Chapter Two
"Mom, this town is like something out The Gilmore Girls. Seriously. There's an honest to goodness General Store. Now, sure it had wifi but still…wow," Jessica Cooper said, walking next to Betty on the sidewalk.
"Not exactly the Upper East Side, right?" Betty remarked. She stopped at the door the town's newspaper, The Register owned by her mother, Alice.
"No, it was…" Jessica bit her lip.
"Don't say 'quaint'. I'll make them revoke your journalism scholarship if you say 'quaint'," Betty threatened with a snort.
Her daughter laughed and followed her inside. Betty watched her daughter's face light up as she took in all the activity around her. "Someday all this will be yours," she teased.
"You want to explain to me why I had to learn from Mrs Latham in the post office who heard from her son who works at Gradiccis outside of town that you came back to Riverdale yesterday and didn't bother to call your mother?" Alice Cooper came storming towards them, a whirlwind of perfectly coiffed blonde hair and blue eyes. She slammed a folder on a nearby desk, not once breaking her stride.
"I wanted to prepare my daughter for her-"
"Oh my God, look at you!" Alice grabbed Jessica by the shoulders. "You're so beautiful. Your pictures and a computer screen just do not do you justice!" She pulled Jessica in for a tight hug.
"…grandmother," Betty finished weakly.
"Hi Gran," Jessica smiled, hugging her back.
"I absolutely hated that I wasn't able to make it to your graduation but you're here now and that's all that matters and let me show you around, hmm? So your mother tells me you'll be starting Columbia in the fall…" Alice wrapped an arm around Jessica's shoulder and pulled her down the hall.
"Yeah, I'll be fine, you two. I'll just stay here and…" The phone rang and Betty looked down at it…'play secretary I guess." A man she didn't recognize at one of the other desks turned and smiled at her. Another older man walked past her just as she picked up the phone. "Register, Alice Cooper's temporary minion. How may I help you?"
"Sorry, Alice Cooper's what?" The man on the phone asked.
Betty felt a beat of recognition at the voice. "Archie?"
The older man stopped at the door. "I'm going out to get some coffee. How do you take it?"
"Cream, three sugars, one chocolate pump, whipped cream." Betty replied.
"Oh my God, Betty is that you?" The voice in the phone asked.
"Archie! How are you?" Betty asked, delight filling her at hearing one of her oldest friend's voices.
"Christ, only one person would drink that diabetic monstrosity," Archie said. "When did you get back? Why didn't you tell me…oh…So that's why Jughead ripped one of our punching bags off its chain this morning."
At his name, Betty closed her eyes, anger and humiliation swamped her. The way he treated her after they had…Well, she had said what she had to to him, there was no reason for them to have anything more to do with each other. Riverdale was a small town, but she was a grown woman with her own life to live. Jughead Jones could go fuck himself as far as she was concerned.
"Great, so I'll see you this afternoon."
Betty blinked. "What?" She hadn't heard a word he'd said.
He'd actually called to run an ad in the paper for a junior boxing tournament being held next week at the gym he co-owned with Jughead. The gym he'd just invited her to come visit with Jessica that afternoon. And she'd agreed. Jughead would probably be there. Shit. After taking down the details for the ad she was sorely tempted to back out of the visit but her pride wouldn't let her. She wouldn't seek him out but neither would she avoid him like a silly teenager.
Jessica came down the hall in an excited rush. "Mom, grandma says I can work here with her for the summer. An actual newspaper! Not like the internships back home but I'd actually be getting paid and have my own byline and write actual news!"
Betty smiled with pride but it wavered as a thought occurred to her. She looked over at her mother. "Nothing dangerous?"
Alice rolled her eyes. "Oh sure. I'll send her to cover the shanking at Old Lady Gillivray's over her beating out Old Lady Murphy for this year's blue ribbon peach pie contest. Really, Betty."
They worked out her own schedule for coming to work at the paper full time as well and after relaying Archie's message for ad space, Betty left with her daughter to visit him at the gym.
"So you and Archie lived next to each other as kids. Did you guys ever have a thing?"
Betty rolled her eyes. "No, this isn't Dawson's Creek, Jess." If she actually had had a crush on Archie after she discovered boys didn't have cooties, well, she would just keep that to herself, she thought fighting a smile. It had only lasted about five minutes, until that horrific night when Jughead had found her in the dark and from that night on her heart had been his.
The sign read Andrews Gym. Betty braced herself for the possibility that Jughead would still be inside. Archie mentioned he'd been there that morning. Please let him be gone.
Of course he was still there. He was standing outside of the ring, leaning against the ropes as two boys who looked about fifteen boxed inside. Did he teach classes here?
Archie followed her gaze.
Betty looked at him in confusion. "But the sign says…Oh, got it." No one would come if a Serpent's name was on the door. Just as always, appearances were everything in Riverdale.
Betty did a double take when got a good look at her old friend. He had often bemoaned his red hair but now coupled with a reddish brown beard she couldn't imagine any woman who didn't fan herself over him. "This is new," Betty said with a teasing smile, scratching his beard. "Very Jamie Fraser."
