Traumatic was one way to describe Riverdale. With all the chaos that fostered in such a town there was so much to dig into. All beginning on the fourth of July one summer. The spur that defined the death of Jason Blossom.
His death wrangled up a particular member of the Jones family. The Serpent King himself, FP Jones. The false conviction held up the profound estrangement between the man and his son but this father-son relationship was not the only one to suffer. A mother-daughter relationship was in the wrecks too.
Mother, Alice Cooper, later reverting back to her maiden name, Smith, felt disconnected to her daughters during this Jason Blossom fiasco. She was compelled to send her eldest daughter to the same place she had to be sent to at her age for falling pregnant with Jason Blossom's children. All under Hal Cooper's influence. The absence of Polly Cooper only drew Betty away from her parents.
The Cooper women further endeavored into a pitfall of despair with a serial killer attached to their name. The fear of the Black Hood kept Polly away. The torment of the Black Hood kept Betty enclosed. The wrath of the Black Hood kept Alice ashamed and broken. Hal's reveal as the heinous murderer only led up to the partaking of the organ harvesting cult that infested the town, which includes the excruciating mental abuse of the Cooper women. The end of the Farm left the baggage meant to be recovered in pieces.
Alice found her comfort and safety in her lover, FP. It was a twisty road to get there but she found her way back to the peace she utterly needed. That included their relationship with their long lost son, Charles. Betty had the same with her Jones boyfriend, Jughead. But it was Polly who found her help in a different way. She was enlisted into the Shady Grove Treatment Center. She spent an eminence amount of time there getting the help she needed but would be coming home soon.
•••
Dagwood and Juniper were growing up in a blink of an eye. They went from newborn babies born at the Farm to energetic toddlers now back home in Riverdale.
Alice stood Dagwood up on the bed. She was changing the little boy. She slipped a new, clean shirt on him.
FP laid on the bed with Juniper sitting by his side. She would inch forward to touch his hair and giggle every time he would shake his head when her fingers would get entangled in his curls.
"Can you pass me Juniper now?" Alice set Dagwood free and he crawled across the bed to FP. "There's the little man," FP gasped. He lifted Juniper up and handed her over to Alice. Dagwood reached for his floppy hair. "Oh, you too, huh?" He pulled the boy closer and tickled him. He let out sweet giggles too.
"Mom," Betty knocked on the open door. "Charles just called. He said he'll be here with Polly in a few minutes."
"Ok, thank you, sweetheart." Alice finished up with Juniper. "You heard that? Your mama is coming." The little girl babbled about who knows what. She scooped her up into her arms and pressed a kiss on her cheek. She walked out of the bedroom with the two year old. FP followed behind with the other one.
The couple sat on the couch together. FP pulled Alice closer to him. She pecked a kiss on his lips. "They're being extra sweet today." Alice looked down at the twins. They were looking back up at the pair with smiles on their faces.
"I think they grew on me," FP whispered into her ear.
"Maybe it was the way you helped me take care of them." Alice stroked her fingers through Juniper's hair. "I was afraid they would forget who I was. I never got the chance to see them grow up from the start with Polly away. They then stayed at Thistlehouse for the longest time."
"They adore you, Alice. There's no changing that. They're here now." FP kept a snug arm around her shoulders. "I know how you feel and it's going to be okay. I promise." He left a gentle kiss on her temple. He peeked over his shoulders to look over at the dining table. Jellybean was talking to Betty and Jughead as they ate lunch together. "They're here now. That's all that matters."
They spent the next few minutes sitting together peacefully. The twins fell asleep in their arms just in time for their nap. Their kids eventually came around and sat on the other couch to watch tv quietly. Betty laid in between Jughead's legs. Jellybean was surprised Alice and FP didn't say anything but she could also see how content they were with the twins. Jellybean got up to make popcorn when they heard a knock on the door. "I can get it," She offered since she was already up.
"It must be Charles and Polly. Can you let them in?" Alice asked.
