Hello! And welcome to my first and only fic! I am all about a captivating and thorough back story, so the first few chapters will be a ton of character development; but it is for the sake of my later chapters. Please let me know what you think so far and be prepared for a very slow burn.

-casualfridays

BPOV

Betty sat on their extremely used couch, scrolling aimlessly though all of her social media accounts.

"Looks like Ethel is pregnant – Arch, have you seen this?" Betty asked her boyfriend whom with she shared the couch.

"Uh, yeah. Wait, no. Who?" Archie asked, completely distracted by whatever video game she had attempted to pull him away from.

"Ethel, she's expecting again." Betty claimed as she held her phone inches away from Archie's face, managing to catch his eye for all of 3 seconds before zoning back in on his game.

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that through Reg." Archie said as he lurched and twisted his controller.

Betty decided it wasn't worth trying to make conversation, he was far to absorbed to remember any of it anyways. Betty sighed in defeat and headed to their bedroom, connected down a small hall from their make-shift living space.

Betty Cooper. Smart, practical, ambitious Betty Cooper. These terms had been following her for years. She didn't feel like any of those words used to describe her, although they were always there, swallowing her whole. Betty flew back onto their plush bed, brought to you by IKEA, and closed her eyes.

She had been home for all of 10 minutes and had gone through the motions of her routine. Saying hi to Archie. Check. Trying to make small talk with Archie. Check. Accessing the disaster of garbage that had become her living room. Check. Gone to their room and subsequently called it quits for the remainder of the night. Check. Betty sighed, completely underwhelmed by how mundane her life had become. "Oh, but Betty has it all figured out. Perfect, ambitious, practical Betty." She mused to herself.

She could remember the time where everything had changed – when her life turned 180 degrees and was slowly attempting to make its way back.

It had been her first year of high school. Her parents were at odds and couldn't be in the same room. Their tension created a wormhole for all happy things. Her elder sister Polly, who was in the same High School but about to graduate, had gotten the right idea and fled to live with her boyfriend and his parents. They were rich and couldn't care less about their son's shenanigans. Subsequently, Betty was left to fend for herself.

Insert first big mistake- Chuck Clayton.

Chuck had all but swept Betty off her feet. He was tall, handsome, smart, and had similar problems at home. He came to her rescue – or so she had thought. Betty's parents, Hal and Alice, had never liked Chuck. They claimed he was too "serious" for Betty; too angsty for their precious Betty. Betty, the girl who was always put together with pressed clothing and modest cardigans, was oh so easily seduced by Chuck. He had her convinced she needed to rebel. She needed to defy her parents after the torment they had caused her. Chuck would take her shopping and point out clothes Betty needed to wear – for her new rebel image of course. He would take pleasure in watching her cry as he destroyed her previously beautiful clothing, cutting them to shreds. "Betty," he would say "these are holding you back! You're parents want you this way. A perfect princess. I won't let them control you." Betty would always cave and agree with Chuck. He seemed so smart and "old souled" she felt safe despite his absurd actions.

Chuck had been her first, so perhaps that made her willingness to follow him so blind. He hadn't been gentle or kind. Hell, he hadn't even ask if it was what she wanted. All she could remember of that day was it being their 6 month anniversary, right at the cusp of their 11th year in school. He said he loved her while stripping her clothes off, catching Betty off guard. She hadn't fully realized his intentions until he was suddenly entering her roughly. "I love you," Chuck cooed as Betty tried to push away. That was all it took for Betty to just let it happen.

After that night, Betty had finally given all the way in to Chuck. He would pick out her clothes, tell her who she couldn't talk to anymore. He would even plan out speeches to give her parents when they tried to talk her out of being with Chuck. Betty had become a tiny little monster, brought to you by Chuck Clayton.

Betty re-opened her eyes, bringing her back to reality. She clutched her bedsheets, feeling the minimal thread count grounded her in the present.

She silently thanked a kindred spirit for the day Archie Andrews padded into her life. It had been 5 years now since they started dating. He had, like Chuck, swept her off her feet. She had only been freshly single after breaking out of Chucks control when Archie strolled into the movie theatre where she had worked. He was all smile with flaming red hair. He had straight up asked her out right there at the concession and they hadn't looked back.

She smiled at the memory. She could recall how freeing it felt to open up to Archie. To spill her guts and tears about Chuck, her parents, and how she lost herself along the way. He was never anything but supportive.

