After finally making it closer to Thornhill, Y/N tries to keep the weird 'Blossom professional' look the gingers seem to have all the time, making sure to keep a good impression on the people that's pretty much bribing him. Getting to meet that producer could mean everything for his career after he's done with the bug invested-hole that is Riverdale. 

"Y/N, do you know when Cheryl told me that she wanted you to come with us, I was a little skeptical of the decision." Clifford speaks to the teen as he begins walking alongside him, once again using the full version of his name. "No offense to you particularly, but you've struct me as someone who wasn't raised for a family whose soul is its business." 

"None taken, I didn't see that in me either." Y/N comments as he turns to face them once they briefly stop for their new conversation. "I only came here for Cheryl, Mr. Blosson, and because I'm very grateful for what Mrs. Blossom is doing for me."

"The Film Producer you mean? Yeah, that would be quite a feather in your cap, now, wouldn't it?" Clifford remarks in a somewhat friendly manner, to which Y/N gives a fake, silent chuckle. "You know, we can be extremely generous, Y/N, to the right people." He then mentions, giving Y/N the hint that he's planning to give him another proposal. "Now later this week, we're hosting a banquet for the board at the Belmont Lodge. It's a simple thing, a little dinner, chit-chat, dancing. We would love to attend as Cheryl's escort. You two make quite the pair."

Still considering this offer, Y/N glances over at Cheryl, who makes eye contact with him in a way that tells him that she's already aware of this beforehand. "Well, I, uh.... I'm surprised and a little honored, Mrs. Blossom. And, I want to, but, um..."

"But nothing" Cheryl chimes in, looking at Y/N with a cute, pleading smile. "You have to come, I'm wearing viridian." She mentions, and he nods with an impressed look, pretending to know what that is. Isn't that supposed to be the thing used for those laser sights on pistols? "He'll need a proper suit, don't you think, daddy?" 

"I'll have my tailor fit you." Clifford confirms as Y/N glances at Chery again, who nods eagerly for him to come. He can't help but notice the way her eyes drop, as if showing a hint of loneliness at the idea he might say no. "If that's not a problem?" Clifford then queries, snapping Y/N back to him. 

"No, no, no. Like I said, I want to, it's just...." Y/N awkwardly sighs. "I'm kind of a... social media kid, Mr. Blossom. My mom and dad are always away for business reasons, and I kind of fall into my own hobbies to distract myself. I'm not really sure I'm made for such a lavish lifestyle." 

"That's precisely why you should come." Clifford insists, encouraging him to get a taste of what he's so nervous about, so he can get used to it later on. "I've met your parents before, they've helped our business many times in the past. You on the other hand, I've heard about what you did for Fred Andrew's construction, you're a hard worker."

"Plus, I need a dance partner." Cheryl then adds with that same perked up smile of hers. Y/N glances at both of them for a couple seconds, re-considering the offer. It isn't that difficult for him to know what his choice will be. "We won't take no for an answer.... N/N." Chery's nickname for him helps Y/N smile at her, before giving Clifford a nod.

Why not, right?

_______________________________________________

During the evening, Clifford meets up with his wife in the study room, the first impression of the ambitious kid now left on both of them. "I have to admit, he definitely strikes me as the opportunity-grabbing type, even if he tries his best at hiding it." Clifford comments once he sees Penelope in her chair in the center of the room.

"He'll be the perfect first choice. If all else fails, we can easily move on to Archibald Andrews next." Penelope agreeingly mentions, and Clifford nods taking the other seat next to the coffee table. "Did you do a background check on him?"

"I did, but there's barely anything to find, all I have is his life during the age of ten and after, nothing before. It's like somebody doesn't want anyone to know what happened to him during his childhood." Clifford informs her, causing the both of them to wonder why Y/N is shrouded is so much mystery. "And... I think I know why." He then comments.

"I know what you mean by that...." Penelope notes with a slow nod, softly rubbing her forehead with her fingers. Clifford can tell that she and him are thinking the same thing, a thought that's been gnawing at them in the back of their heads.

"That boy does look a bit familiar....

___________________________________________

Cooper Residence:

"Who would've predicted this?" Alice sarcastically comments as she cuts into the pie on the center of the dining table. "Y/N L/N is our fox in the henhouse." She remarks. Y/N L/N arrived at Betty Cooper's house to give her the scoop about what's happening to her sister. Obviously, he didn't actually exchange words, but he knows what needs to say to push her sad, emotional buttons. He's also noticed a lack of Betty's father around, to which it's been explained that Alice straight up kicked him out of the house when she learned that Hal tried to secretly get a doctor to abort Polly's baby. See? This is why you can't trust your parents in this damn town.

"I mean, there was a barn, but I don't about henhouse." Y/N comments, with a shrug, awkwardly staring at the way Alice cuts into that pie. It looks very..... unhinged. 

"Tell us about Polly." Betty urgently requests from Y/N, hoping he doesn't make any more unnecessary remarks to correct people's phrases. "How is she? Did she seem okay?"

