Few people had experienced the amount of trauma that Betty Cooper had already endured as a teenager. What the Black Hood had put her through had left deeper scars on her than she'd let on. Other than Archie, no one in her life really knew what had happened that fateful night.

Maybe Dark Betty had always been a part of her, but after that night, the darkness had overwhelmed her. Maturity may have told her this was her reaction to trauma; that she needed to find someone to talk to. A healthy relationship with her mother would've found her a confidant, or at the very least a professional to talk to. Alice, however, would never have responded rationally if Betty had told her the details of that night. She'd have put her youngest daughter on house arrest permanently. After everything they'd gone through with Polly, Alice was just looking for a reason to micromanage Betty's life even more. So, Betty had sacrificed her sanity for her freedom. Some days, she regretted it.

She told herself she'd deal with all of this one day. In order to avoid that 'one day' being any day soon, she'd brought Chic into their lives. He served as a distraction for Alice, if nothing else.

She probably should've been sadder when Hal left. The final straw in the undoing of her perfect little nuclear family. Yet, she'd felt relief. Watching her parents increasingly loveless marriage fall apart had not been a fun ride. They were toxic on their own and even worse together. Having him out of the house was one less pair of eyes to worry about watching over her. How sad that her relationship with her parents had devolved to thinking about them in such ways. How equally sad that she was already so desensitized to it.

She sat there on her bed, math notebook open to notes she was meant to be studying for her upcoming chapter test, too wrapped up in other problems and worries to be concerned with something so trivial.

Things with Jughead were more complicated now than before. They'd slept together. She'd resist calling it 'made love' when the act had been committed on the dingy couch of his father's foreclosed trailer and hadn't necessarily been a moment born of love but one of desperation. She'd imagined what it would be like so many times; her first time with him, and it hadn't turned out like any of the ways she'd dreamed up. Neither of them had been in the right place or state of mind for something so intimate. Instead of making her feel closer to him, it had made her feel farther away.

The world Chic had shown her hadn't been quite the escape she'd been hoping for. Instead of giving her a place to channel her darkness, it had started to feel more overwhelming; more inescapable. This thought had brought her off her bed and over to her closet where she'd stowed the black bob cut wig and lingerie ensemble in an intricate hiding place where she knew her mother, queen of the snoops, would not think to look for anything incriminating.

She'd just reached her hand towards the lid when she felt the buzz of her phone vibrating in the back pocket of her jeans. She pulled it out, intending to hit ignore. However, she was surprised to see Archie's name flash on the screen and it was enough to tempt her into finding out what he had to say. So she swiped to reveal the message and upon reading it, she couldn't help but smile.

Pops?

She didn't even give it a moment's hesitation to consider if Alice would be okay with it before typing her reply.

Always

Tucking her secret stash back into it's hiding spot she changed quickly out of the floral sweater she'd been wearing into something a bit more casual, a simple pale yellow scoop-necked t-shirt and a cream colored cardigan before pulling her hair back into her signature ponytail. Her eyes darted to the text message window that had made a soft sound indicating a new message had come through.

I'll drive

Grabbing her notebook from her bed she tossed it into her backpack and slung it over her shoulder for good measure. "Mom?" She called out mildly as she traipsed down the stairs, stopping by the door to slide her feet into pristinely clean white sneakers.

Alice rose from the couch and her face instantly affixed into a scowl at the sight of Betty obviously getting ready to head out. Before she had a chance to speak, Betty did. "Is it okay if I go study with Archie? We have a huge test in math tomorrow and somehow, explaining it to him actually helps me understand it better!"

Her mother eyed her suspiciously, her eyes scanning over Betty's outfit choice and backpack. She considered her daughter's appearance and then searched her eyes for an uncomfortable length of time before their exchange was interrupted by a light knock at the door.

Since the older woman was holding her in a staring contest, she didn't let her gaze falter but she silently hoped it wasn't Archie at that door because he was a horrible liar and one look at him, Alice would know she had zero intentions of studying.

The shorter woman broke their eye contact first, probably hoping the opposite of Betty, that it was Archie there to prove her daughter was hiding something. Instead, to both of their surprise, she pulled the door back to reveal a man in a serpent jacket.