Jellybean walked over to the door and looked into the peephole to check. It was them. "Hey, Charlie." She opened the door. She looked over at his sister. "You must be Polly."
"And you're Jellybean I'm assuming," Polly remembered Betty telling her about Jughead's little sister when she was talking about how different home was now.
"JB, but yeah." Jellybean shrugged. She stepped aside to let them come in. She shut the door behind them and walked to the kitchen.
Charles led Polly to the living room. Betty sprang up to go greet her. "Polly, I'm happy to see you back." She pulled her sister into a hug. Polly hugged her but couldn't get her eyes off of her mother and FP with the twins.
"I'm so happy to have you back home, honey." Alice handed FP the sleeping Juniper so she could welcome Polly back too. She snuck her hug in after Betty. "I hope you feel as great as you look."
"I do," Polly stared at FP. He was going to say something too but he was avoiding her unpleasant stare. "I'm glad to see my babies again." She went up to FP and took both of the toddlers away. She rested them both against her shoulders and stepped away from him. FP took a quick glance at Alice. He wasn't sure what to do.
"Polly, dear, are you tired? FP and I don't mind watching the twins so you can rest a little before they wake up."
"It's fine. I can manage my children," Polly walked towards the stairs.
"Are you sure you don't want to hang out down here with us?" Betty asked. "We were already being quiet for the twins."
"It's okay. I'll go lay them down upstairs," Polly excused herself.
"You can put them in my room. I'll be right up," Betty offered. Polly already made her way up the stairs. Betty looked at Jughead and he nodded. She went after her sister.
"She doesn't like me," FP told Alice when she sat back down next to him.
"No, I'm sure she just needs to adjust to being back. She missed the twins. She just wants to spend her time with them right now. I can talk to her and see-"
"No, don't. It's fine. You're probably right." He was convinced himself but he didn't want her overthinking it like he was.
Alice pecked a kiss on his cheek and grabbed his hand. "Like you said, everything is going to be okay."
Jellybean came back with her bowl of popcorn. She back down where she was earlier. Jughead dug his hand into the bowl. "Hey," Jellybean scowled which made Charles laugh.
•••
At dinner everyone sat at the table except for the twins. They were wandering around freely since they ate a little earlier than the others. Alice took her place next to FP and Jellybean on his other side. Charles sat on the edge of the table to let his other siblings sit across from his parents. They passed the food around the table.
"Dad, can you pass me the salt?" Charles asked. FP handed it over to him. Charles shook a pinch onto his food and placed it on the table.
"How's school going, boy?" FP asked his other son to make conversation.
"It's alright. I'm having a little writer's block with the story I'm working on but I still have a long time before the deadline so I'm not too worried."
"It sounds like you have things under control. What about you JB? Anything new?"
"I have a science project due next week but Charles is helping me with it."
"Ooo, that sounds fun. What's the topic?" Alice asked.
"DNA," Jellybean smirked. "Under our special circumstances maybe we can visually prove to people that there's no blood relation between my brother and his girlfriend."
"It's simple biology," Jughead stated firmly.
"Simple or not I expect you all to spit into whatever test tubes Charles brings tomorrow."
"There go those priceless faces I get when I tell people my brother and sister are dating." Charles dramatically sighed.
"Can you stop doing that?" Betty begged of him.
"You know it's funny," He cheekily smiled. "You agree, don't you, Polly?" He looked over at Polly who was picking at her food.
"Yeah, whatever." She shrugged.
"Polly, sweetie, are you okay?" Alice looked at her concerned. She was being awfully quiet at dinner.
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! I already said yes!" Polly dropped her fork onto her plate. Everyone was taken aback by her sudden outburst. It left everyone quiet. It even made the twins stop running around to look over at the scene.
"Polly-"
"Why wouldn't I be? Everything is wonderful. It's not like we're eating a family dinner with the man who threw my boyfriend's body into the river." Polly coldly glared at FP.
