Warning: You guys are NOT going to like where this chapter goes … but don't worry, Betty & Jughead will figure it out. Please bear with me and keep reading.

"Betty, I think maybe you should have an affair."

"Excuse me?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"Just a sexual one." Jughead looked at her a little sheepishly. "I think you need to find someone who can provide you with what I can't. I want you to be happy, Betty. Satisfied."

"Are you kidding me?" she practically yelled. "No!"

"Betty, listen to me. You obviously have needs – "

She interrupted him. "Oh my God . . . Just the fact you're even saying that shows you don't even really understand."

"Understand what?"

"My 'needs' are for YOU, Jughead."

He blanched, so she continued carefully.

"I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, but YOU turn me on, Jug. Because you love me – because I love you. Because our hearts are connected."

He gulped as she took his hand tentatively.

"I want you to understand that I only want to have sex with YOU." She saw the panic in his eyes. "Which we won't, don't worry. But I only want this because we have a bond. A bond that I wish we could strengthen through intimacy even though I know that's the last thing you want. I'm sorry, but I can't help how I feel."

She cried a little and he squeezed her hand back.

"What if you have a bond with someone else?" Jughead asked after a little bit.

"What do you mean?"

"Betty, I don't want you to remain a virgin just because you've chosen to be with damaged ol' me. Don't you want to experience it? If you have a bond – even a slight one – with someone else – maybe you can have sex with them."

"No." Betty stood up and walked away from him. "I can't believe you're even suggesting that."

But Jughead wouldn't let it go. And somehow, he eventually managed to convince her to try it. So, during the nights when she would lie in bed with him, riled up from some truncated hug or kiss and his sweet words of love, she would seriously consider the possibilities. Maybe she could close her eyes and imagine she was with him.

One name kept coming to mind over and over. Archie. Her first love . . . er, puppy love.

He was recently single again . . .

He knew when she left that night that she was leaving to have that affair that they had discussed. She hadn't said a word, but he knew. He gave her a hug that lingered before she walked out that door - he didn't want it to end. He knew he was losing a piece of her, but he had to let her go. He didn't want to be the one to hold her back because of his own fucked up problems – and the guilt had been eating him up.

She was gone for HOURS. He was restless. TV, no book, no writing, no video games. Ugh. He threw the controller down and ran his hands through his hair. He hoped she was with Archie. Out of all of the possibilities he knew his best friend was the only one who might actually treat her well. Please God, let her be with Archie.

But then certain images came to mind . . . Red hair falling onto her skin, her forehead, their sweat mingling. Oh God, would they kiss? No, he couldn't bear to envision it. Back to video games.

When he heard her car pull up, he didn't greet her. Just stayed in bed with his laptop, pretending to look busy. It didn't matter though. She didn't come to the bedroom. She went straight to the bathroom and turned on the shower.

And remained in there way too long . . .

Betty hiccuped and turned the key in the ignition off. She stumbled out of the car and lurched a bit as she made her way inside. She purposefully did not seek out Jughead, instead making a beeline for the bathroom. She managed to turn the shower on before she vomited. Thank God. She didn't want him to hear that. She had drunk WAY too much. She had needed to drink . . . to get through.

"You sure you want to do this?" Archie had asked. "And that Jug's okay with it?"

"Yeah," Betty said, a little sadly. "It was his suggestion actually. Because – you know."

"Yeah, I get it. But you don't sound okay with it."

"I think Jug's right." Betty shrugged. "This is something I should experience. And I'd like to experience it with you."

"Okay, then. How should we do this?"

Betty took another huge gulp of her drink and handed the empty tumbler to Archie. "Refill?"

"Sure."

When he brought back her freshened drink she said, "We should probably start like normal people do, Archie. With kissing."

"Okay." He leaned in to kiss her and it didn't feel like the kiss of her dreams, the one she would lay in bed and think about for what felt like half her youth. It was just lips. And they weren't Jughead's.

She tried to get her head in the game. Okay, she used to like Archie that way, and she still cared about him. There had to be something here she could work with. She realized that she didn't want to fantasize about Jughead to get through – that felt like a violation. She broke from the kiss and downed her second drink. Then she held out the tumbler to Archie. "More please."

She peeled off her clothes and uncharacteristically just left them in a pile on the linoleum floor of the bathroom. She slowly took off each of her earrings, and took a good look at herself in the mirror. She was ashamed.

She stepped into the shower and turned it up as hot as it would go, scalding herself. She squeezed her hands into fists and dug into her palms, drawing blood. She couldn't believe she had let Jughead talk her into this. She couldn't believe she let Archie go so far . . .