Emma smiled at her dad as he walked in. Taking off his coat, Fred greeted his daughter with a kiss. 

"Hey Peanut."

"Hey, dad." She got up as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. "Long day?" He nodded as he opened the bottle and  took a swig.

"SoDale project is tomorrow. I wanted make sure everything was in order." 

Moving towards the kitchen island, he watched as his daughter took out a Tupperware with the dinner she had made earlier. "I made penne alla vodka. Figured you wouldn't be home on time." 

Smiling at her, she continued to heat up his meal.

"So uh, Em, is everything okay? I know we haven't had a chance to talk, but Archie told me about yours and Veronica's confrontation at school." Taking the plate out of the microwave, she placed the dish in front of him and proceeded to grab the grated cheese from the fridge.

"I'm over it. Next time, just give me a heads up. Hearing of it through mindless ease dropping wasn't all too great."

"Peanut, I wasn't keeping it from you. Your mom and I-"

"Dad," She began as she placed the cheese down. "Really it's fine. After a long blow out with Archie, I get it. I'm not mad. I just want you to be happy."  She nodded at him.

He could tell the topic made her still feel uneasy, but he knew she would've spoken up if she was against it. 

He nodded at her as he began to eat, noting how good it was. Usually when he arrived home from late, Archie and him ate left overs or sandwiches. It was nice to have someone who enjoyed cooking.

"I added prosciutto this time. I prefer it over the bacon."

"Well Peanut, you have knocked it out of the park once again."

"Thanks." He ate as she checked her phone to see a message from Cheryl pop up. 

'I get it. I just know my dear mother will not enjoy it. Not one bit.' 

They had been discussing the issues over Polly. Seemingly, Cheryl began to turn around to the idea of seeing this baby as the last piece of Jason she had.

"I wanted to also talk to you about another thing." He stated causing her to meet his eyes. "Jughead, he's gonna stay here for a while. Hopefully, until FP gets better."

She had been bothered that Jughead was in her house, avoiding the second floor, she wanted to lessen the potential of running into him. She figured after seeing the boys locked away in their room for the weekend that something was up. "Great."

"I hope your okay with that? Not... that it sounds like you are." Fred knew that the two had been on the outs. He didn't want his daughter to feel like a stranger in her own house, noting that she was either in her room or at Thornhill with Cheryl.

Shaking her head, she waved it off. "Just a random fight. Nothing too serious. I promise I won't drown him in the toilet as we sleep."

Laughing, he shook his head. "Well-- it's temporary but he's always been a major part of this household. It's the least I could do." He said reasoning with his daughter. 

Emma, hadn't needed any reasoning while she was still mad at him, it didn't mean that she would leave him to the wolves. She knew FP had drank himself into suppression, and Jughead hated that. Putting her own feelings aside, she promised herself by making the scenario better by just evading it all together.

"Well, if you're cool with it, so am I. I still have my bedroom all to myself so..."

***

Emma sat in the student lounge again the next morning, avoiding eye contact with Jughead and sharing the ottoman with Cheryl. "What if my mom and I were to host a baby shower?" Veronica propositioned Betty.

"Count me in." Cheryl said brightly earning a side eye from Emma. 

As much as she loved Cheryl, she couldn't help but wonder what scheme she might concoct. 

Veronica nodded towards Cheryl before returning to Betty, "You want Polly to feel loved and supported, right?"

"Yeah, but ideally by her own parents."

"Okay, so, baby steps, girl. Get Polly and your parents in the same room in a public setting where they can't fight, and viola, let the healing begin."

Emma gestured towards Veronica, "Honestly, it's the most reasonable option. Unless the baby and Polly part ways, you going back and forth propositioning and dealing is getting you nowhere. You force their hand and they will have no other choice."

Jughead leaned back as he spoke, "Am I expected to come to this thing?"

"Of course. You're like with Betty..." Veronica took a sip from her coffee as she looked at Emma and then to Kevin, who shot her a look. 

At the same time, Archie stared and Jughead as Jughead glanced at Emma whose head was down, fiddling with her glove.

"Or not... Whatever. The point is everyone is coming. It's final." Veronica stated as she attempted to redeem herself.

"Elizabeth Cooper." Alice had stormed into the lounge as Betty was dumb struck. "Mom?"

Cheryl looked at Emma, smiling with mischief knowing Alice Cooper was in her usual pissed off mood. "Demon Cooper alert." Emma whispered to Cheryl causing the redhead to laugh.

