Another new chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter One

Eight years earlier…

"Elizabeth Cooper!"

Betty looked up from the magazine she had been flipping through at the sound of her name echoing through the lobby. She tossed the book aside and grabbed on to her oxygen tank as she got out of her seat to meet the nurse that was patiently waiting for her. As she walked, Betty could see every eye in the room on her back. People told her that over time that she would get used to the stares. But for some reason, Betty never did. They would often make her want to crawl under a rock and never come out. However, that was not the way to face her problems, so she kept marching on. Betty smiled at her nurse when she finally reached her.

"Good Morning, Nancy," Betty greeted the elderly lady as Nancy opened the door, allowing her to walk through to her work station.

"How are you today, Betty?" Nancy asked, closing the door behind her, "how are you feeling today?"

"Pretty well," Betty replied before sitting in a rock hard chair that felts like bricks more than leather.

"That is great," Nancy said while looking over my chart, writing something down. "You are here for your biweekly stick, am I correct?"

"You are."

Nancy continued with standard 100 question procedure with the same answers that she always give. They were still awkward even after the many times that Betty answered them.

"Can you please tell me your diagnosis, please?"

Betty took in a deep breath. This was the part that she always hated. "Acute Myeloid Leukemia," she stated, and that is why she hated to answer. All because of those three words and the reason she was here on this very morning just like every other Tuesday. Betty would have to come to have her blood counts checked to make sure that they didn't drop or she wasn't having any complications. Betty wished that they would remember her answers, but realized that they had way too many patients for that to happen.

Nancy scratched something off on the chart she was holding. "What is the status?" she asked, looking up through her wired rimmed glasses.

Betty swallowed as her throat felt very sticky. "I have been in remission for about 14 months," she answered slowly. She always felt like she would jinx her chances for saying it. But so far, so good.

Nancy placed the chart on her desk and started to gather the things that she will need. Soon, she was wrapping the blue ribbon around her upper arm and tied it tight enough to create a wince out of Betty.

"Sorry," she muttered, moving away from Betty for a second when the ringtone of Betty's phone pierced the air. Betty moved down to get it out of her bag but was stopped when she caught the stern look from Nancy. She quickly remembered Nancy's rule about phone calls. Nancy would always grumble about phone calls in the middle of patient visits saying that it disrupted her work. Betty sat back in her chair, deciding to let Nancy win that battle. Betty figured that it was probably just her boyfriend, Archie Andrews, giving her a call. Well, Archie would have to wait until later. Betty was hoping that he would call today because she needed to talk to him about something. A little something about the fact that she would be attending Juilliard in just one week.

Betty could hardly contain her excitement about going. It was something that she wanted since she was a little girl falling in love with music for the first time. Ever since she heard the name Juilliard, she had become obsessed with the school. It became her dream. So ever since she decided that that was her dream, Betty placed every effort of her being to reach that dream. And all that hard work was rewarded with a full music scholarship and being accepted into the school at the age of 17. Everything was ready to go, but then that dream had to be placed on hold. Because apparently, Betty was meant to walk a different path as she was diagnosed with Leukemia the summer before her senior year. Three months from the date that she was granted her wish. Then after that, her life went downhill.

Her mind ran away from the mopey memories to her parents. Her two ever-loving parents, who had been her knights in shining armor, her battle warriors in ways that she will never be able to thank enough. The very parents who she will be leaving in just eight days to the city that was a little over an hour away from New York City where she will be staying for the next four years. Or maybe it was two hours. She couldn't quite remember the exact number. To go to Juilliard.

Juilliard where she will finally get to begin her freshman year. Yes, Juilliard was her dream school, but her biggest dream was to be a songwriter. And that was why she was going there for their songwriting program.

"And you are done, my dear."

The intrusion of Nancy's voice brings Betty out of her inner thoughts and back down to Earth. Betty stared at the nurse as she pieced together the words she had spoken. "What?" she asked her and looked down to see her arms wraps in a dark purple gauze. "Really? I didn't even feel it," Betty murmured touching the bandage. Then again, she never really feels it anymore. After being stuck so many times over the last year or so, Betty grew immune to the sting.

