Alice believed she was going insane. The vision of her daughter murdered and being left in the trunk of a car has been all she has been able to think of ever since that dark day. Polly had been barely recognizable, but a mother would always know.
It haunted her. Her daughter died alone. She died, leaving two kids behind. She died too young. She died, while building so hard to a bright future no matter how rocky and dark path she had to take to get there.
Polly never had it easy, and Alice realized that part of that was her fault. But after all, their bond had been stronger than ever. For years, they only had one another. Hal was dead, Betty was gone... it was just them. And she felt that she had failed to protect her when that was her biggest responsibility and biggest duty as a mother.
But now Polly wasn't the only one. A new coldblooded maniac was hunting women all over the east coast to kill them, probably simply for the thrill of looking his defenseless victims in the eyes, right before he took it all away. And then Alice promised herself that she would avenge Polly. She couldn't bring her back, but she sure as hell could fight so no other woman would ever suffer the same faith.
If she would have told Betty about her new mission, she either would have joined her, or would have told her that carrying the responsibility to protect all young women was too much for her to carry on her own. She never really knew with her. Not to risk being talked out of it by the only daughter she had left, she decided to keep her new mission to herself.
Betty figured that her mother was distant because she was dealing with her trauma in her own way. She respected that, mostly because she had inherited the same coping mechanisms. They spoke surprisingly often about Polly, which Betty believed to be a good sign.
Little did she know that Alice had thrown herself into an insane case she wasn't officially involved with. Nights of looking at murder bords, mapping out motives or any possibly location had been keeping her up. And nobody suspected a thing.
She took a pin and pinpointed the place she had circled in a bold red color.
Twin Peaks.
That was the town where she could find him. And so, she left in the midst of the night, leaving only a small note to tell Betty she needed some time away from Riverdale. A little white lie, she would say. She just failed to mention that her own life was on the line too.
It was in the middle of the night when she finally arrived in the spooky town. Maybe it were the pine trees mysteriously hovering over her, making her feel like she was being watched every single second, but something about this small unknown town freaked her out. However, Alice didn't know if it was her mind trying to trick her out of her mission, or that she genuinely had something to fear.
She passed a diner that reminded her just slightly of Pop's, but it missed the same bright neon lights that felt like home. After that she noticed a gas station that looked almost abandoned, but probably still functioned. The only thing that really felt alive in Twin Peaks was the enormous waterfall that she passed.
She gravitated towards it, as if it was calling her. It should've freaked her out, but it didn't. Alice turned off the engine of her car, got out and walked to the calling of the water's voice. The roaring of the waterfall was extremely loud, even so loud that it drowned the demons in her head for just a bit. Maybe that was the reason she couldn't keep her eyes off it. It was louder than anything. Louder than herself.
As she stared at the water, she didn't hear footsteps coming her way into the dark. It wasn't until she saw a silhouette that she snapped her head at the mysterious person's direction, like an owl with eyes in her back.
"I'm not afraid to hurt you." Alice said, her eyes filled with rage.
While she couldn't see the person's face, she knew that if her gut told her this was the killer she was looking for, she wouldn't hesitate to kill.
He froze. That voice. He'd recognize her voice everywhere. And when she stepped just a bit into the light of the lanterns, he saw the blue cat-like eyes that had him under their spell ever since he looked into them for the very first time.
Involuntarily, he took a few steps her way, but since Alice still couldn't see his face, she reacted on impulse and lifted her fist. With more force than both of them had anticipated, her knuckles hit his face, making him grunt loudly.
"You still know how to throw a punch." FP growled, as he slowly stumbled into the light, revealing himself.
Alice's breath hitched. It was FP Jones. The man that left her years ago, the man that had her heart and soul, even when she tried so hard to tell herself that wasn't the case anymore.
"FP? What are you doing here?" Alice took a step back, as if she had been burned. This must be a dream. Or a nightmare, really.
"Could ask you the same thing." FP said, his voice still calm, as he checked if he wasn't bleeding.
"Alice... it's not safe here." His eyes filled with worry and shifted around rapidly as if he was scared someone else was close to them.
She ignored him. "I'm asking you once more, what are you doing here, FP? Have you been following me? What kind of sick game is this? We haven't spoken for years and now you found me in the middle of nowhere?"
Her eyes filled with tears as she awaited his answer, expecting to hear some lame excuse or weird explanation of why he was here, standing in front of her in this lonely town called Twin Peaks. She had waited for him for so long, how could he possibly be standing in front of her right now?
"I'm more worried about why you're here, Alice." FP said. And while Alice tried to find some incensirity in his eyes, it wasn't there.
Her eyes filled with hurt, but she didn't answer him. It wasn't his business. If she would tell him, he'd try to protect her and that wasn't his job anymore. He gave up that privilege years ago.
Alice was lucky enough that another car with bright headlights pulled up and stopped just next to them. A window rolled down, and she noticed that the man was wearing a police uniform.
"Jones, is everything okay here?" He asked, looking between FP and Alice. He wasn't sure if he had to be suspicious or not but in a town like Twin Peaks people were always careful with strangers.
"Yeah... all is fine. Could you give us a ride to the diner?" He asked, telling the other man with his eyes not to ask questions yet.
They would have time for that. He gave them a nod and gestured for the car door. Alice hesitated, but stepped inside anyway, despite knowing better.
During the ride, Bobby looked at the woman on his backseat. She refused to look at him, but he didn't need to have eye contact to see that there was something not okay with her. Usually, someone's eyes betrayed how broken they were, but with Alice her whole body language told everything he needed to know. None of them spoke a word.
Once in the diner, FP gestured to one of the booths for Alice to sit first, but instead she gave him a cold look and took the seat across from him. He sighed. He deserved it. Bobby was the last one to follow, taking a seat next to FP.
"So, what's your name?" Bobby asked, clasping his hands together. Alice remained silent, but did look him in the eye this time. When the thick silence filled the air, Bobby sighed.
"Her name's Alice." FP answered lowly.
"I can speak for myself." Alice scolded instantly.
"Alice, what were you doing out on the road in the middle of the night?" Bobby urged on, wanting to know her story. She wasn't an open book and that didn't surprise him, but as the Sheriff he couldn't afford another murder in town.
"First I want to know why FP's here." Alice said, her eyes snapping towards her ex-boyfriend.
Bobby turned to FP now too. It was fair he believed, and if that was what it took for Alice to open up, it was worth it. FP gave Bobby a small nod, and started to tell.
"I'm here to hunt someone down. There's a killer that goes after young women... we have reasons to believe he's currently in Twin Peaks. That's why I'm here." FP explained calmly.
"What has that to do with you?" Alice wondered confused, still on edge by his presence.
"I'm a bounty hunter, Alice. I hunt down criminals, the big ones." He said, finally revealing what his role was here.
"Then you know why I'm here too." Alice said coldly, crossing her arms defensively.
FP's eyes grew wide. Was she really going after a serial killer all on her own? Had she gone absolutely insane? He had always known that she wasn't afraid of anything, but this was getting out of hand.
"Al, do you know you're risking your life doing that? Go back to Riverdale, let us do our jobs." FP argued, again out of his nature to protect her.
"Don't do that. Don't call me by my nickname, and don't try to protect me. That's not your job anymore, you gave that up." She said emotionally, her lip quivering visibly.
Before FP could say anything, a waitress appeared at their booth.
"Brought you guys some coffee, thought you could use it." Shelly placed three mugs on the table between the two sides of the booth. Her eyes fell on Alice, and she studied her face for a few seconds.
