Anatomy of a Murder
* * *
"Yes, I... I appreciate it." Fred's voice said as Lia made her way into the kitchen. "That was Weatherbee. He's concerned for Jug's personal safety. After what happened with Cheryl, he's worried about the other students' reaction to it. Thinks Jughead should finish the semester from home."
Jughead's getting kicked out because Cheryl pummeled him. How is that fair?" Lia asked him, grabbing a drink out of the fridge and shutting the door with a bit of force since she was annoyed.
"It's not." Fred replied.
"Well, can we call, I don't know, the school board?" Lia asked.
"Oph, FP may spend decades in prison, potentially the rest of his life. We gotta think of a long-term solution." Fred sighed.
"We are the long-term solution." Archie's voice stated as he to made his way into the kitchen.
"That's not how it works, okay? I'm not his legal guardian." Fred argued.
"Oh, good thing mom's a lawyer."
"Archie, my priority is keeping you and your sister safe."
"Keep us safe from who? Jughead? Are you kidding me, Dad?" Lia scoffed.
"No, from whatever trouble seems to follow the Jones' around, wherever they go, whatever they do." Fred snapped. Lia rolled her eyes with another scoff, leaning against the counter behind her and swirling her drink around in her bottle. "Hell, maybe you two should go to Chicago and live with your mom."
"Excuse me, what? When was this discussed?" Lia questioned, looking at Archie. "I heard nothing about this."
"I was going to talk to you but it's not even something I was considering, Dad. But you know what? Maybe we should." Archie replied, the last bit directed towards his father.
"Hey, if it'll keep you out of trouble, I'm all for it." Fred responded and Lia heard a different set of footsteps, making her turn and see Jughead.
"Hey, Jug." Lia greeted quickly, sending a pointed look to her father and brother so they would stop arguing before jogging up to Jughead.
"I'm gonna sleep in the garage tonight. Okay?" Jughead whispered and Lia shook her head.
"What? No, Jug. Jug, wait." Lia said but Jughead had already made his way out the front door, going God knows where. Lia sighed, looking back at her father who raised his eyebrows at her, as if he was daring her to say something. She didn't.
* * *
Later on that night, Lia snuck down from her room with blankets and pillows in her hands. She went through the garage door and made sure to shut it quietly so that her father or brother wouldn't wake up. She turned around to see Jughead sleeping soundlessly on the couch in there and she smiled, going over to him.
She gently placed the pillow's and blankets onto the ground and knelt down beside Jughead. Her hand went to his hair, brushing it backwards softly and seeing him shiver slightly under her cold touch. He twitched in his sleep, his nose scrunching up slightly before going back to normal again and Lia smiled with a soft chuckle. She turned and grabbed an extra blanket and laying it on Jughead, the bright pink fabric popping out on Jughead's pale frame.
Lia made herself her own bed on the carpet beside the couch, making sure to put a few blankets underneath her so that she could have a sort of mattress and putting a pillow under her head before pulling a blanket over her body and cuddling into everything. She sighed quietly, closing her eyes and sleep was about to take over her when there was mumbling from Jughead.
"Fifi? What're you doing?" Jughead whispered and Lia opened her eyes to see him slowly sit up.
"I didn't want you to be alone." Lia shrugged, her voice also a quiet whisper. Jughead let out a long sigh, closing and rubbing his eyes for a second before lifting the blanket that was on him. "What?"
"Come here, you're not sleeping on the ground." Jughead stated. Lia was hesitated. it was weird, normally if Jughead gave her this opportunity she'd gladly accept it and the two would fall asleep peacefully but ever since him and Betty got together, it felt like she was betraying Betty if she even just looked at Jughead. "Lia, come on."
"But, Betty-
"Just...come lay down." Jughead cut her off and Lia sighed. She slowly stood from her makeshift bed and let the blanket fall off her body while she went over to Jughead and laid beside him. He moved backwards into the back of the couch while Lia layed on the edge, being careful not to touch him.
There was a chuckle from Jughead before he brought his hand down, wrapping both of them around her waist and pulling her into him. Lia took in a sharp breath, freezing as Jughead got situated. Soon, Lia relaxed, enjoying the warmth that Jughead's body gave her and after a while she welcomed sleep, not even realizing that she had turned her body around and was cuddling into Jughead's bare chest.
