A/N Thank you to Boris Yeltsin for the review!

Chapter 20

The day had gone by slowly for everyone, Archie had barely left Veronica's side, just in case she had woken up. He wanted to make sure that he was the first person she saw so that she would know that her ordeal was over. Luckily Hermione had been willing to take care of the baby whenever she had cried, which surprisingly hadn't been that often, she was a pretty quiet baby.

"How's she doing?" Fred asked.

"She's still out…"

"Don't forget, son, that the doctor did put her in a medically induced coma. He'll bring her out of it tomorrow."

Archie turned his head looking at his Dad, before his eyes drifted to his daughter, who was sleeping in her bassinette, before sighing and turning his attention back to Veronica, "I sure hope you're right…"

Fred put his hand on Archie's shoulder, "I'm going to head home do you need a ride?"

"No I have special permission from the head nurse to stay here tonight with the baby."

"Alright see you tomorrow then." Fred said, before saying goodbye to everyone and walking out of the room. Which left just Archie, Betty, and Jughead, Hiram was downstairs talking to the private investigators he had hired. Hermione was grabbing Archie some food and a coffee since he hadn't eaten much today.

"So what's the plan?" Betty whispered, this was their only chance to brainstorm since they hadn't been left alone all day.

"I'm going to stay up here," Archie whispered taking Veronica's hand, "and you're going to leave me that mask, Betty."

"You're actually going to wear it?" Jughead asked surprised.

"You're damn right I am."

"Are you crazy?!" Betty whispered loudly, "How are you going to explain to a nurse why you're dressed as the Black Hood?"

"I have a plan."

"Well what is that plan?" Betty asked crossing her arms.

Archie glanced at the still closed door, he was starting to worry that either Hermione or Hiram would walk back through it any second, he didn't have time to argue with Betty and Jughead right now.

"I'm just going to need you to trust me."

Betty and Jughead looked at each other before Betty sighed reaching into her bag, pulling out the mask and handing it to Archie, "I hope you know what you're doing." She whispered.

Archie took the mask tucking it under Veronica's mattress.

"Betty and I will be hiding outside keeping our eyes open for Nick." Jughead said.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Archie asked nervously, "it could be dangerous."

"After what he did to Veronica you bet your ass we do!" Jughead said.

"I agree, he has to pay." Betty said.

Archie stood up walking over to Betty hugging her, "just be careful."

Betty gave him a small smile, "you be careful as well."

Archie nodded his head and then turned to Jughead fist pumping him, "keep yourself safe."

Jughead scoffed, "please being safe is my middle name."

Archie let out a small chuckle.

"We'd better go and get into positon," Betty said, "they're probably going to kick us out any second anyways."

Archie waited for the two of them to walk out of the room before he sat back down beside Veronica's bed and retook her hand. From behind him he could hear his daughter snoring lightly.

"Veronica," Archie whispered, "I don't know if you can hear me, but I just really wanted to tell you that I love you so much… I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in this world and I really miss you. I wish that you were awake right now to celebrate the birth of our daughter, and to start our lives together…" He said bringing her hand up to his lips kissing it, "I won't let Nick hurt you ever again, I promise." Archie vowed.

Nick couldn't believe the bruising that he had around his nose, and the black eye that Archie had given him, he was a lot tougher then he looked. Nick's injuries were bad enough that the doctor had had to pop his nose back into place, and now it was all bandaged up because it was broken. Luckily though he didn't look like himself, which if everything went according to plan, meant that he should be able to sneak into the Riverdale Hospital undetected.

"Thank you, Archie." Nick said laughing, he was actually kind of happy that he had beat him up. Glancing at his watch Nick knew that he had to get going, it would be dark soon, meaning that everyone would more than likely be kicked out of Veronica's room. Soon he would have a baby and have another chance at a family.

Betty and Jughead hid in the shadows, watching as each person walked into the hospital, they were wearing their ski masks and had changed into all black clothes. So far though everyone who had walked into the hospital were doctors and nurses, and the odd person going into the Emergency Room.

"I sure hope we catch him," Betty whispered.

