All the three friends - Archie, Betty and Veronica - could do is go over the article announcing FP Jones as Jason Blossom's killer and everything else they know. Over and over, they keep trying to piece everything together, but FP's confession halts all arguments they try to make for his innocence.

"The police report said FP worked alone," Betty says.

Archie turns to Veronica. "No mention of your dad, Ronnie. That's good news, right?"

Veronica nods along. She says, "I can't stop thinking that," she leans in further to the table to keep the conversation quiet, "maybe my dad hired another serpent to plant that gun." And, under the table, away from any eyes, Archie Andrews moves his hand to hold Veronica's in an act of comfort.

It's Kevin that interrupts them. "It's surreal, isn't it?" he claims as he climbs onto the bench-seats to join his friends at lunch. He looks to Betty and asks, "how's Jughead doing?"

"Not good," Betty answers.

"He's not coming in today," Archie tells him. "He's at the station."

"Being grilled by your dad," Veronica adds, her subtly giving Kevin the side-eye.

"Who's doing his job," Kevin returns defensively. "I mean, of course he's gonna ask Jughead questions."

"Okay," Betty snaps her head around to face Kevin, "well, he's wasting his time, Kev." She says forcefully, jabbing her finger onto the table with each word to drill it in, "because FP didn't kill Jason."

"But, Betty," Kevin says plainly, "he confessed."

"Or he was coerced," she argues. "Or he's protecting someone," Betty further suggests, "maybe a serpent." She faces the group as she tell them all, "my mom said him and Joaquin together."

"Don't." Kevin speaks up, his friends' eyes going to him. Pointedly, he says, "do not drag my boyfriend into this. God," Kevin shakes his head in disbelief, "I knew you'd do this - band all serpents together. At least Thorn understands that my dad is doing his job and that you can't argue when FP has just confessed to a crime," he says.

"Wait, Thorn, doesn't think FP's innocent?" Betty asks curiously.

"No." Kevin says, "she, too, is quite adamant he's been coerced. She's fighting it from the limited access she has to the internet a day, courtesy of Clifford Blossom," he groans. "All she's done since is try and find ways to help."

Archie's hand loosens in Veronica's, his attention solely on Kevin and his cycle of never-ending information about Thorn. Subtly, Archie tries to play himself off as disinterested. "You've talked to her?" he asks. "I tried calling, but I've had no reply. All my messages are unread."

"Yeah." Kevin nods. He feels sad for the boy across the table. Kevin knows he feels utterly destroyed for Thorn. "She told me to tell you all she's fine," Kevin says, a lie and Archie knows it.

"Where is she?" Veronica says, "I know she's moved to Thornhill, for some unspeakable reason, but no contact - no school." She sighs and says, "it's like she's dropped off the face the earth."

"Our earth," Archie mumbles.

Betty says, "it's just how Clifford always wanted it. He never wanted her here with us."

"You don't know the half of it," Kevin retorts, making his friends look at him strangely for his outburst. His eyes go wide at what he's said. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"What don't we know, Kev?" asks Betty firmly.

"I shouldn't have--"

"Kevin," Archie glowers at him, "you better tell us or I'll go to Thornhill myself and--"

"No - you can't!" exclaims Kevin. He settles down, trying to cool his nerves. "You can't just go up there and demand to see her. Her dad tried that. She sent him away." Kevin says regrettably, "Thorn's made the choice to live there, and she's not budging. I tried to talk sense into her, but something's happened. This time," he shakes his head, "I don't think she'll come back."

"But you've talked to her," Veronica says.

"She has one call a day," Kevin tells them. "She calls me most days, and then her dad, if she can stomach hearing the hurt in his voice. He feels abandoned."

"Well, she has abandoned him," Archie snaps. He looks around at his friends. "She's abandoned us all, hasn't she? She's not here. She's not answering our calls or texts. She's up at Thornhill, and it's where she belongs," he adds bitterly.

Betty narrows her eyes at him. "When have you ever thought Thorn has belonged with the Blossoms, Archie? You don't think that," she says.

"I'm starting to," he says. "You said it yourself, Betty," Archie says firmly, "Thorn was just like Cheryl, just like the rest of the Blossom family."

"And I was wrong," Betty argues back.

"She chose them," Archie claims. "She chose Clifford and being with them over us."