* * *
"Juggy. Ophie. Wake up, we gotta go to Pop's." A familiar voice said and soon Lia felt someone shaking her. She heard a low grunt from beside her, making her open her eyes to be face to face with Jughead's chest. She leaned backwards, looking around to see Archie standing over her and Jughead in the garage with his eyebrows raised.
Lia groaned and untangled Jughead from her. His legs were wrapped with her own and his arms had been holding her tightly to him. He let her do her thing and as she was taking Jughead's arms off of her waist she slipped off the couch, landing on the ground with a thump and she groaned again.
"Graceful." Archie stated as he stuck out his hand to help her up.
"Graceful is my middle name." Lia mumbled back as Archie heaved her upwards and she stumbled slightly.
"Close, it's Grace." Archie countered with a smirk. Lia shook her head, taking her hand back and patting his shoulder as she walked back into the house so that she could change.
* * *
"Archie asked me to look into your father's case." Mary began. She sat in the booth in front of her, in the middle of Jughead and Archie. "I went down to the station, and passed myself off as his attorney to try to get as much information as I could."
"How's it looking, Mom?" Archie asked.
"Well, unfortunately, between FP's list of priors, the anonymous tip, and the possession of the murder weapon-
"Don't forget that pesky confession." Jughead added on.
"-Things look pretty bad. I was with him all night, and he never once budged from his story." Mary told them.
"Well, if nothing else, at least he's an honest murderer." Jughead joked and Lia looked at him with a soft smile, knowing from only a few months ago that sardonic humor was his way of coping.
"Jug..." Archie trailed off in disbelief.
"Right?" Jughead asked, ignoring Archie.
"Oh, also, who is Joaquin DeSantos?" Mary asked, ignoring both of the boys.
"Joaquin? As in Kevin's boyfriend?" Lia asked, looking at Archie and Jughead before looking back at her mom.
"He was FP's one phone call." Mary responded. "Jughead, my advice to you is, go and see your father. Tell him everything you wanna say. Once he's arraigned, things tend to move pretty quickly, and there won't be anything left to do. So, this might be your last chance."
Jughead nodded and Mary smiled at him before packing up her things and leaving Pop's, Archie left as well, saying her was going to go talk to Veronica but Lia stayed Jughead who had been very quiet.
"Can you go with me?" Jughead finally asked and Lia looked at him with a small bit of confusion. "To the station to talk to my Dad, I mean."
"Oh, yeah, of course Juggle." Lia nodded and Jughead nodded as well.
"We should probably go now." He sighed.
"Then let's go." Lia smiled at him, sliding out of the booth and waiting for him to do the same and soon the two were making their way to the Sheriff's station.
* * *
"When Archie told me about his little plan to help you, get you on your feet, and working with Fred, deep down, I knew it was a mistake." Jughead told his father. Lia silently sat in a chair at the other end of the room, watching Jughead pace in front of his father who sat in a jail cell.
"Should have listened to your gut." FP stated.
"You really had me." Jughead scoffed. "Cleaning the trailer. Convincing me that you had quit drinking. I was so happy, for the first time in so long. You paid attention to me."
Lia looked down at the ground sadly. Everything that Jughead was saying was true. He was happy, they had a conversation about it at the dance. She wished she never said what she said, maybe if she didn't FP wouldn't have been framed. But, deep down she knew what she had said to Jughead about his life going back to the middle had no connection with FP and Jason and Blossom.
"But, let's be honest. The only reason you even read my manuscript about Jason's murder, was to make sure I wasn't onto you. And you didn't want to take me to Toledo to get the family back together. You wanted to get away. You wanted to run away." Jughead said and FP stood up angrily.
"I did what I had to do! What I always do!" He shouted, making Lia jump up and stand beside Jughead instinctively.
"Are you even sorry?" Jughead questioned, the two Jones' glaring at each other.
"Sorry I got caught. We done?" FP responded and Lia stared at him in disbelief, not truly believing that this man she had known practically all her life was a murderer. Jughead turned, wrapping his arms around Lia's shoulders and turning her away from his father. "Look at me, Jughead!"
Lia jumped again at his yelling, turning with Jughead who looked close to tears.
"Never come back here! Understand?" FP demanded, his eyes going to Lia for a moment. In that moment though, Lia got a good look at him. His eyes didn't read guilty, they were sad, angry. Lia knew he was innocent.
"Got it." Jughead replied before turning Lia again and walking out with her.