"You're not supposed to be back here."
"There are a lot of things I'm not supposed to do but I tend to do them anyway," I replied. "So, are you going to move out of the way or not?"
"Abigail, I'm not letting you into the men's locker room," Keller sighed.
"Why not?" I asked, not backing down. "I highly doubt there's anything in there I haven't seen before."
Keller sighed. "Look, Sweet Pea's getting patched up and showered. I'll tell him you'll be waiting over there," he said, pointing towards the end of the hall.
"All right, I'm going," I replied after a moment, making my way down the hall, back towards the main part of the gym. I could feel Keller's eyes on me as I walked, and I didn't bother looking back, even when I heard the locker room door open and close.
From where I stood in the shadows, I could see the majority of the ring and the match that had already started. Elio stood nearby, cheering on one of the boxers. I hadn't spent a lot of time at the gym watching Sweet Pea and Archie train, but it was enough for me to tell that the guy didn't have much clue about what he was doing. As the bell rang and the crowd somehow managed to get louder than they'd been already, signaling the end of the match, I almost didn't hear the footsteps behind me.
"You're really here," Sweet Pea said.
"I told you I would be," I replied, turning around. "Have I ever lied to you? Wait, don't answer that."
His smile fell before reaching for my hand. "Abigail, you've never lied to me. You just didn't always tell me everything."
"Like that's much better," I muttered.
Sweet Pea sighed, glancing towards the ring where the two were climbing out of the ring. "Hey, let's go in here, out of the way." He pulled me into an office just before Elio led his fighter down the hall, just past where we'd been standing.
Pushing some papers out of the way, I sat on the edge of the desk, watching as Sweet Pea sat in the rickety desk chair. "You should have ice on that," I said, leaning over to run a finger lightly along his jaw where a bruise was already beginning to form. "And your chest too. That was a pretty solid hit." I laughed as he looked at me in surprise. "What, you thought I came all the way out here and didn't watch your match?"
"I don't know, I didn't see you when I was out there," he admitted. "I was afraid you'd changed your mind since you never texted me back last night."
"Sorry, I got here right as your match started, only saw about half of the first round. You've gotten better since the last time I saw you up there."
"Yeah, well, I didn't have much else to do recently, and I tried to avoid being home if I could," Sweet Pea said. "I've missed you."
I sighed, looking down at my lap. "I know, I miss you too. But you're doing better without me around, putting in more hours at Andrews Construction and getting back into boxing at the gym."
"And both of those things are because of you. You need to start giving yourself credit for all the good you've done," Sweet Pea insisted, coming to stand in front of me.
"Good intentions don't mean anything," I said shortly. "If I've learned anything recently, that's it."
"Then forget about all that, think about what you've actually done then. You came back to Riverdale for a second chance, and you've gotten that. The Serpents would have fallen apart without your help and God knows where I'd be right now if you hadn't come back. Screw whatever it was you tried to do that didn't work out."
"Sweet Pea," I began, running a hand through my hair. I couldn't look at him as I continued on in a rush. "Over the past few days I've chloroformed Alice Cooper, spent a lot of time with the Gargoyles and sat in a jail cell for most of today."
"You what?" Sweet Pea exclaimed, taking a step back. "Everyone kind of assumed Betty had something to do with her mom disappearing from the Farm but you were part of that too? But what the hell were you doing with the Gargoyles? Didn't you learn anything from what happened with the Ghoulies? You could have been killed, Abigail, and for what?"
"Don't you dare ask if I'm on Fizzle Rocks," I snapped before he could go on. "I've had enough of that question recently."
Sweet Pea sighed. "Abigail, you said you needed time to figure things out, and I've given you that. But rolling with drug dealers and crazy-ass murderers, that's not you. Look, Fangs told me that Jones asked if you were using again that day at the comic book shop."
"An accusation he's continued to make. Speaking of..." I muttered pulling my phone out of my pocket as it began ringing. I tossed it on the desk as soon as I saw Jughead's name. "I swear, I haven't been taking anything. I've had plenty of opportunity, and yes, I did seriously consider it a few times, but I haven't fallen that far."
"I believe you," Sweet Pea said, pulling me off the desk toward him. "But what were you thinking? We've been trying to take down the Ghoulies, you could have been caught in the middle of it all."
