A lot has changed since the devastating conversation in his office. On his own birthday, of all days. What he had done had been replaying in his mind since then. The heartbreaking look on her face was too much to easily forget. How could he forget the tears streaming down her face? The ones he tried to keep from falling? The way he broke both of their hearts? He spent the rest of that day trying to not think about how much he wanted to share his birthday with her. Instead he was stuck forcing a smile for his estranged wife.
It had been different since then with not being able to see her. She was out of his sight and at the Farm. He didn't know whether that made this easier or harder.
He had seen the smiles on his kids' faces that same morning at the trailer. That's when he knew he had to do what he did for their sake.
Now he was trying his best to smile through it. If it meant he could see those smiles of theirs, then he didn't care how much it hurt him to do so.
Jughead turned the corner at the end of the stairs in the morning. His father was in the kitchen taking Jellybean's used plate to put in the sink.
Jughead stepped in and tugged on one of Jellybean's braids as he walked to the refrigerator. She sent him a glare.
"Jug," FP warned him.
Jughead grabbed a piece of toast from the counter instead. "Did mom leave already?"
"Yeah," FP looked down at his watch. "We all should be heading out soon, too. You two have to get to school before you're late. Jug, take the truck." He tossed him his keys. "And drop your sister off first."
"Daddy, I want to get there in one piece."
"Would you rather walk then?" Jughead took offense to her comment.
"Just take her to school." FP pointed at him. He then pointed at Jellybean. "And you, you will be fine."
"Can I at least get lunch money?" She pouted and batted her lashes.
He perked up a smile. His little girl knew the tricks into his heart. He reached for his wallet in his back pocket to pull out a few crisp bills. "Here," He held it out for her. He pecked a kiss on the top of her head as she claimed it. "Now go to school."
"What about me?"
"What about you?" FP arched an eyebrow.
"I need lunch, too."
"Your eating habits are too expensive for me," FP took a twenty dollar bill out for him next. "Make that last."
"No promises," He cheekily smiled. He bit into his toast. "Bye, dad." He pointed Jellybean to the door. He picked up his backpack from the couch on his way out.
FP waved them goodbye. His smile, as genuine as it was, faded when they walked out. He let out a sigh. It was the house. It had to be, he thought. It held too many memories. Good and bad. A part of him felt guilty about it.
He knew that two decades ago his dream would have been to live on this street, but now that he has been gifted the opportunity he doesn't seem to like it anymore. It wasn't the same. The way he got it made him feel worse about it. This was Alice's house not his. It didn't feel right to him. Even though she claimed that it was her way of straying away from everything it stood for when she let it go, that was what made it hurt. It was what she said and how she looked at him when she did. This house is my past. I just want to be done with it.
It was the fact that he was already planning to break things off with her after that incident that made him feel worse. She knew that with Gladys back things weren't going to be easy between them. The house meant nothing to her, but she couldn't say the same about him and his wife. She was hoping for him to choose her over the woman that abandoned him and his son. As much as FP knew that she was right and about how much pushing her away was going to hurt he still did what he did.
He turned his head to where a pool table found its place as the dining table replacement. He ran his fingers across the edge. He once argued with Alice, who sat where he was now standing. It was hard to see her put up an act and having Hal only a seat away from him. The tension in the room was obvious.
His attention turned to the living room. Just a couple of months ago he and Alice were cuddled up on that very couch. Their kids would be out and they would get to spend that time together. They didn't care what they would do in that time as long as they did it together. His arms would be wrapped around her as she laid on top of him.
Jughead watched as his father stood blankly in the living room. He could see that he was thinking hard. He couldn't help but wonder if he had suspicions of his own, too. His mother wasn't back because of their family. He had already found that out. She was only back to take over Hiram's drug trade. He hasn't said a word about this to his father though, much to his mother's behest. He wasn't doing it for her. He was doing it for him. He feared about the possibility of breaking his father again. The very last time led him to a very low point in his life. He didn't want to risk a relapse. His mother got that into his head.
"Jug?" Jellybean snapped him back to reality. He turned away from the house to look at her. "Can we go now?"
"Yeah," Jughead shut her door and looped around the truck. He glanced back at the house to see his father one more time. The man had forced his eyes shut and pinched the arch of his nose to keep his emotions intact. Jughead knew something was wrong. Did he know?
*
Jughead returned to the house after school. This time he had Betty with him. "Dad, you home?" He entered the house. Jellybean went around them and straight up to her room.
Gladys came out of the other room. "He's still working. What do you need?" She looked at both him and Betty. Betty tried to avoid looking at her stare. She knew the truth about her presence.
"Betty's play's later and I need to borrow something nice to wear. I was going to ask him if I could-"
Gladys shrugged and gestured for him to go on up. "Maybe now is a good time to mention that you're on at the end." Betty whispered to Jughead as they walked on up.
"What?" He looked at her mortified.