"The Blossoms are treating her great, so that once again leaves a tie in the conflict." Y/N answers, though quickly finds a way to continue that sentence when he feels Alice's eyes on him. "But Betty, I don't think she's coming back. I don't think she wants to. She gave me the 'I'm fine, don't worry about it' line and it seemed..... genuine."

"That doesn't make any sense, that's not Polly." Betty mutters while Alice sets a slice of pie for each of them on their respective plates, very mentally frustrated. 

"She made her choice." Alice says while tasting the small cherry insides off her fingers, trying to seem unbothered by the situation when at least Y/N can tell she genuinely isn't. Like, at all. A mother's love is a dangerous thing, people. "We have to learn to live with that."

"No. I know my sister, she wouldn't do that to us." Betty strongly states with her hand on the table making a small fist. 

"What else did you see, Y/N? When you were in the sticky, red thick of it?" Alice interrogates him, now also showing some interest. Though what Y/N is also wondering is if that description is supposed to also be a jab at the red sweater he's currently wearing. It would make sense, considering that she seems to hate the color with every fiber of her being. If Y/N were to stab her, carve a deep whole into her torso, would she bleed pink as well? "Anything about the board?"

"Cheryl said that they're worried...." Y/N answers, causing Alice's eyebrows to shoot up. "That after all the scandal with Jason, Rose, Polly, and all the other related killings, that they might try and steal the company from Mr. Blossom."

"Well, do you hear that, Betty? This is our story, a hostile takeover." Alice lilts to her daughter with a somewhat sanguine tone of voice. "No wonder the trustees are in town. The Blossom empire is crumbling." 

"Okay, but, mom, if you write a story attacking them while Polly's still in Thornhill-"

"Enough about Polly. I mean it." Alice quickly shuts her daughter down, the name obviously striking a negative cord with her at the moment. "She's the one that betrayed us, not the other way around." She states as Y/N glances at the both of them, wondering just how much of this family drama's been spiraling. 

Alice is definitely getting more shattered with each and every event that's played so far....

_________________________________

Riverdale Police Station:

"I can't believe this, how can a serial killer like that, be so patient?" Detective Markus vents to his partner, Bailey, now admittedly starting to lose his patience. They heard that it was quite a while before the Riverdale Slasher strikes again, but this kind of time is something he should honestly be impressed about, if it didn't mean that it was a sore on the law enforcement's side. 

"He's waiting for something, he always does." Bailey mentions with certainty, noticing a unique backstory behind every killing. "Chuck Clayton went missing right before his exposure of Riverdale's 'playbook'. Mrs. Grundy, or whatever her name was, ended up dying because of her secret being leaked. Rose Blossom was slashed in front of.... Betty Cooper." 

The two finally click the biggest piece together. All of his victims, have had some kind of connection with Betty Cooper, right in front of her, or one of the last to see them alive, she's connected. "Bingo..." Markus quips, now finally having the way to catch their killer. "I'm gonna inform the sheriff." He tells Bailey as he goes to share his their theory. 

"I'm gonna call the Coopers." Bailey also informs him, giving his partner a nod as he goes to grab his phone. "Got you now, you bastard..." He mumbles, a determination now in his expression. They have one of their week points, now he's gonna see if they can use it to his advantage. 

Let's just see if they can get everything set up...

______________________________________________

Riverdale High: The Next Morning

The second the school day came and the opportunity presented itself, Betty pulled Jughead over so they can have a little chat with one of the Thornhill's prison captains. They march over to her while she's on the stairs, gossiping it up with fellow cheerleaders. 

"Cheryl?" Betty says her name with such pointed operation, that not only does she grab every other girl's attention, but the redhead is already able to tell that she's gone into full Blue and Gold mode again. "Can we have a word?" She requests, her politeness disguising her true tone of voice. 

Chery lets out a predictable exhale. "Scatter my vixens." She orders, and the cheerleaders split up, allowing the Blossom, Jones, and Cooper to have their little private chat, if the middle of the hallway with the chance that nobody's listening counts as private. She then turns to the blondie with her arms crossed. "Yes Betty? What is it?" 

"Polly..." Betty brings up the name that has caused her to lose half of regular sleep in the past several weeks, glancing at Jughead before giving her a narrow look. "Look, I don't know what kind of Stockholm syndrome  spell you've cast on her, but I want to talk to my sister."

"Let's not fight." Cheryl suspiciously requests as she tilts her head, obviously having some random information to poke at the second out of three of the little investigators. "Especially not when we should be celebrating."

"Why? What happened?" Jughead questions as he squints at her. 

"Haven't you heard? Dr. Patel just confirmed it this morning, Polly is having twins." She finally reveals to the both of them, causing Betty to glance at Jug with a slightly downed expression as she rolls her tongue. "Bless our Blossom genes!" 

"And she didn't call to tell me..." Betty murmurs, sad, but that also only fuels their suspicion even more as the whole situation rings alarm bells matching the red flags that wave in their heads. Betty would've been the first person Polly would've told with such excitement, something's really off. 