"FP?" Both Cooper women said his name in confused unison and Alice looked from her daughter to her former lover seemingly conflicted about which avenue to explore.

"We need to talk." The male voice spoke, allowing the younger girl the perfect escape.

Betty knew she only had so many opportunities for a distraction such as this and she wasn't going to squander it. She could see Archie already sitting in the driver's seat of his truck from the angle of the open door. "Thanks mom!" She spoke definitively, definitively making up Alice's mind for her.

And before she could argue or protest, Betty pressed a sweet kiss to her cheek, threw a soft goodbye to Chic and a nod at FP and took her leave towards Archie's truck. The red head glanced down at her bag and gave her a confused expression before she rolled her eyes, "Had to tell mom we were studying for geometry." She noted, dropping the bag down on the floorboard as she clicked on her seatbelt.

He nodded in understanding and turned the key in the ignition, pulling out of the driveway and heading the familiar route to Pops. They drove for a couple minutes in silence before he realized he hadn't even greeted her. Slowing at a red light, he turned to look at her. She was facing the passenger window, her pupils focusing on some point off in the distance, obviously lost in some thought. "Hey." He said gently, drawing her attention from the slightly fogged window over to his face, which bore a soft smile for her.

"Hey yourself." She laughed gently, shifting her body towards him. "Sorry, I was lost in thoughts about vanilla milkshakes." She lied, hand reaching absently to fidget with the end of her ponytail. "How've you been?" Then, as if suddenly having a moment of realization, "Wait, why did you ask me to go to Pops?"

He smirked gently at her; surprised it had taken her this long to ask that question. It was one he didn't truly have an answer to, if he was being honest. He wasn't sure what had compelled him to send her that message. Well, he was, but it wasn't something he wanted to tell her yet. That reason was only part of it anyway. The other half was that she'd mentioned sitting in their both at Pops with him had been her safe place and tonight, he was thinking that he could really use a safe place to escape to. He'd been studying her too long to say it was for no reason so he went with, "I've missed you," With a shrug, because it wasn't entirely false.

She could tell there was more to it than that, but she was satisfied with his response. "I've missed you too." She supplied gently and reached over, platonically, to squeeze his arm in gentle reassurance.

They shared a long look, one that spoke of many things left unsaid and he had half a mind to lean over towards the middle like they had that night in her car not long ago and reenact that kiss. But he stayed in his seat and shifted his gaze back to the road when the flow of the streetlight changed from red to green. That would just be asking for trouble, wouldn't it? There was too much left to be said first.

The ride to Pops was short and the silence was a comfortable, welcome one, a moment for each of them to collect their thoughts and bearings. Once they parked and preceded inside, they sat in their place and, with each taking a sigh of genuine relief, they shared a soft smile.

By the time Pop Tate was sliding their usual orders in front of them, Betty was feeling almost like herself. She shook her head, leaning on her elbows as she took a long sip of creamy deliciousness. "How have you been?" She asked finally, breaking the serene placidness that had surrounded them previously.

He knew the little bubble they'd created for themselves wouldn't last forever but he was said to see it popped nonetheless. He thought for a moment and then responded with; "Weird." He frowned, leaning back against the back of the booth with a sigh and contemplated where to start. As his eyes found hers across the table, he found the words came more easily than expected, but then, Betty always possessed the ability to put him at ease and get the truth out of him. Propping himself on both elbows he leaned across the table towards her and a paraphrased version of his last two weeks came spilling out. From the FBI agent contacting him to find out there was no FBI agent in the first place, he told her every detail of his ordeal with the Lodge's and Hiram's pet project of 'taking him under his wing.'

By the time he finished explaining, his blonde best friend was reeling, ponytail bobbing in exasperation. "Okay wait you're telling me;" Betty leaned forward on her own elbows, closing the space between them even more as she dropped her voice. "The whole thing was fake and a test of your loyalty to them and their self-proclaimed empire?" She couldn't help the disgusted look that tugged at her lips. That was really twisted, even by the Lodge family standards.