They entered the master bedroom. Jughead went straight to the closet. Betty looked around by the door. This didn't look like her mother's room anymore. She wasn't surprised, but it was strange to see the sudden change. Jughead moved hangers around until he landed on a black jacket in the back. It was familiar. He remembered his father wore it when they went to the play last school year. He didn't see much of him there after they went in. He carefully pulled it out to try on. He looked himself in the mirror and smiled. It looked great. He felt like his father and he was proud to. He stuffed his hands into the pockets. Unexpectedly, he found a pink envelope in one of the pockets. He flipped it over and saw Alice written on the front in his father's handwriting. He glanced at Betty. She was busy pondering to notice. He stuffed the tiny envelope into another jacket of his father's.
Jellybean walked in and went straight to the dresser. Jughead looked at her confused. "What are you doing?"
"Dad needs a change of clothes," Jellybean explained as she rummaged through his drawer for a shirt. "He's dripping blood onto his uniform."
Jughead and Betty looked at each other. They exited the room to go downstairs. Jughead could see his father avoiding Gladys as she tried to help clean up the scratches on his face. "Geez, dad. What happened?" He asked concerned.
"There was an idiot on the street. I had to swerve to miss running into him." FP looked up to recognize him in his jacket. He thought it looked nice on him. "He was high on Fizzle Rocks for sure."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," He answered as he got the T-shirt from Jellybean. "Thanks, sweetheart." He started to undo his a few buttons on his button up. "Where are you going?"
"Well, Betty's in the school play and apparently I am too." Jughead casually dropped it in. "Would you like to come see us? I know you appreciate the fine arts of theatre. And here I was about two minutes ago thinking I was just a part of the audience." He smiled then looked at Betty. All he could now think about was that pink envelope. His gears were spinning. That meant that his father's sudden interest to go to the play most likely involved Alice being in the cast.
"Of course, I'll be ready by then." FP assured them.
"That would mean a lot Mr. Jones. I know my mom can't make it tonight," Betty frowned. "So it'll be nice to have a familiar face there in support."
He nodded with an awkward smile. "Now if you excuse me, I've got to go clean up." He marched up the stairs to get to a shower.
During the last song of the show, Jughead looked over at his father. He looked...sad. Something had triggered his inner emotions. Jughead knew it didn't have anything to do with him. Something was just making him unhappy. The song the cast were singing had affected him unlike Gladys. A few of the other parents were feeling similar to FP as they watched their kids.
*
Jughead went up to FP while his mother was who knows where. "Dad, can I talk to you?"
"Sure, boy. What's up? Everything alright?" FP gave him his full attention.
"I was thinking and well I wanted to ask you something, but it might be too personal to answer."
"Okay," FP waited for him to continue.
"As weird as it may sound," Jughead began to get nervous because if it was true it would make things very complicated. "Do you and Betty's mom have something going on?"
"What do you-"
"I found a letter. I didn't read it," He was quick to address. "But I knew I had to ask you about it. What's going on?" He had already decided to be very mature about it if he wanted to get his answers.
FP sighed. "There's really no use to lie about it now, huh?"
"Are you seeing her?"
"No," FP shook his head. "I, uh, I broke things off recently."
"How long?" Jughead asked. "I mean like seeing each other."
"Truthfully, it's too complicated to give a precise answer, but I know we were doing well the past few months."
"Months? Wow," Jughead wasn't sure what to think about this. "So that's why you're the way that you are."
"What do you mean?"
"I know you're unhappy, dad. I can see that you are. I'm not blind." Jughead confessed. "Before I drove JB to school I saw you. You were on the verge of breaking in the living room. You're trying to be strong around us, but deep down you're hurting."
FP stayed silent.
"But why, dad? You were honestly happy not that long ago. I didn't know why you were, but I knew it was nice to see you happy."
"Because I wanted you and your sister to be happy. That's what I promised you. I couldn't break that promise. I got the family back together."
"You did that for us?" Jughead softened the look on his face. "And you don't even know."
"Know what?"
Jughead pursed his lips. He had to tell him the truth about his mother. "I didn't tell you before, but I should have." He braced himself for what he was going to reveal. "Mom's only back because she's using you for her own benefits. She's running drugs below our noses. She doesn't care about having the family back together. She just wants money."
"Why didn't you tell me?" FP sounded hurt rather than angry.
"Because she told me it would cause you to drink again and I was a dumbass for believing her."
"I'm a year sober. I'm not going down that same road again." FP assured him. "I've cleaned up my act and it's going to stay that way."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd rather you be happy with my girlfriend's mother than be miserable with mom, who doesn't even care about what's good for this family."
"You mean that?" He softly asked.
"Yes, I do. Ms. S is good at lecturing you." Jughead lightly joked. "I know she's probably been keeping you from getting yourself into trouble."
FP let out a small chuckle. "That's Alice." He frowned. "But I screwed up big time. She's not going to take me back. I'm in love with her, but I can't seem to prove it to her."
"Go to her, dad. Go fix this."
"What about you and Betty? Or Jellybean."
"We're going to be okay. But it's not okay that you're forcing yourself to be miserable for all of our sakes. You need to fix what you had. It's worth a try. What's the worst that could happen?"
"It cost us our son the first time."