"Hostages aren't normally allowed to make outgoing calls." Jughead remarks, giving Cheryl a pointed look. He also agrees that something extremely fishy is going on. The Blossom must've used one of their five hundred contacts to pull something to Polly that practically forced her to go to them.

"Can you please just give her a message for me?" Betty pleadingly requests, trying to find someone even closer to finally talk to her sister. Cherly appears reluctant, but eventually shrugs her shoulders. 

"As long as it doesn't upset her."

"Tell her she should call our mom." Betty tells Cheryl, having been able to read the various facial patterns and activates her mom's been trying to use to hide her true self. "She's trying really hard to hide it, but I can tell she's really, really hurt and upset."

Cheryl slowly nods. "I'll pass your message along..."

"Thank you."

".... if I remember."

"Cheryl." Jughead gives her an unamused glare. 

"That was a joke, you hobo." Cheryl tells Jughead with a snarky voice before turning back to the blond. "Of course I'll give her your message, Betty. But no promises that she'll care or respond." She says before walking past them, bumping their shoulders as she's heading towards her next period. 

Jughead notices Betty's pained expression, comforting rubbing her shoulder. "Ignore her, she's just milking the situation for what's it worth..... though I wouldn't be surprised if this was her default personality no matter what the situation was." He humorously quips to cheer her up, and Betty does let out a tiny smile before getting a call on her phone. The unknown number causes both of them to share a weary glance, before eventually answering.

"Hello?"

"Having family problems..... Betty?" As suspected, Ghostface's voice greets with a mocking quip. Betty grips the phone tight in her hand as the killer begins using her family to mock her pain. "Maybe you should try what I do, carve out their heads from the neck and hang them like little ornaments for Christmas..." 

"Why are calling me? Clearly, you only do it when you pull off another set of leads pointing towards yourself." Betty interrogates as she and Jughead march down the hall, ignoring the curious looks from a couple students.

"Now, don't be like that Betty, Polly will show back up again eventually, and that little frown might then be turned upside down." Ghostface then sadistically quips, clearly trying to press Betty's buttons.... and it's working. 

"Stay away from her."

"Or what? You're gonna stop me like how you stopped poor old Grundy, or Chuck?" Ghostface questions with a slightly low blow, causing her to briefly pause in her movements. " Thought so, a final girl like you can't do anything, Betty.  Let me repeat myself, you're going to see Polly again, Betty...." The killer growls before promising something that causes a chill to go down her spine.

"....In a body bag."

_______________________________________________

A couple periods later, Archie had now recently finished practice, which has served as one of the many things to help him avoid anything related to Jughead. In fact, almost everything football has helped him get his mind off of the guy. After taking a small shower, he's suddenly captured in a bright light which momentarily blinds before he hears a familiar voice laughing. 

"Come on, man, you need to smile more often than that." Y/N quips with a small chuckle, pridefully looking down at the new camera he has hanged around his neck, Archie rapidly blinks before noticing how expensive the DLSR Camera looks.

"Is that-?"

"The Hasselblad H4D-60? Yeah, without a Slenderman's white head of a doubt." Y/N nods with the biggest grin on his face, holding the camera in a way that makes him look like he's trying to star in the next detective crime show. "Cheryl gifted to me as thanks for being her escort."

"Cheryl was willing to give you something that much worth in cash, and not herself?" Archie queries with a very amused look. This has to be the first time in his entire life that the redhead purposefully gave such an expensive item to someone else. "Someone's whipped..." 

"Well..... technically speaking, she said her parents helped pay for it, but it still counts as her in my heart, you know?" Y/N mentions with a hand over his chest, before quickly scoffing at himself. "Man, I'm sounding like an early two-thousand drama show..." 

Archie slowly nods, but her visible expression hides his true worries. Cheryl's parents? As in, Mr. and Mrs. Blossom? Why would they spoil so much money for a high school student they've only now met?

Something is.....

____________________________________

Andrews Residence: Evening 

"...Wrong with what's going on between Y/N and the Blossoms." Archie voices his worries to his dad as he paces around in their kitchen. After school ended, the behavior between Y/N and Cheryl now felt like it was being shined on by a different life. "I mean, the L/Ns are barely a family in this town, why do they like him all of a sudden?" 

"It does seem a little odd..." Fred agreeingly mumbles as he sits on the island, arms crossed as he processes what Archie has told him about the situation at school. "But Archie, you were the one always encouraging Y/N to go for Cheryl, now you're suddenly suspicious of her?"

"It's not about Cheryl, I promise, it's about Mr. and Mrs. Blossom." Archie states, letting out a exhale as he puts his hands to his head. "I mean, the combination of it all, Y/N, an internet based guy getting caught in the eyes of them.... it just doesn't ring the correct bells." He mentally scratches his head as he turns to Fred. "Dad, tell me, if you were able to imagine being Clifford Blossom, would a kid like Y/N be your first choice?" 

"That's a pretty difficult thing to do..." Fred humorously remarks. "But.... no, no, I don't think so. Jason's perfect replacement would be something more like Chuck, as heartless he turned out to be, or some other Bulldog." He theorizes with a shrug, chuckling as he thinks of his next candidate. "Heck, you fit the role more than any of your fellow teammates."

