AN: Hey guys! This is my first Riverdale story, and I'm very excited about it. I wrote this between 3AM and 5AM. It just popped into my head and it wouldn't go away. So here I am, posting a fluffy little Varchie family one shot at almost 6AM where I'm from. Hope you guys enjoy!
Also, Hart of Dixie fans might spot an Easter egg somewhere in this 4,000+ word mess.
The first time Veronica goes into labor, Archie has no idea what to do. And neither does Veronica. So they call her mom.
"Mom, yeah, we think she's in labor... yeah, I have the baby bag all ready... I have to drive her there? But what if she needs me-OWWWWWWWWWW!" Archie screams and looks down at his right hand, currently being crushed by one very pregnant and very angry Veronica Andrews.
"Get me to the hospital NOW!" Veronica demands as another contraction hits her hard. They were coming in close now, and she knew that if they stayed in their New York apartment any longer, she might have to give birth in her husband's new Lexus.
"Okay, baby, I'll get you there!" Archie rushes around their bedroom to gather the baby bag that they had prepared weeks ago, and returns to a chuckling Hermione Lodge on the other end. "I don't know what's so funny, I think she just broke my hand."
This only made Hermione laugh harder into the phone's receiver. "Archie, I'm sure your pain is nothing compared to what she's experiencing right now."
And as if on cue, Veronica lets out another wail which she promptly follows with a death glare directed towards Archie.
"Archie Andrews, put that damn phone down, and get me to the hospital!"
"Oh shit, mom, we're going. We'll meet you there, okay? Please call my parents. Bye." Archie was sure he was able to let all that out in one breath before he ended the call, and scrambled to get his pregnant and screaming wife to the hospital.
"Get me a wheelchair, babe!"
"I got it!" Archie sits an impatient Veronica down on a wheelchair before heading to the nurse's station to exclaim, "My wife is in labor! We called Dr. Hart, and she said she was on her way. Is she here? Can my wife get a room?"
"Okay, calm down, Mr.-"
"Andrews! His name is Andrews! And if you don't get me on a bed right this minute, I swear to God I will-"
"Of course, Mrs. Andrews, this way, please."
The nurse finally leads them to the best private room the hospital has to offer as they performed the necessary checks to see if Veronica was indeed ready to go into labor.
"You're seven centimeters dilated, Mrs. Andrews. It won't be long now. Dr. Hart arrived a few minutes ago, and we're getting ready for the delivery."
Archie heaves a sigh of relief knowing this whole ordeal was about to be over. His hands haven't been faring well today, nor have his ears, with Veronica's constant need to let her pain out in some way, whether it be by crushing the bones in his hands or by screaming how badly she wanted to castrate him in this moment.
Thankfully, Hiram and Hermione Lodge have arrived. Fred and Mary Andrews have already been contacted, but it would take a while for them to travel from Riverdale and Chicago to New York, respectively.
Within minutes, Hermione was able to calm Veronica down with a little help from the epidural. The men thought it best to leave the labor to the women, as both Archie and Hiram stood off to the side, watching in horror as nurse after nurse after doctor came in to check on Veronica.
"She's at ten centimeters, doc. She's ready."
45 minutes later, Amelia Claire Andrews was born into the world. Ten fingers, ten toes, and a tuft of raven hair on her head, she was perfect.
"Congratulations, Veronica. She's beautiful." Dr. Hart said kindly as she placed the newborn on the new mother's bare chest.
Veronica couldn't stop her tears from flowing as she gazed down at her daughter, and neither could Archie. He was in the same spot as he was beside Hiram even before the delivery started, too afraid, too shocked to move.
"Archie, babe, come look at her," Veronica whispered weakly from the bed, and it took all of Archie's courage to place one foot in front of the other towards his - no longer one, but - two girls.
Once Archie's light brown eyes fell onto that round, pink face, he knew he was done for. If he had thought that he fell in love with Veronica the moment he saw her step into Pop's, he was mistaken. Because there was no love at first sight that could ever come close to how he felt when he first saw his little Amelia.