Jughead looked at him shocked. "Wait, woah, does that mean that Betty's brother is my..." FP nodded a yes to confirm it. "Oh my God," Jughead gawked. "Okay, I'll have that to think about. But you, old man, you have to go talk to her. It can't get any weirder than finding out I share a brother with my girlfriend."
"Are you sure?"
"It doesn't matter what I think. Go talk to her. You're fixing this for your own good."
"Okay," FP agreed. "I'm going."
*
FP arrived at the Farm after spending some time figuring out where it was. He came to find out that it was at the Sisters.
He walked around aimlessly until he found Alice. He bumped into her in a hallway. "What are you doing here?"
"I had to talk to you."
"Shouldn't you be with your wife?" She crossed her arms unamused.
"Alice, please just hear me out."
"Why should I?"
"Because I want you to know how much I care about you. I shouldn't have pushed you away."
"I'm not going to be a second choice, FP."
"You can't be a second choice when you have always been the right choice." FP found it hard to show his vulnerable side, but he would do anything to let Alice know that he loved her. Maybe he was late but he had to try. "Al, you know how important you are to me."
"But do you love me?" Alice needed to hear the words. Those three words were never something she got to hear.
"I do love you," FP blinked back the glossy layer in his eyes. "I'm just as afraid as you are. I'm afraid to love and lose you."
"I wasn't going anywhere," Alice rubbed her eye. "I was afraid that you would leave me like everyone else. Just like you did."
"What I did wasn't for me. It was for my children. Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same."
"I know, but it was what you said that hurt me. She's the mother of your children. What does that make me? Was I nothing? Was he nothing?"
"I," FP was flabbergasted. That was not what he meant at all. He was never great with words. He didn't mean to hurt her. "I'm sorry. Of course you both are important to me. I never meant to make you feel like you weren't. How can I prove it to you? I want you, Alice. It's always been you."
"I don't know if I can do this again. I can't keep getting hurt, FP. You're still married. You said so yourself. I'm not going to be the other woman."
"I'm leaving her."
"No you're not. What about Jughead and Jellybean?"
"I'm going to figure that out. I promise. I'm not giving up on us. Not this time. It was Jughead that gave me the courage to come fix things with you."
"Jughead?"
"He knows and he's okay with us. He's not a big fan of his mother right now, but he's very fond of you."
"I still need to think about it. You've pushed me away three times now."
FP understood where she came from. She was allowed to have her doubts. He reached into his back pocket for a certain letter. "I wanted to give you this. After you read it, if you are willing to give us another chance, you know where to find me. If I don't hear from you, I understand." He held the pink envelope out for her. "I know I don't deserve another chance, but if you do agree to give me another chance I promise that this will be the last one because it's official this time. I love you too much to let you go."
Alice took the letter. FP excused himself out so she could have her privacy and the time to think things over.
Alice saw her name on the envelope. She flipped it over and carefully opened it. It dated back to a year ago. She couldn't believe it. That meant he had this this whole time.
Alice,
I don't know where to begin, but first of all I am very sorry. I didn't mean to shoot you down when you came to personally invite me to the show. Truth was I was afraid. Things were starting to go our way and I was afraid of ruining what we had. I selfishly pushed you away in hopes of ending it while we were ahead instead of later for a big heartbreak. I was wrong. Very wrong. You have every right to be mad. I'm mad at myself for being that much of an idiot. We spent an amazing night together. I do not have any regrets. I hoped you don't either. I want you to know that I love you. That's why I had this fear in my head, too. We're both married, being unfaithful to our partners on paper. With the Black Hood still on the loose I would never forgive myself if he did something to you. I want to protect you. Maybe that's why I thought pushing you away was the right decision after all. But I don't care. I don't know if that's selfish too. I want to be there for you. Even if it's dangerous. I will not let anyone hurt you. Not on my watch. I will always love you even if you ever stop loving me.
Love, FP
P.S. Good luck tonight. I'll be watching you sing your heart out. You have always been talented.
Tears flowed down her face. FP did love her before, but she never got the chance to know until now. She already made up her mind but it took her a few days to get back to him. She needed to take her time.
*
Alice knocked on the bright red door. FP opened it when he heard the knocking. His face lit up when he saw her. "I was starting to think you were never coming back."
"I'm here," Alice shyly smiled. "Can I come in?"
"Yes," FP stepped aside. "It's just me. The kids are out."
"And Gladys?" She had to ask.
"I kicked her out days ago," FP proudly stated. "She's long gone and never coming back." He offered her a seat on the couch. "Did you, uh, decide yet?" FP nervously asked.
"I did," She nodded. "I thought a lot about it."
"I have been thinking, too."
"I am willing to try one more time." That made FP smile. "It's the last time though. I'm putting my whole heart out for us. Please don't break it."
"I won't," FP said confident in himself. "We're doing it right this time. I don't care what it takes. You're my everything, Al."
"I believe you," Alice looked him in the eye. FP began to lean into her in hopes for a kiss. She grabbed his face and pulled him closer. "And I love you, too."