"You are new here, aren't you? Welcome to Double R." She gave Alice a beaming and welcoming smile, and while Alice had never felt more out of place somewhere, Shelly's presence helped. She gave a small halfhearted smile in return.
"Thanks, Shelly." Bobby gave her a thankful nod, asking her with his eyes to give them some privacy. She took the hint, and left with another smile on her face.
Bobby figured that talking with FP wasn't going to do Alice much good, despite knowing nothing about the past that was clearly there. It wasn't his business and he sure as hell had more pressing matters to think about than a relationship gone wrong between his partner and the woman he had just met.
"Alice... FP's right. Leave this to professionals. We're on it, I promise." He assured her, hoping that his words could help her feel better. But it didn't.
"You think I'm going to let anymore young women get murdered while doing nothing? Over my dead fucking body, agent..."
"Briggs. Bobby Briggs." He finished her sentence, as he realized she didn't know his name yet.
"My own daughter, she..."
"She got killed by a maniac just like this one. Maybe now I can protect someone else's daughter." Alice confessed, tears threatening to spill. FP's face softened, and he could feel Bobby looking at him, wanting to ask if he knew about this.
Neither Bobby or FP got a chance to say something, because she rushed out of the booth as soon as she realized that she had been too vulnerable. Alice wanted to go outside, even willing to walk back to her car miles away if that was what it took to be alone, but she could feel a hand grabbing hers. It was Shelly.
"Don't go out there in the dark." She told her, her voice soft and genuine.
"Not unless you have a gun." She winked, making Alice laugh a little.
"You might be surprised, but I have one. I can defend myself." Alice stated, ignoring that she said those words loud enough for a police officer to hear.
"Well, better not to use it, right?" Shelly said with a smile, making Alice feel more comfortable.
"Stay here tonight." She added, squeezing the hand she was still holding.
Alice hesitated. It sounded better than to drive all the way back to Riverdale this late and give FP the satisfaction of her giving up, or sleeping in her cold car at the side of the road.
However, Norma overheard their conversation and decided to speak up too. "Shelly, all our rooms are full.. we don't have any place left." She really wanted to help Alice out, but she didn't see any way to squeeze her in.
"You can sleep on my couch, it's fine." Shelly came up with it on the spot, instantly making Alice feel that she would invade someone's personal home doing that.
"She can sleep in my room." FP suddenly spoke up.
"I'm fine. I'll sleep in my car." Alice said instantly, refusing to even consider it.
FP sighed. She was still so damn stubborn.
"Alice, are you really going to risk your own safety just because you're mad at me? You can't find a killer if he finds you first, and if you really think I'm going to let that happen then you really don't know me at all." FP said determinedly, with more love and care in his voice that Alice could handle to hear. Not because she really thought FP had no feelings for her, but because it made her own resurface too.
"Fine." She agreed quietly.
Bobby nodded, before rubbing his eyes. That was a start. As if chasing a serial killer wasn't enough, now he needed to deal with this too. It was the receipe for another row of sleepless nights.
"What do I owe you for my stay?" Alice asked, already grabbing her wallet to pay. Shelly held her hand up, telling her that it was okay.
"Not a penny." She said, with the same welcoming smile that had made Alice more comfortable than she ever thought she'd be in this spooky town.
Going up to their room, FP and Alice didn't speak a word. He'd never been a talker, and she didn't want to talk to him. A perfect combination, wasn't it? The room was old and a little musty, considering the building was more than two hundred years old. It reminded FP a little bit of the trailer back in Riverdale, which was both comforting and haunting him.
Alice barely looked around, she only noticed that the radiator looked broken and that the light next to the bed was extremely dim. This wasn't a place for people to go to for a romantic getaway. This was a place where people went to survive.
FP leant against the closet as he looked at Alice's every move. She sat on the edge of the bed, her back turned his way. He noticed she shivered. So, he opened his closet door and grabbed a blue knitted sweater that had bought when he turned fifty, for the special occasion of this milestone. It had been one of the most miserable days of his life, because it was the day he had to break things off with Alice– again.
"Here, take this." He handed her his sweater.
"I don't need it." She said quietly, brushing it off.
"You do. You're cold." He said calmly, as his eyes gazed at the goosebumps in her neck.
"I made mistakes, Alice, but I'm not a monster." His eyes twinkled sadly and he placed the sweater on the bed.
"I just don't want you to be cold at night." He looked away, which is why he missed the slight change in Alice's eyes. They had softened, and she took the sweater.
He looked at her as she got rid of her blouse and took off her bra, before slipping the warm knitted sweater of her head. It hugged her perfectly, and was so warm that it almost made her cry. She remembered this sweater from his 50th birthday.
She had shown up, but never made it down the speakeasy stairs. One glance of Gladys had been enough. There was no place for her in his life anymore. There never really had been a place for her in his life, had there?
"I don't want to sleep next to you." She suddenly said, as she looked over her shoulder to glance at him just slightly.
"I get that. I'll sleep in the chair." FP said, as he already made his way to the closet to grab an extra blanket.
"No, this is your room. I'll sleep in the chair." Alice said, just a tiny bit of guilt and principals getting the best of her. She didn't want him to think she owned him anything just because she slept in his bed that night.
"Take the bed. Don't argue with me on this one." FP shrugged off his leather jacket, sat down in the chair and wrapped the blanket around him.
Alice sighed, but didn't argue, just like he asked. Instead, she climbed under the sheets, her back turned his way. She had wrapped the thick layer around her as tightly as she could, to at least get a bit warmer. She was physically and emotionally exhausted, but wide awake. Alice knew it wouldn't be any different for FP.
"Why after all these years did we meet here, FP?" Alice said quietly, surprising him by talking to him. He opened his eyes, and his features softened.
"I don't know, Alice..." FP said, which was the most honest answer he could give her. Alice's breath trembled, as she tried so hard not to cry.
"Don't you have a good reason for never returning? Tell me at least that you stopped loving me, or any other reason why I wasn't enough to come back to?" Her voice cracked, but she refused to turn around and face him. FP sat up straighter, feeling his own tears burn in his eyes.
"Alice... I didn't give up on you. I gave up on myself. That's the difference." FP said, defeatedly.
It were these words that made Alice turn around and sit up straight too, to look into his eyes.
"That's a bad excuse, FP. Because if you don't see that giving up on yourself meant giving up on us, then you don't have any idea of what we were."
"Or at least what I thought we were." Alice casted her eyes away, and FP had to try everything in himself not to cry.
It wouldn't be fair if he would be the one to break. He was the one that never fought, that never came back to make it work. He had given up like a coward, and she didn't deserve that.
She deserved someone who'd fight for her every single day and while FP felt that he did that in his own way with every breath he took, it wasn't enough. Nothing would ever be enough to show his eternal love for her, and he also knew that it was a stupid excuse not to fight. He could be enough, if he tried a little harder.
"When Jughead told me about Polly... I had packed my bags." He started carefully, filling Alice's eyes with hurt upon the mention of her deceased daughter.
She had never talked with FP about Polly before, mostly because their relationship would be too difficult. He got rid of Jason's body, which Polly would've never gotten over. Now they would never get the chance to bond, to both be part of her family.
"But then he said there was someone in your life... and I couldn't go anymore." FP's voice was low and filled with hurt. Alice really wanted to tell herself he had no feelings left for her, but she could hear it in his voice. She wasn't sure whether to love or hate it.
"That would have been selfish." He huffed.
"I needed you." Alice croaked.
"I'm sorry." FP said quietly, afraid to look at her.
"You're always sorry, FP. It has lost its meaning." Alice shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
"Do you know why I wanted to be on this case?" He wondered, catching her attention just slightly.