"I need you and you." Betty and Veronica. "Right now." With that she glided out of the out causing the two to share looks before following the blonde woman.

***

"Hey there grandpa."

"Emma, what are you doing here?" Fred asked the small girl as she entered the his office. Shrugging she handed him a cup of coffee. "Eh, nothing. I went to hang out with Cheryl, got into a bit of an argument so I thought I'd swing by."

Shaking his head he sat down across from the girl who had taken it upon herself to take his usual seat at his desk. "Seems like you're getting into a fight with everyone lately."

"As if..." She rolled her eyes as he looked at her pointedly. "Okay, okay. Maybe, just maybe you are right. But in my defense, I didn't start them."

"Uh huh." Fred was unconvinced.

"Okay I indirectly started one, but Cheryl was not on me." The two joked about Emma and her tendency to start fights with people. 

As the evening grew on, they discussed the peril of Fred's company. She listened, hoping to offer some way to ease his worry. 

They moved to joking about Archie doing manual labor as Emma remained clean and cool inside the office. "Honestly, dad. I could get used to this. Watching my 'big' brother slave away as I roll in the dough."

He chuckled, looking at his daughter. She was smart and fierce, he would be proud to give his company to either of his children, hoping it was what they would want, not what they simply had to deal with.

As the door opened, Fred looked up from his employment record book. 

"Hey guys, you were a life-saver today. I appreciate it. Hard hats go in the bin, and there's soda's in the fridge."  Archie had managed to get some of the guys from school to help his dad to stay on track with the SoDale opening.

"Hey there, uh, Emma." Moose smiled at her causing Kevin to roll his eyes. 

She looked at the brunette and smiled, "Hey, Moose." 

He leaned against the desk, where she sat. "Nice hair. Did you get a cut?"

Her eyes darted to Kevin, both of them knowing Moose was making a lame attempt to talk to her. "Uh, no. I haven't in a while." She shook her head.

"Oh." 

Emma knew it looked as awkward as it felt. Shooting a look to Kevin of confusion, the brunette eyed him oddly, "Hey Moose, don't you need to put the hat in the bin?" Kevin asked, hoping he would leave. Nodding his head, he moved towards the other end of trailer.

Emma looked at Kevin, mouthing the words, "What the f-"

"Crap! Hey, guys, I think I forgot my phone." With that Moose left the trailer. 

Archie looked at Kevin and Emma as they seemed to communicate non-verbally. "It seems you guys have better twin telepathy that Emma and I do."

"That's because Kevin and I are on the same wave length of shady. You, however, dear brother, are as oblivious as rocks." Emma stated commented.

Fred chuckled and pointed at Emma in agreement. 

The strawberry-blonde had noticed Moose's phone on the desk, as he must've laid it down in his weird attempt to start a conversation with her.

"His phone is right here." She signaled as she got up to tell him, "Speaking of dense." She stated towards Kevin.

The brunette rolled his eyes while Emma left the trailer. Emma walked towards the job site as she heard sounds of buzzing and metal hitting each other.

"Moose?" She called out, but he hadn't answered.

Lightly jogging, she saw two guys ganging up on Moose. One hitting him, while the other, held him.

"Moose!" 

She sprinted pushing the guy, who was holding Moose. Swiftly, he had back handed her causing her to spin and fall on the ground. She heard Moose grunt from another hit delivered by the two guys. She reached for the crowbar near the generator and stood up. Hitting one of the guys in the back, the assailant dropped to the ground. However, before she could get another hit in, she felt pressure in her jaw from his partner's fist.

Grabbing his partner, the two ran into their truck speeding away. The group of teens along with Fred rushed out of the trailer towards the two kids, who laid on the floor. 

"Moose!" Kevin called.

"Emma!" Fred ran, grabbing his daughter. Her eyes were shut, blood dripped down her cheek. Archie was wide-eyed at the scene that had unfolded.

Attempting to sit up, Fred placed his hand on Moose. "Stay down, We'll get you some help."

"Dad, how's Emma?"

"She's-she's fine. He knocked her out."

Moose looked at the two, groaning from the kicks he had received. "She tried to get them off of me, but they hit her twice, I think." Moose said. He rolled to his side as Archie questioned him, "Moose, who did this?"

"No idea, but they said, as long as we keep working, they're gonna keep coming back."

***

Emma had woken up in the afternoon still feeling like she was hit by a truck. 

The only blissful thing was that she woke up and no one was home. Yet, with that came no food in the fridge either. She called in an order to Pop's hoping to run in and out. Back into her bed as the weekend had began.

