A/N: it's complicated. I'm not specifically a write-for-a-prompt writer but I've gotten 2 suggestions now and I guess my inner Betty lives to please or something. I'll only write something if I don't mind the premise and have a good idea on how to do it, so I guess feel free to throw ideas and I'll do what I can?? Also the canon breaks a bit after we hit where episode 6 ends. Without further adieu.

Ever since Betty's parents, though specifically her mom, published Jason Blossom's autopsy, she felt like their sensationalization of the events to sell papers was sickening. With that, she had decided to dig for the truth of what happened and who better to help than Riverdale's own resident mystery writer, Jughead Jones, who was already writing a book about it.

He faked hesitancy, but accepted the offer. Betty's heart fluttered. She sent him out on his first assignment and he did this cute thing where he brushed his thumb under his nose. It confused her. Not why he did it, but how it made her feel. She had been in love with Archie for as long as she could remember and even though she briefly tried dating this guy she met in Los Angeles during her internship, she had felt nothing. So what was up with this spark, like her heart was jumping in her throats as spoke with the third member of their childhood trio? She decided to brush it off. Maybe it would go away.

Jughead' investigation bore fruit, as they discovered Dilton Doiley had fired the gun shot that both Archie and Cheryl had heard on that fateful morning. Unfortunately, this has opened Pandora's box, as Doiley gave up additional information to save his own skin from bad publicity. Ms Grundy was also at Sweetwater River on July the 4th. This lead to seemingly new implications as the investigators both knew Archie was also there. Jughead's throat went dry at the thought of Betty coming to realize he already knew.

X

She felt a rage, but it felt more over protective than jealous at this point. It was like her feelings were thawing and spring was arising. He was beginning to seem more like her brother than her dream beau, and she was willing to fight for that, even if he didn't want her to.

Upon confrontation, he asked if Jughead had told her and she angrily asked if Jughead knew. The two glanced towards the booth inside just to see Jughead shirk back in the booth, like he was caught doing something he shouldn't have. Archie was mad at him for not giving fair warning that Betty now knew, but Jughead didn't regret it. If anything, he wished he had told Betty from the get go, but it was not his secret to tell.

X

They met up at their shared office.

"Jeez Jug. Here we are, chasing a lead you already had! How long have you known?"

"A while."

"You could have told me, Jughead! I know you think you were just protecting Archie but he's my friend too. I would never hurt him." Betty groaned and continued pacing.

He stepped in front of her and grabbed her shaking arms. "You know I would have told you if I could, Betts. I'm sorry." And there it was again. That flutter, like butterflies and bees, and her heart was yet again caught in her throat as his face was so close to hers. She never realized how blue his eyes were, it was mesmerizing. They just stood there, frozen, and then Jughead let go and took a step back, awkwardly scratching his neck and refusing to make eye contact as he blushed.

X

In the coming days it was decided that they would go together to Jason's service. The idea was that they would use it as a chance to investigate Jason's room, but Betty bit her lip and was smitten at the thought of the fact that it was kind of like some morbid date. It certainly helped that he cleaned up so well, even if he still wore his adorable crown hat ever so proudly on his head. She wondered if he felt the same way but brushed it off. There were rumours around school that Jughead Jones was a woman hater, and she didn't believe that for a second even though he never really showed an interest in anyone at all so she wasn't sure he'd want to consider their investigation to be a date. Maybe they were just really close.

X

Upon finding out Jason had asked Polly to marry him, Betty realized her family was in it deeper than she had thought. Jughead had agreed to help her find her sister and go from there. They had spent so much time investigating as just the two of them that they were caught off guard when Archie offered to help. Of course, Betty looked to Jughead to shut that down fast. He claimed it was more of a stealth mission, but she felt it was a very vulnerable trip and she didn't trust anyone else to go with her. Jughead made her feel safe, like she could walk through the valley of fear and come out unharmed so long as she was with him. Screw Archie. The more time went on, the more he made her roll her eyes. He was still her friend, her brother, but it made her wonder what she ever saw in him.