"So why him?" Archie wonders out-loud, rubbing his face with his hands. "I hate how much of a bad feeling I have about this.... He mutters, finally sitting down on the chair across from Fred next to the island.

Before anyone else can say anything more, the front door opens, and Jughead walks inside, noticing the weird vibe of the kitchen as soon as he looks at them. "Archie, Mr. Andrews? Everything cool?" He queries with a slightly concerned look on his face. Archie, however, just sighs at his presence. 

"We're fine, Jughead." Archie responds in a rather rough tone of voice, glancing down onto the island that doesn't really have much on it. Fred easily notices the way Archie keeps his eyes off of Jughead and raises a brow.

"Hey, Arch-"

"I said, we're fine." Archie enforces, finally giving Jughead a look, however, it's mostly just a glare that strongly advises him to stay out of it. Getting the hint, Jug just sighs, before reluctantly carrying his feet up the steps. Once he's gone, Fred looks at his kid with that kind of look.

"You should be easier on him, Archie." Fred tells his son, to which he slinks his shoulders while letting out a long, conflicted sigh. Clearly, there must've been something else that happened other than the bar that got him feeling this way for so long, but Archie's been silent again about what. 

"He lied to me, dad...."

"This is Jughead, we're talking about." Fred remarks, giving Archie a look that begs him to remember the past month or so. "Without him and FP, we would've moved out of his house by now." He brings up, however, Archie still looks down, that mixed expression tainting his entire expression. 

The two of them never see Ghostface watching from the front door's window, slinking away before they do.  

____________________________________

Riverdale Police Station:

"I'm sorry, you want us to do what now?" Sheriff Keller asks Detective Markus as the two sit/stand in the former's office. Apparently, the two have decided to try and find a way to lure out the killer into a trap they've personally sprung, by using their personal vendetta against them.  At least, that's what the sheriff has managed to decipher.

"I've gone through the timeline of Jason Blossom's murder to now, and if I'm right about this, then the killer is going to strike sometime this week." Markus specifies, he holding up a finger as if he's pointing at a dot on a calendar. "He operates on fear and infamy, and if we're going to catch him, we'll to play him at his own game."  

"How do you even know he'll go for him? Each murder has never taken place on the same time, place, day, or anything." Sheriff Keller brings up, giving Markus a knowing look. "For all we know, this guy might kill a Hobo in a Taco Bell at 3 in the morning."

Markus sighs. "He'll do it if we manage to get the Coopers along with it." He assures him as he puts his hands on the desk, giving him a hoping look. That is, until the other detective enters the room. 

"Mr. Cooper said no." Bailey regretfully informs him, putting an anxious hand on his hip. "And Mrs. Cooper, well...."

"She's currently in a bit of trouble after we got a call of her throwing a brick through a window, littering glass all over Hal's workplace." Keller finishes for him, giving the detective a shrug. "And I refuse to let a pregnant teen be put as bait." He adds. However, Markus chuckles, causing the others to give him a confused look. 

"I was mostly referring to Betty..."

_________________________________

The Next Day: 

With Y/N now being part of the banquet, Clifford Blossom is now helping him get a perfectly-styled suit as promised. His tailor is currently getting the size all down at their clothing store, making sure each part is correct as to not make it look too big or small, or ugly. While it feels nice and all, Y/N can't help but find it weird that he currently has his pants off while standing next to the richest man in town. 

"Black piping for the velvet, of course." The tailor informs them as he rolls the tape back into his arm. The suit right now, is obviously incomplete, with only one sleeve, but it's something. "I'll take measurements for the pants." He then tells them until Y/N puts up a hand really quick. 

"Actually, before we continue, I just remembered something." Y/N chimes in before he does anything, turning around to the man in charge. "Can I talk with you, Mr. Blossom?" He requests, purposefully making himself sound anxious. Mr. Blossom takes a second before nodding for his tailor to give them some space, allowing the kid to say his piece. Y/N then mentally prepares, alright... here comes step one. "Ever since the Riverdale Slasher moved into town, I've been...  I guess, capitalizing on it. And, I don't think Jughead's dad took me investigating the White Wrym very well."  He begins as he steps down from the pedestal, and Clifford gives him a brow. "I got.... a snake, in a box. A message from the.... you know." He then tells him, secretly lying about that. It's actually the same snake he planted in Betty Cooper's house, he took a photo of it in his own home before hand in case of a scenario like this. "And.... my parents are still out of town for the year, so..." Y/N smacks his lips. "I was hoping I could take temporary residence in Thornhill, since I know that they wouldn't strike at you." 

"Hmm...." Clifford hums, slowly nodding as a small smirk creeps on his face. "So that's why you said yes." He then notes, thinking he realizes the situation.