The walk was quiet as her head still hurt, her face ached. Her father had stayed with her at the hospital. 

Emma wasn't surprised she was easily knocked out. The guy had a solid foot on her and he was not holding back either. She had disrupted them, but she couldn't just stand there and not help Moose.

The bell jingled as Emma walked into Pop's, in this moment she hated that stupid bell. Its high-pitched chime irritated her. Wearing an unusual outfit of joggers and a loose tee with a cardigan to help her brace the cool September day, she walked up to Pop as the man smiled at her. 

She knew he had saw her bruised cheek, "Don't ask."

"Trust me, I wasn't. You've always been a fighter, Emma. I'll get you your order." She nodded, knowing half of Riverdale must've known what happened. "Thanks, Pops."

"Hey Emma!" Veronica had called her towards the booth where Archie, Jughead, Betty and she sat. 

Emma internally groaned at the voice. Slightly irritable and sluggish, she sighed and plastered on a small smile before turning around to see the group in their usual booth.

Jughead had taken his arm off of Betty's shoulder as she approached them.

"Hey guys."

"Hey... How are you feeling?" Archie asked. "I was gonna wake you this morning to come but you had fallen asleep with your clothes on, so I assumed you wanted to sleep in."

She nodded, "I'm better. Face hurts and my head is pounding like I had the lecture of a life time but I'll live." She was glad she hadn't been woken up. Both Archie and her knew she would've killed him if he had. Whether it was a hairbrush to the head or tackling him, it wouldn't had ended good.

"Do you still want to come to the shower? I understand if you don't want to." Veronica said softly.

"No, no. I'll come. Don't wanna miss the possible Blossom-Cooper showdown. Can't get that on pre-paid." She looked at Betty, who smiled yet looked uneasy.

"Moose and I are going to the Southside to find those Serpents. You in?" Archie asked Jughead as if it was an urgent matter.

"Whoa, hey, you didn't say it was the Serpents who did this." Betty looked at the twins and Jughead.

Jughead wore a face of annoyance, "Cause we don't know that for a fact."

Emma looked at her brother with a bewildered expression. 

She was actually shocked at how careless he had gotten. "I'm sorry to bust your balls, Vigilantly Casanova, but that might actually be the dumbest plan I have ever heard you say. What are you gonna do with your football crew and the Serpents? Reenact the Sharks vs. the Jets in West Side Story?"

Her brother rolled his eyes, she knew he wouldn't listen. "It's a dumb plan, Arch. You'll gain nothing and risk getting hurt."

"Well, it's still worth a shot if it might help dad. They beat up Moose and then you, Em." Turning back towards Jughead, Archie continued. "Kevin's boyfriend can get us in."

"Get you in where?" Veronica asked as if she was half invested in the conversation.

He looked at Veronica to Jughead, "To some bar where the Serpents hang out. If Moose spots them, we call Sheriff Keller and get these goons arrested."

"Um, I am pretty sure Moose was too busy on the floor curled up in a fetal position. If anything I know more about them than him."

Betty shook her head, worried about Archie's plan. "Archie the Serpents are dangerous. They're drug dealers."

"What?" Jughead seemed to be in disbelief. "Says who?" The strawberry-blonde understood his reasoning of being insulted by what he saw as slander. It wasn't an unknown fact that the Coopers along with most of the Northside hated the Southside and it inhabitants.

 Emma waited as Betty name her credible source.

"Polly."

Emma shook her head, "Okay no offense, Betty, since you get personal with almost literally everything. That's not the 'business' Serpents are in." The blonde instantly became annoyed by Emma's statement.

"Quite frankly, I wouldn't be taking advice from the girl who only listened to the information fed through her boyfriend." 

Jughead looked at her as did Archie. Emma knew that she had come off much harsher than intended. 

None of them knew about Jughead's dad, no one but her. She defended FP and the Serpents as if it was old knowledge, forgetting that for them it was new.

"Well... Trev told us Jason was dealing drugs? It was for the Serpents." Betty countered waiting for Emma's response.

Pop called Emma from the counter, "Emma! Your order is up." She acknowledged him before turning back.

"Whatever. All I'm saying is regardless if they deal or not, your plan is not going to work. I'm telling you, don't go." Shaking her head she walked up to Pop, thanking him as she left. 

Hoping her brother didn't make the mistake.

***

      [ Emma's mood after learning that Jughead would be living with them for a bit. ]