Consciousness came slowly, gentle, almost like she was swimming, taking her time to break the surface. The sheets were warm and comforting, her head nestled against what felt like feathers. It was almost like an in-between place, that calming place between wake and sleep, where it was her decision, her choice whether or not she wanted to become fully awake. But the mere thought of waking up meant relinquishing her warmth and security under the blankets, and Betty didn't want to do that. It was only when she was seconds from slipping back under the surface did all of the details come back to her, slamming into her with a force that had her gasping awake, her heart thudding against her chest. She could still feel Archie's fangs grazing her neck, teasing, playing, before taking a chunk out of her. It had burned. That's all she remembered; a vicious lightning storm lighting up her body, igniting her blood, her bones, everything inside her. She'd been trapped inside her own mind, screaming and begging to die, for death himself, or herself, to engulf her in their arms and take the pain away. Because Betty would rather die.

At that moment in time, Betty had wanted nothing but to rip out her own heart. If it meant stopping the pain. If it meant dying, then so be it. She would rather lose herself, lose her life, than let the inferno carry on, raging across her body, taking no cell mercy. Betty had read Twilight. And admittedly, the fiction wasn't that far away from the real experience. Bella had burned. And she had too. But Bella hadn't been half Nephilim. Bella had already intentionally fucked up her life by screwing a vampire.

Betty was the opposite. If she had the ability to turn back time, so it meant never knowing the existence of Angel's and Vampire's, she would in a heartbeat. But that would mean she would never have met Jughead, Archie and Veronica. Her roommates, originally human, then becoming fledglings and then unwillingly blood thirsty newborns before something entirely else. Would she really risk losing the memory of them, for some sense of normality? Her life back? That depended on who, or rather what they were now. Penelope Blossom, the catalyst for this whole mess had told them that Nephilim blood could give a vampire their soul back. If that was true, and she could get her roommates back- the originals. Then - no. Betty wouldn't turn her back on her new life. No matter how crazy and screwed up it was. At least she had the residents of Lodge House by her side. Sort of. Even if they weren't exactly human or, hell, not even fledglings anymore.

What had Cheryl called them? Hybrids. Part vampire and equal part Nephilim. That seemed to trigger her mind.

The onslaught of memories hit her like a tidal wave when she finally managed to break through the sleepy fog that had wrapped her up like a safety blanket.

The first thing Betty was acutely aware of was that she was no longer burning. Instead, her body felt- light. Impossibly light, as if she was floating on a cloud. Vampire. The word hit her thoughts like a tumultuous wave.

She should be a vampire. Panicking, she ran her dry tongue over her teeth, searching for a sharp point. But her teeth felt the same. There was no craving for blood burning in her throat, and she didn't feel transformed. But Archie had bitten her. The memory was so clear. Archie, or rather his evil counterpart's teeth ripping into her throat, and the blood- oh god, the blood. The burning. She had tossed and turned, trapped in her mind, before Cheryl Blossom had plunged vampire venom into her heart, inevitably changing her.
That's the only way she was alive, right?

But Betty didn't feel like a Vampire. She still felt like herself. her normal, impossibly mundane self. Betty inhaled, and- yes. She could still suck in breaths of air, and her lungs, as far as she was concerned, were still working as normal.

She went down a mental check list. Vampire's didn't need to breathe. When she held her breath, the all too familiar craving to suck in air came over her, and she was overcome with relief. It came fast, flooding through her, a swarm of warmth chasing away the venom which had scorched her insides, turning her whole body into a vicious inferno.

The first thing Betty glimpsed when she pried her eyes open, was the late Autumn sun filtering through the blinds swaying in front of the window in her room. And then with a thud of her heart, she noticed the figure, a silhouette standing in the window, bathed in warm golden light. Betty sat up a little straighter, suddenly feeling heavier. If that was possible. Shuffling back into the headboard, Betty took steady breaths, attempting to calm her racing pulse. It took her several seconds to realize the streams of vanilla light weren't coming from the sun. Instead, unbelievably, it was coming from the figure.

For some reason, she felt like she'd see this before. And she had. Back at Kevin's dorm when Cole had been tied to the chair, knocked out. He'd been ignited with golden light, the very same thing she was seeing now. But there was also something there, something nagging at the back of her mind. That wasn't the first time Betty had seen the light. It came from a memory long since suppressed, but gently grazing the back of her brain.

Betty squinted. She wasn't hallucinating. Her sleep deprived mind, and post death state had nothing to do with her perception. The light was beautiful, emanating from the figure, filling the room, and her. She felt...warm. Warm and safe. Reaching out a shaky hand, Betty entangled her fingers in the allure that swamped the room, like fairy dust.

She never thought she'd see real fairy dust. It was like Tinkerbell herself had flitted around her room, leaving a trail of gold in her wake. It was breath taking. She was momentarily enraptured by it, hypnotized by the heavenly glow. It made her feel giddy. When Betty reached over to clasp her fingers around the light, she felt something weighty- something hefty tipping her back against the mountain of pillows. But right then, that wasn't her concern. Instead, she focused on the figure, and let herself be enveloped by the light, squinting to try and catch their identity.

Jughead. Betty sucked in a breath. The boy seemed to bleed through the light, becoming less of silhouette, a shadow. Her heart stammered and for one second, one crazy, heart rending second, she thought he was dead. It would make sense, right? He'd died for the second time when Cheryl had force fed him her blood. What if he hadn't survived the second transformation? What if he was well and truly dead? Surrounded by a golden aura, a ghostly light forming gentle hands, coaxing him into some sort of afterlife. Just like the movies. As if Jughead had read her mind, he stepped out of the light which seemed to fade slightly, as if it had been a product of her own wild imagination. The boy looked- different. That's the only word Betty could conjure up in her muddle of thoughts.

He looked…dead.

Betty could only stare at him. His expression resembled that of an excited toddler. The boy wore a white shirt and jeans, and the white- it contrasted his chocolate curls hanging over his forehead perfectly, those liquid gold eyes burning into her own. She was breathless. He blinked once, then twice, showing off his ability to switch the colours of his eyes. "Cool right?" Jughead's grin was unnerving to say the least, especially when his eyes looked like they were unsure on what colour they wanted to be, flashing from a mesmerizing gold, to a blood red. It was almost like the Nephilim and Vampire parts of him were battling each other. Betty couldn't take her eyes off him.

