Thank You, For Everything

Adultery

FP looked up as the door to Pop's slammed shut and a pissed off Alice Cooper stormed in and sat at her usual booth. He smiled and shook his head while he finished cleaning an empty table. It was 12am and she was the only person in the diner; FP could hear her typing away on her laptop, writing an article for the Register, no doubt. He looked over at her when he finished cleaning the table, shook his head, and smiled. FP walked in to the counter, staring at Alice's concentration face. Her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail; her eyebrows were scrunched; glasses on; mouth pursed; and her eyes would squint every few minutes. FP laughed to himself at her small antics. He found her adorable. And beautiful. She was beautiful. He folded the table cloth and leaned against the counter, looking at Alice. Then again, he'd always found her beautiful. FP wondered if her hair was still as soft as it was in high school, if she still leaned her head back every time someone played with her hair. Of course it was still soft, Alice had always loved her hair. So had he. He silently snickered at how cute he found her in glasses, and how very un-Alice it was of her to have not noticed him staring yet.

"If you're going to keep staring at me FP, at least get me an ice cream," or she had noticed, and was letting him have his fun. No wonder she was such a good journalist, she always knew what was going on around her.

"I'm not aloud near the ice cream machine, Alice, I nearly broke it last time," FP looked at Alice as she stared at him with a blank face.

Alice stood up and made her way behind the counter, "fine, I'll make it myself then."

"Alice, you can't just-" she was already behind the counter figuring out how to work the ice cream machine, "go back there," FP sat at her booth, it was better to let her get on with what she wanted when he was angry, and by the way she stormed into Pop's, FP knew she was furious. He turned her laptop around and took a small peek while she wasn't looking: she was writing an article about the murder, saying how the Black Hood was oh-so-obviously the culprit. FP looked up when a hand turned the laptop away from him, Alice raised an eyebrow, sat opposite him, and closed the laptop. She ate her ice cream in silence and refused to look at him, so, by instinct, FP reached over to table to hold her hand. A hand that was quickly snatched away. FP looked up at Alice and was met with a glare; she looked down in a huff and glared in to her ice cream instead.

"You're clearly upset, so what's wrong?" FP tried to catch her gaze, but Alice still wasn't looking at him.

"Just because you helped me, and we kissed, and we shared a... moment in my kitchen, it doesn't mean you're my confident, FP!" Alice's voice grew higher with every word, and when she looked at him, annoyed and angry, FP's eyes turned sad.

He leaned forward and she leaned back, wanting distance between them, "that kiss meant- "
"Nothing. It meant nothing. I'm married."
"Oh, so the way you look at me means nothing then?" FP's voice was bitter. He could tell this was going to turn into an argument, but right now he didn't care; he was offended and wanted an argument. He wanted to talk some sense into her. To kiss her. If he did that Alice would slap him, step on his foot, try to break his nose. She was too fiery, and talking to an angry Alice Cooper is like walking on egg shells. FP desperately wanted to argue with her, she had pissed him off, he had to tread carefully, though. One wrong word or action would result in her storming off and refusing to even acknowledge him. Alice held grudges, and she held them good. Before FP could open his mouth and take another jab at her, she stood up and poured the remainder of the melted ice cream down his shirt.

"Fuck you, Forsythe," she leaned down and hissed in his face. Alice walked out with her laptop and slammed the door before he could say a word.

-

Someone laughed and a camera clicked as Alice walked out the diner.

-

Alice audibly sighed when she saw Hal sitting with Betty and Chic in the dining room. It was nearly 1am on a school night, and the fact that Hal hadn't made Betty go to bed worsened her already bad mood. Even Chic should have been in bed, he had work in the morning. She felt like they were the judge and jury and she was the prosecuted. Chic looked up from his coffee, looking unhappy to be awake at an ungodly hour; Betty looked up at her mother, exhausted, and yawned; and Hal stood, and looked at his wife accusingly. He wasn't done arguing. Why Hal wanted another argument in front of Betty, Alice couldn't understand. Chic, she could. Their previous argument was about him. Chic had told Alice what Hal had said to him about him not being his son, and Alice had started the argument as soon as both of her children were sleeping. All Alice wanted was for her husband to be civil to Chic. They both knew why Hal hated him; Chic was FP's, not his, so as far as Hal was concerned, Chic wasn't a part of the family and never would be. He was an intruder. Alice put her laptop on the table harder than she intended, but if it got the point across to the three of them that she didn't want to talk, then she didn't care. She crossed her arms at Hal and looked at him expectantly. She wasn't going to start this. Not after FP had her thinking about that damned kiss again, just when she thought she was over it.

"Did you have fun at FP's?" Hal walked over to Alice, intending to invade her personal space.

"Hal, what?" Alice raised her eyebrows, her husband was outright accusing her of cheating in front of their daughter, and her son. She could feel her temper flaring again, and it took every ounce of her control not to slap him right then and there.

"You went over FP's."

"I went to Pop's to clear my head," Alice crossed her arms. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the shouting match that was to come; Alice didn't want to argue with Hal in front of Betty, but certain situations require what she was about to say and do to him.
Hal simply shook his head and walked around the table, he put his hands on the back of a chair and looked out the window, "was he there?"

Alice scoffed, "at Pop's? Where he works? Of course he was, you brain deficient halfwit. Why is this about him so suddenly?"

Hal looked his wife dead in the eyes and gritted his teeth, "because you went over his last week."

Betty turned to Alice with wide eyes. Chic looked up at her, mouth slightly open. Hal smirked. He had here where he wanted her. Alice looked between the three of them, eyes squinted, eyebrows furrowed, mouth open. Silence.

Betty was the first to speak, "mom, what?" She was still staring at her mother in shock. Alice felt like everything was happening in slow motion. Hal had her in a trap, he'd intended to do this; he set this up, to interrogate her and catch her out. Yes, she had kissed FP, but she wasn't actively cheating. She had told him it meant nothing, it was a stupid mistake on her half for even kissing him in the first place. The kiss never should have happened. That moment in the kitchen never should have happened. She never should have gone to his trailer. And she never should have had thoughts about him.

"Hal," Alice closed her eyes and sighed, "I am not cheating on you. I have never cheated on you, and I will never cheat on you," a half-truth wouldn't hurt him. Well, it would if Hal found out. If he finds out.

"I see the way he looks at you, Alice," Hal gripped the chair tighter, and leaned over it, towards Alice, "I want you to stay away from him, and if I ever catch him looking at you- "

"Dad's sleeping with Penelope Blossom," Betty blurted out. Everyone in the room missed a beat. Both parents looked at their daughter. Alice looked at Hal. And Hal at Alice.