"Yes, that was it. You are free to go," Nancy said, pulling off her gloves to throw them away before walking over to her desk. "Remember that in two weeks that you have your new appointment with Dr. Hamburgs office. The office here has already faxed over your record to them. So they should have everything that they need. All you need to do is take care of yourself while you are gone, you hear?" Nancy swallowed as Betty picked up the slight hitch in her voice. She reached into the small jar on her desk, pulling out a stick with a white kitten on it, peeled it off and placed it to Betty's shirt. "For good luck, next week," she smiled warmly at her.

Betty returned the smile as she wrapped her arms around the other woman. She didn't know if it was okay to do such a thing, but she didn't care. "Thank you for everything, Nancy," she said as she pulled back from the hug. Nancy had been one of her biggest allies during her fight outside of her parents. And being the bright-filled person is, Nancy quickly became one of Betty's favorite people in the world, making her glad to have met such a person.

"Good luck, sweetheart."

With one last weak smile, Betty kicked back her tank and wheeled her way out of the room. Once she was out of the building, Betty reached into her bag for her phone, so she could check to see who called her. And her guesses were right about the caller had been her boyfriend. She hit the call button and put the phone to her ear, listening to it to ring a few times before Archie answered.

"Hey Honey," he greeted her making her grimace at the fuzzy name that made her want to vomit. Yes, Betty hated the pet names that he tended to call her, but she was not about to tell him that.

"Hey," she smiled into the phone while scanning the parking lot for her mother's car until she spotted the old green station wagon in a shady place. Betty felt relieved that her mother was able to grab the spot until the giant tree because it was hotter than hell, being the end of July.

"How did it go today?" he asked her curiously.

"It was just bloodwork, Archie. So I will know in a few days," she told him, scrolling over to the car climbing inside to escape the never-ending heat. "I will let you know what I find out," Betty promised him.

"I can't wait to hear it. Look, there is a reason I called earlier," Archie started before clearing his voice before talking in a slightly louder voice. "I was wondering if you would like to go get something to eat at Pop's tonight?" Betty started to answer but was distracted by the sound of a muffled voice that sounded familiar to her.

"Is Veronica with you?" Betty asked him.

"No, it's just my mom," Archie said quickly, and Betty felt her eyebrows raise.

"Archie, your mom, lives in Chicago," she reminded, "you told me last week that she has a major court case this week and would busy every day," she said, feeling confused on why Archie would lie about being with Veronica. Veronica was their best friend. They didn't need to lie that they like hanging out together unless there was something else going on… Would they do such a thing? No no no, Betty thought to herself. Veronica and Archie wouldn't do something like that to her. Veronica always said over and over again, that hoes always came before bros. "Anyway, tell Veronica that I said hello and I would love to have dinner with you tonight."

"Awesome! I will see you in a little while, Honey," Archie said before hanging up. Betty internally shudders at the pet name because it was twice in one fucking phone call.

"Was that Archie?" her mom asked her, pulling out of the parking space turning the car to move towards the main road. Betty nodded before Alice began to shower her with questions about her appointment. But Betty couldn't hear her as she could only think about the upcoming night and her mind turned to Archie.

Archie Andrews was one of her biggest heroes. She thought back to when they first met when they were only four at the time when Betty's parents bought the house next door to Andrews. However, they didn't start out as friends, and in fact, Betty hated the fucker. He was lazy and would often make fun of her. Whenever they would look at each other, it was usually with a glare. That lasted until one day; Betty found him sitting on his front porch, after riding her bike around the block, upset. Puzzled at seeing him like this, Betty asked if he was okay. Archie told her that his parents were splitting up and that he had to repeat the second grade if he didn't get his reading score up. He looked so sad as he said this. Like someone took his kite and stabbed it. Betty wanted to help him feel better, but she couldn't help with his parents, but she could help with the reading part.