"I told you, good intentions haven't meant shit recently," I sighed, leaning my head against his chest. "But I'm not giving up yet. Maybe I'll get lucky and something will finally work in my favor."
Sweet Pea's arms tightened around me. "Please tell me you haven't been undercover with the Gargoyles."
"Not exactly," I answered slowly as my phone rang again. "Ignore it, I really don't want to talk to Jughead right now."
"You might want to answer this call though," Sweet Pea said. "It's FP."
I nodded, picking up the phone reluctantly. "You told me to go back to the house, you didn't say anything about staying there," I answered without greeting.
"Is Jellybean with you?" FP asked quickly.
"No, should she be?"
I heard FP say something, most likely to Jughead or whoever he was with. "Kurtz said the King has her."
"I'm on my way," I said quickly, hanging up.
"Wait, what's going on? Where are you going?" Sweet Pea asked, following me to the door.
I paused, turning back to face him. "It's JB, he's taken her."
Sweet Pea nodded, knowing immediately who I was talking about. "Go. I'll come by later."
I raced to the house, letting myself in the front door. Kurtz sat tied to a dining room chair in the front room, while the three remaining Joneses stood at the kitchen island.
"Where have you been?" Gladys questioned the moment she saw me. "If you'd been here, my daughter wouldn't now be missing."
"Hey, we don't know what happened exactly," FP said, taking hold of her shoulder. "She may not have even been here when this letter was dropped off."
Jughead pushed the folded paper towards me, refusing to meet my eye. I scanned it quickly before looking back up. "I told you letting her hang out with that Ricky kid was a bad idea. The game's been taken off the board. The question is, are you going to play it, or is there some other plan brewing to get JB back?"
FP shook his head. "He's crazy. How can we believe anything he has to say?" For once, Gladys stayed silent, a lost look in her eye.
"I've played this game enough to know that guys like Kurtz are completely devoted to the Gargoyle King and his rules," Jughead said, a look of determination coming over his face. "If we play and win, we can get Jellybean back. I'm sure of it." Everyone exchanged looks before FP nodded reluctantly.
Kurt watched with a smug smile as Jughead set things up on the small table before taking a seat in the center of the couch, his parents on either side of him. I sat on the edge of the armchair, unsure of what was about to happen.
"We'll agree to your terms," Jughead said shortly. "We'll play."
"Of course you will," Kurtz said slowly, his gaze sweeping over the four of us as he pulled a deck of cards from his pocket. "First, your avatars. Mr Jones, you will be Deadeye. Like in high school. Jughead, you will remain the Hellcaster. And Mrs Jones, you'll be the Alchemist, I think." Gladys took the offered card with a warning look. "Abigail, I haven't decided on the perfect role for you yet."
"So I'm supposed to just sit here and watch?" I asked.
Kurtz nodded. "Your time will come. Deadeye, you're up first," he said, holding the dice out to FP.
Some time later, I leaned my head on my hand, bored out of my mind as the game of G&G continued. I'd have to be sure to tell FP to add cruel and unusual punishment to Kurtz's list of charges when this was all over.
"You've reached your first challenge," Kurtz said, reading the card he'd pulled out before dropping it on the table in front of Jughead. "This one's easy. It's called Cards on the Table." From yet another pocket he produced four small bags, handing one to each of us in turn. Had FP not searched him at the station tonight? "Inside three of these pouches is a white marble. Inside the fourth is a black one. If you choose the black one, you must reveal your secret. Simple enough."
"Call it what you want," FP said. "We've been playing Secrets and Sins since high school."
Kurtz turned to me with a knowing look. "Abigail, as you've been waiting so patiently to take part, why don't you begin?"
I pulled the bag open, dropping the marble into my hand. "White. Looks like my secrets are safe."
Kurtz gave a small nod, turning to Gladys. "Alchemist?"
Gladys dropped the marble out into her hand carelessly without a word.
Kurtz grinned, the dried blood on his chin cracking as the black marble was held up. "Be honest. The King already knows your darkest truths." So the King knows all about us, but we know almost nothing about him? That didn't seem fair.
Gladys shook her head, sitting up straight. "I don't have any secrets."
