If We Had 5 More Minutes

Aftermath

       The wedding didn’t burn down. Which was a good thing, Jughead thought; however while he did harbor disappointment and betrayal towards Tabitha, he also couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sorrow for her as well. After the cat came out of the bag, Josie demanded her wedding continue, and that whatever turmoil went about, what till after the wedding to deal with. Everyone silently agreed to this, and continued to watch as the long awaited bride got to kiss the groom, as happy as can be, despite the fact that her wedding was almost burned to the ground. However, not skipping a beat, when the reception was over her and Sweet Pea got the hell out of dodge the first moment they got. No one blamed them either, afterall Riverdale remained what it was, a town of tragedy. Jughead had interrogated Tabitha in hopes of finding some connection between her and the gamekeeper, however he found none. He did however get answers to some of the questions he had, which eased his mind about Tabitha’s character. It appears that Tabitha didn’t do much harm, but rather played and took advantage of events that were already foretold to happen. She didn’t cause Veronica’s car accident, that was bound to happen, simply an accident. She also didn’t break up Toni and Fangs’ not so happy after all, marriage. To no surprise at all it turned out Cheryl and Toni were always bound to end up together. Soulmates, one might call it. The collapse of Thistlehosue also was harmless, in every played out possibility Cheryl is saved in a very ‘Knight in shiny armor’ fashion by Toni Topaz. It was necessary for Cheryl’s development, a fixed point in the timeline, much like Veronica’ car crash. The main reason for what Tabitha did was to see whether or not Archie and Betty’s relationship would prevail if tested. If it didn’t and Archie ran back to Veronica, Tabitha would leave him and Riverdale behind to pursue a different path. Jughead couldn't possibly see how this could have been an outcome, but fifty percent of the outcomes played out this way. However Archie and Betty’s relationship withstood, and Veronica had gotten cozied up with Reggie, meaning Tabitha’s relationship with him would have a chance. Not sure how much of a chance after this revelation, however time would eventually tell. Truth be told Jughead didn’t know how to feel about it all, he didn’t know how to react, and he didn’t know how to approach Tabitha. So instead he did what he did best, and he buried his nose in his writing and his mystery. Jughead ended the last line with a period and tore the page from the typewriter and added it to the pile of the rest of his finished pages. He packed up his things and made his way up the ladder of the bunker, still in disbelief by Tabitha’s betrayal, he should have seen the signs. He should have seen her as a suspect and not his girlfriend. Her being late to the murder party, her being clingy and wanting to stay by his side, always wanting to know new info, being nervous the day of the wedding. He had been blindsided, and he wouldn’t allow that to happen twice.

    Toni had just put down Anthony for the night, it was her turn to take him for the next couple of weeks, or at least that had been the routine for the last few weeks. Fangs would drop Anthony off and vice versa, there was no exchange of words between the two, not even glances. However this time Toni decided to speak up, considering they were going to have to find a way to co-exist with one another.

“So Anthony’s birthday is coming up. It's gonna be his first, and I was thinking we could have it at pop’s-”

“Actually I was gonna have it at my Grandmother’s, with a pinata in the back. Old family tradition.” Fangs interjected not even looking down to meet her gaze.

“Okay so should I invite-”

“Cheryl” Fangs interrupted once more, a hint of bane in his voice.

“Actually I was going to say my grandparents.” Toni sighed. “Maybe we could make it open to the sunnyside.” Toni suggested sheepishly.