She had visions of their time together. All the sexy mind games she would play with him. Taunting him relentlessly with rather seductive pictures while they were working or were apart. She hadn't felt so carefree and in control in her life. This was probably why she agreed to move in with him after 4 short months. It had been 2 years after high school and she dreamed at the prospect of starting her life anew.

"Look at us now." Betty mused quietly, the sound of rapid gunfire and screams from Archie's game re-entering her brain. She couldn't help the seeping colour of grey her life seemed to be taking on.

She loved Archie, no doubt about it. He made her laugh until she cried, he never judged her, and they even knew each other's' mood without speaking. They had developed a love language over the years which she knew she couldn't replace. He had heart warming chocolate brown eyes and it helped that he didn't need much work to keep in shape.

Betty had built a life with Archie. They rented out a small but quaint basement suite just outside of downtown Vancouver. It was filled with a plethora of miscellaneous knick knacks of Archie's that he had accumulated over the years. Although he was still sporty at heart, once a football player in high school, his passion was art. He was quite the painter and would frequently sketch out characters from comic books and nerdy movies. She was quite certain that she was laying upon a Captain America shirt as she daydreamed.

As a couple they were doing okay for themselves. Archie had a decent job as an art instructor for younger kids over the summers but made a killing selling his art on the side. Hence him being home playing games all day. Betty worked as a receptionist at a gym nearby. She loathed it entirely but it paid well. Not a day would go by where she didn't have to deal with a customer who would scream at her relentlessly until she felt utterly defeated. She was trapped by the lack of well-paying jobs without excessive post-secondary education. She had to stick through it. At least until she found what would reignite her passion for life. Archie knew how much it dragged her down but never fully understood how depressed she was feeling. He didn't understand how dark and twisted she started to feel.

Most days she would come home and literally collapse on her bed, refusing to move until work the next day. This became routine for her. Work, home, sleep. Work, home, sleep. Slowly but surely the grey void clouded her life. The uncontrollable sex drive and lust she had once had for Archie died along with her dread, throwing an inevitable wrench between them. When her mother called to check in, Betty would envision herself, her former pre-Chuck self, with the tight ponytail and cardigan and speak animatedly with her mother about how her life was. Perfect, put together, ambitious, successful Betty. Although she had found her own style after Chuck, her new rhythm of life and her style choices left something to be desired for her mother. After all she had put Alice Cooper through during the reign of Chuck-driven terror, Betty couldn't stomach the thought of her mother believing she was circling the drain.

Betty finally had sat up, inching herself to the edge of the bed to have her feet planted on the floor. The sporty "welcome to the gym!" attire lacked the cozy feel for the evening and weekend ahead. Betty opted for a pair of blue jeans and a long sleeved black shirt to feel comfortable but not sloppy, which had been her go to for weeks now. Once changed, Betty sauntered to the bathroom, which literally was the focal point of all 4 rooms of their small suite, to freshen up and clean the inevitable mist of sweat she felt her face was covered with after every shift. She looked at her face in the toothpaste spotted mirror, noticing fine lines between her eyes and in the crinkle of her mouth. "Great, now I look like I feel. 25 going on 72," Betty thought as she applied some mascara to brighten up her face. She didn't not like her appearance, it could be worse. She had eyes she felt were too big for her face but were a nice blue and green colour. Her skin looked a little tired but her hair was a golden blonde that cascaded nicely into soft waves without an ounce of effort. She had some curves but had been working out as demanded by the team at the gym to "look the part". She would've minded the pushiness if she hadn't noticed improvements to her body. Her once rather curvy hips and stomach had shrunk and she could pull off the athletic tights her uniform demanded of her.

Once satisfied with how she looked, she walked back to Archie on the couch, who had turned his attention away from his game down to his phone.

"Hey Arch, I was thinking we could go out for dinner? Maybe go for a walk on the beach after? It's been one hell of a week at work." Betty asked, slightly leaning against the frame of the doorway to their living space.

Archie glanced up from his phone and took in his girlfriend. "Sure babe, let me put on something less "I've been at home all day," he said as he got up. "You look really nice by the way." He noted, giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek. Betty felt a slight blush creep up her cheeks. It was moments like this that made her feel hope through the grey cloud of her life.