So, she ran back over to her house to her room to try and find any books that would be a good start for Archie. After she had her arms filled with books, Betty marched back over to Archie's porch and promised him that she would help him pass the class. And the rest past was history as they quickly became best friends and were inseparable after that. Wherever Archie went, Betty was with him and vice versa. Then high school happened where things began to change for Archie and Betty. Betty was in complete denial of her feelings for Archie until he went on a date with Josie McCoy.

It was only then that Betty allowed herself to realize that she had a crush on her best friend, Archie Andrews. But it scared her. She wanted to tell him how she felt but was also worried about losing his friendship. So she said nothing. The fling between Josie and Archie quickly fizzled out because the two of often fight over the smallest things. After that, things slowly went back to normal. Then Betty was asked out by Trevor Brown, which turned out to be one of the worst dates in Betty's short life. Betty liked to call it failed date or a fate.

Later on in the year, Betty found out that Trevor came out of the closet as gay. Betty figured that that was the reason why the date was a no go for them and that Trevor only asked her out on that date to try and prove something to his parents. Betty pulled her thoughts back to that train tracks of Archie to the moment things changed for them.

It was during the first week of their junior year, and Betty was about to walk home when Archie asked her to go with him to the Back to School dance. Betty felt her heat burst as she immediately said yes to him. The rest of the week went by very slowly for Betty, and the night finally arrived.

There was something about that night that clicked between them, and it eventually led them to their first kiss that sealed the deal for them. Everything was going great for them. Archie was the football captain, and Betty was a cheerleader. It was almost like a fairy tale until Betty's health started to turn for the worse and the cause behind it as eventually revealed that Betty had cancer. Archie had been incredibly supportive through the whole thing. He would go with her to the appointments, hold her hand when she needed some extra strength. Archie was great a great friend and even a great boyfriend. But Betty frowned as she couldn't help but notice something had changed between them as her thoughts moved to her other best friend, Veronica.

Veronica Lodge moved to Riverdale during Archie and Betty's Sophomore year. Veronica was the reason that Betty was even able to be on the River Vixens squad. The cheerleading captain and Betty's cousin, Cheryl Blossom, was often a bitch to Betty. By commenting on her weight or find something about Betty insult. When Veronica moved to the Riverdale, she had put a stopped to it and demanded that Betty was placed on the squad or Veronica herself would not join the squad and it worked. Veronica was also great through her cancer battle as well.

She would sleep with her during her hospital stays when her mother or father needed a night away. She would lay on the bed and watch movies. Veronica would hold her when she needed to cry, and she even helped shave Betty's hair when it started to fall out. Betty swallowed thickly thinking about her support system and believed that the only way she was able to make it through was because of them.

Another good thing about her two best friends was that they too were accepted into the school of Juilliard. Betty knows that it sounds weird that three students from Riverdale had been accepted into just a sacred school that was for music and other talents. But they did. Betty just happened to be starting a year later than she was supposed to.

Betty is pulled from her head when her mother blows the horn. She looked out the windshield to see her mom pulling into the driveway of their house and could see her father sitting on the side porch reading the Riverdale Register. Betty shook her head at this. She didn't know why her parents had to read a paper that they owned and a paper that they wrote most of the stories. Yeah, her parents were weird, but they were her parents. Betty often wondered if he just read the paper to drown out her mother sometimes or out of complete boredom. When her mom placed the car into the park, Hal Cooper raced around to her door to help her as Betty's tank gets tangled with the door.

"I got it, Dad," Betty told him as she reached down to unravel the wired from around the window handle. It was an older car, so it had features like that in it. Betty tried not to get frustrated with her dad because she knows that he only wanted to help. But Betty felt like she had to prove to them that she could handle things on her own so that they won't worry as much when she leaves next week.

"You know I don't mind helping you, Honey," he said, holding up his hand in a surrender like stance. Now, Betty doesn't mind when her dad calls her that because her dad has been calling her that since she was a little girl. But when Archie does it, it turns her the wrong way. "I missed you."