"Jughead." She murmured, an acute pain in the back of her head striking across her skull.
His lip curled into a smile. "You know me so well, sweetheart."

There was something about the way he said that, the tone of his voice, that made her jerk slightly. Why exactly, she didn't know. But Jughead was here. He was alive. The boy laughed, and Betty realized she'd never heard him properly laugh.

"Who says I'm dead?" His voice sounded smooth, sweet- like wind chimes. And she swore, he sounded- off. There was a certain tone in his voice that unsettled her. "Though I like that's where your mind went." Jughead leaned against the wall casually, folding his arms. "Speaking of. How are you doing? Archie took a pretty fatal bite out of your neck, so how exactly are you standing here, Betty Cooper?"

Betty stared at him, her gut twisting. The joy, the swarm of butterflies that had filled her at seeing the boy alive, dispersed into nothing and made way for a slither of dread which crept down her spine. "I'm not a-" she almost choked on the word "vampire" but the corners of his lips curved slightly.

"A vampire?" he cocked his brow, and suddenly the light in the room dimmed, leaving Jughead the only source, practically emitting it.

He looked like he was glowing, bathed in golden tendrils of light that she so badly wanted to reach out and touch. Betty had wanted to touch him ever since he forced her to drink from him, since his blood, which tasted like liquid chocolate, ran down her throat. "How do you know that?"

She lost her breath. "I'm breathing," she choked. "I have a heartbeat."

At that moment, she couldn't move. She couldn't reach her heart with her hand. Because her body was frozen. Jughead didn't seem fazed. He hummed softly, still with that eerie smile. "Are you sure you're breathing, Betty?"

"Yes." She whispered. But she hadn't…checked. She was so used to doing such a simple action, would she ever realise that she'd stopped? When she sucked in a breath, it felt wrong. Her chest felt like it was swelling up, her lungs refusing to take in oxygen.
He smiled knowingly. "You okay there?"

"Stop it." Betty swallowed, tears prickling in her eyes. "Please. I'm alive. I'm human. I have a heartbeat."

Jughead chuckled. "Do you, though?" In a blink of an eye he was standing directly in front of her, his smile growing exponentially. He reached out and took her hand, leading it to her chest. "Listen." He murmured, leaning in. "Do you hear anything, Betty?"

No. No she didn't.

"I do." Tears were slipping down her cheeks now.

She didn't. Oh god, she couldn't sense anything. Even when she pressed harder and inhaled, there was nothing. Betty didn't feel or hear a heartbeat. Jughead cocked his brow. "So, you're not breathing, and you don't have a heartbeat. Does that seem human to you, Betty? Because I for one have never met a human who didn't have a pulse or no longer craved the need to breathe air into their lungs."

It almost felt like liquid fire was drowning her all over again. Or maybe it had never stopped. Perhaps the splintered pieces of her were still stuck in her mind, engulfed in flames. Trapped. She couldn't answer. Betty wanted to laugh it off and insist that yes, she did have a beating heart and yes, she was breathing. But she couldn't, because her chest hadn't expanded like it was supposed to. She didn't feel the need to breathe, to inhale and exhale like normal. She felt dead. Lifeless.

"And the penny drops." Jughead removed his hand from her chest and moved closer, cradling her face. She wanted to back away from him, she wanted to run. But he was too strong. Too fast. He knew all of her moves before she even considered them. Betty's mind was starting to fail, like an engine that turns over and over, never kicking into action. She couldn't formulate a thought. Betty couldn't help letting out a soft gasp at his touch, and the boy's smile widened. "Come on Betty. You know you're not human anymore," he giggled. It was so childish, so playful, and all too familiar. If she had a heart in this plane of existence, wherever the hell she was, it would have beaten right out of her chest.

She recognised that titter, and the bottom fell out of her. His name burned her tongue, but it wouldn't come out. The worst thing was that he was right. She wasn't human anymore, was she? Betty had died on Lodge's house's living room floor beside her killer. Archie Andrews, her fledgling roommate turned full vampire by Riverdale's own Cruella Deville, Penelope Blossom. The images of him stalking towards her flickered across her memory; blood red eyes, fangs curled in a predatory snarl, before his teeth had ripped into her, sucking the breath from her lungs. White hot agony. Fire. Ice. The pain had ravaged through her, striking through her like lightning bolts. She had managed to get up, but blood was pooling from her neck, it was stuck to her hands, caked to the carpet. She was bleeding out. As the memories hit, her knees hit the floor. Of course. She hadn't woken up. She had no heartbeat. She wasn't breathing. Betty squeezed her eyes shut.

She was dead.

Then where was she? Why did everything look so real, when in fact not? Her room in Lodge house looked the same. The same violet curtains and cream carpet, her suit cases and bags, piles of clothes still littering the floor. Everything looked the same, just how she'd left it. Betty ducked her head, tears slipping down her cheeks. It was cruel to place her in what had been her place of comfort, where she always felt safe.

"Open your eyes."

His voice was soft, but there were harsh undertones. She blinked one eye open, then the other. "That's it." Jughead spoke softly. It became painfully obvious that it wasn't Jughead in front of her. The thing had his face, but that was it. He slowly sat on his knees in front of the trembling blonde, reaching towards Betty and cradling her face, swiping hot tears that trickled down her cheeks. She shivered, unable to pull away.

"Don't cry, sweetheart."

Sweetheart.

The nickname brought back memories which hit her like a wave, threatening to bring Betty to her knees. The boy wasn't Jughead. It was his doppelganger. Betty knew she should have felt fear striking her from all directions, ice sliding up and down her spine. But instead she felt nothing. Numb. She glared at him, forcing herself to stay calm. Even if she didn't have to breathe, she forced an inhale. He tilted his head, his eyes hardening. "Why are you trying to force breath into your lungs?" He mused. The boy looked genuinely curious. "Elizabeth, you don't need to breathe here."

"Get away from me." She spat out. "Where...where am I?"

"Let's play a different game," he murmured, taking a step towards her. "Who am I? Guess right, and I'll tell you all you need to know." He held up his pinkie, fangs flashing. "Pinkie swear?"

None-existent breath caught in her throat.

"You're his…you're the other side of him." She began to tremble, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. "You took over him like a parasite."

