Shout-Outs: EsperanzaWrites and Siennese

Rated: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Chapter 2

Betty was up with the sun, still too excited and eager to get any sleep. She changed into a pair of tan linen shorts and a rumpled, loose floral blouse and went downstairs to find some coffee to drink.

"Elizabetta!" Isabelle said as she closed her magazine and stood up, her satiny red robe trailing out behind her as she went over to her to greet her. "Good morning, darling! I trust you slept well!"

"I did," Betty admitted. "The room was lovely. Thank you for letting me stay the night."

Isabelle took her and shook her head. "No need to say thank you! It was our pleasure, truly it was. Now what can I do for you this morning?"

"Well, I could use a caffeine fix," Betty said. "And maybe a little bit of breakfast."

"Would you like to go and have some breakfast at one of my favorite places to get pastries and espresso? Luca had to run to the office for a while. He will be ready to take you to Lombardy by the time we're through. Just let me go and get changed!"

A few minutes later, Isabelle returned in a cream-colored kaftan. Her face was bare of makeup, her dark hair was pulled into an effortlessly chic bun and there was a golden snake bracelet coiled around her left arm. She pulled on a pair of oversized tortoise shell sunglasses and slipped into gladiator sandals. "Are you ready to go, dearest? Luca just texted me, he is going to meet us at Dolce Far Niente. Then we will drive you to Sogni D'oro together! We'll introduce you to the laborers he hired to help you and get you settled. How does that sound?"'

"Good," Betty said, her excitement growing even more.

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"There it is, Elizabetta!" Luca proclaimed as he idled the car. "Your new home!"

Betty looked out at her new house. Her breath was completely taken away, it was shabby but all she could see was endless amounts of potential. She could see a future where tourists would come and stay with her and feel like they belonged there.

"I love it!" She breathed. "It's amazing!"

"I thought it would be a good fit for you," Luca answered as he started to drive again. "It's a little large but I know you can handle it. I've done my research on you."

"But we're not going to leave you all alone," Isabelle assured her. "We'll be here whenever you need us."

"Thank you," Betty said.

They pulled up to the front of the villa and Luca parked. He got out first and opened the car door for his wife and then for Betty.

"Are you ready for this?" Isabelle asked, looping her arm through Betty's. "You're taking on a big project here. We made sure the electricity was wired and you had running water though. There's even a little coffee maker in the kitchen. We didn't want you to be completely in the lurch!"

Betty smiled. "Thank you. That means more to me than I can even say! And to answer your question, I am ready for this. Really, I am."

"Good! I have some papers for you to sign and then this place really will belong to you!" Luca told her, taking a neat stack of papers out of his leather messenger bag and handing them to her along with an ink pen.

She signed the dotted line with a flourish.

"Congratulations!" Luca said when she was done.

Isabelle patted Betty on the hand. "Come on darling, let's get you settled in!"

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They showed her around her new house and then Isabelle took her into town to buy something for dinner. When they got back, the men who Luca had hired to help with the renovations were waiting to meet her.

And then she was all by herself.

She finally remembered to call her parents to tell them that she'd gotten to Italy safely and she was getting ready to settle into her new home. Alice scolded her for a while about not getting in touch sooner. When she hung up, she shot a group text off to Archie, Veronica and Jughead.

When that was over, she made herself something light to eat with the groceries she and Isabelle had purchased earlier. She stifled a yawn and checked her wristwatch because it was still on Riverdale time. It was almost two in the morning there and she was really exhausted.

She resisted the urge to climb into bed and instead went to get cleaned up. Isabelle had left her a few "essentials". Bath gels, lotions, a silky bathrobe that was sapphire blue, fluffy towels, candles and a record player with a variety of vinyls.

The tub in the master bathroom was sunken into the floor and was large enough to fit two people. Betty filled it with hot water, shed her clothes and got in. She closed her eyes and sighed in contentment.

She was going to take this time to relax because they were starting construction on the villa the next day. She didn't want to waste any time, she knew from experience that it went by quickly. She could blink and her nine years would be up and nothing would be done.

There was no way she was going to let that happen. She was determined to succeed in everything she did.

She didn't have to do it perfectly like she had in high school but the word failure still left a bad taste in her mouth.

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Betty woke up to her phone ringing, she reached for it and saw that she'd slept through her alarm. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and brushed the hair away from her face before answering it.

It took her a full minute to realize she was video chatting with Jughead.

"Jughead!" she said, blushing a little bit as she sat up and frantically looked for something to pull her hair back. "Hi! What can I do for you?"

"I was just checking to make sure you were actually alive and that you weren't kidnapped or anything, he told her.

"I texted you last night."

"A sophisticated kidnapper could have texted us from your phone and made us believe you were okay," Jughead answered.

Betty gave up on finding a hair tie and sighed. "Well, I am obviously not kidnapped. I'm actually in my villa right now. Today's the first day of work, actually. From the sounds of it, I think the people who were hired to help me have already started. I should get up and check on them."

