Precious Jewel || Archie Andrews

Episode 7 - Finding Polly

"We may have had a moment..." Jughead confessed.

"It's totally cool, I get it. No worries, Diana and I were just curious. Hey, I've been thinking about your situation, and I talked to my dad. He said he's willing to give your dad a second chance, but only if FP wants it. He's gonna call him. But I think you should talk to him, too. Between the two of us, I think we can really make things happen." Archie told Jughead and they both smiled at each other.

(WITH THE GIRLS)

Diana, Veronica and Betty were talking in another hallway.

"Did I just notice Riverdale High's very own Holden Caulfield put his arm around you?" Veronica asked Betty as Diana nodded in confirmation that she was curious as well.

"Okay, so these past couple of days, I haven't been in a great place, emotionally. And Jughead was really there for me." Betty confessed.

"Oh, my God. Swoon! Okay, in that case, if he helped one of my girls navigate some turbulent waters, well then, Diana Kennedy approves." Diana said with a laugh.

"Veronica Lodge approves as well." Ronnie added as she and Diana high-fived.

"Thatta girl." Ronnie said as they all laughed.

"Come on, let's go find your sister." Diana said as she wove her arms around Betty's and Veronica's.

Later that day...

Diana, Betty and Ronnie were walking along the hallways when Kevin approached them, freaking out.

"You guys, oh, my God." He stated as he reached them.

"What?" Veronica asked.

"Cheryl just tweeted #PollyCooperKilledMyBrother #NowhereToHide #SharpenYourPitchforks" He told them.

"Oh, no." Betty said as she read Kevin's phone.

"We need to find Polly before the Blossoms do."

---------- TIMESKIP (EVERSGREEN FOREST) ----------

Betty and her friends had gathered a team of volunteers to help find Polly. They now all stood in a line as Betty and Jughead gave instructions.

"Okay, the Sisters of Quiet Mercy are due north. The getaway car was west, on the Old Route 40." Betty started.

"The closest bus station is east, headed towards Sweetwater. If Polly wanted to leave Riverdale without anyone seeing her, she probably would've left through..." Jughead explained.

"Right here. Eversgreen Forest." Betty stated and they started their search.

As they were walking, Archie and Betty has some time to talk with Diana and Jughead behind them.

"Hey, all this stuff with your sister, I'm sorry you had to go through that, and I wasn't there to help you." He told her.

"It's okay, Arch, you're here now." Betty told him, gesturing to the search around them.

(MEANWHILE WITH RONNIE, KEVIN AND DANIEL)

"So, how's the cold war at home?" Kevin asked Veronica as Daniel was busy looking at a compass.

"Ugh, horrible. Look, I hate fighting with my mom, but until she's ready to admit and to own, that she forged my name to help her illicit trysting with Fred Andrews, I can't blink, Kevin. She needs to make the next move." Ronnie told him.

"And what if she doesn't blink?" Kevin pushed.

"Back in New York, whenever I needed to blow off some steam, or force my mother's hand, I'd go on a bender, dancing with my fave celebrity gal-pal, my best gay and if I was taken, my sexy boyfriend. That's supposed to be Diana, but I think she wouldn't come so Josie will do, you, and Daniel." Ronnie told him.

"Honored. I'm in, I'm so in. Should we invite Betty? She could probably use a distraction right now." Kevin said as Ronnie looked behind him.

"I think she may be a tad busy." She stated as she pointed to the Blossom family who had arrived with their own search party.

The two groups met face to face.

"Alice Cooper, where is she? Where's Polly?" Penelope demanded.

"You think if I knew that, I'd be out here with the mosquitoes?" Alice replied.

"Face facts, Mommie Dearest, Polly killed Jason." Cheryl butted in which earned a shake of the head in disappointment from Diana.

"She escaped from the asylum once, who's to say she didn't before, say, the day Jason got murdered?" Clifford asked.

"The noose is tightening around your murdering daughter's neck. I know it, Sheriff Keller knows it." Penelope said.

"Hold on now." Sheriff Keller denied.

"And I promise you, when we find her, and we will find her, the entire town of Riverdale will know, too." Penelope said.

---------- TIMESKIP (LATER || RIVERDALE CHURCH) ----------

Betty and her mom were talking inside the church.

"Mom, is this a good idea? I thought we were trying to contain this." She asked.

"Well, we were, Elizabeth. But now that the cat's out of the bag, we're in full-on damage control mode. The Blossoms have their version of the events, but they don't know the whole story, at least not yet. And that gives us a momentary advantage."

"I don't know if I can do this. Oh, you can, and you will. You'll be standing beside me and your father, a united front against the holiest of backdrops. Let's see the Blossoms try to smear us then."

After a while...

The Coopers stood in front of the church with people gathered around them, holding a press conference.

"There's been a swirl of rumors today about our daughter, Polly. And we're standing here to tell you that they're all false. Yes, Polly was seeking treatment in a private care facility, and she was under strict observation even at the time of Jason Blossom's death. When she found out about the murder, she was beside herself with grief. You see, my daughter, Polly is pregnant. It wasn't Jason Blossom's baby but he was there to help her. Polly wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone the love of her life. Polly, darling, if you're watching this, please come home." Alice Cooper said, talking to the camera.

Diana, who was beside Archie and Jughead in the crowd, squeezed Archie's hand when Alice said that Jason was the love of Polly's life. She relaxed a little when he squeezed back and placed his arm around her shoulders before kissing the side of her head. Yeah, it hurt. But, she was going to have to accept the fact that Jason wasn't hard to love and that someone else had fallen for him the way she had.

---------- TIMESKIP (THAT NIGHT || TOWN STREETS) ----------

Betty and Jughead were walking beside each other.

"Hey, you didn't have to walk me home." She told him.

"Uh, there's a killer on the loose, remember? Besides, isn't this what... you know... people like us, who've gone through what we've gone through, do? What is it? I mean, besides everything?" Jughead asked when she remained quiet.

"She wouldn't have run away if it wasn't for me, Jug." Betty said.

"Betty, your parents were the ones lying to her, keeping her in the dark. You did the right thing telling her the truth." Jughead reassured her.

"It's funny. This isn't the first-time Polly's run away from home. When she was nine, she and mom got into this huge fight, and she disappeared for hours. The whole neighborhood was out looking for her." Betty recounted.

"How far did she get?" Jughead asked her before she stopped as she realized something.

"What?" Jughead asked when she froze but Betty just pulled his face closer and kissed him.

"Thank you for walking me home. I'll call you later. Goodnight." She said as she walked towards her front door and Jughead smiled as he walked away.