The words rolled from her tongue before she could stop them, but he just looked amused, scoffing. "Get over yourself, Blondie. I'm the better parts of him. You know that."

His eyes twinkled, and she could taste his blood in the back of her throat once more. Liquid chocolate running through her, igniting her, changing her. Betty remembered how much she wanted to continue, to drink until she had savoured every last drop of him. Until she couldn't drink anymore, until she had drained him, and he was nothing but skin and bone, the shell of a monster. She wanted to kill him, make him suffer for what he'd done. That thought didn't feel natural, but it came to her, seeping into her mind like spoiled milk. But Betty didn't push it away, like she usually shoved bad thoughts to the back of her mind. She embraced it. She wanted to feed from him like he was the last thing, her last source of food. Her last...her last...as quick as it had come, the thought dissolved, and she was left trying to grab for it. It was poison drowning her mind, eating away at her. Shaking her head rapidly, Betty fought to stay calm.

But it wasn't just his blood that she wanted. Even when Cheryl and Kevin had managed to knock Cole out, she felt something towards him. It was like a pull she couldn't yank herself away from, the feeling of loss if she didn't get close to him. And when Cheryl had force fed him Nephilim blood, it almost felt like his pain was affecting her, pushing her to help him, save him from the monstrous humans who were trying to force him from Jughead's body. It had been hard to look away from him, trapped in his eyes, drowning in a sea of blazing red. But she recalled not wanting to look away. While Cheryl had wrestled with the boy, pouring nephilim blood into his mouth, she had been paralysed, every inch of her wanting to lunge forwards and rag Cheryl away from him.

Once again, the thought sprung into her mind without warning. She shook her head, an accute pain striking across her temples. "Get out of my head."

The boy held his hands up. "Hey, that's all you, Elizabeth. I'm not making you think or feel anything," his eyes seemed to brighten. The raven haired boy waggled his eyebrows. "Are you getting hunger pangs? Did you enjoy drinking from me, sweetheart?"

Part of her did. At least the animal that had been let loose inside of her when he had forced his blood down her throat. She didn't reply. It couldn't be hunger pangs. Cheryl had saved her, right? Brushing her tongue against her teeth, there were no spikes, no hidden fangs ready to spring. She couldn't be a vampire. The fledglings turned newborns, and then hybrids, had told her about their awakening. Archie said he felt empty, like nothing, no food or drink in the world could satisfy him. His mouth had watered, his body feeling light as a feather, senses alleviated. Archie could see perfectly, glimpse every fibre in front of him, every spectre on the colour scale- as well as being able to hear a conversation three blocks away. It was overwhelming, Archie had said, like being hit in the face with so many sensations, human and supernatural emotions swamping him like a tidal wave. As for the blood thirst, it had only truly hit him when he'd gotten a whiff of Cheryl Blossom's blood, which had turned him, twisting him into a monster. But Betty didn't feel like a monster. Her vision hadn't changed, except from being slightly feathered around the edges. She could still hear normally. Nothing had changed.

So why did she feel like she had?

"You won't know here." he murmured, cutting her thoughts off. "This place is just a reflection."

Betty swallowed hard. "A reflection?"

Cole nodded. "Sort of. Like a mirror image." His eyes flashed playfully. "Think Alice In Wonderland, but better." he waited for her to reply, but wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "Anyway, you still haven't played my game," his voice was sing-song, whimsical, chilling her to the bone. What's my name, sweetheart? You get two guesses."

Betty narrowed her eyes. "I know who you are," she gritted out. "Tell me how to get back."

His eyes darkened. "Not until you tell me my name."

Betty bit her lip. Playing his game would just allow the vampire to mess with her further, but she had to find a way to get out. If the boy was serious, there might be a way to find her way back. She didn't move, forcing herself to stop shaking. "Your name is Cole," she said flatly. "You took over the body of Jughead, and tried to kill me multiple times before Cheryl sent you back to whatever crevice you came from."

Cole chuckled. "Bingo." he said. "And hey, I was victimised. I'm not even supposed to exist. I only do because your idiot boyfriend wanted to stay a fledgling, he wanted to stay human," he pulled a face, rolling his eyes. Jughead Jones actually thought he could push me, the best parts of him away. His true vampiric side. Which is so fucking sweet, don't you think? Man, I thought Jug had some kind of strength? But the second he sniffed out human blood, he let me in so easily! It was cute, though." Cole winked. "I admire his pathetic obsession with staying mortal. Your roommates are quite extraordinary, avoiding us for as long as they did."

"You're a leech." Betty managed to choke out, her lip curling. "You can't survive without your other half, so you take over him instead."

His smile disappeared. "Enough about me," he said. "You want to know where you are, and what exactly you are, so let me enlighten you." Cole leaned close, his breath tickling her cheeks. She tried to pull back, but he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look directly at him. His was almost melancholic. "First of all, shockingly; "You're dead."

"Well, obviously." Betty spat, her gaze bouncing around the room, seeking a way out. Where was there to run? The room seemed to be getting narrower, closing in on her from all four corners. Forcing her gaze back to Cole, she swallowed. "What happened to me?"

He shrugged, adapting a look of boredom. "You had your throat ripped out by that bloodthirsty roommate of yours who was on a serious blood binge, and then Princess Blossom forced vampire venom into your heart, killing you instantly." he tightened his grip on her, claw-like nails digging into her flesh. "But you know this, Betty. You remember lying on the floor, Cheryl hanging over you. You remember her plunging venom into your heart. You remember Kevin's voice, and the pain. The pain you thought was going to rip you apart." as he spoke, his smile grew progressively wider, eyes flittering from blood red, to blinding gold. Even Cole had been effected by Jughead's transformation. The boy was his doppelganger, the evil side of him. Of course he too would become part Nephilim. But Betty knew which side dominated him. His smile was cruel, dark eyes gleaming. "You remember Archie draining the life out of you, and my blood which was still dormant in your system slowly coming back to life inside your veins, changing you."

Betty bit back a sob. "I'm not a vampire."

He laughed. "Well, sure. You're not a vampire. But you're not human, either. So, the million dollar question is, what exactly are you now?"

"Let me go," she whimpered.

Cole regarded her with amused eyes, lips twisted in disgust. "You're just as pathetic as him," he hissed.