"Pretty much," He sighed, dropping his hand down to play absently with his straw. Betty reached across the table, grabbing at his other hand, taking it into her own and offering him a gentle squeeze.

"Well, what did Veronica say when you told her?" Archie's eyes darkened and avoided hers. Shifting uncomfortably, he kept a hold of Betty's hand in his own. His avoidance of eye contact was rather telling and his female companion took a sharp, irritated breath, hoping he would not confirm her newly formed suspicions. "Please don't tell me she knew the entire time." But even if he'd tried to deny it, his face told the truth. Bitch! She thought to herself. "At least tell me she didn't try to justify it…" The words were mostly a formality at this point; of course she had.

"She said it was the 'family way' and that I should feel honored that I meant enough to her that her parents tested me." His tone was equal parts anger and sadness. "She said if she didn't love me, it wouldn't happen, so I should take it as a compliment and show of loyalty." His voice was cut with equal parts bitterness and despair.

Betty clasped her hand not holding Archie's into a tight fist, letting her nails dig into her palm with growing anger. How dare Veronica. How dare the Lodge family. They had been nothing but poison to Riverdale since they'd moved back and especially since Hiram had been let out of prison. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, trying to decide how to respond. She didn't want her anger to get the best of her, especially not here. Here, in an establishment that had also been tainted by Lodge family blood money. She had some choice words about Veronica and her parents that were dying to come out and just as she opened her mouth to let them fly, Archie was talking again. "So I broke up with her." He said, voice a hoarse whisper as his eyes found hers again, she saw tears welling in them.

The anger eased its hold over her at that part of his confession. "Oh Arch," She said, the dark side of her slowly crawling back in as she released the harrowing grip of her fist, ignoring the redness and searing pain she'd left there in favor of moving to his side of the booth. With practiced ease she pulled him into a comforting hug, his face burying into the crook of her neck the same way he'd done it since he was a little boy.

The familiar scent of her was intoxicatingly calming. Her offering of peace brought him some instantly and the tears that threatened to fall stopped before actually coming to fruition. Before he could think or even stop himself, he turned his lips and instead of pressing them innocently to her cheek like he had so many times before, he pressed them to the side of her neck, much more intimately, and he couldn't help but smile against her skin as he felt goosebumps grow there.

Betty pulled away from him instantly, not because she wanted to stop his actions or give some sign she wasn't interested, it was quite the opposite actually. In the spirit of full disclosure and honesty she looked right into his eyes. "I slept with Jug," Speaking the words out loud was her final undoing and though she fought so hard to keep herself together and keep up the façade, she broke down.

He pulled her against him. He could tell by her reaction that it wasn't exactly a wonderful experience or memory. He'd never dare say the words but he could feel her regret. It enraged the overly protective side of him that had always placed her on such a high, pristine pedestal. As she grasped desperately at the soft fabric of his t-shirt, crying into it quietly, he struggled with his own conflicting emotions and thoughts.

Even though he'd turned her down, even though she and Jug had gotten very serious, he'd still never imagined her being with anyone who wasn't him either. Of course it was irrational and unfair. It wasn't that he didn't want her though, it was quite the contrary honestly, it was that he wanted her to have the best and he wasn't that. Not then, at least. Probably not yet, either. He pushed those thoughts down in favor of focusing on the present. "Tell me why you're crying, Bets." He whispered, his arm trailing up and down her spine in what he hoped was a soothing way.

She took a ragged breath, collecting herself. It was a few minutes before she actually spoke and she greatly appreciated that he hadn't rushed her. The truth was, the way he'd worded that question had thrown her off. It had made her think. Why was she crying? A few reasons, really. She decided not to bother trying to craft the perfect journalistically worded version of the story and, much like he had, she let her words just come out. "It…wasn't what I was…" The words eluded her. "Not what I was, expecting." She took a breath. "Granted for a long time I expected it to be with…" Her eyes flicked to his briefly and said what she couldn't. She'd expected the same as he had. That at least her first time would have been with him. "I just…" She sighed and his soft, comforting eyes invited her to continue. "We just slept together. It wasn't making love. There was no… romance." Her eyes were sad. "I know it's stupid. It's just sex. I should really be more evolved than this, I'm a feminist—" His eyes darkened almost instantly and before she could even finish her tirade, he interrupted her.