"Who?" he asked with a laugh.
Sadness gripped her for a moment. Outlander had been her best friend Veronica's favourite show. They had binged all the seasons repeatedly during many a sleep over, gushing over the gorgeous male Scottish hero.
Out of the corner of her eye, Betty saw Jughead finally spot them. He straightened and jumped to the floor, making his way towards them. Her heart raced with every step closer. Damn him.
"So you must be Jessica, right?" Archie asked, turning to her daughter.
Jessica shook his hand. "Nice to finally meet the great Archie Andrews. The boy next door. I thought you were a musician though?"
"Songwriter." He then went on to list a few songs he'd penned that impressed Jessica because she knew and loved them.
Betty cleared her throat and forced herself to introduce her daughter to Jughead.
She watched Jessica's eyes lift to the man's head and knew she was noticing the lack of the hat her mother had always gone on about. Jessica said nothing about it though. "This place is pretty cool. I'm going to be staying with my mom for the summer before I start at Columbia. Can I sign up?"
Both men stared at her. "Uh…this place is actually…" Archie began uneasily, looking to Jughead for help.
Jughead cleared his throat. "We get some pretty rough characters in here. A few of the South Side kids who can swing it bus in 'cause we have better facilities than in their neighborhoods."
Jessica snorted at that. "I have two words for you 'Downtown Brooklyn'."
"Uh, Betty, you want to chime in here?" Jughead pressed, glaring at her.
She cocked an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "You want a shovel?"
He narrowed his eyes at her before trying for a charming smile on her daughter. "It's just that, really, most of the women feel more comfortable in the upscale gym on the other side of town, closer to The Register, where your grandmother works, right?"
Jessica pulled out her phone. "Wow, this is so amazing that I've got to tweet it."
"What?" Archie asked, looking over to see what she was doing.
"I've just discovered the first gym where you box with your penis."
Betty burst out laughing and pushed Jessica's hand down silently urging her to put the phone away. "Okay, I think they've learned their lesson. Right, guys?"
"The sign-up sheet is in my office," Archie said with a grin, motioning Jessica to follow him.
Betty gave a little start when she realized she had been left with Jughead. She made to walk past him but he reached to take her arm.
"Betty, wait."
Heat shimmered all through her at his fingers on her bare skin and the instant reaction left her so furious with herself that she jerked her arm out his grasp. "Don't you-"
He quickly let her go and raised his hands. "Okay. Sorry. Look… I just…about what happened. I never meant for things to go that far."
She clenched her teeth and glared at him. "Is that what you're apologizing for? The sex was not the problem, you jackass!" She tried to keep her voice low. "It was the whole zipping up your fly treating me like a whore afterwards, Jughead. Remember that part?" Oh fuck no, she would not cry in front of him, Betty mentally tried to halt the tears that threatened.
His face flushed bright red and he cringed. "Yeah. That was absolutely uncalled for. I don't even expect you to forgive me. I just wanted to you know that I am absolutely ashamed of how I acted. It was just, seeing you again after all these years…Christ, Betty…I lost my head…No," He shook his head quickly, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm not saying that as any kind of excuse, okay? I know it's not, but…it is why it happened. I just wanted you to know how sorry I am. You have to know that I would never have used you like that…"
"No, no!" Betty rushed ahead, stunned at the comparison he was trying to make. Now it was she that gripped his arm. "Jughead, it wasn't like that. Don't even think that it was the same!" Her anger dissipated under the stronger desire to comfort him. Just like that. He needed something from her, she gave it. Always. Damn her weakness for the man even after all this time.
He stuck his hands in his pockets, nodding slowly. "Good. Good."
She cleared her throat. "Well…um…like I said, I'm back to stay so…I was hoping that, maybe we could…I don't know, at least be civil if not-"
The door opened behind her, sending her forward into Jughead's arms which she had only a split second to physically react to with a burst of arousal before a young male voice behind her apologized and moved past her.
"Oops, sorry. Hey, Jug."
She wouldn't have really looked at him a second time if Betty didn't see Jughead's face change in an instant. He paled and whispered "shit", his eyes moving instantly to her and then the boy.
Jessica and Archie came out of his office then and she stopped when she saw the boy. Betty watched her daughter and the world grew blurry around everyone but them. Her daughter and the boy, though Betty could only see him from behind were in sharp focus. He had on Jughead's hat. The wool cap that Betty remembered from her teenage years. It was that even more than Jessica's face paling, even more than her daughter's phone slipping out of her hand and hitting the floor with a dull, protected thud that told Betty who the boy was.
Jughead has always looked out for JJ. He loves him like a son.
He'd given this boy his hat.
"Oh my God," Betty whispered, moving towards him.
She felt Jughead holding her back, wrapping an arm around her waist to halt her.
"Betty, Betty, wait," he urged.
"It's him…" she whispered, her entire body beginning to shake, tears filling her eyes. Her arms actually warmed with the sense memory of his tiny baby weight against them. "Oh my God, Jughead, it's him."