"Archie, would you like to cut the cord?" And then he fainted.
When he came back to, he was laying on the couch in Veronica's room. They didn't notice him stir, for Hiram and Hermione were too occupied catering to his wife's needs. Was she comfortable? Did anything hurt? Did she want any water? Was the temperature in the room okay?
Surprisingly to Archie, it was Hiram who was being more attentive to Veronica, hovering over her like it was her who was just birthed from Hermione's womb.
He never quite understood it before, Hiram's need to protect and provide the best for Veronica at all costs. But he's sure he understands it now. For even if he's only been with his daughter for ten seconds, he's already sworn his life to protecting her no matter what happens, and to providing her with all the love he could give.
Archie watches as Veronica drifts off to sleep, and Hermione leaves the room to buy them some dinner. Still, none of them noticed he was awake.
Hiram sits on the chair beside Veronica's bed, and he takes her hand in his - the hand that was, just mere hours ago, so strong that it almost broke his own.
"I am so proud of you, mija. I know I don't say it enough, but I am." Archie almost feels like an intruder watching such a tender scene unfold before him between father and daughter.
"You did so well. I can't believe you're a mom now," Hiram chuckles nervously. "Seems just like yesterday when your mother gave birth to you. I was just like Archie that day. I had no idea what to do!
Most of the time, I still have no idea what I'm doing, and what I did to deserve a daughter as wonderful as you, mija. I've made a lot of mistakes as your father, and you must know how sorry I am." Hiram lets a lone tear fall from his left eye.
"But I'll make up for it. For you, and even for Archie. I know you're both gonna be amazing parents. Amelia's a very lucky little lady."
Hermione enters the room with takeout in her hands, and Archie pretends to be asleep again. She talks to Hiram in Spanish, and though he can't understand what they're saying - he's yet to learn Spanish like he promised the Lodges he would when he proposed to Veronica - but he knows tender words are being exchanged between husband and wife.
It is this moment that Archie chooses to "wake up."
"Oh, Archie. Good, you're up," Hiram says from his spot beside Veronica. The Hiram from the earlier father-daughter moment replaced with the Hiram he's come to know.
"Archie, dear, come have dinner. Ronnie's all knocked out, and it'll be a while before she wakes up again," Hermione brings the takeout out of the bags, getting ready to serve the three of them.
"Thanks, mom. How was she while I was out? Sorry about that, by the way..." Archie rubs his neck in embarrassment and it makes both Hiram and Hermione laugh.
"She was fine. Tired, but happy. They took Amelia to the nursery for some routine checks and to get her shots. The nurse will come by to inform us when she's ready to see us again."
"That's great. I can't wait."
The second time Veronica goes into labor, Archie's in Chicago, touring his latest album.
"Baby, I'm so sorry! But isn't it like two weeks before your due date?"
"Archie Andrews, are you trying to tell me when I should or shouldn't have your baby?" Veronica screeches through the phone.
"No! No, baby, I didn't mean it that way! I just mean, like, are you sure it's time?" Archie panics, all while trying to search online for the earliest flight out to New York City.
"Of course, I'm sure! My water just broke and the expensive new carpet I just had placed in Amelia's room is ruined!" Archie's positive his wife is in tears on the other end of the line.
"Okay, hang on, baby, I'm trying to book the next flight out to New York. Just hold on, okay? Have you called your mom?" He tries to remain calm amidst all the nerves inside him pulling him in ten different directions.
He was supposed to play for a crowd of 15,000 tonight, but no way in hell that mattered more than the birth of one single human being.
"N-not yet... I'm g-gonna c-call her now." And without another word, the other end of the line went dead.
Archie was able to get him and Mary Andrews on the next flight to New York City, leaving in three hours. Three whole hours! If Archie wasn't so sure yet that the universe was out to get him, he was damn sure now.
"Honey, relax, I'm sure we'll get there in time!" Mary tries to comfort her restless son as they sit in the airport, waiting to board. She didn't get a response.