"Oh, no, I wasn't-" 

"No, no, no." Clifford shakes his head before he can try and defend himself. "I'm impressed. You saw the perfect opportunity and used it to your advantage. It speaks to your character, son." He comments with a nod, giving it a quick second of thought. "But, I'll tell you what, Let's figure this out at the banquet, alright? Sit down, man-to-man, and discuss what I can do for you." He offers, and Y/N slowly nods with a smile, taking the deal.

Step one complete, a in-and-out of Thornhill mansion. The mansion will play a big part of the finale. 

"Is it satisfactory?" The tailor queries as he walks back into the room, a hopeful gleam to please his richest employer in his eye. Mr. Blossom nods as he gives the work in progress suit a look over. 

"It's more than satisfactory." 

____________________________________________________

Riverdale High: 

A couple hours later, right before the first period even begins, Y/N is going through his 'normal' facade of life as usual when someone sits themselves next to the lunch/breakfast table across from him. He curiously looks up, taking out his ear pods, seeing Archie stare at him with an odd look on his face. "Archie, what's up, man?" He asks, squinting at him. 

"Look, I know this is gonna sound weird, coming from me, and I'm really happy for you and Cheryl, but...." Archie begins rather quickly for Y/N to keep up, letting out a exhale as whatever he's about to say could make things go bad. "I don't think the Blossoms are really trying to help you." 

"You mean, like, genuinely? Of course not." Y/N replies with a shrug, calmly reminding Archie that he's not an idiot. "They're just trying to find a replacement for Jason-" 

"No, I mean, like, they're straight up using you, Y/N." Archie emphasizes, and his buddy gives him a look that asks for elaboration. "I mean, Jason, sure, but think about it, Y/N. How are they going to do that? By separating you away from us." 

"Woah, woah, woah, back up." Y/N puts his hands up before Archie and continue. "Bro, they're just.... opening a gate for me. My parents are business men with no identity, and I'm a total nobody at this school, I need something if I'm gonna get my actual dream job." He states to the redhead, however, he doesn't seem too convinced by this scenario still. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this, especially if I'm gonna save my own hide." 

As soon that last sentence leaves his mouth, Archie's eyes squint in confusion, giving him a perplexed look. "What do you mean?" He asks him, and Y/N closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before saying what he needs to say. It's time for him to give the Andrews kid a reason for more distrust between him and Jughead.

He tells him about the 'snake'. 

________________________________________

 Belmont Lodge: Evening

Once again, Y/N can't help but feel out of place amongst these 'rich folks' or whatever he's supposed to call them. Thankfully, he has the suit, and he's sitting next to Cheryl, who's sitting next to her dad, who's sitting next to his wife. So, all he has to do is be polite, speak with his intellect to impress a few people, not draw in too much conversation, and he'll be fine. Glass clinking brings everyone's attention to Mr. Blossom as he stands up to deliver another one of his little speeches. 

"We were tested this year. As a town, as a company, mainly as a family." Clifford begins as everyone stares at him. Especially Y/N, in his velvet red suit over his black dress shirt. "And it may not have been Jason's hand that staked the maple this year, but...." He turns to Y/N and Cheryl. "It was the hand of hope." He concludes, raising his glass to him, followed by everyone's round of applause.

Y/N also claps, but he notices Cheryl not giving a modest smile as he expected her to. Instead, once it's quiet again and Clifford sits back down, She leans into Y/N's ear. "Don't think they're being nice or genuine." She whispers to him, the two not noticing Polly glancing over as she sits right next to Y/N. "They wanted me to fail at the tree-tapping." She reveals, as Y/N glances at the parents curiously. "But you're going to help with all that." 

"I'll do whatever I can." Y/N tells her earnestly, and Cheryl smiles at him. A servant then comes over and whispers something into Mr. Blossom's ear, all that he manages to pick up is, 'Sheriff Keller'. After which, Blossom nods and stands up. 

"Y/N, have a word?" Clifford requests, tapping on the shoulder as he walks elsewhere. Y/N shares a look with Cheryl before standing up and telling her that he'll be right back. He then joins Mr. Blossom in a little corner. "I just wanted to let you know that I called your parents and talked to my family, they seem happy to have you staying with us for a while, Cheryl in particular." He tells him, no surprise to Y/N, but he's glad to hear the news all the same. 

"Really?" 

"Well, you've helped our family. Cheryl, especially. You fit in so well, and I'm no longer making the mistake of giving that maniac an invitation into my home ever again." Chery tells him, assuring the kid he's safe here. Y/N nods with a smile, satisfied to get what he was after. 

"Thank you, Mr. Blossom..."

"Oh, Clifford, please." The man insists as he shakes Y/N's hand. 

"And just so you know, you don't have to keep doing me favors." Y/N assures Mr. Blossom, knowing that he needs to appear as modest as possible. "I like Cheryl, and I'm happy to be for her, as a..." He scratches his nose a bit. "Friend." 