"Aside from all the women that were in danger... I wanted to protect the women in my own life." FP swallowed.
"There are only three I've ever really loved." He began, smiling just slightly to himself.
"My mother, you, and Jellybean." He summed up. Alice's eyes shimmered.
"My mom died long ago... but at least I could do something to protect you and my daughter." His lip trembled, but he refused to cry. This wasn't about him, this was about how he had made her feel.
"So... every breath I take is for you and my kids, Alice. Even if you don't know it."
Alice wiped her tears and laid down again, telling him with a small but simple gesture that this conversation was over. FP looked defeated, but tried to settle more comfortably on the century old chair that was undoubtedly going to cause him back pains. It was silent for a while, and just when FP felt that he was going to be pulled in by the sandman, he heard Alice's voice really quiet.
"You can sleep here." She said.
"I don't want you to be in pain." She added in a whisper, and the double meaning in her words didn't go past him.
He didn't argue with her, and grabbed a pair of sweatpants so he could change out of his jeans, and got rid of his flannel but kept the black shirt underneath, before he slipped into the bed next to her. Her back was still turned his way, but he chose to look at her, knowing that she most likely could feel his eyes burning on her skin.
"You can't sleep, can you?" FP wondered quietly, knowing her all too well.
"No, I can't." She confessed in a whisper. "Can you?"
"No." He answered.
FP lifted his hand and reached for her curls, making his fingers stroke through her golden blonde hair ever so lightly. His touch was so delicate, that Alice couldn't do anything but shut her eyes tighter, as she fought against her tears. Nobody treated her with such gentleness as FP did, all while he was also the one who could hurt the most by taking it all away.
She didn't want to be drawn to the man that made her feel so alone all these years, but she simply was. And for fact, she knew he had been lonely too. His hand paused, as soon as he realized she was crying.
"Do you want me to stop?" He asked softly, not wanting to upset her anymore than he already had.
"No. It's nice." She sniffled, and subconsciously scooted back closer to him while his hand continued stroking her hair.
And then she did what FP would have thought to be impossible. She reached behind her to grab his hand, a sign for him to pull her closer.
His other hand never left her hair, as the other carefully brought her to his chest while she cried. He pressed a sweet kiss on her shoulder as she cuddled up closer to him. As he smelled her shampoo and felt the familiarity of her body against his, he dared to cry silently too.
**
The sun had barely risen when Alice was sitting at the counter at the Double R diner. The bags under her eyes were bigger than usual, and it felt like a truck had hit her. But for Alice, that feeling wasn't any different than she had ever felt.
"Morning, thought you could use it." Shelly smiled, as she placed a cup of coffee in front of Alice.
"If you are going to continue handing out free stuff to every lost person that comes here, you might be out of business soon." Alice teased, as she accepted the cup gratefully. Shelly laughed.
"Can I ask you something?" She nervously balanced on her heels. Alice nodded.
"Is FP your husband? Or boyfriend? Or anything like it?" She asked, her cheek slightly red.
Alice was caught off guard by her question, but got herself together real quick. FP was nothing like that anymore. Her soulmate, maybe. But that wasn't what she asked.
"No... he's not. Why? Are you interested?" She dared to ask, while the idea made her stomach turn.
"He has something... dangerous. I like that."
"Catching bad guys all over the continent... nothing more exciting than that, is there?" Shelly grinned, while pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.
Alice smiled weakly. Dangerous it was, which is exactly what worried her. Maybe he needed someone more like Shelly, who wouldn't get enough of it. Bobby came walking their way, looking paler than usual. He gazed at Shelly for a few seconds, and it looked like words were ready to fall from his lips right before he changed his mind. She didn't seem to notice, but Alice did.
"Alice... can we talk?" He asked her, his voice surprisingly soft and gentle. She nodded and gulped down her coffee, gave Shelly one more smile and left out of the diner with Bobby.
She expected for them to walk to his cruiser and get down to the station to discuss her role in the case, but he walked right past it, confusing her a little. He seemed to read her mind, because he explained himself.
"Just want some fresh air. Don't you?" He asked, now turning his head to look at her.
She nodded. That sounded nice. She trusted Bobby, for a reason she couldn't quite explain. He had the eyes of an old soul and she wondered what pain had caused that.
"How long have you and FP been together?" Bobby asked suddenly, catching her off guard.
"We're not–" Alice tried to protest, but he had seen right through her before she could even try to build up her old familiar wall of defense.
"You can spot it from miles away, Alice." He laughed a little, making her relax more. Clearly she wasn't as mysterious as she thought she was.
"It's a long story." She said quietly, not wanting to get into it today. Bobby seemed to sense it, and didn't push the issue further.
"Sounds familiar." He said instead, giving her comfort of knowing she wasn't alone in her situation.
Alice remained silent as they kept on walking, sensing that he was about to share more about what he meant. And he did.
"Shelly is my ex-wife... our relationship was hot and heavy when we were young... we got married, had a daughter and then just drifted apart." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, while gazing down at the ground between his feet. A sight that changed by the second and still felt so much the same, just like every day without Shelly felt for him too.
"What's her name?" Alice wondered.
"Rebecca. Or Becky, as we call her." There curled a proud smile on his face. From all that he had done in his life, she would always be his biggest accomplishment.
"FP and I have a son too. His name is Charles." Alice dared to just show a bit of what was behind the veil she had between her and the rest of the world and Bobby seemed to appreciate it, because he gave her a soft smile.
"But he didn't get to be in our lives for a long time..." She shook her head sadly.
"You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to." He told her assuringly, feeling that it was a sensitive subject for her to speak about. She gave him a thankful nod.
"Shelly seems to be interested in FP." She said carefully, believing that the look she saw on his face right before they left the diner was because of his ex-wife.
"I overheard, yeah..." Bobby shrugged sadly.
"She loves danger, she loves the thrill. That's why she fell for me once." He told her, which didn't surprise Alice.
He had something rough about him, and not just years of worrying, of crime, of chaos. It was in his eyes, but he had given it up. He had chosen a different path and Alice wasn't sure if she should admire that about him or wonder why he gave up part of himself.
"But look at me, I'm an officer of the law, I do stuff by the book now." He said, chuckling slightly.
If his teenage self would stand in front of him and get a chance to speak to him, he'd never believe he'd be talking to a cop. He would have laughed, probably. Bobby had never been a rule follower, but he chose to become one.
"There is no thrill with me anymore." His eyes were sadder than he wanted for her to see and while even Bobby believed he had a mask on that not many people would see through, she did. It reminded her so much of FP and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
"Do you really think she doesn't love you?" Alice asked, already knowing how Shelly must really feel about him. It was just that neither of them knew, and it softly killed them both.
"Doesn't seem like it. It's okay, I am learning to live with it." He told her, with another masking smile that glanced over his features. It was so transparent. She wondered how nobody else could see it.
But then they reached the waterfall, which made Bobby stop in his tracks. This is where he wanted to walk with her. Alice stopped too and closed her eyes for a few seconds, to really focus on the deafening sounds.
"Why did you stop here last night?" He asked her.
"The waterfall is loud. I liked that." Alice answered, her eyes never leaving the gigantic curtain of water.
"Louder than anything else?" He quirked his eyebrow. Alice turned her head sideways, feeling as if he could read her mind.
"Yeah... louder than anything else." She said.
He gestured for the bench at the side of the road, where he took place and expected for her to follow him. She was hesitant, but she did it anyway. Somehow, she trusted Bobby, which was a feeling that was quite unfamiliar to Alice. She never trusted anyone. She barely trusted herself.