"Yes, okay? Yeah, but you can't just go over there and tell him who you are yet. Listen to me, Betty. Betty!" Jughead cupped her face in his hands and she tried to struggle against him, all the while watching JJ with his sister.
"You okay?" JJ asked Jessica since she still hadn't said a word, unable to stop staring up at him.
Betty had shown her pictures of him that Cheryl had sent her over the years. Jessica gave a little start, jerking herself out of her stunned stupor and looked past him briefly to Betty who was being held by Jughead both to keep her still and keep her from hitting the floor.
Betty watched Jessica collect herself and smile at him. "Yeah, my name's Jess. I just got to Riverdale a few days ago. I'm spending the summer here with my mom."
"JJ Blossom, nice to meet you."
Betty couldn't help the sob that escaped her then and Jughead dragged her out of the gym just as JJ turned at the sound. She tried to get back inside as Jughead pulled her away from the doors. "Jughead, please!"
"Betty, you can't, okay? You can't do this here. Not like this."
He gathered her into his arms as she conceded and broke down, sobbing against his chest. He held her like that for a long time, stroking her hair, murmuring soft words of comfort, once again the sweet boy she'd known trying to make all her pain go away even while he himself suffered. Betty buried her face in his warmth, feeling the strong, steady beat of his heart and slowly she regained her composure. "You gave him your hat," she finally said, feeling him give a quick laugh against her.
"Yeah, well. When he was little he'd keep going for it. I…" He shrugged.
She pulled back and looked up at him, love washing over her in such a strong wave she couldn't speak for a moment. "You've been there for him this whole time."
He stepped away from her, uncomfortable. "It just didn't seem right to let the Blossoms be all he knew…You were a part of him too even if he couldn't know it."
Betty's chin quivered. "Even though you hated me…"
Jughead shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Wanted to hate you. Tried to hate you. But…Betty, you gotta help me out here. You owe me."
She nodded, sniffling and wiping her cheeks. "I know. I just can't yet. Not after today. I don't think I could handle it."
"Okay, tomorrow then. Some place…um…Pop's. How about Pop's?" He asked, his cheeks pink.
Betty understood. Less chance of a repeat of what had happened if they were in a public place.
Jessica came out into the hall then and hugged her mother. "Are you okay?"
Betty's arms tightened around her and she took a shaky breath, looking over at Jughead, she nodded, so grateful for how he had comforted her despite how terrible their relationship was now. "Yeah." She pulled back and cupped her daughter's face. "How about you?"
"He's offered to show me around town. Of course I didn't tell him who I was, but I did tell him I had a boyfriend back home just so…you know…things don't get weird," Jessica said.
"Oh…so you're going to be spending time together…" Betty said her eyes filling again.
"Yeah," Jessica said, her own eyes glistening. "I'm finally going to get to know my brother."
Betty made her way across the cemetery grounds, stopping when she came to the beautiful marble white slab. She set her bouquet of white lilies down among the other flowers in front of it. She blinked back tears as she traced the letters on the slab.
Veronica Lodge
Beloved daughter.
"Hey V," she whispered. "I've come home. I've come to get my baby back. I saw him today. He's so beautiful. I know you've been watching over him all these years, just like you did when he was first born. I was such a mess and you just took charge figuring it all out, the feedings, the diapers and made me feel like I wasn't an absolute loser as a mom. 'You got this, Betty Cooper. It's just poop, not nuclear physics,' you would tell me." A sob welled up in her throat. "You would have made such an amazing mom. Our kids should have grown up together and been best friends like we were. I'm gonna ask you to help me out now too. Help me figure out how to do this so my son doesn't hate me. I need to figure out how to make him understand."
"She will," a female voice said behind her. Betty turned to see Veronica's mother Hermione. She got to her feet and hugged her.
"Word is starting to spread that you're back. Penelope probably already knows."
"I'm trying to gather my nerve to head there next. Thornhill."
Hermione shuddered. "Do you want me to come with you?"
Betty smiled in gratitude. "Maybe just send out a search party if I don't show up tomorrow." She squeezed the woman's hands. "I owe you so much…after everything you did for me…even after what happened to Ver-"
Hermione shook her head quickly and cupped Betty's face, kissing her cheeks. "My daughter loved you like the sister she never had. You were not to blame for her death. The Blossoms were. I don't care how long it takes, we'll make them pay for what they took from all of us."
Betty parked her rental car just outside Thornhill's gates. She stared up at the house of her nightmares. Twenty years and it still represented every horrific thing Betty had endured. She lifted a trembling hand to the intercom to announce herself. The gates swung open before she could. She'd been expected.
Betty swallowed, staring up at the house, willing herself to be strong for her son's sake.
Eighteen years ago, she had looked up at this house, a broken young girl, finally beaten into submission by fear and violence, two crying babies in a stroller.
That frightened young girl still trembled inside of her, but just as she had done what she had to to save those she loved so many years ago, she lifted her chin, and for her son, Betty Cooper began to walk.