"No, it isn't stupid. It was important to you. It should have been! And it should have been wonderful and romantic. Especially your first time. I am so sorry it wasn't." He looked at her and mentally scolded himself for not being able to stop himself from imaging what her first time could've been like if it had been with him. As his eyes drifted to her full, pouty lips, he couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chest, a lust for her he'd tried to deny since that insane night with the Black Hood.

He knew he shouldn't torture himself, but the question came any way. "How," He paused, it wasn't even his place to ask but fuck it he had to know. "How did it all happen?" Obviously he and Betty hadn't been the best at keeping in touch lately but last he knew, even since Jug had been back, they hadn't gotten back together. In fact, it seemed pretty evident that he and Toni had at least hooked up if they didn't have something actually going on. What had changed so suddenly?

Betty blinked slowly. Where to fucking begin with that loaded question? "Well," She sighed again and looked around. Pops didn't feel like the right place for divulging all of the Cooper family dirty laundry. "I'll fill you in on the background later but it all started with the whole Pickens day thing. It sort of culminated in us kind of decompressing at his dad's trailer and I was about to leave and I…" She felt her eyes grow glassy again but she refused to cry again, even if they were the only current patrons and Pop had long since disappeared from sight. "I've just been so lonely," She admitted, mostly to herself. "I missed him." She swallowed hard and let another confession out, "I missed having someone." She felt terrible saying it out loud. Archie reached for her hand to reassure her there was no judgment there. "He told me he and Toni hooked up but that they hadn't had sex and that it meant nothing to him. He asked me if I'd been with anyone and I said of course I hadn't…" She trailed off, her eyes finding his. She couldn't believe she was even daring to speak these words out loud to him after all this time. "You and I never even talked about that night; sometimes I think maybe I just imagined that kiss because I've spent my whole life wanting one from you—" Her words threw him back and before he could stop and think about repercussions or meaning behind his next actions, his hands were reaching for her face and pulling it up towards his own.

His lips found hers like a magnet. Where there first kiss had been quick and reserved this one was anything but. His tongue moved to part her lips and once successful had begun to explore her own passionately, his other hand drawing her firmly against him. The kiss was deep and full of both love and pent up lust, not just over the weeks since their kiss, but from a lifetime.

As if suddenly becoming aware of the implications and complications of what he was doing, he broke the kiss, but didn't pull away from her at all. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" He whispered breathlessly. Before he could stop himself his lips pressed to hers once more, kissing her fully, in case it was the last time he got the chance. "I just wanted to—" He really wasn't sure there was anything he could say to justify his actions. "I wanted to show you, it was real. You hadn't imagined it."

She'd been taken aback by the kiss, of course, but more so by the fact that she'd so readily and naturally kissed him back. It was so much better than the first time. Her heart clenched at his confession, even though she'd wished that kiss could have lasted forever; ending it was worth hearing those words. "Arch," She whispered, her eyes searching his, trying to find the will to resist letting her lips find his again. This was hardly the appropriate place for a make out session. "You don't have to be sorry for that, ever."

The truth was, he did have to be sorry. If he hadn't turned her down, he could've kissed her like that whenever he wanted. Now, he wasn't sure of the next time he'd get the chance. He had to shake those thoughts away right now. Pops wasn't the place for that conversation and he wasn't so sure that fresh off a break up with Veronica and her losing her virginity to Jughead was the time to explore this avenue. He forced himself to redirect, "Finish telling me what happened."

"I guess I just thought that it was like a now or never situation in that moment. I wanted to feel…something. Anything; real. I thought if we lost it to each other it would feel special and all the love I felt for him would overwhelm all of the bad stuff, but-" She didn't need to finish; obviously it hadn't. "So we did it on the couch in FP's trailer. It was supposed to be sweet and slow and romantic. Instead it was rushed, quick, and yeah it felt good, don't get me wrong, but it didn't feel the way it was supposed to. I don't know. It was very rushed and afterwards I felt sort of the way I wanted to feel from doing it in the first place, but that wore off really quick. I didn't even stay the night I just went home after. Then there was this whole other craziness going on there." She shook her head. "I wish we'd nev-" She was cut off by the buzz of her phone, which she'd placed on the tabletop. Alice's name flashed on the screen and she quickly unlocked it and answered.