FP didn't want to get into the middle of this so he sat there speechless. Alice on the other hand was not going to accept this behavior. "Polly, that was-"
"What? Just because you're living together now and claim you love him doesn't mean he didn't do what he did to the father of my children, who you graciously let be held by this monster!"
"Hey, not to be inconsiderate, but my dad didn't kill him!" Jughead jumped in to defend his father. "I'm sorry for what happened to Jason but that was under the hands of Clifford Blossom, not my dad. Their grandfather did that and coerced my father to take the blame. Everything he did was only done to protect me. He's not the monster. Jason's father was."
"You wouldn't understand," Polly huffed.
"Polly we can talk about this in private," Alice insisted but she was not done.
"No," She shook her head. "If he didn't knock you up with Charles then maybe you and dad wouldn't have been so harsh on me about my pregnancy. You wouldn't have sent me to the Sisters! I would have been with Jason and raising our children at the Farm."
"Did you forget what that place did to innocent people?" Alice bitterly questioned.
"Not to justify what mom and dad did with sending you to the Sisters but if they hadn't you would have gone straight to the Farm. That cult would have harmed you much worse." Betty spoke up.
"Why are you taking her side? Didn't you get sent there too?" Polly reminded her. She looked over at Charles. "You grew up there."
Polly was fuming. She slid her chair back and stood up. She excused herself from the table and made her way to the den. The twins chased after her.
Alice felt the tears beginning to form in her eyes. FP put a hand on her thigh under the table. He gave her a comforting squeeze. She looked over at him. Her head rested against his shoulder. "I'm so sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it. It's okay," He hugged her. "She has the right to be mad about that."
The kids awkwardly sat there in silence watching them.
"I should go talk to her," Alice sniffled.
"Are you sure? Maybe in a few minutes when things calm down."
"I have to talk to her," Alice assured him that it would be okay. She got up to go find Polly. Polly was sitting on the floor with Juniper and Dagwood when she found her. "Can we talk?"
Polly didn't say anything but she nodded. Alice stepped in and took a seat across from her. "I understand that you're mad but that wasn't the time to spring it up on him."
"I can't get passed him getting rid of Jason's lifeless body," Polly cried. "Now I'm supposed to respect him because he's your boyfriend?"
"Honey," Alice's face softened. "The way you feel matters a lot to me. It's okay to feel the way you do but I know what you said back there hurt him. He resents everything he did."
"Good," Polly wiped her eyes. "He doesn't know what it feels like to lose someone you care so much about."
"Baby, he does. He almost brutally lost Jughead only one summer later. That's what he was trying to prevent when he handled Jason's body." Alice told her. "Yes, what he did can be unforgivable but he's a part of this family now. He's not going anywhere and he doesn't mean any harm."
"I can't just look past this."
"I'm not asking you to. I just want you to know that you both mean a lot to me. Just like your sister, your brother, Jughead, Jellybean, and these two lovebugs right here."
"Mom, do you love him?"
"Yes, I love him a lot."
"And I love your mother," FP grabbed their attention. He cleared his throat. "Sorry...I just came to check up how you two were doing."
Alice gestured for him to come closer. He sat next to Alice and absentmindedly held her in his arms. The twins spotted him and went over to hug him. Polly watched them interact with him. They looked genuinely happy.
"You have every right to hate me for..." He didn't want to name it and upset her. "...but I want you to know that I don't want to be someone you're not comfortable around. I am here to love and look after everyone in this house. I hope that includes you."
Polly looked down at her hands. She was lost in her thoughts. She could see that he meant well but her mind could never get past her loss of Jason.
She looked up at them shyly. "I'm not saying it will be any time soon but I think I would give it a try," Polly began. "We could at least be civil."
"That's okay with me," FP assured her. "Whatever you're comfortable with."
Polly smiled. It was small but she meant the kind gesture. FP reciprocated a warm smile back.
It's going to be a rough start but the end goal's to patch up this dysfunctional family.