Jughead sighed in frustration. "Mom, Jellybean's life is on the line. If you don't say something, I will."
"What's he talking about?" FP asked, leaning forward to look around Jughead.
"I'm the new Fizzle Rocks dealer in Riverdale," Gladys confessed, not looking at anyone. "And Kurtz used to look for me before he lost his damn mind."
"What? And you knew about this, you didn't tell me, boy?" FP shouted.
"Don't blame him," Gladys said quietly. "I told him not to say anything because I wanted to keep you out of it. I did it to protect the family."
"How's that working for Jellybean? Huh?" FP demanded. "You're the reason that this psycho kidnapped our daughter. You brought this into our lives."
"Dad," Jughead said, trying to calm FP down.
I didn't take my eyes off Gladys. "When did this become all about protecting your family? I thought it was supposed to be a family business? That's what you told me, isn't it?" Jughead groaned from his place next to her. "But if you've forgotten that, maybe you also forgot me telling you that I'd bring it all crashing down around you. And it's already begun."
"Abigail, what have you done?" Jughead asked coldly.
I kept my eyes trained on the woman between us as I answered. "That empire you thought you were building for yourself, all those Gargoyles working for you? I'd say about 30 or 40 of them have been working for me instead. Less now since this morning's roundup by the cops, but still a significant number." I couldn't help smirking as Gladys's mouth dropped open in shock. "I thought you were a better business woman than that. Surely you noticed the sudden change in supply and demand."
"I've heard enough. We need to finish this damn game and get Jellybean back home safe and sound," FP cut in. "But there will be a reckoning," he added, glaring at both Gladys and I.
Kurtz looked on with an amused smile before picking up the dice. "Hellcaster, I believe it's your roll."
I sank into boredom again as the game continued. Twice Kurtz paused the game though, breaking up the monotony of it all. The first time twas to collect all our phones when FP's began to ring. "No calling for help now," Kurtz teased as he made them vanish into his jacket. The second time was when I began to walk downstairs to take another painkiller. Unfortunately, I was denied that privilege and resumed my seat, the throbbing in my side putting me in a worse mood.
"Finally, you've reached your next quest," Kurtz announced, lightning flashing dramatically through the window behind him. He handed the quest card to Jughead. "Steal some treasure from the realm."
"What treasure?" Gladys asked.
Jughead threw the card down on the table in front of him. "He wants us to commit a robbery."
FP let out a humorless laugh, looking at Kurtz in disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding. I'm the Sheriff."
"Mmm-mmm, not tonight," Kurtz replied, clearly enjoying this. "Tonight, you're the Deadeye. And your target," he paused, handing another card to FP, "the Tavern."
I thought fast, going over what little I knew about the game. Suddenly it clicked. "So if this Eldervair world is parallel to Riverdale, then the Tavern is Pop's."
Kurtz nodded approvingly. "Consider it Jellybean's ransom. And the money you obtain is gonna get me out of town."
"You're not going anywhere," FP warned. "The only way this ends, Kurtz, is with you in the ground."
"If I die, so does Jellybean," he replied calmly. "But if I leave with the money, then she lives. And we all win."
The room was silent for a moment as Kurtz's words sank in. "The three of us will go," FP decided, pointing to himself, Jughead, and Gladys as he stood. "Abigail, you stay here and keep an eye on Kurtz until we get back."
"What? No, I'm not staying here alone with this asshole," I snapped, standing quickly. "You were pretty quick to remind us all that you're the sheriff, you've got the most to lose if this all goes wrong. I'll go in your place."
"You're staying," FP ordered. "I won't be able to help you if you get arrested for a second time today, so sit down and wait for us to get back." From the corner of my eye I saw Jughead look up in surprise at the mention of my earlier arrest. So much for keeping that a secret. "We're taking the truck, it's the only way the three of us will fit and have at least a chance of getting away without anyone knowing it's us."
I pulled the key from my pocket, handing them over. "There are some gargoyle masks in the back," I said. "Wear those."
Jughead tugged at the knots holding Kurtz to the chair once more before the three left, leaving the two of us alone in the house. Neither of us said a word as the Joneses drove off. What the hell was I supposed to do if there was any trouble? I didn't have my phone now, and Mr Andrews was the only person I knew who still had a landline.