X

Finding out the truth about Polly was as terrifying as it was relieving. She was so glad her sister was safe, but it scared her senseless that her own parents would hide this from her. That they lied about it. She was freaking out and then Jughead just showed up at the window. He was her prince in knitted crown cap, here to rescue her, and she swooned. He was the one person she could trust about her fears and worries. He saw that and comforted her. She wasn't crazy, and neither was Polly.

The crazy one was him, he thought, as he was magnetically pulled to a girl for the first time in his life. To him, people were people, and he could acknowledge that men and women were different but he didn't see them all that differently. Betty was the only girl he had stared at longingly. He never felt the way Archie did about other girls, he just liked her and it was growing stronger as they spent so much time alone together. Other girls were more like cats to him. Sure you might like a cat, but you didn't exactly what a relationship with them, or anything gross. To him, it almost felt like dating, something he never expected to do or even want to do. If a few months ago, someone had told him he would want to kiss a girl, he would have laughed. And yet here he was, cupping Betty's face in his hands as he pressed his lips to hers. It took her a second but she responded to him. He rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm tired of being in denial. This isn't just an investigation, and it hasn't been for a while. We keep getting into situations where we can be alone together and I think we've been secretly dating this whole time." She smiled up at him as he said those words, faces still inches apart, hands still holding each other.

Then she snapped back. "The car!"

"Wow, in the middle of our moment?" He joked, but it was okay, because that's how they were. He was the blue and she was the gold. Doing things together was as much a part of their newly admitted relationship as their developing feelings were.

X

To the outside, it may have looked like they were putting this new relationship on hold, as they had other things to worry about, but they were each other's rock to weather the storm, even if they didn't have time to go out on "real" dates or anything like that.

And it was their little secret, seen in glances and smiles, but without anyone even noticing. They chalked it all up to being good friends and an investigation team. Nobody got too suspicious until after Archie and Betty threw Jughead a birthday party and Veronica tried to join in on the investigation.

She couldn't understand why there was hesitancy to let her in, so she went behind their back and started searching for answers with Archie Andrews. They found no leads and ended up at the dance. And there they were, Betty and Jughead.

Jug had a smile they had never seen before and Betty held a glimmer in her eye as they lightly held each other and swayed to the slow music. They didn't even notice as their friends crept upon them.

"Ahem!" Veronica pretended to clear her throat, startling the two lovebirds. "How long has this development going on for." She swung her arms between the two in case it wasn't obvious what she was referring to.

Betty turned a bright pink at having been caught. She was glad she didn't have to sneak around as much now that it was out in the open, but she knew she was going to miss the thrill of the secret and it was Jughead's wish to keep things private. She respected that.

"Not that it's any of your business but more or less this whole time," Jughead interjected.

"This whole time? Jughead, that's not very specific. Like since you joined the Blue and Gold? Beginning of the school year?" He looked to Betty, confused, "Even further back?"

The blonde grabbed the hand of her not so dirty secret. "No, Arch, not that long. We sort of fell into it with all the time we've been spending together and the night of the talent show we made it official. There's just so much going on and we're not like other teens, going to fancy restaurants or anything, so we didn't think it was worth sharing. It was just our little intimate... secret."

Veronica smiled. "I like it. It's very yin and yang forbinned romance-esque. Like Romeo and Juliet."

"Except for the part where they killed themselves," said Jughead with his usual sardonic charm. Betty elbowed him in the gut.

"So you say but you've called me Juliet before." She stuck out her tongue.

"Well I was climbing through your window. It felt like the right reference at the time."

The two continued their banter, back and forth, playfully, as their friends just watched in shock and awe in how they never noticed it before. That was it. Those two were definitely in love.

But love isn't always safe in a place like Riverdale.

A/N 2: For jsmizzle who wanted a secret relationship. I hope it's what you're looking for. I also played with the idea of a completely AU secret relationship since it's a lot harder to fit this in within the previous existing canon.