Archie's knees were bouncing up and down. He was in a large gray hoodie, and a Yankees cap. But it still didn't stop fans from recognizing the rising singer.
"Ohmygosh, Archie Andrews! We're huge fans! Can we take a selfie with you?"
Archie never let out a word but he did look up a little for every photo. He's sure he looked like a wreck in each and every one of them, but he couldn't care less. Not when his wife was in labor 800 miles away.
Back in New York, 3-year-old Amelia Andrews was in the hospital's waiting room with her grandpa Fred and abuelo Hiram. Content with the picture she was drawing, she failed to notice the anxiety surrounding two of the three most important men in her life.
"Where is that boy?" Hiram asks impatiently to no one in particular, but Fred felt the need to answer.
"Mary says they're about to board."
"It's a two-hour flight, Fred! I should've just sent my jet to get them."
Fred had to admit, he's never seen Hiram so incredibly decomposed, and it's oddly satisfying to watch.
"If you're this shaky the second time around, I wish I was there three years ago when Amie was born," Fred chuckled. Over the years, he's developed something akin to a friendship with Hiram Lodge. Although Hiram would never admit it.
"That is none of your concern, Fred. Best to focus on getting your son to New York before both my daughter and I castrate him."
In the delivery room, Hermione Lodge is trying her hardest to soothe an emotional Veronica.
"Where is he, mom?"
"I'm sure he's on his way, mija." Hermione rubs her daughter's hair, but it does nothing to stop Veronica from crying.
"You're still only three centimeters dilated, Mrs. Andrews. I'm sure your husband can make it in time," the nurse says in a most comforting tone.
"He better!" Veronica screams as another contraction hits her.
Over 3 hours later, a disheveled Archie Andrews pushes through the doors of the emergency room, ignoring dozens of fans trying to get his attention for a quick selfie.
"Daddy!" Amelia gets up on her feet as do Hiram and Fred upon seeing Archie.
"Where is she?" are the first words that splutter out of his mouth as he lifts his little girl into his arms.
"Mommy get lil sissy out, daddy!" Amelia exclaims happily, and it's the first thing that brings a smile to Archie's face in hours. He buries his nose in his princess' raven curls, and allows a wave of calmness course through his exhausted body.
"That's right, Amie. Now, let's let daddy find mommy and your abuelita so they can all get your sister out, okay?" Hiram says as he takes Amelia out of her father's arms, a little pout forming on her lips as she's forced to let her daddy go.
"Thanks, guys," Archie breathes.
"Honey, I talked to the nurses. Veronica's this way, and she's already started pushing. Hurry!" Mary pushes Archie in the right direction before she joins Fred, Hiram, and Amelia in the waiting room.
"Hi, grandma!" Amelia crawls over to Mary's lap, and all three adults are happy to have the distraction.
Scarlett Caterina Andrews was born not long after her father burst through the delivery room. "Perfect timing, dad," Dr. Hart says before she makes the final pull to properly welcome baby Scarlett into the world.
The third time Veronica goes into labor, Archie makes sure he has no tours nor publicity duties scheduled for two months before and after her due date. After Scarlett was born, Veronica made him promise not to "pull another stupid stunt like that ever again when I give birth."
So when her water breaks on their way to bringing Amelia to kindergarten and Scarlett to day care, Archie had to make the sharpest turn on a detour to the hospital.
This time, they're calmer. This time, they're more prepared. Third time's the charm, they say. Only this time -
"Oh, sweetie! We forgot to tell you! Hiram and I are in Italy for business. We're so sorry. Please tell Veronica we're sorry to miss the birth of our first grandson!"
Except Archie couldn't tell her. Is Hermione serious? In fact, Archie himself refuses to believe it. For the past two births of their children, Hermione was their savior. She was calm, cool, collected, and she knew exactly what to do. Just when he thought nothing could go wrong, fate throws him this curveball.
"Babe, is everything okay? Where's my mom?" Veronica asked from the bed, worry clear on her face. "My dad? Is he coming to wait with the girls?"
"Ronnie, baby, about that..."
