Court continued to march forward. Betty continued to fight. In retrospect, life went on. So, why was Jughead still stuck in the time frame of that horrid night in the bathroom? The night where he found his love harming herself? He didn't have the answers to the million and one questions circling in his mind but he did know this: if it was the last thing he did, he was going to make sure Evernever paid for his sins.

The trial was on hold and Claire Matthews was in her element. Mary Andrews hadn't been able to find any incriminating evidence against Evernever except what they already had and she wasn't completely, one hundred percent confident it would hold up in court. That didn't mean she didn't try, however. The way Mary fought for justice for his girlfriend left Jughead breathless with wonder. She took absolutely no prisoners in her quest for justice and they were just along for the ride. He was exceptionally proud that Betty was being represented by her and come hell or high water, Evernever would come to rue the day he ever set his eyes on his girlfriend. Jughead would make sure of that.

Jughead and Betty currently found themselves in Pop's, sharing a basket of onion rings and sipping on a milkshake apiece. Betty had been quiet and Jughead had been contemplating when it would be the perfect time to address the elephant in the room. Now seemed as good as any.

"Do you want to talk about what I walked in on the other night?" Jughead asked quietly, carefully, lest she got scared and shut down. He watched as she swallowed nervously and ran his thumb across her knuckles soothingly, letting her know there was absolutely no judgement coming from him. Just complete and raw concern. She sighed.

"I can't make sense of why I do some of the things I do," she whispered, staring into her milkshake and Jughead wondered where her mind had taken her. Was it down the dark path that she often fought against? He hoped not. Not because he believed she was a bad person but because he didn't want her punishing herself for things out of her control. He waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts. After a moment, she nodded a little and started speaking again, the soft tone emanating from her soothing Jughead's anxieties for the time being.

"I know what I did was wrong and I shouldn't even possess the knowledge of wanting to harm myself but like I said, I just wanted to feel something. Anything other than the all-encompassing guilt I feel," she muttered, fists clenched atop the table.

Jughead loosened her fists, uncurling her fingers, and entwined her fingers with his as he thought about what to say. Eventually, he landed on a question.

"Guilt about what, baby?" Jughead asked quietly, desperately trying to understand things from her perspective.

She sighed.

"If I just hadn't been so adamant about proving Evernever's guilt, then none of us would be in this position. My mom wouldn't be in jail and we wouldn't be facing court hearings every other day," she mumbled, eyes downcast. Jughead tilted her chin up with his index finger, coaxing her to make eye contact.

"Or," he said, "perhaps we would be exactly in this position. Edgar was, is, a bad person. What he did to you was wrong and illegal, end of story."

"And my mom?" Betty whispered, and Jughead sighed.

"To be quite frank, I really couldn't give two shits less about her, babe. She made her choices and now she has to live with them," he replied. "She knew exactly what she was doing when she got in bed with Evernever."

"And, if she hadn't?" Betty implored. "Gotten in bed with him, I mean."

Jughead sighed, running his free hand through his unruly hair. "I don't know. I won't pretend to understand why your mother does the things she does; I can't begin to fathom the inner workings of her mind. However, I will say that I don't think she thought this all the way through. She left you. Left you alone with him. That's not something I'm willing to forget. Or forgive, if I'm being honest."

He watched as his love mulled over his words before eventually nodding.

"I see your point," she admitted.

He placed his lips against her temple and held them there for an immeasurable amount of time before pulling back slightly. "What are we going to do about Charles?"

Betty sighed. "I don't know. The fact that our half brother has shown up at the worst possible time imaginable has thrown me for a loop. I want to get to know him but -,"

"But, he reminds you of Alice and you're not sure how to feel about that?" Jughead guessed, and Betty fell silent, providing all the answer Jughead needed. "That's okay, sweetheart. You're allowed to feel however you want about her; not one emotion is right or wrong here."

"You make it seem so easy, Jug," Betty sighed.

"That's because sometimes it is, baby," Jughead murmured. They fell silent then, each wrapped in their own thoughts. Jughead, one who would always advocate for a calm silence, found himself worried about where her thoughts were leading her. "Where's your head at?"

She shrugged. "I guess I'm just trying to come to terms with everything. I mean, I'm about to go up against Alice in court and we have a half brother who just showed up out of the blue. It's a lot to process at once."

Jughead nodded. "And, I get that, I truly do. Just, don't shut me out, okay?"

"Have I ever?" Betty wondered.

Jughead pressed his forehead against hers'.

"You really want me to answer that?" Jughead replied quietly, and she laughed softly as she shook her head.

"No," she whispered, leaning in to brush her lips against his before placing her head on his shoulder. Jughead wrapped an arm around her, holding her into his side securely. This is what he cherished the most; when she was wrapped up in his arms and he knew she was safe. Whether that meant safe from the outside world or safe from herself, it didn't matter to Jughead; he was just happy to know that she trusted him inexplicably. And, he wouldn't take that trust for granted. Not now, not ever.

Author's note: Short and simple one after all the heavy stuff. Hope you enjoy. Xxx