Second Chances [Sweet Pea x OC]

Chapter 6

The door swung open moments after I knocked. "Archie?"

"Sorry, not Archie," I said. "But I hope I'm still welcome."

Fred Andrews grinned, pulling me into a fatherly hug. "Of course, Babygirl, you're always welcome here. Come on, get in here."

"Everything ok, Fred?" FP asked, coming into the kitchen. He grinned when he saw it was me. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming back to town."

I took a seat at the island, taking Mr Andrew up on the offer of coffee. "We came back last night, I figured, with Minetta out of the picture, I"d give it another try. But I'm kinda keeping a low profile for a few days to make sure things are good."

"Is that why you came to the back door?" Fred asked.

"Smart thinking, kid," FP said, taking the seat next to me. "If you know about MInetta, then you know about Archie and Jughead."

I nodded. "I do. That's another reason why I came back."

"Have you heard from them? Where are they? Are they okay?" Fred asked. I could tell he was worried, and why shouldn't he be? His only son was arrested and put on trial for murder, then escapes from juvie and isn't heard from for nearly a month.

"I haven't talked to either of them, but I've got contacts keeping an eye out, ready to step in if needed," I said. "They're on the road together, staying out of trouble for the most part. It doesn't seem like they have a destination, they're mostly hopping trains and walking, getting the occasional ride from people. Doesn't seem like they really have a destination in mind."

"Archie told Veronica he had to leave, that Hiram Lodge was after him," Fred said. "Do you think that's true?"

"Yeah, it's true," I replied. "Lodge showed up after they spent the night at a farm in Athens. Someone must have tipped him off."

"How far do your contacts reach?" FP asked. "I thought you spent most of your time traveling around the state. You never mentioned crossing borders."

"They're getting close to the end of my reach, but I've already reached out to some of my guys to put their contacts on the lookout. I can keep you up to date on what I hear."

"Thank you, Babygirl," Fred sighed. "You don't know how much it means just to know Archie's okay."

I shrugged. "It's the least I can do."

We talked for a few minutes about various things before FP's question. "Are you camping outside of town with Hunter and Dakota again?"

"Not this time," I replied. "We're staying in town now. You know, for such a nice place, Riverdale does have a lot of abandoned houses."

"So you're squatters now?" FP asked.

"It's better protection from the weather than camping," I said. "Tents aren't that warm, and houses without heat aren't much better, but I think it's more the idea that you're inside that makes it feel that little bit more comfortable."

"You're welcome to stay here anytime," Fred offered. "All three of you. Besides Archie's room, there's the guest bedroom. Heat, running water, real beds."

I smiled. "I might have to take you up on that. But for now, I actually have to go see the person who asked me to come back to town." I let myself out through the back door again, promising to let the two men know when I heard anything about their sons again.

Pop's was nearly empty when I got there, allowing me to easily enter Veronica's not-so-secret speakeasy. I was early for the time we'd agreed upon, but I'd rather wait down there than upstairs where anyone could see me.