Kevin scoffs. "You mean over you," he says harshly. "Get over yourself, Archie. We all know if she had a choice, really, she'd be sat here with us and not caged up at Thornhill for Clifford Blossom's entertainment."

"You didn't see her that night at the station." Archie argues, "I did!"

"She would choose us," Betty says. "I know she would."

Archie sighs, disbelief on his face. "Prove it."

Confidently, Betty replies, "I will."

*

The heavy and persistent knocking at the door of Thornhill is enough to wake everyone from their beds. Thorn leaves her room and joins the others, standing at the top of the staircase, overlooking the foyer as Clifford Blossom opens the door to the late-night callers.

"Don't call the cops. We're not staying." Alice Cooper's voice startles Thorn, her moving a little closer to see the woman charging in and calling out for her daughter.

"What the hell is going on here, Alice?" Clifford demands as the Coopers - Alice, Hal and Betty - enter the home without invitation. "It's the middle of the night!"

"Oh, sorry to disrupt the witching hour at Thornhill," Alice retorts aggressively at the two Blossom parents. The Coopers then turn their attention to Polly, their daughter standing close to Cheryl on the stairs of Thornhill.

"Polly, honey," Hal speaks softly, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," answers Polly, quiet in her shock at her family showing up at night. Polly finds her sister. "Betty, what's going on?"

"We're here to bring you home, Pol," Betty says.

Cheryl, protectively, attaches herself to Polly, her arm inter-linking with Polly's. "She's not leaving us," Cheryl says.

"She chose to live her, remember?" Penelope steps forward. Her voice is stern, remaining icy towards the Coopers. "With a mentally stable family."

"Oh, I know all about your family, Penelope," Alice says, her equally getting in Penelope's face as the other woman tried to do before. She turns to Clifford. "And the incest," she sneers.

"What?" Polly asks, confused, "what incest?"

"Hal's grandfather was just your grandpappy's murder victim," Alice Cooper begins, her moving closer to Clifford Blossom, "they were brothers, which made him a Blossom." She states her point confidently, confronting Clifford in his own home. "Just like Hal," she finishes.

"Yeah," Clifford remains stoic, "so what?"

"So what?" questions Alice in disbelief of the man in front of her. "So, everything," she declares. "Starting with FP's confession," Alice claims, "has a few gaping holes in it."

"He's being used by someone with a crazy motive," Betty interjects. She looks at Penelope, and taunts her, "for example, hiding incest?"

"You were disgusted that Jason and Polly were dating because they were related," Alice says, her eyes no budging from Clifford Blossom until she hears Thorn's voice.

"That's not true," Thorn says, and everyone looks to her. She walks further down the stairs, into the view of the arguing families. "He was disgusted. Yes, he didn't like it, but it wasn't because they were related." Thorn spares a glance at Betty and then tells the room, "it was I was meant for Jason. I was going to be Jason's wife."

Alice lets out a gasp of air, looking back and forth between the delicate features of Thorn's face to the strong, unflinching ones of Clifford Blossom. "You were going to marry your son to your cousin's daughter. You were going to force that girl," Alice points to Thorn, her eyes burning into Clifford's, "to your son. They're related!"

"Barely!" Clifford yells. "She was the perfect fit." Clifford spares a glance up at Thorn, "perfect."

"And when people would talk - say they're cousins?" Betty persists.

"Third-cousins," Clifford states. "It's not illegal."

"And Polly - her babies?" Alice questions. "what about them?"

"Nothing could be more purely Blossom than those babies," Penelope says honestly, her lips turning upwards in a smile. She too spares a look to Thorn, "and the ones that came after."

Noises of disgust leave the mouths of the Coopers, all standing there in nauseous over what they're hearing. "Okay," Hal is the first to snap. "What is wrong with you people?" he asks, his voice raised.

"Will you just spare us the middle-class morality?" Clifford says. "It's not like either of them are brother and sister. They're third cousins," he says, normalised by it all. "We wouldn't have allowed Jason to marry Polly--"

"But you'd marry him to Thorn instead," Betty cuts him off. Betty remains hard to the family. "You'd force her to marry into this sick family, like you did everything else. You're monsters. What else are you capable of?" she asks.

Penelope crosses her arms over her chest as she turns to face Betty straight-on. "You think I killed my son?" she asks.