"Hey, guys. Thank God I was in New York for a project." When fate takes a savior, he replaces it with another - in the form of Fred Andrews.
"Dad!"
"Grandpa!"
This at least solves the problem of who's going to be watching the girls while Veronica gives birth. But it still doesn't save him from going into labor with his wife. Why did his in-laws choose this time to be away on business? And why did his own mom decide this year was a good year to go on a self-exploration trip around Asia?
Archie soon accepts his fate. It's just him and Veronica this time.
When Veronica is nine centimeters dilated, and begging for epidural, Archie decides it's time to tell her that her parents couldn't make it.
"What? And you decided now's the best time to tell me that? Archie Andrews, I will -"
Surprisingly, Archie survives the delivery. The nurses confirm he does indeed have a few broken bones in his hands that will need tending to, and his ears are still wildly ringing. He begs them to check his hearing as well, but they just laugh in his face. Apparently a celebrity status doesn't guarantee that people will no longer make fun of you.
When Dr. Hart finally places little Theodore James Andrews in his mother's arms, Archie could hardly believe his eyes. While his two beautiful daughters were exact replicas of their mother, his little TJ was a hundred percent his father. A little patch of red hair confirms that.
He knew what was coming next, and he was determined not to faint this time. He successfully cuts his son's cord, and he's never felt more proud - of himself, and of his Ronnie.
The fourth time Veronica goes into labor is on Amelia's 8th birthday. It was a princess-themed party for their first born princess. Their whole penthouse was shrouded in pink, glitters and sparkles, and little Park Avenue girls dressed in little gowns that probably cost more than an Ivy League student's college tuition.
Archie Andrews never thought he'd end up as a father of three - almost four - hosting the most fabulous party a little girl could ever ask for.
His little Amelia Claire was Veronica Cecilia Lodge reincarnated. In looks and in personality, she was the epitome of a younger Ronnie.
Which is why she wasn't exactly thrilled to find out her mother was about to give birth to her little brother during her party... on the same day as her birthday.
But alas, neither one of her parents could delay Veronica's labor, and in a flurry, both Archie and his wife were on their way to the hospital for the fourth time in their nine years of marriage.
"Oh god, Amie's gonna hate me," Veronica groans.
"Babe, she's not gonna hate you. She'll be happy to have a new little brother," Archie tries to reassure her. Except he isn't so convinced himself.
While their little princess was a great big sister to Scarlett and TJ, she wasn't particularly excited to hear that her mother was expecting yet ANOTHER baby. And another boy, no less.
Still, she proceeded to take care of both her siblings and her mother whilst she was pregnant. For she may be a mini Veronica Lodge, but deep down, she had her father's big heart.
"I hope you're right, babe. But I know Scarlett's excited," Veronica beams at the though of her 4-almost-5-year-old.
While physically identical to her mother and older sister, Scarlett Caterina Andrews was exactly like her father in more ways than one. A bit of a tomboy, their Scarly loved spending time with her daddy watching sports on Sunday mornings. She also adored animals, and was never found without a smile, much like her father. And although she looks up to her big sister and wants to copy everything she does, she was her own person.
And Scarlett was excited to have another little brother. In fact, she had been wishing for another baby brother from the moment she laid eyes on TJ.
"She'll have another brother to kick a ball around with," Archie chuckles. "Not that TJ's very good at it right now."
Theodore James Andrews is only two years old, and still a little wobbly when he runs. But that doesn't stop him from being a bundle of active energy. He's known to keep his whole family on their toes, somehow always up to cause trouble.
Lately, his favorite pastime is digging through Amelia's walk-in closet, and throwing all her clothes around. This likely explains Amelia's slight displeasure at having another brother.
And while TJ's personality has yet to solidify, his parents can already tell his affinity for music. Ever since they brought him home, nothing calmed his cries more than listening to his father sing. Though Archie sings to all of his children, TJ in particular seems to enjoy it the most. Also his father's twin with regard to his looks, Archie is confident that his son will follow in his "heartthrob musician," as he like to call it, footsteps. Veronica only laughs at this.
