Falice 2

The Hit (Version 1)

"It'll take some time, but our day is coming."

"I'm sure as hell gonna marry you one day."

"Oh, you are?" She giddily smiles.

"You bet. We can have all the good, fun sex we want forever."

"Is that all that's in your mind?" She arches an eyebrow.

"No, we've got to eat, duh. We gotta keep up our energy." He laughs. "But there's more to it, don't worry. We're gonna wake up next to each other, send our kids to college, and who knows, maybe we'll have a couple of grandkids down the road to come over for weekends. We'll be grandma and grandpa to some cute little critters."

"You think about that?" Alice is in awe with this man.

"With you, yes. There's no other person I'd love to share my life with."

"You're too perfect. Makes me wish our future came faster."

"It'll be worth the wait. For now," FP hovers over her again. "We can skip waiting for something great." He dips down to kiss her.

His kisses tickle. She pulls him down. "This will do."

+

Hal looks straight at the man in front of him. "You're sure this is going to work?"

Hiram gives him a cocky smile. Hal came to him with an illicit request and he couldn't be any happier to make a deal with the man; a favor for a favor. Hal can repay him later.

"I am a professional," Hiram states confidently. "Once I order the hit, you have nothing to worry about. We'll make it look like the good ol' Serpent King got into trouble with his rivals. I have a connection in the Ghoulies. At the end of his shift tonight, all he needs to do is head back to the southside."

But little do they know that Hiram's daughter overheard their little conversation while eavesdropping behind the closed door to his study. She was curious to know why her best friend's father was meeting with her father.

Veronica knows it's up to her to warn Jughead about his father. She rushes to her room. She dials the diner, maybe the man was at work, but when the line doesn't go through she remembers their line is currently down for maintenance.

She tries ringing his trailer, but no one is home. She tries again and again hoping he or Jughead are miraculously there.

She attempts to do something else after a few minutes. She calls Betty. Maybe Jughead is with her. Betty fortunately does answer.

"Hello?"

"Bee, is Jughead with you?" Veronica frantically asks.

"No, he went next door to work on a project with Archie, why? Is something wrong?"

"My dad ordered a hit against his dad for tonight."

"What?" Betty's blood runs cold.

"You have to warn him to not go to the southside."

"My parents both took their cars," Betty panics. Her father was in Greendale at a conference and her mother was working late at the Register as far as she knew. "Uh, I'm going next door. I'll talk to you later!"

"Wait, there's something else!" Veronica tries to warn her before she hung up. It was too late. "Your father asked him to."

Betty sprints out the door. She bangs loudly on the Andrews door. She needs an answer immediately.

"Woah, woah, what's going on?" Archie pulls the door open. "Betty?"

"Where's Jughead?"

"He's at the table with my dad," Archie looks behind himself. "You didn't answer my question."

"Veronica called. We have to warn his father that he can't go home. Her dad ordered a hit against Mr. Jones!"

"What?" Jughead hears her clearly. So does Fred.

Fred gets up and grabs his keys from the counter. "You kids stay right here. I'll go."

"But, dad-" Archie tries to speak but his father cuts him off.

"No, buts! It's not safe for you kids!" He gestures for them to sit down. "I'll be right back with him."

Fred runs out the door to his truck. Jughead mentioned he was at work, so he knows to go to straight to the diner.

+

FP takes Alice's empty plate. "Everything alright?"

"Food's much better when you're working." Alice smiles.

"Tip worthy?" FP loves when she comes to visit him at work, too. "You know, Jughead is over at Fred's working on a school project. Maybe you want to come over to help me with mine when I'm off in half an hour?"

Alice giggles. "Tempting, but I made plans with my girls tonight. It'll be nice to spend time with them. The divorce hasn't been easy on them and with Hal out of town, it'll be nice to have the house to ourselves for movie night."

"It's good that you and your daughters are getting along. I'm still struggling to get mine to talk to me." FP frowns.

Alice looks around and sees the diner empty, so she leans over to give him a little kiss to cheer him up. "She'll come around. Jughead did."

FP sighs. "Maybe you're right."

"Now, I hate to leave, but I think I should head back home before it snows harder."

FP nods. "Bye, Al. Drive safe."

"Bye, honey. I'll see you soon." Alice waves him goodbye and walks out to her car.

She tries to start her car, but it decides to not budge. The engine light turns on for her. "Dammit." She climbs back out and heads back into the diner.

FP turns when he hears the door open again. He smirks to himself. "Miss me already?"

"My engine won't start."

"Hmm, I may know how to fix it. I need my tools though. I took them out of my truck last week, so they're in my trailer." FP finishes into his pockets for his keys. "If you want, you can borrow my truck to grab them. I can help you out with your car when you get back."

"You're an angel. That's why I love you." Alice takes his keys. "I'll be right back."

"I love you too," FP laughs. "Miss ya already."

Alice climbs into his truck and heads into the southside. She doesn't make it too far in; a car cuts her off straight ahead.

"What the?" She furrows her eyebrows as she brakes hard. She can't see who is blocking her because of the snow.

Before she can react, Ghoulies roll down their windows in front of her and shoot.

Back at the diner, Fred arrives in a panic. It doesn't help that he doesn't see FP's truck parked out front. He almost leaves to see if he can catch him safely in the southside, but he sees him walking around inside.

Fred swerves in to the parking lot and marches up to the door. FP heard the commotion and met him at the door confused.

"You're still here!" Fred is relieved to see the man.

"Yeah, I'm still on the clock. Why?"

"There's a hit put on you! You can't go home!"

FP's eyes widen. "Alice was on her way there! She borrowed my truck!"

"We have to go!"

FP is already ahead of him. He forgets about his work; Pop would understand his emergency. He runs to Fred's truck and they're off to the southside.

"That's my truck!" FP points straight ahead.

Fred stops behind it and FP jumps out. He runs to her side and opens the door to his truck. He sees her and pulls her out.

"No! No! No, God! Fred! Al, oh my God!" FP screeches at the top of his lungs. "Look what they did to her, Fred!"

FP holds onto her tight, sobbing into her hair. Fred watches how distraught this left FP; he cries too.

Her blood seeps right into FP's white work uniform, but he refuses to let her go. He can't do it.