Jughead carefully placed the ladder underneath Betty's window, trying to make as little noise as possible, or suffer the wrath of Alice Cooper for the second time. He slowly began to climb the ladder, his dark eyes transfixed on the window in anticipation of seeing Betty. And then there she was.
Betty Cooper. The perfect girl next door. She was perched at her vanity, her blonde ponytail high and tight, her fingers playing with the silver necklace as she examined herself in the mirror. Jughead let out a sigh, thankful that she appeared to be okay after everything that had happened with Polly and her mother at the Sisters of Mercy. He took a deep breath and lightly rapped against the window to get her attention. Betty's head quickly whipped around, and an amused smirk graced her face before checking to make sure no one else heard the noise. She quickly moved to open the window.
"Hey there, Juliet. Nurse off duty?" Jughead asked lightly. Betty smiled brightly, before moving back and adjusting her sweater over her hips, letting Jughead climb through the open window.
"You haven't gone full yellow wallpaper on me yet, have you?" Jughead continued, climbing over the window seat and straightening to find himself engulfed in the pastel colors of Betty's bedroom.
"They're crazy. My parents are crazy," Betty exclaimed, shaking her head, her hands coming up and down in blatant disbelief as she began to pace back and forth across the floor.
With a concerned look and stance, Jughead answered cautiously, "They're parents. They're all crazy."
"No," Betty interrupted, "What if Polly is too? I mean the way she was looking at me, the way she was talking to me? Now all I can think is maybe I'm crazy like they are." Betty continued to pace, her voice high with frustration.
Jughead crossed the room swiftly to stand in front of her. "Hey, we're all crazy. We're not our parents Betty," he pleaded, grasping her shoulders as she sighed and let out an amused smile.
"We're not our families." Jughead continued with a tone of finality. She nodded making eye contact briefly, as though his words willed her to believe him. "Also…" Jughead trailed off, his voice catching in his throat, a strained look on his face, which got Betty's undivided attention.
Jughead had meant every word he said, but it wasn't until her eyes were peering strongly into his that he realized how close they were standing to each other. In her bedroom. Suddenly shy and vulnerable, Jughead's word of encouragement were stuck in his throat, as his eyes fixed on her shining green ones.
"What?" he heard her ask, her eyes delicately searching his. Jughead wanted to get lost in her eyes forever, but he needed to focus. He wasn't going to get a chance like this again. He quickly glanced down at her lips, wondering what they felt like against his. Oh, the times he had thought about that. Now here he was. All he had to do was lean in and he would know. Finally.
With a few seconds of insane courage, Jughead leaned forward with determination and carefully grabbed her face in his strong hands, giving her a tender kiss. Minutes, hours, days could have gone by in that moment, Jughead lost track, fully consumed with a level of bliss he couldn't have imagined even in his wildest dreams.
Then, as if the feeling couldn't get any better, he felt Betty's lips respond. She was kissing him back. Betty Cooper was kissing him back, he realized in utter disbelief. Their lips were connected easily, a wondrous feeling flowing through his entire body, a hopeful warmth spreading from his brain to his toes. It was as healing a piece of him, giving him strength. They were fitting together like two puzzle pieces falling into place, perfectly aligned in every way.
As his hand held the back of her neck and his thumb caressed her cheek, he felt her soft fingertips against his own cheek, as though she was as desperate to hold him as he was to hold her.
All too soon, their sweet kiss ended, their lips parting a bit but staying within centimeters of each other, almost drawn together like magnets. Their noses touched, eyes both still closed, both enjoying the powerful, raw, new energy between them. Savoring this new and profound content feeling that only existed in that moment.
With his eyes still closed, he felt Betty's amazing smile against his skin, her happiness radiating into his soul; a feeling he could never forget even if he tried. He was still in disbelief over this long-awaited event. He let out a long breath, all the tension and worry over this moment leaving his body. The could physically feel all the worries about Polly and Jason's murder melting away in that instant. Jughead was wholly aware of the mesmerizing blonde still so close to him, her skin practically glowing beneath his fingers. For the first time in so long, he felt happy.
Complete.
Home.
Betty was his home.
Suddenly, he felt Betty's hands push against his chest and his eyes shot open. "The car!" Betty gasped. Jughead gave her a knowing look, accompanied with a healthy dose of smirk.
"Wow, that's what you're thinking about in the middle of our moment?" he teased. His large hands still cradling her beautiful face.
"No!" Betty said, "Polly talked about a car Jason had stashed for them, down Route 40? Near some sign. If we can find it, we can confirm Polly's story." Betty continued, moving past him to focus on her words. It was as though their kiss had not only calmed her agitated mind, but also given her the clarity to figure out how to help Polly.
Jughead turned to face her again. "One way or another," he answered, with determination etched across his features.
"I need to know, Juggie," Betty pleaded, her big eyes on him again. Those doe like green eyes, practically begging with him silently. Jughead quickly pulled himself together. He focused on pushing the fact, yes fact, that Betty wanted him to the back of his mind. Betty needed him. And damn if he wasn't ready to give her everything.