Clifford nods, and Y/N notices his expression, giving him the hint that the important part is now coming. "You know, I'm going to be honest with you. Cheryl's a bright girl, but the Blossom board, they're very skeptical of having her play an active role in the company." He mentions, which Y/N has noticed, especially yesterday with those two back during the ceremony. "Now, someone with your stock and character by her side, tempering her more, uh.... erratic behavior...." He softly puts his hand on Y/N's shoulder, who stares at him with a blank expression. "You know, it's about..... creating a picture, the right picture. Having you with us, with Cheryl, it tells a very appealing story. Which is something I think we could all use right about now." He states in a much lower voice, and it doesn't take Y/N too long to realize what he's offering. "You'll help us, won't you?"

Holy.... shit.... it's going better than he originally planned. 

"Excuse me, Mr. Blossom..." Polly suddenly chimes in before Y/N can give his answer. "May I have this first dance with Y/N?" She requests, causing Y/N to give her a perplexed look. Then he notices the music playing, how did he not notice? 

"I think that's an excellent idea." Clifford nods, though sighing a bit at his interrupted conversation. Polly pulls Y/N to the side, and the two glance as Mr. Blossoms steps back to the table, sitting next to his wife while giving them a polite smile. 

Now closer together, the two whisper with one another. "So, did you find anything?" Y/N queries as they slow dance with each other. During which, Cheryl moves from her spot on the table and approaches her father, probably wondering what he and Y/N were talking about. 

"No, but he more I look around this place, the more I'm convinced that you might be right." Polly replies, managing to keep a straight face, which Y/N has to admit, impresses him. He pretty much trained himself to lie with a believable look once he left the orphanage. Maybe her home life taught her something similar. "They threatened him somehow, and I'm gonna prove." 

"Well, there's a little problem with that." Y/N mutters, not having much good news from the outside world. "Betty keeps asking about you, and your mom almost got detained for going ape-" He cuts himself off from swearing in a 'formal' setting. "It's bad." He tells her, and Polly definitely looks a little surprised to hear her mother having trouble with the cops. 

"Then.... then just tell her the truth." Polly suggests, not wanting to risk Betty accidentally making it worse. "The Blossoms threatened Jason and I'm gonna prove it. Can you tell her that for me?" She asks from him, and Y/N nods.

He opens his mouth, but gets distracted when he hears Cheryl's raising voice. He looks to the side and sees her arguing with his father, who's pleading with her not to make a scene. In the end, she emotionally storms out of the dining room, and Y/N takes that as his cue to be the supporting arm. "Can you give me a second?" He whispers, pulling away as he goes to follow her. 

Looks like it's time for step two. 

_______________________________________________

Though even the outside lands of the Blossoms are big, Y/N is able to hear Cheryl's heels clank and track her down at Thornhill's massive pool, the lights reflecting the water pattern on her skin. He takes a small swallow as he approaches her, making sure if she wants to be alone first. "Cheryl..." He softly calls out, and Cheryl slowly turns to him with her arms crossed. "You okay?" 

"What did my dad say to you?" Cheryl questions him instead of answering, though Y/N can take that as a 'no, and I can easily tell when people are talking about me'. "That everyone thinks I'm a train wreck?" She accuses her family, and Y/N makes an awkward face, indicating that she's right. She glances down with a bitter expression. "Jason was the golden boy, but me..... people hate me, Y/N." She drops the cold, hard, truth. "And at school, that's fine, whatever. But this is my family." 

"Well, then they clearly have their heads too far up there, forget what people like them, think." Y/N encourages her, swooping in for the kill. "The truth is.... I've always envied you Cheryl, that's why I never really had that ' man, she's such a bitch' feeling, you know?" He tells her with a sheepish chuckle. "Sorry, that sounded a lot better in my head-" 

His rambling in interrupting by Cheryl wrapping a arm around his neck and putting her lips on his, right there, in front of the pool's light. Y/N's feeling a little petty of not instigating first, but he doesn't shy away and kisses her back. As the two break away, Y/N slowly points behind him. "We... we should probably get back to the...." He suggests, but Cheryl gives her a lustfully, begging look in her eyes. He stares back at her, and instead, he wraps his arms around Cheryl's hips and kisses her again. 

The two end up staying at the pool for a longer time than expected.

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The Next Morning: 

Once back to the road to school, the roads and grounds still as snowy as ever, everything still isn't all peachy with the gang. Y/N decided that he wasn't actually going to tell the others about Polly's true reason for being there, though it seems that Betty and Jughead have been trying to find ways to help her mother with that. Archie still seems worried for him, and after hearing about the snake, he imagines that he's probably still peeved by about his dad. Veronica..... from what Y/N's heard from Kevin, Veronica's still going through family drama, though he doesn't really care right now as that stuff is already playing a part in his plans. FP Jones and his gang have been hired as the Lodges' own workers, so framing Jughead's dad for half of the crimes his committed will now be much more believable. He just has to wait for the right now to leak it to the web, and then he's in the clear.  

On one of those roads, Betty and Jughead are walking together to school as normal, the latter still trying to personally go out of his comfort zone so he can act as 'the boyfriend'. Though, they're still not at hand-and-hand together yet. However, Jughead doesn't notice the man in the jacket eye-balling up, and upon seeing the couple, he puts two fingers to his ear. "Markus, I've been tailing them for a good while, haven't seen anything yet." 