When they reach the hospital, the nurses and Dr. Hart were all ready for their arrival.
"I see we're trying to make a whole basketball team here," Dr. Hart jokes as she prepares Veronica for the delivery.
"No way! No, no, no, Dr. Hart. After this one, I'm getting my tubes tied." This is the first Archie's ever heard of this decision, and it honestly upsets him.
"What? Ronnie, we didn't talk about this."
"Babe, do you really want another? Our penthouse is bursting at the seams! We're gonna need to occupy the whole building if we're gonna have any more!"
"Then we'll occupy the whole damn building!" Veronica wouldn't be so worried if he didn't look so damn serious.
Before they can talk more about the children they're either having or not having in the future, Dr. Hart warns them that Veronica is already six centimeters dilated.
Archie calls both their parents who are all currently staying with the kids in their penthouse.
"Hey, dad, how's it going there?"
Before Fred replies, he lets out a chuckle.
"TJ sure is giving his abuelo a run for his money at Pin the Crown on the Princess."
This makes Archie laugh as well, just imagining his son beating THE Hiram Lodge at a party game.
"What I'd give to see that."
"Don't worry, son, Mary has it all on video."
Archie has to admit that he's quite sad to be missing his first born's 8th birthday, but he remains optimistic. Knowing that on this day in the years to come, he'll be celebrating not just one, but two of his children's lives.
Before the day ends, Oliver Finn Andrews is brought into the world. Once again, Archie is able to cut the cord without fainting.
The next morning, before they're due to have any visitors, Archie gets a moment alone with his little Ollie. Veronica is still fast asleep.
"Hey there, little guy. I'm your daddy."
Oliver's light brown eyes are wide open, but science tells Archie he's still unable to see at only a few hours old.
"That's right. I'm your daddy, and that beautiful lady over there on the bed is your mommy. She just gave birth to you. I don't know how she does it - how she's done it for four times already. It looks really painful. But she did. Your mommy's very strong, and she makes daddy strong too. Just like she makes your sister and your brother strong. And you too."
Archie can't help the tears that are now flowing from his eyes, and he's brought back to that moment he caught between Hiram and Veronica eight years ago. It was a moment he never forgot, and a moment he always remembered every time Veronica gave birth to each of their children.
"I'm so proud of your mommy. She's amazing. And as you grow older, you'll see just how truly amazing she is. I've know her for more than half my life, and she still gets more amazing to me by the day," Archie chuckles.
He knows how fast time flies, and pretty soon, he'll be in Hiram's position, welcoming his first grandchild. Of course, he won't let it happen for at least 20 more years. But he knows better than to take these years for granted.
"I hope I can be a great dad to you, buddy, and to your siblings as well. I had a great dad growing up, and I hope you'll say the same about me to your future kids."
Archie stops talking when he notices Veronica stir, and her eyes open to the sight of her boys cuddled up on the couch. It makes her smile despite the exhaustion she feels.
"Hey, baby," Archie stands with Oliver in his arms, making his way to her bed.
"Hi," Veronica whispers before Archie leans down to give her a chaste kiss. "Hey there, Ollie. He's beautiful."
"Like our three other kids," Archie beams. "And the three more we're having after him."
This makes Veronica freeze, then slowly glare up at her husband.
"I was serious, Archie Andrews, I'm not having any more of your kids!"
"Oh, but you love them!" Archie whines as if it was he who was two and not his son.
"Babe, you try pushing four watermelons out your vagina!"
"Babe, I don't have a vagina..."
It is in this moment that three little heads come barging into the room with their grandparents in tow. Both Archie and Veronica knew this was not the end of that conversation. But for now, after just having their fourth child, they were the happiest they've ever been.
Watching his kids' faces light up at the sight of their new brother was making Archie's heart burst. He truly had it all - a loving wife, a successful career, and four happy and healthy children.
But somewhere in the back of his mind, he just couldn't help but think... maybe I could at least convince her of a fifth.
End.