Betty snorted at him while rolling her eyes. "It's only been two hours since we left the house," she laughed at him as he led the Cooper Women into the house where Betty was hit with the most delicious aroma coming from the crock pot that was sitting in the middle of the island. Betty knew that yummy smell only came from chili, and it was made her mouth water. She sat down on a stool while she watched her dad take the lid off to stir it. She took another deep whiff of the smell coming from the bubbling red goodness in front of her. Her dad noticed her face and chuckled. One of her favorite sounds as he held out a spoon for her.

"Would you like some?" he asked her waving the spoon in front of her, and it was enough to make her cave.

Betty slipped the spoon into her mouth and almost melted at the tastes. It was rich and spicy, and everything that chili was supposed to be. "It's good, but it needs some salt," she told him. Hal quickly grabbed the salt shaker and sprinkled the seasoning over the chili, stirred it, and tasted some for himself.

"How about now?" Hal asked her, offering her another spoon, and Betty was only too happy to accept it.

"Yep," Betty said after swallowing her bite. "It's perfect now," she smiled, smacking her lips while her stomach growled begging her for more. "No more," she said when he started to hand her another spoon.

"She has a big date tonight, Hal," Alice said, sliding into the seat next to Betty before grabbing the spoon that was meant for Betty. Betty felt her cheeks begin to burn as her father's attention returned to her.

"How is good old Archie?" Hal asked, "I have seen him much since he has been home from school for the summer."

"He is doing pretty well, Dad," Betty said, waiting for her heart to do its little flip at the thought of Archie's smile, but it doesn't happen. Betty takes a deep breath as she watched her mom stick the spoon into her mouth. Betty laughed as her mom's eye rolled around something Alice Cooper did when she was thinking about something.

"It needs salt."

Hal frowned at his wife. "I just put salt in, Alice," he told her, and with that, her parents erupted into a minor snippet over the salt content of the chili. They tended to have small arguments over the slightest thing, and Betty was not in the mood to watch the sexual blabber between her two parents. She did want an appetite for later, after all.

"I am gonna go get ready," Betty said to her parents, but they were deep in their conversation that they didn't hear her. So, Betty slid out of the stool to head to her room and over to her most dreaded thing, the stairs. As she made the harsh trek up to her room, a tune started coming together in her mind. She finally makes it to the top of the stairs and hurried to her room. Betty sank into her chair, feeling completely winded from the climb. That was why she hated stairs. No matter the direction she was going on them, they seemed to wipe all the oxygen and energy from her body.

Betty took a deep breath before turning to her two most prized possessions. Her soundboard and her keyboard. They were presents from her parents on her birthday and now played a significant role in her songwriting. Betty looked over to her bookshelves that were lined with many numerous journals. Well, they would look like journals to anyone else, but they weren't. They were the books filled with the many songs that Betty has written over the years. And those were just some of them. Betty had a few boxes in her closet that held even more. Betty turned her attention to the important matter at hand. The tune in her mind. She glanced to the door, making sure her mother was nowhere around before cracking her knuckles. She knew if her mom caught her doing this, it would cause a major lecture that would end with Betty's ears bleeding. Betty called it getting her fingers ready for their little work out.

Betty played the tune over and over in her mind before testing it on the keys. She winced as it was not what she had in mind, so she tried again and again until she was happy with that she was hearing. Betty's fingers continued to float over the keys as she loses herself in the music. This was what she loved about music. It was like she grew wings that took her to another world where there's no cancers or oxygen tanks. It was like she landed on her fantasy island that was for her. She missed this place so much and wanted to stay here forever. If anyone who ever see inside her mind, they would think that she was crazy. But she didn't care. She loved music.

"Betty! Archie is here!"

Betty jumped, hitting an off-key at the sounds of her mother's shrill voice wavered up the stairs. Betty's eyes snapped over to her clock where the numbers were angry red and screaming the numbers 6:45 at her.