"Having all the power in the world and throwing it away for a boring mortal existence. You disgust me. Both of you. I wish I could bleed dear Jughead dry, but there would be complications. Obviously I can't kill myself, but I can torture him. He might think he's won, Betty. But I'm always at the back of his mind, urging him to hunt, to drink from humans. And when he lets his guard down, I'll slip back into rightful place." His expression turned smug. "You'd like that though, right? After all, it's my blood you guzzled down your throat, babe. Not his."

His words were like daggers in her spine. Betty wouldn't lose her sanity for the sake of satisfying him. "I said let me go!"

Cole shrugged, tipping his head back, his eyes switching from red, to brown to gold. "I mean I could, but then how would you learn to fight, huh?" he curled his lip. "You're Nephilim, Betty. The daughter of an angel and mortal, a being made solely to piss of vampires. You are the literal fucking embodiment of light." He snarled, "So, where are those wings you've been teasing me with, hm?"

She couldn't help it, the words came out like word vomit, despite her predicament. "You know Jughead is partially Nephilim now, right? Which means so are you." Betty choked out a hysterical laugh, which bounced around the room, reverberating from the walls. Her vision blurred for a moment, and she blinked rapidly, trying to wrench away. She was filled with sudden confidence, a fiery urge to fight back. "You're the demonic replica of my friend, a hellish being bent on destroying him. But you are him!" she tried kicking him, but he growled, shoving her harder against the wall. Betty bit back a squeak.

"Where...where are yours?" She was stammering over her words. "You're a copy of him, so you...you should have wings too!" she shrieked, trying to tear herself from him once more. But he had her in a throttlehold, his fingers like clamps around her neck. "Get off me!"

Cole's eyes grew turbulent. "You'd be wrong there, sweetheart," before her brain could snap into full awareness so she could make a run for it, he grabbed her by the throat, pressing, closing, until she finally felt the overwhelming urge to suck in oxygen. Betty could have cried, thriving on the fact that she still needed to breathe. But her delight was over-shadowed by the sudden need to gasp for air, blocked by his fingers which were digging into her flesh. Betty tried clawing at him, tried to peel his fingers from her neck, but he only grinned, tightening his grip. This had happened before, she could remember the exact same sensations running through her. The inability to breathe, the sharp pain rocketing through her chest and panic engulfing her brain, setting off fight or flight. Cole looked triumphant, his pleasant smile slowly widened, grew, till it wasn't a smile at all but a contortion of teeth, exposed and glistening.

"Sweet little Betty, you might be Nephilim, but you have the brains of a neanderthal," he cackled, nibbling the flesh of her neck. "As a matter of fact, myself and my human twin are quite different. I am simply a reflection of him until we merge. All he has to do is drink human blood, and we become one once again." he let out a dramatic sigh. "I'm afraid I don't get the wings, dude. As much as I'd love them, of course."

"I'm not anything," Betty whispered through the gutter of her throat. "I'm just-"

"Human." Cole finished in a soft murmur. He let go of her and she slipped to the ground, gasping for breath. Part of her wanted to lunge up and attack him, with phantom senses suddenly taking her over, drowning logic. But the rest of her stayed glued to the floor. He loomed over her with calculating eyes. "Why not look in the mirror?"

Betty stared up at the vampire, her expression crumpling. "What?"

He shrugged. "You heard me. Look in the mirror, and then tell me you're human."

In the blink of an eye, Betty was standing again. But this time, there was a mirror in front of her. The looking glass that she found herself staring into was fully sized, showing her reflection. It was wall-mounted; encircled by a frame of threadlike strands of silver, interlaced together in a mock-liana arrangement. She was looking at herself, who of course looked a mess. The first thing she took notice of was her bloody clothes, her neck caked cardinal, blonde hair hanging in rats tails. Betty risked a step forwards, getting a better look. She glimpsed hard blue eyes just about peeking though her hair, cheeks drained of colour. Slowly, she ran her hand down her blood spattered face, then her neck, cringing when flakes of blood stuck to her nails. "So? What do you think?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin when Cole appeared, with his usual smirk. The vampire stood behind her. "Still think you're human?"

Betty's gaze never left the mirror. "I don't understand," her voice shook. "How does this dictate if I'm human or not?"

He chuckled. "Look closer."

And she did, moving almost as if she was in a trance. Betty didn't stop until she was nose to nose with her reflection. Until the image of herself in the glass blurred, before disappearing completely. She was there, and then she was gone. Betty stayed still, staring at the empty glass, willing her reflection to come back, before she bled back into existence. But this time she wasn't staring at herself. At least not her current self. The girl was familiar, and it came back to her in snap shots. It was her own double who had bled into reality from the rain; a pale, smiling girl with blood red lips, golden curls illuminating the dark. Before, she had been translucent, practically a ghost seeping into the real world. A reflection.

But this time the girl looked more prominent, more real. She shared Betty's reflection, but with key attributes. Her cheeks were porcelain white, lips smeared crimson. The girl wore a short red dress that perfectly fit her, bare feet caked in dirt. She studied Betty for a moment, dark eyes cloudy red, before her lips broke out into a fanged smile. "It's been so long," the girl murmured, cocking her head in a childish manner. "Can I come out now? I've been in so much pain."

Betty swallowed, beginning to back away. But Cole grabbed her, shoving her forwards. "What kind of pain?" he addressed the girl in the mirror.

"Hunger." Her reflection moaned. "I'm so hungry." she pressed her hands against the glass, her expression growing forlorn. Betty noticed there was a slight crack, a spider web of splintered glass. The girl tapped it gingerly, her eyes flashing.

"Please let me out. I'm... oh god, I'm so hungry."

"What does it feel like, Elizabeth?" The vampire addressed the girl, before winking at Betty. "I haven't thought of a name for her yet. Though I have ideas."

"Like I'm being ripped apart!" the girl threw herself against the glass, snarling, her fangs curling, eyes turning into pools of black. "Please! Please, let me out!"

"In due time," Cole murmured. There was something in his eyes that she had never seen before. Sympathy. Only the tiniest amount, barely even visible. But she still saw it, seeping from him. It was for the girl. "Hold on, okay?" He turned back to Betty with questioning eyes. "Do you want to know why you're stuck here? I mean I could be a total dick and let you figure it out on your own, but you drank my blood, Sweetheart," he wrinkled his nose. "Even if you turned Jughead into a hybrid, I can't seem to hate you."

