Speak To Me

Cravings

*Two Days Later*

Betty sat on her bed after school, texting Jughead about his day on the South side when she heard her name being called from downstairs. "Betty?" Polly's voice rang throughout the house.

"What is it, Poll?" She yelled back.

"Could you come down here for a second? I need your help." The oldest of the two responded.

"Be right there!" Betty spoke as she stood from her bed, pulling her shirt down before heading for the door. She made her way down the stairs, looking around for her big sister. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the kitchen."

Betty turned the corner where she saw a very pregnant Polly attempting to reach for something she had dropped on the floor. "Oh! I got it." Betty rushed to her side and bent down, picking up the spoon.

"Ugh! Thank you." Polly chuckled. "I can't wait to be able to do things for myself again." Betty giggled and put the spoon in the sink, grabbing a clean one for Poll who happily took it and continued to enjoy her bowl of ice cream with peanut butter. "Hey, how was school today?"

"Fine, I guess." The youngest shrugged, leaning her elbows against the island counter in the center of the kitchen. "School is school."

"Yeah...I actually miss it."

"Like I've said before...you can come back. Maybe after you have the babies." Betty suggested. "There's that really cute day care center on Pleasant Drive who can take them during the day."

"I guess. I feel like I'd miss them too much though."

"Well, it'll be the same for when you get a job."

"True." Polly put another spoonful of Moose Tracks in her mouth before Betty reached for a grape from the fruit bowl on the counter and popped it into her mouth. "So, are you hanging out with any of your friends today?"

"Later I'm supposed to meet Jughead at Pop's. Why? You wanna come?"

"I don't know. Should I?" Polly asked.

"Yes. Polly you've been cooped up in this house for months. It'd be good for you to start getting out more." Betty stood straight up and took another grape before sending her sister a small smile.

"I guess I've just been afraid of facing people in 'my condition,' as Mom would call it." She looked down with a hint of sadness. "Sometimes I feel like people are judging me."

"Polly, no one's judging you." The front door of the house opened and Hal Cooper walked in, setting his coat down on the table beside the door and hanging up his keys on the wall. "You just feel that way because of Mom and-" She stopped when she saw her father entering the kitchen.

"Hi, Daddy." Polly said before putting some more ice cream in her mouth.

"Hey, sweetie." He said to her across from the counter before putting an arm around Betty and kissing her on the cheek. "How are you girls?"

"I'm okay." Betty responded.

"Good." Polly smiled down at her snack. "I think we're gonna need some more ice cream soon though."

"Again?" He faked a dramatic sigh. "Is the peanut butter almost gone too?"

"Mmmm...maybe?" His oldest daughter answered.

"Man. I forgot how fast food goes in a house with a pregnant woman." He chuckled. "I can't believe I did it so many times with your mother."

"Dad. Ew." Betty fought back a smile.

"Not that, Elizabeth!" Hal stepped over to the fridge. "I meant dealing with her when she was pregnant." He pulled out a can of soda before standing beside Polly, both facing Betty on the other side.

"She must've been a nightmare." Betty assumed, taking another grape.

"No. No, she wasn't at all actually." He opened the can, taking a sip.

"She wasn't?" The youngest replied.

"No." He shook his head with a smile. "She had plenty of cravings, I'll tell you that. But, no. She was oddly sweet when she was pregnant. And she cried...all the time. At the dumbest things." He laughed, taking another sip.

"Like what?" Polly wondered with a smile.

"Well, dogs for one. Anytime she saw one, boom! Tears!" They all laughed. "And, for some reason, certain smells would get her."

"Certain smells?" Betty looked to Polly with indifference.

"Yeah. I wasn't allowed to wear Calvin Klein cologne. She would just break down." He and Polly laughed once more as Betty thought to herself about how she wished she could've known her mother back then.

"Dad." Betty finally spoke up. "Where IS Mom?"

Hal's smile slowly disappeared and he shrugged, taking another sip. "I don't know. She left the Register like, half an hour before I did. I thought she'd be here by now. She should be here soon."

Instinctively, Betty turned to look toward the front door over her shoulder while Hal changed the subject to Polly's cravings once again. The youngest stared at the door for a while as if she'd will her mother home, but the door never opened.

"What do you say, Betty?" Hal asked, snapping her out of her own thoughts.

"Hm? What?" She turned to look back at them, missing most of the conversation.

"What were you thinking for dinner?" Her dad repeated.

"Mmm...I'm not sure. I'm meeting Jug at Pop's later actually."

"Really?" He sounded disappointed. "I swear you haven't had a single day without that boy since you began dating. You barely spend time with US anymore." He and Polly chuckled.

"That's not even true, Dad." Betty sounded irritated suddenly. "And even if I haven't...excuse me for not wanting to participate in annoying family drama." She took one more grape and sent her father a glare before leaving.

"Betty, I was just-" Hal tried to coax her back, but failed as she ran up the stairs to return to her bedroom. He turned to look at Polly who sighed with her spoon in her mouth and they both shook their heads, unaware of what her problem was lately.

A/N: Hey, guys! I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving has a good one! Here's another chapter...I know it's a bit short, but I'm trying to rush so I can spend time with family today. This story is starting out a bit slow, but I promise things will pick up soon. And...just so everyone knows, this fic will be based in an AU where the Black Hood never became a thing and everyone just went on with their lives after Cliff Blossom was caught for Jason's murder. Thank you for reading and I'll try to get a new chapter up as soon as possible! Love you guys! MWAH!