Before she could voice a greeting she heard; "I thought you were studying?" Because why would you allow your daughter to say hello when she picked up or give her a greeting of your own?

"We are studying?" Betty said flatly, shifting away from Archie slightly, reaching for her backpack as if placing a hand on it granted some validity to her statement.

"Well you're not at Archie's." Alice bit, annoyance evident. "Care to explain?"

There was no use making up an elaborate lie. It was likely Alice knew she wasn't next door because she'd tracked her phone. "We were hungry so we decided to go to Pops and study there and grab some dessert." Her reply was simple and plausible enough.

Her mother seemed to agree, as there was a beat of silence before she responded. "Fine. Well, I have some things to take care of so I'm going out but you better be home by nine and you better believe I'll be checking the GPS on your phone." She said coldly.

Betty sighed but knew better than to push or test Alice, especially in her current flustered state. "Understood, mother. I'll be home at 9." And before the other woman could respond, Betty hung up. The clock flashed back on her screen, 8:36, they would have to head back sooner rather than later.

"If Alice is out and Hal is gone maybe I can come up and hang out with you for a little while?" Arch suggested, pulling his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans to throw some cash on the table for their milkshakes.

"I'd like that." She replied gently, a soft smile on her lips, rising from their spot to head towards his truck. He opened the door for her and before he could close it she stopped the door with her hand and her eyes found his. In spite of herself and the terrible timing she spoke up; "That kiss was-" She wasn't sure she had the words to explain but her eyes cast up towards his and she shrugged. They shared an understanding look and both smiled at one another.

"I know. Trust me, I know." He lingered there for a moment, each of them studying the other's lip debating if it was worth the risk to steal a kiss from them. The flash of another pair of headlights pulling in to parking lot made the decision for them, unfortunately. Reluctantly, he moved to the driver's side and got in, sitting down and starting up the truck, driving them home in relative silence once again.

As they pulled onto their street Betty spoke, though she didn't dare look at him, keep her eyes affixed on some point past the passenger window again. "Remember when we were kids and you asked me-"

"To marry me and you said wait until we're eighteen and ask you again?" He cut in and finished the sentence for her. Even with a vague start, he knew exactly what she'd be referring to as soon as she'd begun speaking. He decided to spare her further embarrassment, noticing her cheeks were already pink; he wouldn't make her ask the question that must've ben nagging at her mind. "Of course the pact stands."

He's said it with such assurance and such a lack of hesitation it had actually shocked her. They were only six houses from her own driveway but she couldn't be bothered to wait, she reached over to pull him in for a kiss. He had enough of his wits about him to slam the car into park before letting his lips devour hers with intense passion, hands roaming about her the best they could at such an awkward angle and position. The knowledge that her empty bedroom sat hundreds of feet away was the only thing that motivated him to pull away. "8:58." He muttered against her lips, switching back to drive and heading back to her driveway to avoid either of them being on the receiving end of Alice's wrath if Betty hadn't fulfilled her promise.

He wasn't sure if they should keep kissing. He'd only just broken up with Veronica even if his feelings for her had become increasingly physical and less emotional since their original break up around Christmas. Regardless, he owed Betty more than to let her think this was just some rebound from that. "Do you still want me to come over? We can just talk or I can grab my guitar and play you-"

It was her turn to interrupt. "I want you to make love to me." She said, her voice serious, steady, and completely devoid of hesitation.

Needless to say, her words had taken him aback. "Betty…" He started, unsure of what exactly the appropriate response was in this scenario, he knew he needed to tread lightly.

She was so sure of this though, so sure she wasn't going to change her mind. "My first time was not what I wanted it to be. Let me have a redo. Give me this one time where I know for sure it is with someone who cares for me and respects me and-"

He didn't let her finish. Instead he answered her with his favorite form of nonverbal confirmation, a slow and purposeful kiss, broken only when she decided it was time for them to head upstairs. Only time would tell what would happen next.