Betty goes to speak, but her mother gets in first. "That's enough," Alice declares. "Polly, we're leaving."She moves to get her daughter, and she does with little arguing from Polly. "Enough of this Doctor Moreau experimentation in breeding and eugenics," she glares at Clifford as she walks towards the door, "it's over!" she yells, storming out of the house Polly at her side.

"Betty," Hall calls for his daughter's attention, "let's go." Hal is at the door, holding it open for his youngest daughter.

Betty looks at her friend, now standing next to Cheryl further on down the large staircase. "Thorn, come on," she says, "we can go home now." Thorn glances at Clifford, and the man shakes his head. Betty questions her friend, "Thorn?"

"Betty," Thorn turns to the blonde, "this is my home. This is my family."

"Your dad is your family - your brother," Betty protests. "Me - your friends - we're your family." Betty notes how quiet Thorn remains. "Come home," she urges. "Come home with us. Thorn?" she asks. "Thorn?" Still, with no response, Betty's voice becomes increasingly panicked. "Thorn?!"

"I'm staying," Thorn tells her friend.

"No," Betty says, her voice soft.

"She said she's staying." Clifford lectures, "so I suggest you leave."

"Betty, I belong here," Thorn says, trying to get her to see. "This is my life. I can't leave it."

"Leave or escape?" counters Betty.

Thorn's head falls to the side, she pleads, "Betty, don't."

"We both know you don't want to be here," Betty says.

"It's the only way," Thorn attempts.

"Thorn."

"Betty," Thorn's voice grows impatient, "leave - now." Her lips quivers as she looks powerless in this moment, stripped of herself. "And," she says, "don't come back."

"So you're going to stay with the man who was going to trade you like some mule - marry you off - trap you in this life." Betty remains adamant against her friend staying at Thornhill. Betty won't have it. "He was going to marry you to Jason - to your own cousin - and you want to stay."

"It's the only way," repeats Thorn.

"Only way for what?" Betty asks angrily.

"To protect the ones I love," Thorn confesses. Her eyes flicker to Clifford and he nods, telling her to carry on. Thorn takes a deep breath and says, "I can't be friends with you, with any of you. I don't want to see you again."

"That's a lie," Betty firmly says. "He's," she points at Clifford accusingly, "forcing you to say this! I know he is!"

"Betty, I need you to leave before I say something I'll regret," Thorn warns. "And I don't want to, but if you don't leave now, I will."

Betty throws her hands up in defeat. "What about Archie?" she asks. Betty points at her, "you owe him more than this. He deserves better than this."

"I'm proving your point, Betty," says Thorn, strained. "You said I wasn't good enough for him, that I don't deserve him. I'm just letting Nancy Drew get another thing right."

"No," Betty rages, "don't give me that. Don't do that!" Sighing heavily, Betty looks to her friend, "don't you love him?"

Thorn glances to Clifford and then back to Betty. She knows her place, what she has to do. So, she ignores the tears clouding her vision and she speaks. "I could never love the son of construction worker."

Betty's jaw clenches, tears building in her own eyes. "I don't believe you. You do love him. I know it. You," her voice cracks, "know it; and he," Betty glares at Clifford and then looks back at Thorn, "knows it."

"Betty, let's go," Hal repeats.

As Betty goes to leave, Penelope grabs Betty's arm in a tight grip. "You made a grave error, little girl," the woman scolds.

"No," Betty assures Penelope, "I don't think so. And I'm not going to stop until I get my friend back and prove it," she vows, yanking her arm away. She gives Thorn one last glance before she heads out the door with her father following immediately, shutting the door behind them.

Clifford looks up to Thorn, and he nods at her in acknowledgement. She returns it, her tears now escaping her eyes and hitting the solid wood floor she stands upon.

Cheryl's warm touch startles Thorn and makes the dark-haired girl look to her cousin. Gently, Cheryl says, "there was some part of me hoped you'd escape, that you'd actually leave this place behind. Archie gave me that hope for you, but he's the reason you're here. The only way," Cheryl says knowingly. "The only you can protect them is by staying away."

"Cheryl, I don't want to talk about it," Thorn says, trying her best to hold back a new flood of tears.

"But hope doesn't exist here. I was stupid to think otherwise." Cheryl says, "we're the same. Permanently damaged and perfectly tied up with a blossom-red bow."

"Maybe it's a noose," returns Thorn. She looks to Cheryl, pulling away from her touch. "It would make sense, wouldn't it?" Thorn starts to make her way back up the stairs, speaking softly, "I'd sooner hang myself."