Same Faces Different Places

Family Affairs {{Alice/Penelope}}

World: 
A Riverdale where the Cooper's andthe Blossom's are two rivaling mob families. 

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Summary: Alice and Penelope get closer than they should

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The first time she sees PenelopeBlossom is at their daughters' dance recital and Alice Cooper thinksshe's a stuck up bitch. The perfectly pinned up hair, the perfectlyironed clothes, the perfectly applied make-up, the perfect husbandand the perfect second child. Alice has all of this, too, but there'sjust something about the other woman that makes Alice believe shethinks she's better than everyone else.

It's probably true, too. The Blossomshave always been rich and well-known and just generally judgingpeople. Clifford Blossom had inherited the family business from hisfather, who had in turn gotten it from his own and so on. And whenthe time comes, it will fall into his son's hands. Officially theBlossom Business deals in Maple Syrup, has for as long back as anyonecan remember, but everyone knows that that's just a front for what'sreally going on. You don't live like the Blossoms do, even withfamily money that had surely been acquired in the same fashion, byproducing and selling Maple Syrup. Not even the self-acclaimed bestone on the whole state. And Penelope, who'd come from money, too, hadfit perfectly into the family.

Alice had grown up with a while lotless money and parents working two jobs just to be able to pay rentand put food on the table. She'd had a pretty great childhood, alltogether, but her parents never wanted her to end up like them. Theywanted her to be able to provide for her children. So, when HalCooper asked her out on date she had agreed mainly for her mother andfather, until she found she really liked him. They had married prettyquickly after that first date, and just a few weeks later, he'd takenover their own family business, that, if she's honest with herself,is just as shady as that of the Blossoms. But it's her family, sothat's different.

She watches her husband steal hiddenglances in the general direction Penelope and Clifford are sitting,always disguising it as something else, trying to figure out if thisis just a simple outing to watch their daughter preform or ifClifford Blossom is using the opportunity to conduct business. Sheinconspicuously kicks him in the shin the tenth time, because nomatter what the Blossoms are up to, * they * are here to supporttheir child. He sends her an apologetic smile and focuses back on thestage in front of him, an arm slung over the back of the chair theirelder daughter is occupying next to him. She can see he's still notsolely focused on the play, but she ignores it this time. Cliffordand Penelope Blossom are not really that interesting to her as theyseem to be to Hal.

The first time she talks to PenelopeBlossom, is because their other children had bonded over theircomplete lack of interest in dancing. Alice picks her daughter upfrom practice, only just in passing acknowledging the other woman'spresence as she helps her own daughter into her street shoes, and theblonde turns her head for only the briefest of seconds and thensuddenly she's alone with Betty, her older daughter nowhere to beseen. She heaves a sigh of frustration because it's not the firsttime seven year old Polly decided to wander off on her own. She's agood kid, but this is just dangerous and it seems like she's notwilling to learn not to do it.

Betty pulls on her sleeve, indicatingshe's finished putting her dance outfit away, and hands the bag overto her mother eagerly. Alice takes it, her daughter's hand in herother one. Then she's off in search for Polly. Betty is crankybecause practice had been tough and she's probably coming down withsomething, too and she just wants to go home and eat and sleep, andso Alice needs twice as much time to find her other child, thoughshe's been looking in the same place for the third time now. Sheloves her daughters, cherishes every moment with them, but there aretimes she wishes she had that nanny her husband had insisted onhiring just after Polly's birth. It would be a lot simpler at times.