"Shit!" Betty scrambled out of her seat as fast as she could go. Archie hated being late, and they were going to be really late. Betty hurried over to her closet doors, searching through the rows of clothes looking for something that would catch her eye. Betty never had much of a fashion sense and always preferred to dress for comfort. And that was kicking her in the ass as she settled on a red shirt with a black skirt. They were only going to Pop's anyway, so she didn't need to go all out. When she leaned down to snatch up her black boots, she felt her chest tighten. She stood up slowly and walked over to her bed to sit down, feeling completely breathless. Betty hated when this happened. It often meant that she was moving way too fast and that she needed to slow down. She changed her outfit quickly, not even bothering with any jewelry.

When she was done, Betty gave herself a glance in the mirror and grimaced at the image. Staring back at her was not the girl she could recognize. Her face held every little color, and there was a thick batch of messy curls barely covered the back of her neck. Her hair was nothing like it was before. She missed being able to put her hair up in a ponytail. She had wigs that she could wear, but they were more itch than comfortable. Her eyes then settled on the cannula sticking out of her nose and shook her head in disgust. She applied a thin layer of foundation to try and hide the dark circles under her eyes, and after a quick swipe of a pink gloss, Betty Cooper was ready for the evening.

"Do you need help?"

Betty looked up to see her mom standing in the door and shook her head, telling her no.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked her daughter, sounding a little worried. "You look a little pale." She noted walking into the room to place her hand on Betty's forehead.

"I'm fine, Mom," Betty assured her. She looked at her mom in the mirror to see her hold up her hand, revealing a small necklace with a little red teardrop.

Betty turned around in her stool to look at it. "Is that grandma's necklace?" she asked as she began to place it around her neck.

"Yes, Ma'am," she finished with the clasp and placed her hands on to Betty's shoulders. "You look beautiful, Betty." Betty could see a thin layer of tears in her mother's eyes. "I love you so much, Elizabeth."

"Me too, Mom," she said, getting out of her seat hugging her close. Betty Cooper was fortunate to have Alice Cooper for a mother. (I know it is not true in the show. I mean what kind of mother would do everything she could to get her daughter to a farm that farms organs?) Betty didn't know how her mother made it through her illness, but Alice Cooper did it like a fucking champ. Betty could only hope to have that kind of strength one day. She walked back over to her keyboard to hit the save button on her new piece. She never took any chances with that because she never knew if the power would blink or something odd would happen.

"Now let's go," Alice said, leading Betty out of the room by her arm. "You have a very handsome gentleman waiting for at the bottom of the stairs." With her mother's help, Betty slowly made her way down to the living room. Betty looked up, and there he was Archie Andrews in the flesh. With his red hair gleaming in the light and his white teeth on to show like he was in an Extra Gum commercial. He looked terrific, and she had missed him.

"Finally," Archie sighed when he spotted her. Yep, he was not happy because there was an edge to his voice. Betty glanced at her father, making sure that Hal wouldn't pick up on it because she didn't need him going all ape shit over Archie when he went into one of his protective modes. And Betty knew that he was probably irritated because they were late leaving for Pop's.

"Sorry, I was writing again, and I lost track of time," Betty said as her eyes dropped to the floor. She didn't know why she was apologizing for when Archie knew what writing meant to her.

"Oh, Honey," Archie snickered while shaking his head. Betty cringed internally and bit down on her lip so she would not lose her cool.

"Well, I am ready now," she smiled at him walking over to take his arm and they were out the door. But not before Betty waved goodbye to her parents knowing that they were watching from the front door.

"Don't be home too late," her mom yelled out the door, her voice echoing throughout the neighborhood. Betty snorted when she saw their neighbor's porch light come on. Yeah, her mom had that kind of sharp voice that could pierce its way through brick walls.

"I won't," Betty said, blowing them a kiss before Archie tried to help her into the car only for her to fall clumsily into the seat. Betty missed being able to get into a car with a little bit of grace. Betty waved one more time at her parents before Archie pulled away from the curb and into the nights. Betty's stomach growled as she thought about the huge plate of cheese fries that waited for her. But Betty didn't know that she was riding into a night that she least expected.

Enjoy! Thanks for reading!