"Why did you come here to chase a serial killer, Alice?" Bobby turned his head her way, as he went for the question that lingered on her mind ever since he found her and FP at the side of the road.
"To avenge my daughter." Alice said, looking back at the waterfall.
"What exactly happened to her?" He dared to ask, afraid of the answer.
"She got murdered... by a serial killer that went after young women. Betty, my other daughter and I... we found her together. Life has never been the same ever since. I haven't been able to sleep one peaceful night ever since we found her." Alice's voice cracked and she dug her nails into her palms to make sure she wouldn't cry in front of a stranger, no matter how comfortable she might feel around him.
"God, I'm so sorry." Bobby said quietly, swallowing hard.
He placed his hand on her shoulder for comfort. The touch is what made Alice look at him, and her whole wall crumbled down with one single glance of his eyes. She burst out in tears, making Bobby pull her right into his arms.
"It's okay, let it out." He shushed her gently, stroking her back up and down.
"Alice... Jones is right. It's too dangerous to let you in on this, okay?" He said, a serious and worried frown on his face as he pulled back to look at her.
"I know, I know." Alice said, sniffling slightly.
"But I can't do nothing. That's not who I am." She argued, as she angrily wiped her tears.
"Something told me you were fierce." Bobby chuckled a little.
"I mean, the right hook you gave FP was impressive." He grinned, giving her a small ego boost.
"He had it coming." She joked softly, making him laugh.
"Yeah, he told me so." He said, a smile lingering on his lips.
"Why isn't he more like you, Bobby?" Alice wondered softly. He looked at her, confused.
"You're so..." She began, shaking her head as she looked at him.
"So what?"
"You seem to have it all together. You have a respectable job, you have a stable life." Alice summed up, with her eyes filling with tears for reasons he couldn't understand. Bobby sighed.
"I wasn't always like that, Alice. Quite the opposite actually." He huffed.
"I just learned to make it seem like I have it all together."
"But I was done living a life on the edge of everything... my morals have come to mean a lot to me. Ever since I got a daughter, actually." He said, telling her why he eventually turned his life around. He was proud of what he had done, who he had become. Again, it reminded her of FP. It was confusing.
"And Shelly... she's not like that. She needs the thrill." Bobby looked away again. Every time he spoke about Shelly, it hurt a bit more.
"If I were her, I would have never walked away. She doesn't know what she has." Alice said softly. Bobby looked at her again, giving her a warm smile. If only Shelly knew.
Alice swallowed as she gazed at him and before she knew it she was leaning in slowly. Bobby hesitated for a second, but then gently placed his hand on her shoulder to push her back.
"Don't do this, Alice. You want this to get back at FP, and I'm not going to be part of that game. We're no teenagers anymore." He argued softly, feeling guilty about the pained look on her face.
"I'm sorry." Alice shook her head confused.
He was right. She had no idea why she had the urge to kiss him. Was it because he could give her everything she wished to have? Or because he looked an awful lot like FP had done when he was Sheriff and they were stupidly happy? Or because she hadn't kissed anyone she truly felt connected to in a long time?
"It's fine. You're just hurting. I know what it's like." He gave her a sympathetic smile.
"I get that you want stability and security in your life... I really do. But you don't get to choose who you love. Life would be quite easy, if we did." He leaned on his knees and Alice huffed slightly.
"Is it really worth it to give up someone you love for stability? To be comfortable?" He asked her with an arched brow, knowing very well that it was indeed, not worth it.
"He's the one that gave up, not me." Alice spat, harsher than she intended.
"You really don't think you have been in his mind as much as he has been in yours?" Bobby shot back.
"In the short amount of time I've worked with FP... I can tell you, that man is not over you." He said softer, as he noticed the flash of hurt in Alice's eyes.
He didn't want to be the one to upset her more, but he felt like she needed to know that anything between her and FP was far from over.
"Love's in the risk, Alice." He said.
"I know I'd rather be sad about not being with Shelly, than to be with someone who I don't love nearly as much."
"Bobby... I can't take the risk anymore. It's too hard." Alice croaked, softly crying once more.
"I get that... but that means you are giving up too." He gave her a sad smile. His words cut right through her and if he hadn't said them out loud to her, she would've never realized that in her own way, she had given up on them too.
"There is not much left if you both do." Bobby placed his hand on her knee and gave her a soft squeeze.
"Let's walk back to the diner, they have a killer cherry pie there." He hoped it would cheer her up.
"Can we just sit here for a bit? Is that okay?" She asked with her voice so fragile, that he couldn't do anything else but nod.
Gently, he wrapped his arm around her to pull her close, as they watched the waterfall for a little while, being surrounded by nothing else but the ear-deafening echo.
**
A knock on the door caught FP's attention. He figured that it would be either Bobby or Alice, and both of them were allowed to get him out of his concentration. They would most likely come to talk about the case and he could use an extra pair of eyes. While he still wasn't a fan of Alice joining into this one, arguing with her had never paid off before.
"Come in," He mumbled, as he bowed over the police file.
A head poked in before she fully entered the room. With a warm smile, Shelly came walking in, carrying a tray with her.
"Oh... Shelly, was it?" FP said, realizing the company was a bit different than he expected.
"Am I bugging you?" She asked sweetly, placing the tray on the cabinet near the mirror.
"No, it's fine." He said, as he closed the file. Maybe it was time for a break.
"I didn't see you for coffee this morning, so I thought I'd bring you some." She handed him over a fresh brew, which he gratefully took.
"I've got some cherry pie with me too, it's the best in the county." Shelly beamed brightly and gestured for the small plate with a big piece of pie on it, which she was very proud of.
"What am I saying, in the whole state!" She gloated with a grin.
FP smiled halfheartedly. He appreciated what she did for him, but his mind was simply somewhere else.
"You look tense. Is everything okay?" She wondered, as she studied his facial features.
"Yeah..." He said, as he took a sip of the buring hot coffee.
"Actually, not really." FP gazed to the floor.
"Tell me. You can talk to me." Shelly said softly, placing her hand on his knee. It felt warm, comforting.
FP looked up to meet her eyes and while he felt that he could trust her, he didn't want to get too deep into his feelings. Would it be fair to talk to her about Alice? A woman she had only met once and spoke three words with? He had only spoken to one person about his relationship with Alice before. That had been with Fred. Now he was gone, there was nobody left.
"Just the case is weighing on my mind. You must be worried, you have a daughter, don't you?" He decided to turn the conversation around.
"We keep a close eye on her." Shelly assured him.
"Your job is pretty exciting, right?" She took her bottom lip between her teeth and swung her leg over one another.
"You could say that, yeah. Never a dull day." He said.
"Very dangerous, too?" Shelly came a little closer, while one hand started to play with his flannel.
"Kind of. But I am trained to defend myself.."
"Wouldn't want you as my enemy." She winked.
"Hmm, you're too sweet to have an enemy, Shelly." FP smiled.
"You think I'm sweet?" Shelly grinned brightly.
"Like you don't know." He chuckled softly.
"What do you think of my cherry pie?" Shelly wondered, as she took the plate to hand over to him.
"It's good. It's really good." He hummed, as he chewed on the delicious homemade pie.
"Alice used to make a killer one too." His eyes twinkled sadly.
"Is there still something between you two?" Shelly wondered gently.
"I don't know..." FP shrugged.
"You remind me of her. It's almost scary." He shook his head confused as he looked at her and held her gaze longer than he should have.
Her mannerisms, the way her nose scrunched when she smiled, her teasing... It was like looking right at Alice. It clouded his judgment, which was not a good thing.
"It's something in your eyes," He said softly, as he kept on staring.