His dark eyes assessed her with interest. The irises were nearly black, just a hint of ruby around the edges. Thirsty.

Betty was frozen. Her gaze flittered from her vampire twin still tapping on the glass, to Cole's dark expression. "Why?" she held his gaze. "Why am I here?"

The vampire rolled his eyes. "I think you know why you're here," he started to circle her, practically dancing around her. "Lets say not all vampires are as lucky as your friends. When transformed, they come here and have a choice, which is fairly easy. They look at two versions of themselves. Their human self and their vampiric self. And they choose. Obviously they don't choose human, because their human selves are dead," he stopped hopping around her like a hyperactive toddler, stopping inches from her.

Betty bit her lip against a frustrated cry. "Stay back."

The boy smiled coyly. "If only you had a way to make me, Sweetheart."

Her cheeks burned, which only set him off chuckling again. "Annyyywayyy," he continued. "It happens during the transformation, during the burning. So when humans think they're drowning in hell fire, they're actually here," seeing her expression, Cole blew a raspberry. "Jughead was well overdue, so I took over anyway, regardless of what he wanted. But you? Betty Cooper, you don't choose whether you're vampire or human."

Betty already knew what he was going to say, her lips mouthing his words as he said them.

"I choose whether I'm Vampire or Nephilim."

Cole grinned. "Bingo."

She swallowed hard. "But-"

"It's a confusing situation with Jughead. He and the others ran away from their vampiric nature so we broke out of the mirror and chased them." he shrugged, flashing a grin. "If you think about it, there's not really a choice. It's vampire or death. Jughead is a peculiar. He and the others are the very first hybrids ever made, so I can assure you they won't last long," Cole hummed, his eyes going skyward. "The need to consume human blood will overpower Nephilim blood, no matter how so-called powerful angel essence is. After all, you can't tame a vampire, Sweetheart. Your boy won't be able to resist himself," his gaze fell back to her, a sly smile pricking his lips. "And besides, he'll find he's got a little bit of me inside of him. So won't that be fun?"

Betty ignored him, even when the thought of Jughead mixed with Cole made her feel queasy.

Another mirror appeared. An exact replica next to her vampire counterpart. This time when she looked into it, another version of her appeared. Again, she looked the same. But there was no blood, no fangs. The girl was bathed in a golden aura, like the one she'd seen around Jughead when he became a hybrid. Her hair looked almost alive, like physical tendrils of light stuck to her scalp. She wore a small smile, blue eyes flecked with gold burning into her own. It didn't take Betty long to spot them. Wings. They were nearly as tall as her body, arcing off her back like a concave reflection. Each long, narrow feather was ratty and grey, every inch of her bleeding that wonderful golden light.

Betty looked between the two, her mind racing into several directions before her gaze seemed to settle on the version of herself with razor sharp teeth and blood staining her chin and fingertips. There was something compelling, captivating about this doppelgänger, something almost powerful that had her stepping towards it without thinking.

What the hell was she doing?

Cole scoffed behind her. "It's tantalising, isn't it?" he murmured. "It's not just the bloodthirst that pulls you in, Betty. It's that you'll be carefree. Emotions won't matter to you, and you can switch them off whenever it suits you." the boy's breath tickled her ear and she shivered, her gaze stuck to her reflection. "You'll be strong, Betty. Confident. Haven't you always wanted to fit into Lodge House? Don't you feel left out being the only human?" He cleared his throat. "Wait, sorry. I mean the Nephilim girl without wings. C'mon sweetheart, don't you want to live eternally with Jughead Jones?"

Yes. The realization shocked her. Betty had spent so much time despising the idea of becoming a vampire, she had never considered the possibility of living forever with Archie, Veronica and Jughead. The four of them, eighteen years old forever.

"That's more like it!"

The boy's voice was quickly becoming a buzz of white noise in her ears. Betty was quickening her pace until she was directly in front of her monstrous self. She was reaching, pressing her hand against the glass. It was almost hypnotizing, the pull that came over her mind, drowning logic, drowning coherent thought and yanking her further into the mirror. It was so easy. Just a little more, and no more overthinking. No more worrying about everyone but herself. She would be totally at peace with herself.

She'll hunt.

She'll kill.

She'll hurt her loved ones.

Each postulation hit her one by one, seemingly snapping her out of it. Images of her friends turned blood-crazed beasts filled her mind; Jughead grinning at her, empty eyes, blood pooling from his chin. Archie blinking at her rapidly, Cheryl Blossom staining his his fingers. Even Cheryl herself- the Blossom princess. The way she'd attacked Cole with impossible speed, her scarlet hands wrapped around his neck, trying to dislodge his head.

She wouldn't turn into a monster.

Betty jerked away from the mirror with a sharp gasp, regaining control of her limbs, her brain kicking into gear. Before she could hesitate and second guess herself, she was backing away. There were two separate entities inside of her battling for dominance. She cried out when icy hands gripped her shoulders, yanking her back. Cole wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close, his lips nipping her ear. "You're cute, Betty. Really. You and Jughead really are made for each other." the vampire snarled. "But like I said, no matter how hard you try, you'll never escape who you truly are. Who you want to be. Because you can't deny it anymore, can you? The hunger is driving you insane."

"Wrong," she spat. Even when he was right. There was something there, right in the pit of her gut, and all it wanted to do was devour every living, breathing thing in its path.

Betty couldn't speak, everything she wanted to say was twisted in the back of her throat, alphabet soup scrambled in her brain. She squirmed out of his grasp, managing to shove her elbows into his gut. To her surprise, he let her go with a choked laugh before backing away, shaking his head. "I almost pity you, Betty. You can't hide behind your wings forever. Especially when you know, deep down, what you want to be."

She pressed her hands over her ears, and he laughed. "Hey, I'm just speaking your thoughts. Give Jughead my regards," he chuckled. "I'm sure we'll see each other soon."

"What?" the word spluttered from her lips, just as the vampire oozed out of existence, his smirk still lighting up the din.

The vampires words pricked the back of her mind, but she couldn't think about them right now. The mirrors were still there, both reflections staring at her with wide eyes.

Betty had made her choice. She wouldn't hurt people.

