The minute the confirmation came out of her mouth, she shifted in unease as she folded her stern arms, clapsing her sweaty palms together as she tried to gather her composure, as much as she could, before storming out of the cold and dreary room.
Her breath remained shaky as she walked down the hall, slight unease clouding her whole face before sinking to the floor in despair.
FP exit the room, worry across his features as he searched the halls for her before landing his eyes upon her, with her head in her hands. He had to approach this sitatuion delicately, he had never seen her so vulnerable and troubled and he didn't know what to do, he just wanted to take the pain away from her.
"Alice?" He spoke softly, lowering himself to her level and resting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry."
She didn't respond verbally, all that FP recieved was a burst of nervous laughter.
He furrowed his brows nervously, concerned by her odd reaction. This was certainly not a normal reaction somebod finding out their mother was dead.
However, upon deeper thought, he didn't know much about the woman, or the nature of Alice's realtionship with her, so perhaps it wasn't his place to judge.
"Don't be." She chuckles, glaring up at the ceiling in delight. "I'm free." She croaks out. "I'm finally free." She say with relief before taking a deep sigh.
She stands finally, strengthening her back firmly as she fixed herself up. "This is probably the weirdest reaction you've ever witnessed to someone finding out their mother's died."
"Not really, well, sort of." He admits with a shoulder shrug before placing his hands in his pockets. "But I'm not judging you, it's not my place. You can feel however you want to feel, relieved, sad-"
"I'm not sad." She interrupts firmly before wiping her tears away. "I'm happy, these are tears of joy."
Admitting relief of her mother's passing out loud still felt unnatural, despite the mix of emotions that coursed through her.
"She can't hurt me anymore." She added, clenching her eyes shut.
FP's eyebrows spiked upon hearing this revelation. "Hurt you?"
"Didn't I tell you before?" Alice spoke with a hint of wonder in her voice. "She used to hit me, amongst other things." She laughed ironically
He knew all too well about physical abusive parents, which is why his own heart sank the minute that came out of her mouth, hence why he chose to be more understanding in that moment.
"You never said much about her, about what she was like." He imposed before seating himself next to her.
"Not much to tell, unless you find the tales of an abusive, selfish and narcissistic alcoholic interesting."
"She loved the bottle, more than she ever loved me." Alice sniffles as she looks down at her feet.
"I know the feeling." FP croaked out in an understanding tone.
She turned her head at him, her eyes narrowing in surprise as her eyes beamed with curiosity. "You do?"
FP gulped anxiously before continuing. "My old man, he knocked me about every now and then." He revealed reluctantly, not wanting to take attention away from her pain. She was fragile now and needed support and a listening ear, not another sob story.
Alice gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth in surprise before resting it down on his knee. "I'm sorry." She whispered softly.
"No- no. Don't do that." He said sternly, taking her off of his thigh and clasping it comfortably in his own. "Don't apologise for my shitty father, and you don't have to apologise or feel bad for your mother either."
She clenched her eyes shut, nodding in understanding of FP's words. He was right deep down, which she hated having to admit. She had internalised her whole life that abusers should be extended some sort of sympathy and sadness despite their actions, hence why she felt mildly bad about the relief she felt about her mother's passing.
This unhealthy mentality had affected every aspect of her life for as long as she could remember, her love life, her friendships, her mothering. Enough was enough, she thought. She had to acknowledge her issues and inner demons head on.
"You know, the sad part is-" She said as she glared innocently down the hall. "I thought it was just the booze that made her the way she was. I tried to convince myself, that maybe she'd be a normal Mom, a loving Mom, if she just stopped, but even when she was sober she wasn't any different."
He listens intently, taking her words in as he offers her a comforting hand.
"It took me a long time to learn to stop being so naive. I got out of there, as soon as I could, there was no way I was gonna stick around and end up anything like her, or put my kids through that."
"And you should be proud of that." FP tells her with pride. "You got out of an abusive situation, you escaped and you made a life for yourself, a decent life for you and your kids."
