A/N: I guess I just wasn't ready to let Sweet Pea and Betty go after the epilogue of my last story! This is one story in multiple parts but takes place all in one night so it feels odd to call each section "chapters." Enjoy!

A/N part 2: I just can't picture these character as so young... assume they are in their senior year.

Part One

There are two different types of people who live in New England. The first think that snow is magical, that it transports you to inside a wonder winter snow globe and go on and on about hot cocoa, warm mittens, and ice castles. The second resented the first type for their cheerfulness when it was cold as hell and wet as hell. Sweet Pea didn't need a mind reader to tell him he was the second type as he stood outside Betty's house waiting for someone to answer the door. He had already knocked and then he just rang the bell when Alice Cooper finally emerged.

It was the night of the Riverdale High winter formal and Sweet Pea was feeling uneasy. When he first proposed to Betty that they go, he had been excited to do something romantic with her, but now that it was here, it was starting to fade. On one hand, he wasn't looking forward to spending all night in the presence of his classmates. But even more, he also had something special that he had planned with for Betty and the anticipation was making him nervous. He patted his pant pocket to make sure his surprise was still there and it was.

"Sweet Pea! You're early; Betty is still getting ready. Do you want to come in and wait in the kitchen with me?"

"Thanks, Mrs. Cooper," he replied stepping inside. He unzipped his motorcycle boots and put them in the tray by the door while setting down his travel bag. He took off his leather jacket and hung it up on the coat hook by the door next to Betty's and headed into the kitchen.

He once again took in their home, noting that it was not quite as clean as his last visit. He could see that there was a cardigan that didn't belong strewn over the sofa in the sitting room and basket of laundry that was not hidden away. There was even an ever so slight layer of dust over the family photos that sat on the credenza in their entryway. Not that it bothered him in the slightest; but it was a perfect illustration of how things were going in the Cooper household. Betty joining the Serpent's had turned their family upside down and ushered in a new way of life for them. As Betty blossomed and began to grow into the woman she felt she wanted to be, Alice was also changing, becoming less obsessed with public appearance and more dedicated to her daughter's happiness.

When Sweet Pea entered the kitchen, he saw Alice was putting a lid on a skillet and taking it off of the stove. She cleaned her hands off onto a dish towel and then turned around.

"It smells really good in here, Mrs. Cooper," he said.

"Oh look at you in that suit jacket, you look so handsome! You can eat some of this if you don't make a mess," she said getting him out a plate. Sweet Pea sat down at their kitchen table as she put some chicken and some vegetables down for him.

"Thanks, ma'am," he said grabbing the fork that she handed to him. "And thanks for the food. You know, bachelor life."

"Yes, I am quite aware that if you aren't eating bar food you guys live on stuff you get at the gas station. FP has the same diet."

"And that," FP said almost on cue making his way into the kitchen as well, "Is why I let her feed me."

This was another thing that had changed with Betty joining the Serpents, a renewed friendship between FP and Betty's mom. Of course a biker gang was pretty much like a sewing circle in the way that rumors ran and there were a lot of mumblings about a possible relationship between the two past lovers now that their spouses were out of the picture. Sweet Pea wouldn't blame FP either now that he was starting to see how much better things could be with a dedicated lady by his side. The older man took a full plate from Alice and sat down next to him and she followed. FP grabbed a roll from a basket in the center of the table and took a bite.

"So are you going to this dance thing tonight?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Good for you. I'd say we have some great memories of going to our formal, don't we Alice?"

"Oh yes, a night I can't forget. We blew off the dancing to hang out in the parking lot with your boy friends while you all got drunk."

"I guess I am remembering what happened after the dance," he said in a way that made Alice blush.

"Well, yes, I remember that part too," she said quietly.

When Betty finally came down from her room, it was like a reveal at a debutante ball. She descended the staircase and the first thing everyone saw was her ruby red modern gown. She had her hair braided up one side but spiraling down from the other. Sweet Pea jumped up out of his chair when he saw her and got a huge grin on his face. She could have been dressed in her sweats and a Riverdale High t-shirt with her hair in a knot on top of her head and he would have thought she was gorgeous, but seeing her dressed up this way almost made him breathless. Even FP nudged Alice when he saw the boy's reaction. Alice also got up and grabbed her camera off of the counter to take a couple of photos.

Betty went over to her boyfriend and gave his hand a little squeeze. "Ready to go?" she asked as she got close to him for her mom to pose them. Sweet Pea was absolutely ready to go; Doing something as normal as taking photos with Betty was making him feel like a fish out of water. He was starting to wonder if going to this dance was a mistake and hoped that he didn't make a fool of himself.

"Yeah," he answered as he tried to shove off his fears and smile for the camera.

From inside Betty's red silk clutch they could hear the soft vibration of her cell phone. She checked it and it was text from Veronica that she was pulling up to get them. They heard an engine outside so she grabbed her wool coat and put it on. She hugged her mom good bye and Alice gave Sweet Pea a hug also. If he had to be honest with himself, he was starting to enjoy getting these motherly hugs from her, but he would never admit it out loud.

When the two got outside Sweet Pea did a bit of a double take. "Did Lodge really come to pick us up in a limo?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Have you not met Veronica? Would you expect anything less?"

The door to the limo popped open and Veronica hung out the door. "Are you guys coming or what?"