"It's going to be the day, I know it." Markus assures him from the ear piece. He's heard about the Blossom Tree-tapping ceremony, and if there's any time to sow more chaos, it would be now. "Just keep watching them, we need all possible targets watched."

"Yeah, as if we know who's possible..." The agent remarks as he puts his hand back down, keeping his eye on the two. "I swear, we're gonna find one of our own dead instead of-" He grumbles, until a shape suddenly grabs his head and mouth, pulling him behind a tree. He's only allowed a muffled scream before Ghostface slits his throat. 

"Teddy, come in, Te-"

The line goes to static. 

Meanwhile, a sudden appearance cuts Betty and Jughead's path. "Jug, we need to talk." Archie straight up states after seemingly appearing out of nowhere, causing Jughead to share a weird glance with Betty before responding.  

"Tempting, is this gonna be another argument?" Jughead sarcastically queries, obviously fed up with it all as he's no longer playing nice. Betty glances at both of them, back to back, concrened with the looks they're giving each other." 

"Maybe..." Archie comments with a shrug, taking a step closer to them. "Dude, what the hell is going on with your dad?" He then questions him, getting straight to the point in a way that could call for another bar fight. 

"What? The bad one?" Jughead acidly asks with a glare. "I don't know, guess he's probably finding Cheryl Blossom to gut and hang behind a tree-" 

"Seriously, Jughead, I'm not joking around, he and his boys sent a snake to Y/N's home." Archie finally tells him, causing them both to pause. "That's the reason he's been accepting the Blossoms' offers, because he's scared." He explains, clearly still worried for his friend getting too close to Thornhill.

"Wait.... what?" Jughead utters, soon followed by Betty. "But that.... that doesn't make any sense, Y/N doesn't owe the Serpents anything." He mentions, though that causes them to share a look with each other, wondering if he does. 

Before they can act on that worriment, Archie gets a phone call, coming from Valerie's phone number. "It's Val, slightly bad time for a call..." He mumbles, but takes a step to the side to answer it. "Hello?" 

"Hello... Archie?" Yup, definitely Val's voice. However, she seems a little nervous.  "Do you... know about any weird event going on in school?" She asks him, and Archie squints at how unnerving she sounds. 

"Uh..... no, why?" Archie queries. Jughead and Betty originally planned to keep moving, but once seeing the redhead's confused look, and the warning from Ghostface, Betty stops in his tracks, causing Jug to stop as well, looking at her with a brow. 

"It's just.... there's this weird guy, staring at me from behind the trees, looking much older than a teenager, that kind of thing." Valerie nervously tells him. "And.... he's got a mask on." She then adds, the last part, Betty manages to hear. 

"Is she okay?" Betty quickly questions Archie, who holds up a hand as he looks around. 

"Oh, well...." Archie glances around, beginning to walk to the building to find her. Betty and Jughead slowly follow behind him. "Where are you? I can walk with you there or something, whoever it is, wouldn't cross a bulldog." He humorously suggests to help her. 

"That would be great." Valerie replies with a chuckle. However, the mood doesn't stay lifted for long. "Okay, this is weird...." She then mutters, causing Archie to get more worried as they pick up the pace. "The guy still isn't taking his eye off me." 

"What?" Archie utters, looking around. Betty and Jughead notice his expression getting a little panicked, and they soon start seeing some bad omens around them. "Are you okay? Are you in public?" 

"No, but I'm quickly moving there now." Valerie tells him, though her tone which should be panicking still sounds surprisingly calm. Guess Archie should give her some credit for that. "Oh, gosh, now he's following me." 

"Crap! Uh..." Archie starts glancing around more frantically, causing Betty and Jughead to realize that this is definitely one of those moments again. He's back..... The killer is back. "Val, run! I'm calling the cops-" 

"NO! No, please!" Valerie then begs loudly on the phone. "Don't, don't hang up." 

"Come on, we need to look around." Betty advises, pulling Jughead's arm so they can search for the killer. He seems hesitant, but seeing Betty's eyes again, he eventually nods and accepts the plan. "We'll the call the police." She tells Archie as they split up to find Valerie. 

"Valerie, where are you?" Archie questions Valerie again, now jogging around to find his girlfriend before things go really bad, really fast. "Can you... can you give a description of where you are?" He queries, trying to help her help him. 

As Betty's on 911, Jughead finds a man on his phone, and he abruptly snatches it out of his hand. "Bro, what the heck?!" The guy loudly questions him, as Jughead sees the screen, only finding a YouTube playlist on and nothing else. 

"I'm running to a white van, do you see it?!" Valerie loudly questions, and Archie mentally breaths 'thank God' as he scans the area for a vehicle like that. "Archie.... Archie, I'm scared...." She then whispers is terror.

"It's alright Val, I'm still here." Archie tries re-assuring her as he patrols the school's perimeter. Meanwhile, Jughead and Betty spot a guy in a leather jacket, giggling like a maniac, and the former takes off. It only takes him about two seconds for him to tackle the guy. 