Shelly swallowed, and then took her shot. Gently, she took his face into her small delicate hands and pulled him in for a soft and tender kiss, one he melted into momentarily. Until he realized that this wasn't Alice he was kissing. She kissed him differently.
So much about Shelly and Alice was the same, but the way she kissed him would always feel different. Alice's lips were familiar, almost perfectly molded for him. Shelly's lips were meant for someone else. It should've been a perfect match, but it wasn't.
"No, we can't." He said, as he pulled back and shook his head confused.
"I'm sorry, Shelly." FP apologized, feeling extremely guilty for having to turn her down.
"You're beautiful, you're sweet and you take good care of me, obviously..." He gestured to the pie.
"But..." He sighed, barely knowing how to finish this sentence with words that wouldn't terrify himself.
"Your heart's with Alice?" Shelly filled in for him, her voice soft.
"Yeah." He admitted.
"I understand." She swiftly stroked her hand over his cheek.
"Don't tell me you don't know your heart is with someone else too?" FP arched his eyebrow, believing he deserved some honesty too.
"You mean Bobby?" Shelly wondered. FP nodded.
"We've been over for a long time... we just weren't meant to last." She smiled sadly, but FP knew very well that was not the end of the story.
"So that's why you wear your wedding rings around your neck? Because it's over?" He gestured to her necklace, making her cheeks blush a deep shade of red.
"I hang onto memories, that doesn't mean it can't be over." She said defensively, taking the necklace into her hands as if she could protect it that way.
She wore it every single day, even at night. With the rings around her neck, Bobby was always with her. She needed to believe that, she needed to be sure Bobby would always be there.
"Bobby and I... we were deeply in love as teenagers. But we're not anymore. Some relationships simply have an expiration date." Shelly fought against her tears.
FP knew what she meant, and what was implied in the words she didn't say. He realized that he and Alice and she and Bobby were more alike than he thought at first.
"Some do... maybe. Do you really think your marriage does?" He asked, genuinely wondering if she had given up.
"We're just different people." Shelly shrugged.
"You, FP... you don't back down from risks. You go wherever life takes you... you really live." She looked at him with adoration, but FP didn't believe he deserved that.
"I'm just stuck in this town. I need someone with that kind of life." She said, with hurt in her eyes, that she believed couldn't be seen by anyone. FP recognized it, sadly enough.
"I don't think you do, Shelly." FP said.
"Because you know me better than I do myself?" Shelly huffed defensively.
"I obviously don't."
"But you are scared of having a domestic, peaceful life, because it never really stuck before. It's unfamiliar and scary. You had it, and you freaked out." He told her, his eyes piercing into hers.
"You're just like me. That's why I know."
A sad smile curled on his lips, and he could see in the slight change of her eyes that suddenly, she felt seen. He didn't know her because he had figured her out already, but because they were a different side of the same coin.
"I had this life that I had always dreamed of, with the woman I love. Everything was... perfect. She had my back, I had hers, we were happy."
"I sacrificed that when I had to take care of my daughter. And then I didn't return, because chaos is what I've always known. It's painful but comforting, right?" His eyebrow arched and his heart broke a little when Shelly nodded through the tears in her eyes.
"Yeah it is..." She sniffled slightly.
"What was your chaos?" He wondered.
"An abusive husband." She confessed.
"Mine was an abusive father."
"...and let me guess, in the midst of the chaos you found Bobby? Like I found Alice?" FP's eyes were shimmering too.
"I did." She nodded.
"And we've been running from our peace ever since. Because it's being taken away from us eventually." FP swallowed.
He hadn't known better than his life always crumbling down. There was always a piece around him that was breaking, covering him in stone, in dust, in a heavy weight.
If it wasn't his father, it was his alcohol addiction, his divorce, Gladys' return, Jellybean's mental problems, or the death and reappearance of his first born. The only moment it was silent and peaceful was when he and Alice moved in together.
Eventually, things would start breaking down again. And it had, when Jellybean turned out to need help, desperately. He could take the weight, the dust, and the stones. But he wasn't going to pull Alice down with him. So, he ran.
"Only this time we were the ones to take it away from ourselves." FP croaked.
Shelly cried softly, FP's words echoing loudly through her mind. She had destroyed them. She went for chaos, for pain, for thrills, because it's all she had ever known.
"I do love Bobby." She said emotionally.
"He's the only one I've ever really loved."
"He can give you a stable life, Shelly. Don't waste it." FP said softly, his hand falling onto her knee.
"You might want the thrill... but is that worth it without him?" He asked quietly, feeling the answer in his bones. She just needed to realize it too.
"I-I don't know. Bobby and I... it has never been easy." She shook her head sadly, as she wiped her tears.
"Yeah, I get what you're saying." FP nodded.
"How about Alice?" Shelly asked softly.
"I gotta learn how to give her stability, because she craves it. I just don't know how to, so I stayed away." He casted his eyes to the floor. It sounded ridiculous, he knew that. For his choices, he was ashamed. Deeply ashamed.
"If I were her I would want you to really fight for me. No excuses." Shelly said, her eyes still red and puffy.
"You don't only look like her, you sound like her too." FP laughed softly.
"I gotta keep her safe first, I'll learn how to do the rest."
"You okay?" He squeezed her knee.
"Yes, I am." She gave him a pained smile, but meant what she said.
"I'm going to talk to Bobby." Shelly stood up from her previous position on the bed and wiped her cheeks again. He gave her a small smile. At the door, she turned to look at him once more.
"Thanks, FP. For the talking I mean, and maybe a bit for the kiss." She joked sweetly.
FP laughed. "No problem, Shelly."
**
Bobby nervously twirled his fork between his fingers. Shelly sat across from him, and while they've had dinner so many times before, this time it was different. This wasn't a meal that he had to make for her with the last things that were left at her home while she was married to Leo, or dinner after long days of work just right before they were about to put their daughter to bed.
This was dinner with the woman he knew like no other, and at the same time felt like a stranger every time he came close. She wasn't the girl anymore that had the hots for him all those years ago, or at least he didn't think she was. Shelly looked at him for a while, without taking a bite from her food.
"It's been a long since we last had dinner together..." Bobby broke the silence between them.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you asked me." He gave her a soft smile.
"Or is it because you have to break bad news? Is Becky okay?" Worry glanced over his face, especially since the haunting thought of a serial killer that was still on the loose crossed his mind.
"She's fine, Bobby. I just wanted to spend time with you." Shelly said softly.
"I talked to FP today..." She began carefully.
"I kissed him." Shelly looked up at him through her eyelashes.
"Oh." Bobby said quietly.
"He said we couldn't. He's a good man."
Bobby sighed. He knew Shelly valued her freedom, and his personal issues with anything that might blossom between her and FP was his own problem, but he was worried about someone else.
"Shelly, I'm not trying to come between anything here, but you're aware Alice is here too, aren't you? Things are complicated between them. We can't use any drama with a serial killer running around town." He warned her, for her own sake too.
"I know that." Shelly assured him.
"He opened my eyes to something."
"To what?" He wondered.
"About why we drifted away..." Shelly's breath hitched, a telltale sign for Bobby that she was about to cry.
"And how that's my fault." Her eyelashes fluttered in an attempt to control her tears, but she couldn't.
The innocent look on his face made her heart explode in all the right ways, making her wonder how she could ever have been one day without his love. He was willing to give her so much, and she had chosen freedom above that. Being with him was worth so much more than any of that, and it took a total stranger that she tried to seduce to make her see what was being handed to her by the love of her life.
"Shelly..." Bobby argued softly, knowing she was about to fall into a ramble of self-destruction that would break both their hearts.
