Slight combination of two similar requests
@flawlessmadchen @ifthestarscouldread
***
Thanksgiving break was coming up and Alice was excited to have Betty come home from college. She had assured her multiple times that she was catching a train ride home to celebrate with her.
It has been awfully quiet in the house without everyone she loved there with her. Alice has missed having them all home. It has been a long four months now, so it meant everything to her that she could at least count on her youngest daughter making her way back home to her. Even if it was only for a couple of days. But little did she know that there was more to it than was lead on.
Alice had spent the days leading up to Betty's arrival preparing for her stay. She wanted the house to feel like it once was. She was going to make the best out of their circumstances. Everything that was left behind was pretty much in its same place. It was her way of feeling everyone's presence.
Betty arrived two days before Thanksgiving day. She was the happiest woman at the train station. Alice greeted her with a tight hug. Four months had felt like ages. "I'm happy to see you, too, mom." Betty chuckled. "I'd like to breathe though."
"Sorry," Alice released her. "I've just missed you so much, Elizabeth."
"I've missed you, too."
"I hope you're in the mood for my pie on Thanksgiving."
"That's what I came home for." Betty joked. "And to be with you, of course. We're going to have a nice Thanksgiving. I promise you that."
"A big family dinner would have been lovely this year since we didn't get the chance to last year. But that's alright. We can still have a nice time. Just the two of us."
"That would have been nice."
"Let's go home."
"Yeah, let's go home," Betty smiled. Alice helped her take her suitcase to the car.
*
Betty had been put in charge of not letting Alice know about what the day would bring. It was hard for her to remain neutral. She was excited to see that spark in her mother's eyes come back. She did her best though. She knew her mother deserved this. They couldn't manage to gather everyone for the occasion, but they did their best to bring together everyone they could.
While her mother was in the shower, Betty took the opportunity to make a call. FP was due to arrive to town within the next few hours with Jughead and Jellybean. Jughead took a flight to Toledo to go home to his family. FP let the kids celebrate a day early with their mother and worked it out with Gladys to take the kids with him to Riverdale for a couple of days. She wasn't happy about it, but she gave in enough to let it happen.
"Hello, Mr. Jones?" Betty asked when the call went through. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes, we can hear you. How are you, Betty?"
"Good, good. It's nice to be home."
"I bet your mother is happy to have you."
"She's made it clear," Betty laughed. "But I know she'll be even happier with a few more visitors."
"I'd hope so. She has no idea, right?" FP had made it sound like he was spending Thanksgiving in Toledo with the kids and Gladys, so expecting the Joneses at her front door was something Alice would least expect.
"Positive," Betty confirmed.
"Alright, thank you, Betty. We'll see you soon. Jughead spoke to Cheryl. She kindly agreed to let us have them for the holiday. Maybe Polly isn't considered ready to come home from the Shady Grove yet, but through the twins maybe it could be like she is present."
"It's the thought that counts. I think my mom will be happy with whatever. I'll let you all go now. Drive safely. I'm excited to see you all soon."
"Goodbye, Betty. Remember, keep your mom occupied."
"Will do," Betty said her goodbyes. The idea of having almost everyone home made her heart warm up. They were who she also viewed as her family.
The absence of Polly and Charles spurred from complicated situations. Charles was nowhere to be found, but if he was they weren't too sure about how they honestly felt about including him. Things were still awry between him and the family from when he disappeared. Polly still needed to heal from her trauma, so her inclusion was just as complicated.
When the Joneses arrived to town they went straight to Cheryl's house to pick up the twins. Jughead gave Betty the quick notice and she thought up of an excuse to get her mother out of the house for a couple of minutes. Fortunately, Betty was able to convince her mother to run to the store for a quick errand. While she was away their guests arrived with extra food and their greetings. Betty welcomed them all into the house with a warm hug. "I can't believe you're all here. This is going to make my mom so happy."
"As weird as it is to admit, this lovesick fool would do anything for your mom." Jughead looked over at his father. He and Jellybean shared the same goofy smirk.
"You know you're just as happy to carry on with this plan," FP elbowed his son. "Now, how about you and Jellybelly bring in the food before Alice comes back?"
"He's going to eat it before it even makes it inside," Jellybean said. She grabbed the keys from FP and walked out first. Jughead put down Dagwood and followed his sister out. The boy stared up at FP, considering he was holding onto his sister. Betty watched the little interaction in front of her. "They seem to like you."
"I don't think they even know who I am. I'm just some stranger to them. I'm surprised they came with us so willingly when we picked them up."
"I think they liked the idea of leaving the Blossoms for a while," Betty chuckled. "I love my cousin and all, but they're too much."
"Fair point," FP laughed. He set down Juniper. The girl instantly joined her brother and wandered off into the living room.
"All jokes aside, I think they really do like you. My mom probably talked you up to them."