"Fuck this," I snapped as the thunder boomed directly over the house. "I"m not going to sit around waiting. I'm ending this now."
I yanked open the front door, freezing mid step as a Gargoyle stepped in front of me. "Going somewhere?" he asked, discreetly showing me the gun in his hand. I couldn't tell if it was cocked or not but I took a step forward, planning to take it from him. I was pushed back roughly, against the doorframe as my mind caught up to what I was doing. If I was shot, the Gargoyle would have no problem freeing Kurtz and they'd make a clean getaway, money or no money and hell knows what they'd do to JB. Without taking my eyes off the Gargoyle, I stepped back into the house, slamming the door shut.
Kurtz's eyes followed me as I made my way to the back door where another Gargoyle stood blocking my escape. "I should have warned you," he said slowly. "You can't leave the house without me."
"Then how the fuck did they leave?" I questioned, coming to stand in front of him. "Did you bug the place so they'd know what was going on?"
Kurtz shook his head. "No, nothing as elaborate as that. They knew about the quest and I was counting on one of you staying behind to guard me."
"This is ridiculous," I muttered, walking behind him to check the rope holding him in place. My side ached more as I leaned down to tighten the knots and I left Kurtz on his own as I headed downstairs for the medicine I desperately needed.
Forcing the pills down dry, I caught sight of the unused cellar door. Moving quietly so as not to let Kurtz even have a chance at hearing what I was doing, I slowly pushed the door open a crack. I saw no signs of movement as I pushed the door open wider, stepping out into the night.
Without warning, something was pressed against the side of my head, followed by a distinctive click. I held my hands up in surrender. "Okay, I get it," I said, standing still. "I'll go back in." The gun remained pointed at my head, but was no longer pressed against it.
Halfway up the stairs I paused, sinking down onto the steps, my back against the wall. I ran a hand through my hair, thinking fast. Escape was clearly not an option, and neither was killing Kurtz. But somehow I had to spend the next who knows how long with Kurtz until the Joneses returned.
Standing, I made my way the rest of the way up the stairs, dropping into the seat I'd spent most of the evening in. "You said you hadn't picked a character role for me," I said, keeping my voice and face free of emotion.
"I've narrowed it down to two that would work well for you," Kurtz said in his usual slow manner.
"And they are...?"
"I originally considered the Princess role for you, but it suits Jellybean much better," he began. I nodded in agreement, waiting for him to continue. "For you, the rogue or the cleric would be better."
I raised an eyebrow at him, wondering if the words held different meanings in the game. "A rogue because of all the lies and lawbreaking I"ve been involved in? But why the cleric? I'm no religious leader."
Kurtz smiled at my obvious lack of knowledge regarding the game. "No, not like that. Clerics are healers, but possess the ability to cross into the Land of the Dead. As one who has returned from there themselves, it only makes sense, combined with your experience creating elixirs known to kill those who over-indulged. The rogue is a strong fighter and trickster, skilled in finding and springing traps. Much like you did when you infiltrated the Ghoulies after insisting you'd never be one of them." He paused, considering something. "Perhaps that's why Sweet Pea chose that character. It's well known that he's a strong fighter, but perhaps he wanted to be more like you."
I tried not to show the surprise I felt at hearing that. It made sense that Kurtz knew about my past, especially when you consider the number of former Ghoulies and Serpents among the Gargoyles. But why would Sweet Pea want to be like me? He was the one who'd had his life together before I'd showed up. Even after I'd left, he'd found his place in the world again. Before I could question Kurtz further, the front door slammed open.
"Where the hell is FP?" I asked, watching Gladys shut the door behind herself and Jughead.
"Pop had a gun," Jughead said. "Dad was shot."
"And then there were three," Kurtz jeered, looking over at the pair. Jughead lunged forward, fist raised. With one hit, Kurtz was out cold.
"The cops are probably on their way over here," Gladys said, trying hide the nerves in her voice.
"So temporarily forgetting that FP was just shot and you two left him behind, we gotta move him somewhere," I snapped, gesturing to Kurtz.
"Yeah," Jughead said, beginning to cut the ties. "Oh, I got a place."
Author's Note: I couldn't find a good place to break this up so here's an extra long chapter. As usual, vote and/or comment.