"No, Bobby... let me talk, please?" Shelly interrupted him, before he could tell her that it was okay.
For years, Bobby telling her that things were okay, that he was there, that she had him to lean on were the comforting words she so badly needed. Now it was up to her.
"I'm sorry for not seeing what you were trying to give me. I promise I'll see it, this time around." She took his hand, smiling through her tears.
Her eyes twinkled again. He hadn't seen it for years, and maybe now he realized he was the one that made her eyes spark.
"If you would ever have me, again." She said quietly, playing with his fingers to ease her nerves.
Bobby softened. It's been a long time since he last had Shelly so vulnerable in front of him. She looked a lot more like the girl he had fallen so hard for at sixteen. They were older, and probably wiser now.
"You know that with us... the door is never closed." He said, squeezing her hand tightly.
"Just... can we do this carefully?" Bobby gave her a sweet smile.
"Carefully... I like that. Let's do that." Shelly took her bottom lip between her teeth and giggled softly, which was a sound he had dreamed for years to hear.
"Let's start with dinner." He winked, gesturing to the now cold plates in front of them.
Shelly watched him for a while, as if she studied him for the first time in her life. She had known every piece of skin, including any freckles and scars she could find, but she looked at him again, to study the things that had grown on him in the years. Like his wrinkles, or the way she counted the brown hairs in between his grey ones now, instead the grey hairs between his brown ones.
She knew they needed to be careful, and she would be fine with taking their time. They had the rest of their lives. Still, she longed to be just a bit closer to him tonight. So, she got out of her side of the booth and slid down on his side and laid her head on his shoulder.
Bobby was a little surprised, but smiled to himself as he noticed how peaceful she looked. This was his happy place. Sitting in a booth at the Double R, having the girl of his dreams resting on his shoulder. Life couldn't be any better.
Being in their own little bubble, they failed to notice their daughter walking into the diner. She hadn't spotted them either, instead approached the blonde woman that she mistook for her mother.
"Mom, have you–" Becky placed her hand on Alice's shoulder, who now turned around on her barstool.
"Oh, sorry. You look a lot like my mother." She excused herself, when she saw that it wasn't Shelly who she had been talking to.
"Your mother must be Shelly." Alice smiled, while glancing at the couple in the booth.
"Yeah, she is." Becky smiled too.
"My name is Alice, nice to meet you. You must be Becky." She extended her hand, which Becky accepted.
"How do you know?" She chuckled a little confused.
"Your father told me about you." Alice winked.
"Have you seen my mom by any chance?" Becky wondered, not having spotted her yet.
"She's over there." She gestured to her right side, making Becky turn on her heel. Her face softened, when she looked at the back of her parents' heads, as they were obviously snuggled up closely together.
"Are you okay?" Alice asked, unable to read Becky's face.
"I haven't seen them like this in... forever." Becky said softly, her eyes never leaving the romantic moment she witnessed.
"Maybe give them a moment, huh?" FP said, walking up to the two women.
"Oh, FP... yeah. We should." Becky nodded.
She had met him before through her father, mostly because Bobby thought it was cool they had sent a small town like Twin Peaks their own personal bounty hunter. He was still excited about his job, which Becky loved to see.
"Can you tell her I stopped by?" She asked, looking at both FP and Alice.
"You want us to give a message?" FP wondered if she at least trusted them enough with whatever she needed her mother for.
"I was just wondering if they had seen Steven. I haven't spoken to him in a few weeks, I'm worried." She confessed, with a hint of pink on her cheeks.
"Your husband, huh?" FP arched his eyebrow.
"Yeah, how do you know?" Becky asked, a little suspicious.
"Your dad told me. He's not his biggest fan, as you might know." FP chuckled.
"He's been loud and clear about that." She sighed.
"Hey, your old man is just looking out for you. Don't be too hard on him." He told her assuringly.
As a father of a daughter himself, he knew that nobody would ever be good enough for Jellybean. He figured Bobby felt the same way about Becky.
"We'll keep our eyes open, okay?" He promised, in reference to her missing husband.
She gave him a thankful nod and disappeared again, leaving Alice and FP with no other choice but to talk to each other. Alice barely dared to look at him. She wasn't sure if it was because of her conversation with Bobby, or because the sight of Shelly and Bobby in a booth somehow reminded her of their teenage days in a booth at Pop's, but meeting his eyes was hard.
"Al... you wanna take a walk with me?" He asked her, almost shyly. Alice didn't see him shy often.
"Yeah, let's do that." She let out a breath she had been holding and followed him outside, giving themselves a moment for fresh air and new perspectives.
There was a lot of fog for this time of year, and with the dim light of the lanterns, the town looked even spookier. Alice thought that with Riverdale as her hometown, nothing would scare her anymore. Turns out, Twin Peaks could be quite scary too.
Carefully, she took FP's hands, not only to feel safer, but simply because his warmth made her feel more at home in a town she barely knew. FP looked down at their hand hold, but didn't question it. It was more of Alice than he had gotten in a while, due to his own choices. At least she chose to hold his hand, to let him in just slightly.
He had made the mistake of not knowing the value of small gestures she made. This time, he would remind himself what it meant. A handhold wasn't just a handhold with Alice. It was telling him that she allowed him to touch her, to give her something to hold onto, that she felt safe with him.
"What did you and Bobby talk about today?" FP was the first one to speak up.
"About you, about Shelly... about everything." Alice answered quietly.
"She's really into you." A teasing smile curled onto her lips.
"I figured." FP chuckled. Her smile slowly faded away, as did his own.
Did it really matter that in this lonely town they held hands, as they walked the paths that Shelly and Bobby had walked before? Did it matter if it would all come crashing down as soon as it would be over?
They couldn't stay here forever. Twin Peaks wasn't their home, this wasn't the place their memories were. For now, it was just another train stop and FP had no idea if they would get together to the next station, or that she would go on her own. Or worse– with someone else.
"There is someone waiting for you back home, right?" He said, squeezing her hand tighter.
Alice remained silent. She didn't want to answer, but her silence did that for her. FP sighed quietly.
"I know that you want someone who can give you some stability Alice, you've had enough chaos in your life." He said softly, figuring that whoever was the man in Riverdale that she was with (Frank, according to Jughead), could give her what she craved.
"I have to know what I have. I can't wake up and be scared you're going to leave that day." Alice finally spoke, and by the way her voice trembled he knew she was on the verge of crying.
"Can you give me that?" She asked quietly, giving him the ultimatum that could make or break them, forever.
FP opened his mouth, but before he could even say anything he noticed two silhouettes not far away. It wouldn't have freaked him out if he hadn't recognized the blonde ponytail of Becky, and the faint outline of a gun that was aimed at her. Alice followed his gaze and her eyes grew wide as she realized that Becky was standing eye to eye with the killer they had been looking for.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck." FP murmured under his breath.
"Call Bobby, I'll go after them." Alice said fiercely, already making her way to the faint shadows.
"Alice, no! You go back to the Double R!" FP yanked her back by her arm.
"Over my dead body." She hissed, and ran away before he could get her into his grip.
"That's exactly what I'm scared of, Alice!" FP sighed frustratedly and dialed Bobby's number as he ran after her.
He froze right behind Alice, noticing there were two guns into play now. She was holding one too.
"Leave her alone." Alice's voice was quiet, but loud and clear.
A man stepped into the light, without ever moving the gun that was aimed at Becky.
"One step closer, and I'll kill her." He said, surprisingly and dangerously calm.
"Steven..." FP whispered. It was Becky's husband.
"Surprise, surprise... she found me!" He laughed loudly, making Becky winch. She had always been a fearless woman, she was raised by her mother after all, but he was unpredictable. That was a quality she had learned to fear over time.