"I'm sure they know what they're doing Betts. Whoever's in charge of this whole thing wouldn't try and sabotage you," Jughead said. "I wouldn't worry too much about it unless they cave the roof in or something."

"Thank you for adding that to my list of things to worry about."

"You shouldn't be worrying about anything," Jughead replied. "Go and hire somebody to worry for you!"

Betty got out of bed and shook her head as she got some clothes from her suitcase. "It wouldn't work. I'd worry that I was worrying them too much. Now close your eyes while I get dressed."

Jughead complied, making a show of putting his hands over his eyes. "You've only been there one full day, I'm going to assume you haven't seen much of Italy yet!"

"No," Betty answered as she put her bra on. "I don't think I will see very much of it either. This is not a vacation, you know."

"But it is your new home and if you're going to have company, you're going to want to know a little bit about where you're staying."

Betty pulled her dress over her head and started to button it. "Okay, you can look," she said.

Jughead lowered his hand and smiled at her. "Well, I guess I should let you go now. I just wanted to make sure you were safe. Maybe call Veronica and let her know you're fine, she's starting to get on my nerves."

"I knew that you wouldn't call to see if I had been kidnapped!" Betty said as she found her box of bobby pins and started to pin her hair up.

"I would have still called to check on you!" Jughead insisted. "I just wouldn't have added the kidnapping part. That was all Veronica. And people say that I have a vivid imagination."

Betty laughed. "I really have to go now. I'll call Veronica as soon as we hang up so she'll stop bothering you."

"Okay," Jughead said. "Have a good day Betts. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay," Betty echoed, smiling at him.

In a matter of seconds, he had signed off their video chat. Betty looked at the time and realized that Veronica was probably still asleep or just waking up and wouldn't be in the mood to talk without coffee in her system or lipstick.

She texted her quickly with a promise to call her later and then went down to the kitchen where she made herself a cup of coffee before stepping outside into the warm, late morning sunshine.

"Signora Elizabetta! You're awake!" The foreman, Ezio Moretti said in broken English, taking off his cap when he saw her. "I'm sorry if we woke you! It's just that there are a lot of weeds growing and a fountain that needs repair! You got one of the villas that needs the most work, I'm afraid."

"Yes," Betty agreed. "But it's okay! If we all work together, I am sure we can be successful. Have faith, Ezio."

"I'll go and say a prayer this afternoon," Ezio said. "We're going to need all the help we can get."

"Is it really that impossible?"

"If it were impossible, Ezio would tell you, Signora! This is not impossible, we're just going to need a little more help than greasy elbows and a hammer."

"Ezio is just being melodramatic!" Luca interjected. "Do not fret Elizabetta! We would not give you a place you could not succeed into making something useful! He is the local drama king. A hangnail is the equivalent of having appendicitis for him."

"It is true!" Ezio admitted sheepishly.

"But he is also the best carpenter around!" Luca added.

"That is also true!" Ezio said, puffing out his chest proudly. "My work is fit for the queen herself! I will not disappoint you, I promise! I am the best in all of Italy!"

Betty smiled. "Well, I cannot wait to get started then!"

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The Diary - June 11th

I am settling into my villa. It is a little run down but I expected that. And it has good bones. I have slowly started to introduce myself to it. Isabelle said this is the Italian way. I trust that eventually I can turn it into something completely wonderful.

My main contractor is a man named Ezio. He is overly-dramatic and constantly talks about going to church to pray to Saint Jude Thaddeus about the state of our project because it is a hopeless cause. And then he is saying he is going to pray to Saint Anthony about the status of my relationship.

Saint Anthony is the Patron Saint of Lost Things though, so I am not sure what good praying to him will do me. . . I have not lost anything.

Anyways. . .

Jughead video conferenced me this morning to see if I had really texted them or it was a sophisticated kidnapper pretending to be me. I guess I'm happy there are people who actually care about me. But he was doing it on behalf of Veronica. Not on his own accord.

I don't know why I even care if HE really cares if I am okay or not. I'm an ocean away from him and we haven't been together as a "you and me" in forever.

My life is a list of endless possibilities now.

Anything can happen. Anything. I could meet anyone and be swept up in a passionate love affair. Not that I think I'm the kind to have a passionate affair.

Even when I was with Jughead, we had a quiet kind of love. One that made people think we'd been together for our whole entire lives. Except for that one time. . . when he first said I love you to me.

But I am looking forward to the new possibilities. I am looking forward to it all more than anything right now.

TBC. . .

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Author's Note:

I know I just posted the first chapter on Tuesday but Saturdays are going to be update days anyways, so I thought I would get to the regularly scheduled programing tonight. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and that you will tell me what you thought about it. I don't live for numbers or reviews but I do love the little feedback I get.

I'll be back with more next week.

Until Next Time!

Lots of Love,

Holly, 7/8/2017