Things always happened in three's and that was the most true for Archie Andrews in the December following his fathers shooting. Christmas week solved three of the biggest issues in his life in the most promising ways.

The first thing was that the black hood was finally unmasked and he was dead. As much as Archie knew that there were things that didn't add up, he didn't care about that. All he cared about was that the black hood was gone and that they were safe again, that Betty was now safe again. They could attempt to go back to their normal lives without the serial killers interference.

The second thing was his father's medical bill, the day after Christmas they received a phone call to say that an anonymous donor had paid the bill, in full. This meant that Archie and his dad could breathe the biggest sigh of relief, this meant that they wouldn't lose their house, that his father wouldn't have to be stressed all the time and pick up extra jobs just to make ends meet. This meant that Archie and Fred had a chance to reset their lives to the moments before the black hood walked into Pop's and decided to play God.

And finally the third, and possibly his favourite of his three Christmas miracles was that Veronica Lodge had told him that she loved him, that she needed him and his goodness in her life. She. Loved Him. There was mistletoe above their heads when she made him come outside his house to the patio where it was freezing and she was wearing a dress and heels that covered nothing of her legs, there she kissed him and smiled coyly at him before telling him that she loved him.

"What are you smiling about?" Veronica asked amused, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"You," he said, his smile brightening as she walked toward him and placed their hot chocolate on the table, grabbing the remote to start their movie before taking a seat next to him on the couch and let him cocoon her with the blanket covering them. "I'm picturing how you had to stand on your toes to hook the mistletoe onto the roof of my patio."

"Veronica Lodge does not stand on her toes to do anything," she pouted and Archie kissed her lips before she could pull away. "Except for when my mother put me in a ballet class but that was forced."

"Your heels are high Ronnie but not that high," he laughed as she frowned at him. "I can't imagine you standing on one of the chairs either."

"Of course not," Veronica said rolling her eyes and then looked at him sheepishly. "I had Andre hang it up when he dropped me off."

"That's cheating, you were supposed to do all that by yourself," he teased and digging his fingers into her waist and tickling her. "Because you said you did it by yourself, what was the words again? 'Hung by moi', I believe?"

"Archikins," Veronica squealed as he tickled her. "You were supposed to just believe me and not question my mistletoe hanging skills."

"I think you have to make it up to me now that you've lied to me," he told her dramatically.

"It doesn't matter how I got the mistletoe up there, it got you to kiss me so I could build up to tell you that I love you too," she told him and Archie smiled wide like he had been every time she said those words, and every time his smile made her smile as well.

"Say that again," he whispered dipping his head to touch his forehead to hers and she felt her heart flutter at the wonder in his voice.

"I love you Archie Andrews," she repeated, a smile lighting her face at the fact that she could say the words so easily to him and the way his eyes shone at his feelings being reciprocated. "You are everything that's pure in this world," she smiled threading her fingers through his hair and leaning in to kiss him.

"You're totally forgiven for not hanging up the mistletoe," he said smiling against her lips and she laughed throwing her head back. "Do you want to get out of here?"

"And go where?" she laughed. "Archikins, it's freezing cold out there and we have hot chocolate and blankets and movies and body heat right here."

"Hmmm," he moaned when she pressed herself closer to him wrapping her arms around his shoulders snugly, kissing his neck. "We can't just stay here the whole day Ronnie, your parents are probably going to walk in here at any minute and kick me out."

"You need to stop worrying about my parents so much," she told him, slipping her hands underneath his shirt and running a finger down his side where he was ticklish and Archie shivered. "They are out Christmas shopping and between their monstrous gift lists for each other and the gifts I requested, they should be out for the rest of the day."

"I just want them to like me," he said his cheeks turning pink as he thought of the implications of telling her this.

"Are you planning on sticking around for a long time?" Veronica teased gently when she caught on and touching his cheeks.

"For as long as you'll have me," he told her softly, wondering if it was too soon after saying I love you and getting over her fear of saying those words to be bringing up the future.

"What if I want you to stay with me forever?" she asked shyly, tilting her head to the side.

"Then your parents need to love me," he told her as seriously as he could and she laughed, the mood broken.

"They'll love you, but not as much as I do," she said pushing at his chest so that she could sit up straight next to him.

"My dad already thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread," Archie told her rolling his eyes and handed her one of the cups of hot chocolate watching her hold back a laugh.

"Well your dad is the best judge of character," Veronica told him as she sipped on her drink and looked up at him slyly and he narrowed his eyes playfully at her.

After Fred was shot and Archie was on a mission to find the black hood Veronica took up some of the little duties that Archie forgot to do and pretended like it was Archie who had asked her to do it, like pick up Fred's medication, subtly make sure he wasn't in any pain that would require another trip to the hospital and clean up around the house, something Veronica would never be seen doing in her own house, but she did at the Andrews because it would help Archie, she should have known that she was in love back then.

Fred and Veronica talked a lot in the month it took for him to get back onto his feet enough that she and Archie didn't have to help out anymore. Fred found his son's girlfriend much different than he imagined she would be, especially knowing Hermione and Hiram Lodge, he saw how much this girl cared for his son and indirectly for him and there was something about her that managed to ground Archie when he started to obsess over the blackhood.

"I don't like that he always takes your side," Archie complained twisting his mouth. "Now no-one takes my side, not even Jughead."

"That's because I'm always right Archikins," Veronica teased.

"You are not always right," Archie pouted rolling his eyes and Veronica lifted an eyebrow as she waited for him to expand on that statement. "I can't think of a situation right now where you were wrong but I will, give me time."

"You're lucky you're so cute," Veronica laughed leaning in to kiss him. "Now shut up and watch the movie."

"Your parents are really going to hate me," Archie murmured and Veronica laughed breathlessly next to him. "Like really, really hate me."