"A little late, don't you think, FP?" Steven grinned, and FP had to bite the inside of his cheek not to yell. Yelling was dangerous with a maniac holding a gun.
"I was right under your noses and you didn't see it." Steven scoffed, finding amusement in the fact that with a simple pull of his finger, he could end the life of Becky, Alice and FP in a split second.. He just needed to aim right.
"Too bad Bobby's not here, I would love to see his face when I kill his daughter right in front of him. He'd loathe himself till his last breath." Steven giggled a little to himself.
FP's nostrils flared, but he was powerless. Steven was the one in charge, and he knew it.
"Relax FP, we're just having a little fun. Don't we, Beck?" He wiggled the gun around.
"It's thinking outside the box, y'know?" He shrugged, while he was so extremely high on cocaine that he didn't realize the fear and harm he was causing. It made him even more dangerous than a sociopath. At least they knew what they were doing was wrong. Steven, did not.
"Killing women turns me on, Beck... don't you remember our little role play?" He walked closer to her, as he pulled his lip between his teeth. The closer he came, the more she trembled.
"Ah come on, don't act shy now." He whispered lowly, as he pulled her close and smelled her hair.
"You loved to be my little victim." Steven grinned mischievously.
Alice had heard enough. She would net let Becky suffer a fate remotely like Polly's.
"Oh honey, you don't know who you have across from you, don't you?" She loaded her gun and squinted her eyes, ready to aim right for his heart.
"I'm not scared of a middle-aged woman. I'll break you like a twig." He laughed.
"You won't harm a hair on her body." Alice warned him.
Bobby's cruiser came rushing as fast as lightning and stopped with shrieking tires, creating break patterns all over the concrete. He jumped out of the car with a frantic Shelly next to him, who let out a yelp when she saw that Steven aimed his gun back at her daughter. Bobby immediately pushed Shelly behind him, his eyes focused on Steven like a hawk.
"You called Bobby? That's fun! The show can finally begin!" Steven laughed happily.
"Oh Pops... I can call you Pops right? Or do you prefer Dad? Do you think I should spare Becky tonight? Hmm?" He yanked Becky his way and swung his arm around her throat, holding the gun right to her face. She trembled and closed her eyes in fear, frightened for what was about to come.
"You might be too cute to die, Becky... you're so sexy. But god, you'll look hot as a lifeless body in my arms. Fuck... I don't know what to do with you." He studied her face, and traced the gun over her cheeks, his eyes flickering rapidly. Becky whimpered.
"But maybe I'll kill someone else tonight. Practice makes perfect, they say." Steven looked up at the three people across from him, and aimed his gun at Alice.
Before Alice could even react, he threw Becky aside and pulled the trigger. FP reacted in a split second. As soon as he saw Steven's finger go the trigger, he took a jump Alice's way, to catch the bullet that was meant for her. Alice trembled in shock as FP yelled loudly, seeing the blood spurring from his shoulder.
Alice hadn't used a gun often in her life. She wasn't a killer. The one time she did kill someone, had been Edgar Evernever. He had hurt the people she loved. Steven had done the same. He had hurt FP. And so, without thinking, she aimed right for his heart.
She hit the bullseye. Steven fell limp on the ground. He was beyond saving. Becky yelled loudly, and cried a soul crushing sob as soon as she felt her mother sit down next to her, wrapping her up in her embrace as tight as she could.
Bobby had bent down to press FP's wound, while calling for an ambulance instantly. The concrete was covered with FP's blood, and the god seemed to disappear. The soaring in Alice's ears faded away, and suddenly her surroundings were louder than ever. Becky's cries, Shelly's pleas, Bobby's screams for help on the phone, the police cars from far away, FP's grunts...
She sat down on her knees and simply held FP in her arms as they waited for the ambulance, telling Bobby to go to his daughter. She had him. She would always have him. He couldn't say anything, so FP simply held onto her arms, because right now they were literally his lifeline.
**
Hours had passed since Steven's death, and fortunately FP's wounds were as little as they possibly could be. A guardian angel had protected him, the doctor had said. Alice could only think about how he was hers. If he hadn't done what he had done, then she would be dead right now.
For years, Alice had always believed that if FP ever would have to choose a lasting choice, he would never choose her. He hadn't multiple times, for multiple reasons... so if he had one more choice that would last forever, it would never be her.
But then he jumped in front of her, to save her life. Catching that bullet for her wasn't a conscious choice. There hadn't been time to think. He just did. And that meant that his heart spoke louder than it ever had. He chose her. He chose her life over his own.
He sat in a booth at the Double R diner, his arm covered in a sling. He was lucky, he realized that. Not only was he lucky to have survived the bullet, but he was lucky for the woman sitting next to him. She hadn't left his side. From the ride in the ambulance, and now back in the booth... she had been there. She was snuggled up close to his good side, her eyes closed. He sweetly kissed her head.
"Al... I'm okay. A bullet wound doesn't scare me." He said softly.
"I almost lost you." Alice mumbled quietly, only snuggling up closer.
"It's okay, it's okay." He whispered, knowing she needed to hear it.
"I'm quitting." FP said suddenly, after looking at her for a bit. She lifted her head from his shoulder.
"With all of this, it's over." He clarified.
"I don't want to scare you. I don't care what job I have... or where I live. As long as you are there." He spoke lovingly, making her eyes spark.
"If we can save them... then we can save ourselves too, right?" FP gestured for Shelly and Bobby, who stood in each other's embrace at the counter, clearly never wanting to let go either. They were the mirror to themselves.
"I hope we can." Alice said quietly.
"I'm proud of you. You saved Becky." FP gave her a soft smile.
"You might not have been able to protect Polly, but it's because of you they still have their daughter." He pulled her closer to his shoulder again, and while Alice wanted to say many things, she chose to be silent. The silence would speak for her and she knew that FP would know how to listen.
**
The later it got, the more FP really wanted to get to his room and rest as much as he possibly could. He had gone upstairs, giving Alice a moment alone with Shelly. The rest of the diner was totally empty, which felt like a blessing. Shelly wiped another set of tears that had escaped that night.
"I don't know how to thank you..." She took Alice's hands in her own.
"For saving Becky, for talking to Bobby... all of it." She chuckled sweetly, making Alice smile too.
"How is she?" Alice wondered, her worry of Becky still not having faded.
She knew like no other how it was to find out that your husband was a serial killer, and she wished she could tell her that things would get better, eventually.
"She's resting... Norma is with her." Shelly said, her breath shaky.
"You have no idea what you have done for us today." She croaked emotionally.
"I'd do it again if I had to." Alice promised, pulling her in for a hug.
"And I'm so sorry for kissing your man." Shelly chuckled through her tears, as she slowly pulled back from Alice's embrace.
"You did?" Alice quirked her eyebrow confused.
"Not my proudest moment... but he really loves you. I hope you realize that." Shelly said sweetly.
"I think I do." Alice smiled to herself.
"So you and Bobby are back together?" She wondered, giving her a teasing smirk.
"Not yet... but we're getting there." Shelly nodded determinedly. She had faith again. Faith in herself, faith in Bobby... faith in them.
"FP talked some sense into me." She laughed.
"He did?"
"Yeah... he said some really wise things."
"He really wants to let go of the chaos, Alice. But you have to know... people like me and him... we only know chaos. We don't know how to survive without it, but we're trying to change that." She said knowingly, hoping that Alice knew that FP was really trying, just as she was.
"While you and Bobby want to let go of the chaos you've always known, we gravitated to it. We just gotta meet each other in the middle." Shelly gave her a sympathetic smile.