When Cole was gone, Betty strode towards her nephilim self. Her reflection smiled back at her, blue eyes flickering with golden light. She looked around the room once again, the fake projection of her room at Lodge House. The room looked to be slowly falling apart, fading into nothing. Nephilim Betty held out her hand, pale fingers grasping for hers, her smile reassuring. This time she didn't hesitate. Betty wrapped her hand around her reflections wrist, allowing the winged girl to pull her into the mirror. Ignoring Jughead's Doppelgangers final words which were still stuck to the back of her mind, Betty allowed herself to be enveloped in nothing. It was like wading into warm water, sinking under a gentle current that rocked her into slumber, while familiar warmth bled into her.

But as she fell, careening into comfortable darkness, the unmistakable sound of splintered glass shattered her ears.

"Betty! Shit, wake up!

The voice was familiar, sending a rush of both fear and warmth shooting inside of her. It didn't take long for Betty to slide back to consciousness. The first thing she noticed, apart from the voice, was how light she felt. It almost felt like she was floating in shallow water, submerged in the ocean. The memories hit her in a tidal wave; the burning, phantom hands tearing into her body and liquid fire igniting her veins. The memory was fading but she remembered the dim lit room, and two mirrors. She remembered Jughead's doppelganger's icy breath in her ear, his teeth grazing the curve of her throat.

"Betty?" The voice grew desperate, and her gut twisted. Archie. Or maybe it was his evil counterpart. Her eyes flickered, peels of light slowly beginning to filter through her lashes. The thought of the monster looming over her, grinning manically, sent her heart into her throat. That was impossible though. The vampire had bitten her, his psycho twin drank deep, ingesting Nephilim blood. Shivering at the memory, Betty sucked in a breath, revelling in the feeling. She could breathe again. When she lifted her arm up and pressed it gingerly to her chest, there was a heartbeat. She sat up, blinking her eyes open, her vision blurring before bleeding into high definition. It was disorienting, sending her thoughts into a whirlwind. Lodge House's living room came into focus around her, but it was much brighter. The windows were dark. She cocked her head. How much time had passed?

For a moment, Betty was confused. Her head was pounding, and every memory that battered her skull was inebriating, muddling her brain. Betty felt light, but also heavy. Her back was itching, stabbing pains shooting up and down her spine. When she held out her hand and waved it experimentally, her skin was snow white. When she stared for long enough, she could almost make out a dim golden light writhing between her fingertips. Everything was so overwhelming, plunging her into confusing mind fog. It was like someone had placed a filter over her eyes, amplifying her senses to the point of seeing and hearing things she couldn't. If Archie had heartbeat, she'd hear it. But she only heard her own.

"Betty?" Archie's voice sounded different. Though she couldn't put her finger on it. It sounded lighter. Right now, she couldn't focus on him. Everything was springing out at her, things she had never noticed before. Looking down, she glimpsed each individual strand, every fiber which made up the sheep skin rug she was sitting on. It was a favourite of Veronica's and had been ruined, splattered with blood as she'd bled out all over it. It was strange. She was definitely back in the real world, but right then, it felt like she was floating. But Betty felt the floor beneath her. She placed her hands palms down on the wooden floor, just to make sure. She definitely wasn't floating.

Lodge House hadn't changed, though she wasn't sure why she expected it to. The living room was still homely, and she already felt the house's gentle caress greeting her back from the dark. Betty frowned at the coffee table strewn with comics and coffee mugs. Every cover in each comic jumped out at her, the illustrations in perfect clarity, varying in genres and series. Though whatever was happening, she couldn't control it.]

Suddenly, everything was interesting. Everyday objects that she hadn't looked twice at before. Every coffee cup, the stickers on Jughead's laptop and the leftover pizza coagulating on the floor from that very first night. Her mouth watered at the thought of eating it. But the hunger felt different. Normally, she could control it until she grabbed some ramen or cooked herself something. But as soon as her gaze was on the pizza, counting each individual piece of moldy bacon, a gnawing feeling took over, freezing her into place. She wanted to lunge for it. She wanted to rip it apart, demolishing each individual piece. The intrusive thought made her feel sick. She was losing it.

No, she wasn't. Betty assured herself. She had chosen her Nephilim side.

But she knew these feelings. Every single one of them was a sign of vampire transformation. But heart was still beating. She was still human.

Betty focused on the comics, wrinkling her brows and forcing the thought to the back of her mind.

Guardians Of The Galaxy - Special Edition.

Spider Man - "The Amazing Spider-man"

The Walking Dead- Issue 67

The Walking Dead- Issue 68

The Walking Dead - Issue 1

"Betty!"

Twisting around, Betty blinked rapidly. Archie Andrews was kneeling in front of her, and she felt her heart stutter. She had no doubt it wasn't Archie; wearing his usual boyish smile, mocha eyes crinkled around the edges with worry. His red hair was a curly mess, sticking up everywhere. She could almost pretend, just for a second, that he was human again. If it wasn't for her blood smearing his lips and chin. It seemed to trail down him, staining his neck and the white dress shirt. But she couldn't deny that there was something different about him. His skin was still pale, practically translucent, but there was colour to his cheeks, like strawberries dipped in yogurt. The same aura buzzing around her fingers seemed to be fleeting around him as if it was alive, bathing him in heavenly light that magnified his features. She couldn't help staring. The residents of Lodge House had always been beautiful. But now the boy looked almost angelic.

A hybrid, Betty thought dizzily. He was half Nephilim now.

"Dude!" The vampire snapped his fingers in front of Betty's face and she drew back, swallowing a cry. When she sized him up, her lip curling, Archie gave her a sheepish smile. "Hey, so uh- we've got a problem." he rushed out in a breath, his expression frenzied. "And I know I just technically ripped out your throat, which definitely goes down as a douche bag move,." He pulled a face. "If you're still pissed off with me, I give you permission to drive a stake through my heart. Hell, I'll even move out if you're uncomfortable living here. But right now? You need to listen to me."

Betty felt irritation prickle through her.

"I need to listen to you?" she bit back a hiss, finding her words. "You killed me!"

Archie cocked his head. "No, I didn't! Well, I guess I did. But, I mean..." he trailed off, before letting out a frustrated breath. "You look pretty alive to me?"

She could have punched him.

And then driven a damn stake through his heart.

"Jug and Ronnie," she gasped out. "Where are they?"

He shrugged. "My guess is as good as yours."