His words touched her heart, she had never heard such genuine praise towards her that went beyond trying to get her into the bedroom. FP really was one of the good guys, someone she cherished and appreciated dearly. There was just something about him that made her feel safe, secure and loved. A stark contrast from the men she's encountered throughout her life before.
"Thank you, FP." She croaks softly as tears still fall down her face. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
He stared longingly into her ocean blue eyes, holding each other's gaze as the moment of passionate and emotional tension shared between them began to increase. It was almost as if the two of them, were truly seeing each other for the first time.
"We uhm, we should get to the motel before it closes." Alice stammered, backing up slightly as she ended the moment.
FP cleared his throat, running his hand through his gelled back raven hair anxiously. "Y-yeah, sure. Lead the way." He added with an extra gulp as that moment still weighed heavy in his head.
He followed her down the hall and the exit the police station briskly, it seemed as if neither of them wanted to be in that place any longer.
With Alice's directions, he drove towards the motel that she had arranged for them to stay in overnight. It was incredibly late, way too late the two of them to make their way back to Riverdale immediately, so Alice had already arranged to stay somewhere overnight, but remembering she was meant to be keeping a low profile, she made sure it was somewhere secluded and on the outskirts of town.
She had made note of her reservation when she approached the front desk, being given her key to the room allocated to her, everything seemed to be running smoothly until she and FP ran into one problem.
"There's only one bed." She spoke in a puzzled tone as she and FP entered the room. She had specifically requested a room with two beds, more than once.
"It's fine, I can take the floor." FP kindly offered.
"No, don't be ridiculous." She interrupted. "You've been driving, you're gonna need a decent sleep, I'll take the floor." She reluctantly offered. She didn't want to, but it would highly inconsiderate to let him sleep on the floor after everything he's done for her.
"Alice, I'm not gonna let you sleep in the floor now am I?" He chuckled. "It's fine, not my first night bunking on the ground." He added as he prepared to get ready for bed.
"I know, it's just- actually, why don't we just share the bed." She suggested quickly as he stared at her, slightly surprised as he second guessed her offer. "It's a double anyway, it should be fine."
"Only, if you're sure Alice, I don't wanna impose." He explained.
"Of course I'm sure." She smiled, placing her bag down as she prepared for her slumber. She watched as he did the same. Was it a wild idea? Yes, but did it feel right, weirdly enough, it did.
Boston City Precinct - 02:41 am
The derelict alleyway behind Boston Police station was a common albeit stupid meeting place for all of Jackson's dodgy activities and discussions, however, it didn't stop him from calling his boss down to talk and meet.
"Before I snap, your scrawny little neck, what have you called me away from business for?"
Jackson released the cigarette he held in his mouth, holding it in his left hand as a sneaky grin donned his face. "Hiram, I'm telling you-"
Before Jackson could finished, he was grabbed by the collar and pulled down towards Hiram's ear. "Watch your words, jackass, we're right behind a police station. Now's not the time to remind us that you were at the back of the line when God was handing out common sense." He hissed in the young boys ear before briskly letting him go, practically pushing him against the wall.
"I- I just-" Jackson stuttered nervously.
Hiram rose his thick brow before giving the young man a stern look. "I'm waiting."
"That woman, the one you've been looking for? She's here. She's here in Boston."
"Well that's great!" Hiram said feigning excitement, knowing Jackson probably had no other information to follow that with. "Well, where is she?" He asked ironically.
"Well, I-I don't know, exactly where she is now, b-but-" He was interrupted as Hiram once again slammed him into the wall, a look of fury across his face as he bared his teeth. "Stop screwing with me Jackson and give me something FUCKING useful." He roared.
"I- I swear that's all I know, and that she came back from Rockland County." He defended frantically. She showed me her ID and everything, she matched the description you mentioned!"
"And you're sure about this?"
"Y-yes."
Hiram pursed his lips smugly, letting go of Jackson firmly before buttoning his jacket. "Well, looks like I've got a trip to plan."