"I'm willing to do that." Alice said.
"Bobby said love's in the risk. He's right about that, isn't he?" She smiled a little.
"I'm afraid he is." Shelly laughed.
"Go to sleep, we'll see you guys tomorrow." She gave her one more smile, and this time Alice felt surely confident that tomorrow would be a better day.
**
FP grunted as he tried to take off his flannel all by himself, his arm being too hurt by the bullet wound he had gotten from Steven. In the dim light of the room, he followed Alice with his eyes as she walked over to him and carefully peeled the fabric off his body.
His eyes softened. He didn't think he really deserved her help, let alone the gentle way she treated him. She held his arm delicately as she shoved the flannel aside and while he was in a lot of pain, he could only stare at her in awe.
"Are you in pain?" Alice wondered, her eyes filled with layers of guilt that FP didn't manage to unravel in that one look.
"A little, but it will heal soon." He said quietly. She simply nodded, before walking over to her side on the bed. In silence, she sat down with her back turned his way.
"I'd say I would take the chair again tonight, but with my arm being as it is... can I sleep in the bed too?" He asked her, almost insecure and hesitant. Alice hummed a confirmation.
FP didn't consider himself to be a very smart man, or say that he was good at reading people. But Alice refusing to look at him usually meant the same thing. She was either mad, or she was crying. He figured that today it was an odd mixture of both. He climbed up the bed and sat down behind her.
"You saved her, Alice. She's fine." He whispered assuringly.
"You could've died, FP. I was reckless, and it could have cost me you." Alice sobbed emotionally, while feeling how he wrapped his good arm around her waist, to pull her back closer to his chest. He felt warm and she wasn't sure she was happy about how safe it made her feel.
"I can't have anymore people I love dying on my hands, it's too much." She turned her head into his chest. FP shushed her softly, while her soul crushing tears almost made him cry too.
"I'm still here, and I'm not going anywhere." He promised her.
"You know that's a lie." Alice lifted her head up, eyes red and puffy.
"You can't say that to me, while you know you are always anywhere but with me."
She shook her head, and while she tried hard to be angry about it, she knew he would see right through any mask she'd put on. She was deeply hurt by him and he wasn't sure if that could ever be something they would get over.
"I'm with you now, can that be enough for tonight?" He asked, his own voice trembling. FP couldn't make promises for the future, but for this night they would still have one another to hold, one another to love.
**
With breakfast time having long passed, FP and Bobby sat in a booth at the Diner, which even for FP had become a usual spot by now.
"That was some hero shit, Jones." Bobby said, referring to his act yesterday.
"Alice is the real hero, I got myself shot." FP chuckled as he gestured to his sling.
"To save your woman." Bobby pointed out.
"I'd catch all the bullets in the world for her." FP's face softened. Bobby smiled. He knew what that felt like.
"Shelly said she kissed you." He said, while taking a knowing sip of his coffee. FP's face went paler than it already was.
"I respectfully declined, I'd never–" He started to stutter, trying to save himself from an awkward conversation.
"Relax, I'm messing with you." Bobby laughed. FP breathed out in relief, laughing too.
"I don't know what you said to her, but it brought us closer together. We're going to get there." Bobby said softly, as he looked at Shelly standing behind the counter, still helping out Norma even though she had firmly said to take a day off.
"Do you think you and Alice still have a shot?" Bobby wondered, noticing that she was accepting plates with pie for them, to bring their way.
"Maybe our last one." FP said quietly, as she and Shelly walked their way.
"Cherry pie, just what I was craving." Bobby grinned, as they sat down in the booth too.
Shelly gazed proudly at Bobby, and in return he gave her shoulder a quick kiss. Alice held onto FP's good hand tightly, and he squeezed it right back to tell him he was there with her.
"Thank you for what you did, for us, for Becky, for Twin Peaks... it means a lot." Shelly said once more, again getting emotional.
"We might have to return here some time." FP said, smiling.
"Hopefully for something a little more cheery than a serial killer." Bobby joked.
"We've got enough of those in our own lonely town." Alice said, chuckling bitterly.
"Promise me you'll come back." Shelly suddenly said, her voice small.
FP and Alice shared a look. She seemed truly scared that this would be it. And while they couldn't quite figure out what the connection was the four of them had, they could promise her that this wasn't the end.
"We promise, Shelly." FP said gently.
"If you keep your lips to yourself next time." Alice joked sweetly, creating that beautiful laugh of her's that made her understand why Bobby was so in love with her.
**
It was silent on their way home. The serial killer FP had been asked to find was dead, his mission was over. He had no plan for the rest of his life, he did not even have a house in Riverdale. His daughter was thriving in college, his son was a successful writer with his own problems... but overall FP's life was good. All the certainty he had in his future now, was Alice. And it was enough. He did have to know the details to know he was going to be happy.
"Wait, stop here." Alice made him hit the brakes, and he looked at her confused as she got out of the car.
He followed her lead, and noticed how she was entranced by the waterfall. It was the place she had met him again, after all those years apart. A place in the middle of nowhere, in a small town called Twin Peaks. She had never heard of it before, and now she knew that it was just as insane as Riverdale, and just as lonely too.
"Are you okay?" He asked her softly.
"Yeah... I think so." Alice turned to look at him and nodded.
He walked closer her way, and she reached for his face. There was still a faint bruise on his cheek from the punch she had given him. Her fingers traced it slowly, before falling from his face all together.
"I don't want to be alone anymore, in this lonely town. Or in the lonely town that is somehow still our home." Alice croaked.
Whichever lonely town they'd be, whether it would be Riverdale or Twin Peaks, there was one thing that could take that loneliness away. He could. She needed him, in all the lonely towns of the world.
"But I gotta know you're willing to meet me halfway." She said, knowing how this could make or break them for good.
"I am, Alice. I'd meet you wherever you wish to." He said, without any doubt. If she wanted a stable life, he was going to work on his demons to give her that. Whatever she wished. He'd be okay, if she would be there with him. Any life that she craved, he would learn how to give her that.
"I love you." He whispered lovingly.
"I love you too." She whispered back, before letting him kiss her soundly, being surrounded by the loud echoes of the waterfall of Twin Peaks, the town that had brought them back together and the town they would return to each single year, to remind themselves that they could handle all the lonely town in the world, as long as they would be together.
-----
Authors Note:
Hi everyone!
Hope you liked my (first) Riverdale x Twin Peaks crossover. Little disclaimer that I don't know nearly as much about Twin Peaks and Shelly and Bobby as I know about Riverdale and FP and Alice. I've written so much for the latter that I think I know these characters on another level, but figuring out things for Shelly and Bobby was a lot of fun!
In Twin Peaks: The Return they showed that Bobby really turned his life around, which felt really important to me in this part. Shelly still has a thing for bad boys, like they showed in the return, where Bobby was visibly heartbroken over that.
I really wanted to emphasize how Alice/Bobby and Shelly/FP are very compatible in a way and could work together, in theory. However, even if they would settle for something who craves the same thing as they do, they still wouldn't be nearly as happy as they would with their true significant others. They just have to meet each other halfway. Exploring these sides and similarities was a lot of fun.
Originally I wasn't going to work out who the serial killer was because it seemed irrelevant, but then I realized that Steven would be deranged enough to actually have a murder kink. It would work, in either Twin Peaks and Riverdale, I guess. This also linked Becky and Alice together, as they both have dealt with a serial killer husband. Alice got to avenge Polly, while mirroring Becky in her own way. That was mostly important for me, so I could understand why I made certain writing choices. Hope you liked that part too.
Anyway, let me know your thoughts!!!