"You think so?"
"We're talking about the same woman who unashamedly praised you in front of my serial killer dad. I don't doubt it."
FP tried to hide his amused smile. Of course, he didn't like what Hal did to them, but he did find Alice's cockiness quite attractive.
"She's said a couple of other things I wish I hadn't been told," Betty pulled a face. "I stopped listening after stud muffin."
"Stud muffin, you say?" FP was far more curious now. Before he could ask her about that Jellybean caught his attention.
"Daddy! Jughead dropped the cookies!"
"She's lying!" Jughead got defensive. "Well, okay, maybe like three."
"That's what you get for trying to sneak one in," Jellybean stuck her tongue out at him.
"Okay, let's stop yelling before Alice hears us from across town."
"My mom made pie. We'll survive." Betty helped them carry the trays over to the table. The kids quickly set the table with everything they had. FP lent them a quick hand but kept a look out for Alice. She was due back any minute now.
"We can finish up here. Don't worry," Betty noticed how antsy he was. The man wanted nothing more than to see Alice.
FP excused himself out, where he waited on the steps for Alice to return. Meanwhile, Alice was just around the corner without a single clue to what she was coming home to. She hadn't noticed FP's vehicle as she passed it. Her mind was elsewhere at the moment. She pulled into a spot across the street from her house. She stepped out and walked to the trunk of her car.
FP felt his heart beat faster. It was her. The damn woman who owned his whole heart. Alice was only a few feet away from him. This was really happening. She grabbed the bag full of Betty's requests and shut the trunk. She made her way towards the house but stopped at the edge of the sidewalk when she saw who was there. FP sprang up from where he was sitting. Alice froze. Was he really here? Was she dreaming? "FP?" She couldn't believe it. This couldn't be true. She let go off the grocery bag.
"Damn, there goes the apple cider." Betty watched from the front window. At her side were Jughead and Jellybean. Just as curious were the twins. They poked their little heads into view.
As if it were almost an instinct, Alice ran up to FP. He met her halfway. She leapt into his arms and held on tightly. He was here. He was really here. FP gleefully twirled her around. "My God, Alice, how much I have missed you." He put her down and admired the sight of her.
Alice grabbed his face and pecked kisses all around his face before latching their lips together. FP dove into it. He pulled her waist closer to his. That is if it were possible to pull her any closer.
"What? What are you doing here?"
"Did you really think I would miss spending Thanksgiving with the woman I love?"
He said it. He told her he loved her. "You love me?"
"I love you, Alice." He looked her dead in the eye and proudly stated it again. "I love you. The past few months without you have been hell. I've missed you so much. It was a blessing to spend Thanksgiving with you last year and it would only feel right if we got to spend it with the kids this year."
"They're here too?" Alice glanced over at the house. They all waved at her with huge smiles.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get them all home," FP frowned. "I know that would have really made you happy."
"You did all of this for me?"
"I'd do anything for you, Al. But I can't take all of the credit. The kids made it all possible."
"So Betty knew this whole time and didn't tell me?"
"We wanted to surprise you. Now," FP intertwined their fingers as he grabbed her hand. "How about we go inside and have a nice family dinner?"
Alice looked back at what she had dropped. "What about that?"
"I'll get it. Go on ahead and say hi to the kids."
Alice walked into the house and was immediately greeted by Jughead and Jellybean. They hugged her tightly. They missed the woman so much. The twins latched onto her legs.
"Surprise," Betty smiled widely. That smile on her mother's face made the day even better.
"I love you all so much. Welcome home."
"Did I miss out on the group hug?"
"Hey, hey, you had your moment, old man." Jughead shooed him away. "We get ours."
"Alice is all ours," Jellybean added.
The man was jealous, but it warmed his heart to know how much his kids loved her too.
"You heard them," Alice had never felt so loved. "You can go now."
"Okay," FP spun on his heel.
"Wait," Alice held her hand out for him. "Come back here," She pouted. She knows he was only kidding but she wanted to hold him again. She did not want to miss a single moment with him.
"I thought you'd never ask." FP shut the front door and placed everything he had down on the hallway table. He snuck his arm around her from behind. "If I may, I'm thankful for you all. This Thanksgiving means so much to us with you kids here. This is all we could ever want."
"It makes me so happy to see all of your beautiful faces," Alice looked at each of the kids individually. "But shame on you for not telling me." She earned a laugh from all of them.
"It's called a surprise for a reason, mom."
"Surprise!" The twins yell, repeating what they heard.
"Yeah, surprise." Alice smiled down at them. She tilted her head back to FP and offered him a kiss. This was by far one of her favorite surprises.
"Too bad my excuse broke on the sidewalk," Betty jested.
"Yeah, sorry about that."
"Eh, we blame our dad." Jughead spoke.
"Hey," FP was quick to say.
"What? You know you made her drop it."