"Ow! My balls!" The guy squeals in pain as the two hit the snow. Jughead doesn't care, however, and quickly begins searching him.... nothing, no knife, ghostly mask or anything. He mentally curses as he stands up, still looking around with the kid on the snow, scared to move. Dang it.... where is he? 

"THERE, I SEE IT!" Archie yells into the cold hair, bolting it towards the only white van in the school parking lot. However...... once he does, there's suddenly female screaming coming from the other line. "VALERIE!" Archie screams for, Betty and Jughead following him as they quickly start getting the van door open. 

Thankfully, they're easily able to slide it open, and they find Valerie..... covered in blood, stab wounds everywhere, and her digestive insides on the outside. 

Then, there's a click coming from the phone, followed by mocking laughter. "The sad thing is, Archiekins.... poor Val already died forty-eight minutes ago." Ghostface himself tells Archie with a dark voice, revealing that he had no hope to save her. "That's one thing you should remember in Slashers, always expect the worst fates for the characters." He drops a hint of advice. As the others continue looking at the body in terror, the killer tells them one last thing. "I hope we talk like this, again, Archie. You, me, the others, we're gonna have a lot of fun, together..." He promises before hanging up. 

Archie drops the phone..... his tear-ridden eyes never leaving the corpse in front of him. Eventually, one other student notices, and his loud reaction draws in others, who draw in others, who draw in more. And eventually, almost the entire student body is surrounding the van, holding the body of a pussycat inside. Betty and Jughead look at their friend with a very sympathetic look.

Archie screams.

__________________________________

Obviously, that meant that school was once again canceled, on account of  not just one, but two new bodies appearing on Riverdale High's grounds . Students will no doubt be questioned tomorrow, and the mood for the month will once again be filled with a bitter despair, knowing that the Riverdale Slasher has taken another life and fled the scene..... leaving no consequences for his actions. 

The school is once again surrounded by police, yellow tape drawing a circle around the  van. in the middle of it all, the Sheriff and two detectives are looking in defeat as two body bags are carried and put into the ambulance, Valerie Brown, and the officer that was on watch duty. 

However, it seemed not all of us were suffering, as Veronica managed to make amends for her family's actions, and Y/N's current lifestyle was upgraded to one of luxury, and Riverdale's most popular cheerleader.

Meanwhile, in Thornhill, Y/N writes down a note. Well, actually, he uses the old, cut-out magazine letters to deliver his message. Right as he finishes inserting the last letter, the door to the room he's in opens. "Babe, Mom and dad are calling for lunch." Cheryl informs him with a loving smile.

"One moment." Y/N replies with a nod, tucking the note into his pocket as he follows her. 

However, in spite of everything, an unknown source had snuggled in some secret info to the Blue and Gold, holding some valuable info, one more bit of news. 

" 'Clifford Blossom was responsible for sending Hiram Lodge to jail, just thought you should know.'...." Jughead reads out loud as he and Betty sit together in the living room of Cooper's house. He and the blond obviously share a look. "You think it's legit?" 

"I don't know...." Betty shakes her head, rubbing her fingers along her temple. "But if it's true...."

"It gives the Lodge's a motive." Jughead finishes her thought with a knowing nod. "But why-" He's considering something when they both hear a rapid and loud knock on their front door. The two once again share a look, and assuming that it's Alice returning, Betty opens the door. 

However, the two find Archie standing behind it instead. "Archie? What-" 

"I want to help, for real this time." Archie tells them before they can ask questions, his serious expression clearly holding a lot of vengeance inside. "I know that I haven't very helpful a lot, with Polly, with Chuck, but as of right now, I'm taking a rain check on music until we find 'Ghostface'...... and put him down." 

He definitely means it, Betty and Jughead share a look, hearing a much different side of Archie than either of them have met before. "Archie, are you sure? Everywhere we go, there's ten times more Ghostface involved."

"This bastard has taken two people that I liked away from me." Archie mentions with a slight growl. "You of all people should know the answer to that, Jughead." He tells him, before letting out a sigh so he doesn't end up snapping at them. "Look, I know that when I hold a grudge, I become a capital A, and if I'm being honest.... I still think your father is a suspect." He expresses to Jughead, who stares at him with a blank, but understanding look. "But if there's someone I'm taking it out on, it's him.... so I'm now joining the team, period." He says once again, leaving it there. 

Eventually, Betty nods. "Okay." She accepts his terms, and Archie returns the nod, gratefully. He lets himself in side, ready to hear whatever he needs to get caught up the speed. 

Across the street...... Ghostface watches, retreating back to the shadows of the night once Archie leaves his sight. 

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(A/N) Welp, ya'll kept asking, so I finally did it. The next update. This book is kind of weird to me. I started it with a high inspiration, frequently updating, now it just kind of comes and goes at times. I write some stuff, then leave it for three weeks before writing some more, then the process repeats until I get a new chapter ready. 

In spite of this, you all keep leaving support, so in truth, you guys are the real goats of this story.

Anyway, plz vote and comment, and I'll see you in the next one.