Betty couldn't help it. She sat up properly, glaring the vampire down. "Are you even you?" she demanded, despite already knowing. There was no way his other self would be able to control himself being so close to her.

Archie ran a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh. "Of course it's me. Look, we can talk about my psychotic ass of a doppelganger later. But for now?" he lowered his voice. "Your mom is here."

The vampires words sent shivers rippling up and down her spine. "What?" she bit back a squeak, suddenly conscious of the state of herself. "My mom?"

Archie nodded grimly. He jumped up, offering his hand. Betty grabbed it, letting the vampire pull her to unsteady feet. Her head spun, and she blinked back stars. Archie clawed his fingernails down his face. "I woke up to her screaming, and panicked," he groaned. I'm not strong enough to compel her, so I've been telling her to make coffees."

Betty actually laughed. "What?"

He eyed her, his lip curling. "It's not funny. I can only influence her mind slightly, so I've been distracting her from asking questions by telling her to make coffee."

Betty's gaze snapped to the plethora of coffee mugs littering the table. "Right," she murmured. Archie hummed, his nostrils flaring. "Yep. Jug is going to kill me for using all the coffee. It's the only thing we can drink without wanting to vomit."

Betty was momentarily taken off guard. "But you're a full vampire now."

He cocked his brow. "So? We've always been able to drink coffee. It's like a vampires comfort drink."

Whatever she was going to say was choked at the back of her throat when her mother stepped into the lounge, holding two steaming cups. She set down the mugs, before straightening up with a tight smile. "Elizabeth." she said calmly, her blue eyes glazed over. "When were you planning on telling me you were living with vampires?"

Betty was tongue tied. Every time she looked her mom in the eye, her stomach twisted, her throat burned, and all Betty could think about was the phantom aroma in her nose, pushing her to get closer to her mother. It was her perfume, it must have been. But the scent didn't even have a smell. At least it wasn't one that she could make out.

Tears sprung to her eyes. Betty kept her distance. "Mom, I-"

Alice's eyes hardened. She took a step forwards, and Betty couldn't resist one back, choking on the smell that flooded her nose. "Boys, too! Bloodsucking, polygon boys!"

"Polyamory." Betty said quietly.

Her mother's narrowed eyes flashed to Archie. "Tell me, KJ. How long have you been a vampire?"

Archie's expression was nonchalant. "I'm not a vampire, Miss C," he said calmly. "And my name is Archie."

She scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous! My daughter's blood is all over your mouth!"

Archie cursed under his breath before slowly walking over to the bristling woman, keeping his steps slow. Alice didn't back away. "Miss Cooper, I'm actually pretty thirsty right now. Do you mind making us some coffee?" He lay his hands on her shoulders, maintaining eye contact. "Be real slow about it too, alright? I'm gonna need five cups."

Alice looked like she might argue, her lip trembling, before her expression relaxed.

"Of course, Archie." Betty watched, baffled, as her mother turned and walked back into the kitchen. When the door shut quietly behind her, the redhead twisted around to Betty, brown eyes wide. "You need to let me bite you," he hissed. "It's either I drink, like a smidge of your blood, or your crazy mother reveals the existence of vampires."

"She's not crazy!"

"This is her a little compelled! Do you want to see what she's like free of influence?"

Betty didn't. "Okay," she said quickly. "What's your plan?"

The redhead sighed. "I need to feed from you to get my energy back."

She couldn't help her snark. "What's stopping you from bleeding me dry?"

Archie looked hurt. "You know I'd never hurt you," he said sincerely. "Obviously, except from when I'm possessed by an evil entity hell bent on taking over my body. But seriously, Betty. You can trust me." The boy's smile was gentle, and she could almost forget how terrifying, monstrous, his doppelganger had acted. Even if the thing had his face, it wasn't Archie. She swallowed with a shaky nod. "Okay."

"Sure?" the boy looked uncertain.

Betty shrugged. "What other choice do we have?" She felt a curl of nausea in the pit of her stomach, but as much as she hated the idea of the boy biting her again, he was right. If her mother wasn't compelled, they were in trouble. She held her breath and pulled up her sweater sleeve, slithers of regret already creeping into her head.

"Just do it."

Archie nodded. "Right. But not here. Your mom will a have a goddamn aneurysm if she sees me feeding from you."

The vampire led her upstairs, pulling her gently into his music room. She sat down on the wooden chair by the piano and held out her arm, squeezing her eyes shut. But after a few seconds of nothing, she opened her eyes, peering at the redhead who stood over her looking uncomfortable. It was the first time the boy looked vulnerable. Warm browns found her gaze. "It was a shitty thing I did, Betty. I know it wasn't actually me, but I can still..." he scrunched his face up, lips curling. "I can see what he did to you."

Betty felt a pang in her chest. "It wasn't you." she said, her voice breaking slightly.

Archie shook his head. "It still feels like it was. I can see everything in vivid detail, how he..." the boy bit his lip and shook his head. He dropped to his knees beside her, heaving out a breath. "Anyway, we should get this over with."

Betty nodded, offering him her arm. "Knock yourself out." she sent him a small smile, but Archie Andrews already had a tight grip on her arm, human features dripping away, his expression twisting, eyes flashing crimson. He could already smell her, his nostrils flaring as Archie sniffed the air, a whine escaping his lips. "Fuck," he sent her an apologetic smile, which broke into a stretch of glistening needle points stained crimson. It took everything inside her not to reel back, retracting her arm and yanking it away.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"No," she gritted out. "Can you just get it over with?"

With a deep breath, as though he was trying to steel himself, Archie sank his teeth into the soft flesh of her inner arm, the pain sharp enough to cause Betty to hiss out, but she remained still. Not, of course, that she'd be able to yank herself free - Archie had a vice-like grip on her arm now that he could taste her blood, and Betty willed herself not to let her mind wander back to that horrible afternoon in the kitchen, where he pinned her and killed her.

To his credit, she did believe Archie was trying to be gentle. She could feel his tongue along her flesh, his hot breath ghosting along her arm, and it was yet another added combination to focus her attention on. He was breathing heavily as he drank, his shoulders risen, nails digging in, as though he was afraid she'd pull away. Betty wondered exactly what Archie was tasting in her blood, what had him moaning as he sucked the scarlet tendrils that down her pale skin.

