CARMEN, riverdale.

' aftertaste '

"Carmen, baby, it's me. Come on, open those eyes, Dowsabel, daddy's here. Carmen," Robin pleads like it was a prayer upon his lips. He keeps murmuring those words, rubbing his thumb in tiny circles on her cheekbone, before moving to her jawline. His last resort was rubbing his fingers through her hair, and he was relieved that atleast it had worked, finally.

Her eyes fluttered open tiredly and Robin released a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. "Shit, baby, you're awake. What happened, who the hell did this to you?"

"Dad?" Carmen whimpered, biting her lip to hold back the tears. "Dad," She held onto his hand tightly with hooded eyes, her words almost reduced to drunken slurs.

"Where does it hurt? Are you alright?" Robin hastily asks. She doesn't answer his question, her eyes looking towards him like it took all of her effort, and especially to keep it open, as she squeezes his hand.

"I'll get us out of here, Dad. I promise," She sniffles, and then falls back asleep under the control of the drug in her bloodstream.

"I have no doubt you will," Robin smiled down crookedly at her, as the father and daughter fell asleep soundly for the first time.

🐍

"WAS THIS one of your doing?" Liam demanded and stormed over to Jack Lind before anyone could stop him. His large, calloused hands grabbed at the asian man's collar, slamming him against the wall with unnecessary force and his chocolate eyes were burning with fury that only Jack had witnessed firsthand.

"It wasn't me! It wasn't me, I swear!"

"You swear by what? Novak's ass? Your ever traitorous dumbass?!" Liam shot back.

"Liam, stop, don't kill him! Liam!" Elliot and Sweet Pea struggled to pull the tall man off of Jack, but Wynona ran in front of Jack to stop him, knowing he would never hit a woman, let alone a teenager.

"Wyn, get out of the way." Sweet Pea ordered.

The girl had a defiant glint in her eyes, one that Carmen always had and tilted her head to the side. "No."

"You'll hurt yourself," Sweet Pea hissed.

"What, and you won't?" She chuckled bitterly.

"Will you all just shut up? This isn't my doing, but I do have an inside that can get us in and out long enough to get Carmen and Robin out." Jack snapped.

"If that ends up getting us all killed, I don't want to hear it," Liam interjected, causing Elliot to nudge him with his elbow.

"You sound like you know it's a bad idea and you haven't even heard it yet," Jack accused.

"Every idea of yours is a bad idea!" Liam clarified.

"You got a better one?" Jack demanded.

Liam glared at him, failing to fabricate another veiled insult and objection to his statement.

🐍

"NO, NO, don't bring it out now, it's too soon." Apollo objected against Betty's statement regarding the multiple evidence they found against Novak. This resulted in the blonde narrowing her eyes at him.