"They'll get over it," Veronica told him, picking herself up to press her lips to his and kiss him as sweetly as she could. "Although we should probably get dressed before they get back so you can keep coming here."

"How much time do you think we have?" he asked picking his hand up to look at the watch she had bought him for Christmas.

"Enough," she whispered taking Archie's hand before he could put it back down and pulling it over to her face, kissing his hand before leaning her cheek into his palm and Archie smiled at her, she always wanted extra skin on skin contact after they'd had sex. "It's funny."

"What is?" he asked curiously, letting his fingers trace the shape of her ear before running down her neck slowly, making her shiver.

"That the only things we are wearing are our Christmas presents to each other," Veronica mused and Archie furrowed his brows, curling his fingers around the locket pendant on the necklace around her neck with the hand that held the watch she had given him.

"I never would have noticed that," Archie laughed, his fingers following the dip on the side of the heart until he found the latch and clicked it open. "I love this picture of you."

"I love you," she said and Archies smile got bigger and his cheeks redder as he looked up to find Veronica watching him with the softest smile on her face, the smile he noticed was reserved only for him.

"I love you too," he said against her lips before he kissed her, pulling her back on top of him before changing his mind and flipping them over so her back was on the couch and he was hovering above her.

"Archikins," Veronica giggled, biting his lower lip playfully. "Promise me we'll survive whatever gets thrown at us, promise me we'll make it."

"As long as you fight with me Ronnie, I'm not letting you go," he said frowning slightly at the change in topic and her mood. Veronica had never told anyone she loved them before, she never felt love and she had never wanted the vulnerability attached to it but she was completely in love with the boy lying on top of her trying not to crush her with his weight and she was terrified of what that love could do to her. "I won't break your heart."

Veronica didn't say anything, she just pushed his hair off his forehead and smiled at him before pulling his face down to kiss him again.

The elevator pinged, somehow breaking into their fuzzy minds and Veronica froze making Archie pick his head up to question what happened and then gasped and jumped off her when it registered. He grabbed pieces of clothes from the floor, throwing her, her clothes and trying to jump into his as quickly as he could before Mr and Mrs Lodge entered the room.

Archie collapsed back onto the couch next to Veronica, panting heavily and looked at her to see the same frazzled look on her face as she adjusted her hair and reached over to wipe his lips and whatever lipstick had transferred to his lips.

"How was the movie?" Hermione asked when they finally walked into the room the teenagers were in.

"Great," Veronica said nodding and pulling the blanket back around them, unsure of why she was so unsure about leaning onto Archie with her parents looking at her like that.

"What did you watch?" Hiram asked frowning at the teenagers.

"Die hard," Archie said clearing his throat and sitting up straighter, explaining further when Hiram raised his eyebrow. "It's a surprisingly Christmassy movie."

"Very 'Christmassy'," Veronica said teasing her boyfriend who was cringing at the use of that word to describe Die Hard to his girlfriend's father. "How did your shopping go?"

"It went well," Hermione said with a smile, holding up her arms to show off the bags of shopping they had gotten done. "And no surprises with my account this time."

"Isn't that wonderful," Veronica commented tightly and Archie nudged his girlfriend when her body tensed up next to his and she just looked to him and shook her head to tell him that it wasn't anything for him to worry about.

"We're going to go put this away," Hermione said turning to her husband and tilting her head to his study. "Hiram."

"Yes of course," Hiram said picking up the bags that he had dropped to the floor when they walked in, he took a step toward him wife before thinking better of it and turning toward the teens on the couch and looked directly at Archie. "A word of advice, the next time you try to put your shirt back on before I walk into the room, make sure it's on the right way."

Archie's eyes widened and he looked down at his shirt that was on inside out and slapped his hand to his face. Hiram looked amused as he followed his wife to his study, Archie scrambled to get his shirt off and back on the right way.

As soon as the door shut behind her parents, Veronica began to laugh uncontrollably and Archie followed dropping his head to her shoulder. "That was close," he said through his sputtering laughter and she nodded.

"Next time we'll go to my room," Veronica laughed ruffling his hair before he picked his head off her shoulder.

"No love, next time we're not going to be anywhere our parents could just walk into," he said taking her hand in his and collapsing back against the couch.

"Don't be so dramatic," Veronica said taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. "He didn't suspect anything, which is surprising."

"Do you want to get out of here now?" he asked, really hoping that she wanted to leave now and Veronica nodded. "Where to?"

"Anywhere," she said jumping up and grabbing their coats.

"Pop's it is," Archie laughed helping her into her coat once he had his on and grabbing her hand to pull her out of the Pembrooke. "I really need to stop testing my luck."

A/N: This was the strangest one shot I have written, it was just fluff, it had no plot or reason really, I just find it cute, Sorry it's so late but my festive season has been busy, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas

Hiram Lodge is crazily OOC here but I can have him be difficult on Archie in another story, since I'm diverting from cannon, this is the new Hiram lol deal with him

Thank you guys for the reviews on the previous chapter and I have a new story about Varchie called Finding our Way, please check it out as well, I love that story so much, I hope I don't mess it up.

Fanfiction Recommendations: On this site, you guys should definitely check out 'Your Soul' by Vick Weasley, 'Proposes and Mistletoe's' and literally every other Varchie story written by KitsuneMalfoy and 'Basic Needs' which is an M rated fic by ForASecondThereWe'dWon (I love this handle)
On Archive of our own I only have 2, I may be missing a lot of fics but there are only 2 that I can remember at the moment "Don't be mean' by theeternalblue and 'Collapsing couches' by temerarius

I hope everyone had a wonderful 2017, I'll see you guys in 2018, please keep reviewing and please let me know what else you want to see me write about this beautiful couple, please review and let me know what you think

Until Next time (^^,)