It didn't take long before she felt the tell-tale pangs of dizziness, the fogginess that came with blood-loss. Betty gave Archie a few more moments before she lifted her hand and, after a moment's hesitation, carded it through his hair. He didn't even seem to notice. "Archie, that's enough now," she said softly, slowly jostling her arm, trying to get his attention. It got his attention, all right, but all for the wrong reasons, because the second she started moving her arm, the grip he had tightened exponentially. Betty's heart spiked. "Archie, you've had enough. Let go." A primitive growl escaped his lips, teeth - if possible - sinking deeper into the soft flesh of her arm. The panic driving her only caused her heart to beat faster, and that wasn't good; a faster beating heart meant blood racing through her veins, which meant more blood for Archie, which would result in her losing more and growing weaker. She tried to pull her arm away, trying to stem away the accelerating fear. Her fingers shook as they moved from Archie's hair to his shoulders. "You're hurting me, Archie. Let me go!"

It took another moment - a moment that stretched into what felt like hours, her vision flickering slightly, her body almost weightless - but then she felt Archie tensing all over before he was ripping himself away from her. In the span of one blink and the next, Betty found her eyes slowly moving around the room until she found him in the corner, the piano between them. He was panting, a hand over his mouth, chest heaving. His fangs were still visible, his eyes slowly returning to their normal brown. He looked shaken, fearful, but in control. His tongue flicked out, lapping excess blood, before he must have caught her expression. The boy pressed a shaking hand over his mouth.

"I'm sorry," the vampire whined. "Fuck. I couldn't stop. I couldn't...I couldn't stop," his eyes widened with worry. "Are you okay?"

She couldn't help a hysterical laugh. "I guess? I mean, you didn't kill me this time."

He scoffed. "Because I'm teeming with angel blood. Like Jug and Ronnie. If I wasn't, I would have bled you dry."

Betty shivered. "But you didn't, Archie. You had control"

The boy ignored her, whimpering softly.

Blowing out a deep breath, Betty slowly braced her hands on the chair, willing the dizziness away. "What about you?"

His hand was still over his mouth. Archie turned away from her, snarling. He was trying to hide the predatory growls, but she could definitely hear them muffled between his lips and the flesh of his hand. "Fine. Just- fuck, give me a minute."

Betty nodded. She kept her distance, allowing the boy to calm himself down, before he finally stood up, swiping his chin. Betty jumped up too, automatically regretting the sudden jolting movement when her head spun once again, stars blinking in her vision.

"Better?"

Archie looked human again. "Pretty much." he frowned at her arm. "Though you might want to roll your sleeve down," he wrinkled his nose, averting his eyes.

Betty followed his gaze. The vampire had of course left bloody teeth marks just below her elbow. But before she could comment on it, she watched the skin slowly begin to knit itself back together, pink flesh spreading across the trauma.

She poked at the mending wound gingerly, before pulling the sleeve of her sweater down. Without the burning in her throat and the...the hunger, the carnivorous hole eating her from the inside, Betty might nave guessed that was her Nephilim powers kicking in.

And yet Cole's words were still haunting her.

"Betty?" Archie was at the door. She nodded, bounding over to him. They hurried downstairs, finding Alice standing with a tray of coffee.

"You two have got a lot of explaining to do," she said sternly. But Archie was already striding over, placing his hands on the woman's shoulders. Betty followed, though at a distance. She was terrified of catching her mothers scent once again.

"Alright," Archie cracked his knuckles. "Second time lucky, right?" he flashed a smile at Betty, before capturing her mothers gaze. "Okay Miss Cooper, you've got it all wrong. We're drama students doing a production of Dracula. My roommate Jug went slightly overboard with the fake blood, so that's why we're covered in it," he gestured to Betty. "Betty is of course helping us rehearse, playing the part of Lucy Westenra." the boy was out of breath, high on her blood no doubt. "Right, Betty?"

She nodded, biting her lip. "That's right, mom."

Alice blinked slowly, her blue eyes clouding with confusion. "Oh!" her lips parted, eyebrows wrinkling. "But it looks so realistic!"

The redhead nodded. He flashed a smile, razor points glinting. "See!" he poked at his teeth, stabbing them with his index. "Plastic."

Alice nodded eagerly. "Of course. I'm sorry, you scared me quite a bit!" she grinned at Betty. "Anyway! I should get going," she waved at Archie. "It was lovely to meet you, young man. Elizabeth, I'll see myself out. I left some of your belongings in your room and I've filled up the refrigerator with home-made meals if you kids get hungry."

"Thanks mom." Betty said weakly. She wanted to run to her mother, to throw her arms around her. But not when she was... different. "I love you."

Alice hurried to the door. "Don't be silly, sweetie. I love you too." she sent Betty one last smile, before hurrying off. "I'll call you!"

Betty didn't reply. Instead, she stared hard at the floor until she was sure she wasn't going to break down.

Archie was bustling around the living room, changing his shirt and pulling on a jacket. "Okay, we're heading out. Cheryl and your weird human friend have Jug and Veronica."

She supposed the "weird human friend" was Kevin.

Sniffling, Betty nodded, turning to the vampire. "Do you know where they are?" the thought of seeing Jughead again made her heart stutter. Especially when he was a hybrid now, especially when he could have parts of Cole, part of the monster who tormented her.

Archie threw her one of Veronica's blouses's and a clean pair of jeans. He held up a sticky note, and despite him being halfway across the room, she saw the message perfectly; "I'm at the human's apartment with Jughead. Get here when you wake up, and NEVER give me babysitting duty again."

Cheryl. She recognized the girl's cursive handwriting.

"Dude, you need to get changed," Archie chuckled, straightening himself out. "You're straight up looking like a saw victim."

No thanks to you. She thought like saying back, but swallowed it down.

Instead, Betty nodded and ducked into the downstairs bathroom, changing quickly. She washed her face and neck of blood, tying her bedhead into a ponytail. Archie was waiting for her in the hall, fidgeting with his car keys. She approached him, hugging herself. The redhead had thrown on a beanie, strands of crimson hair poking out.

"You're pale." Archie murmured, his eyebrows furrowing. "Jump on my back."

Betty frowned at him. "You're kidding, right?"

The corner's of his lips curved into a mischievous smirk. He held up his car keys. "Of course I'm kidding."