own personal reasons.

"You have to do what you have to do sometimes, Jug. Maybe going back to the root of your problem helps you find your solution."

"Dad, are you okay?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You know I've been back in Riverdale for about a month or two now and I've got to say, I'm surprised you haven't asked me the question yet."

"What are you getting at?"

"You know," Jughead said with confidence. "Isn't there someone you're curious to know about? I know you've been thinking about it."

FP sat up straight and put the phone down on the coffee table. He put it on speaker so he could hear him clearly. His hands needed to be clasped together in an attempt to support himself. "How is she?"

"She's getting by. She's still with the RIVW. Keeping busy." Jughead kept it simple. From what he knew through Betty, she was still a mess after Polly's disappearance and the encounter with Charles and Chic. He thought it was best to not go into specifics with his father. He figured it was not his place. "She's taken in Polly's kids. I've seen the twins a couple of times in the neighborhood."

"That's...good."

"The real question is why haven't you been back? JB's twenty now. She's not the little girl you left with anymore."

"It's been so long. I don't know if either of us is ready for me to come back."

"You're afraid, but why? What's there to be afraid of? That relationship brought the best out of you."

"I've hurt her more than once, boy. I don't know if I can risk that possibility again."

"Are you afraid of hurting her or yourself?"

FP remained silent. Maybe he was right. Maybe he was more afraid for himself than for Alice. She told him she loved him. The words never made it out of his mouth. She was the brave one.

"How do I know there's still a good chance of reconciling? I begged her not to wait for me."

"You'll never know until you try. Maybe going back to the root of your problem helps you find your solution. Think about it, dad. You've got to try."

__

The weekends typically brought Jellybean back from college and to her father's apartment. They were the two days she could keep him company considering her school and work schedule. And after receiving a call from her brother she had more than reason to stop by and check in on their father.

Using the spare key he gave her she let herself into the apartment and called out for FP. "Dad? I know you're home. Your bike's park right outside."