"Me too." Jughead said, watching as one of the private investigators walked around the building, there was another one standing right by the door.

"It looks like the men Hiram hired this time might actually be good at their jobs." Jughead said impressed.

Betty nodded her head in agreement, "hopefully they'll be able to find Nick and stop him if we can't."

Nick hid behind some bushes on the outskirts of the hospital watching the private investigators walking around, he knew that he'd never be able to just walk right in the hospital.

"Dammit…" He whispered as he thought about how to get into the hospital before getting an idea, he would re-break his nose so that he could run right into the emergency room. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes Nick counted backwards from ten, when he reached one he punched himself in the face, which caused him to cry out in pain.

"Ouch!" Nick said touching his nose, when he looked at his finger he discovered that there was blood on it, smiling he quickly rushed towards the hospital.

Betty and Jughead watched confused as someone ran out from the bushes, who was holding his nose.

"Why the hell was that guy in the bushes?" Jughead whispered to Betty.

"I don't know," Betty said her eyes never leaving the guy, there was something very familiar about him. The two of them watched as he ran up to one of the private investigators, and the two of them had a conversation before he was allowed to go into the emergency door.

"Did that guy have ID?" One of the other private investigators asked.

"No, but he broke his nose again and he really needed a doctor."

Betty and Jughead looked at each other nervously, "did… did Archie break Nick's nose?"

"I wouldn't doubt it," Jughead said, "the way he was punching his face…"

Betty took out her cellphone, "Archie, it might be nothing, but someone just walked into the Emergency room, who was hiding in the bushes and he claimed that he had re-broken his nose."

Archie hung up the phone, his heart immediately beginning to beat out of his chest, had Jughead and Betty just seen Nick? Even they weren't sure, but the way he had been hiding in the bushes made Archie really nervous. He quickly took the hood out from underneath Veronica's mattress, then looked at his sleeping daughter, followed by Veronica. Before quickly bending down kissing her head, "I'm not going to let anything happen to either of you," he whispered before throwing the mask on, and flicking off the light in the room, leaving only the emergency light. Archie then ran and hid in the shadows, grateful that he had decided to wear all black today, before taking his pocket knife out, so he could use it if need be. Archie then waited with baited breath for the door to open.

Nick's anger was boiling over, he had just had to have his nose re positioned again, and it was just as unpleasant as the first time. Luckily, thanks to the bruising, the doctors hadn't recognized him, so now he was roaming through the hall towards the maternity ward, where, even if Veronica wasn't there, he was certain that his child would be.

The hospital was surprisingly quiet tonight, not that Nick minded that one bit, and it was because of this fact that he was able to make it to the maternity ward super quickly.

Once he walked through the doors he was greeted with a lot more nurses then he had been expecting, they were all running around like chickens with their heads cut off, and the sound of babies crying rang through the air. Nick slipped back out the door trying to think of the best way to get to Veronica's babies room, wherever that was.

"Come on, Nick," he whispered to himself, "think," he said looking around the hallway where he was standing, before gasping when he spotted a nurse's uniform hanging on the back of a door, "perfect!" He said running over to it, and grabbing it and putting it on.

After he grabbed a clipboard Nick walked back into the maternity ward, and walked through the hallway, keeping his face hidden behind the clipboard slightly, so he wouldn't draw too much attention to himself. While he walked down the hallway he looked at the names on the doors, and after walking to the very end he finally found Veronica Lodge & Baby Andrews written on the door.

"Perfect." Nick said smiling, before looking around, luckily the coast was clear, he took a deep breath opening the door, and then shutting it quickly behind him.

Once he was inside Nick looked at the bed that held a still unconscious Veronica, he laughed walking over to her, "oh you stupid girl, if you hadn't of fought me so hard then you and I would have been raising this baby together, and you wouldn't have gotten hurt," he said sitting on the edge of her bed, "but your heart belongs to Archie doesn't it?" He said scoffing, "I really hope that he was worth it, honey, you could have been genuinely happy with me, I would have given you and that baby everything, but once again you were far too stubborn, just like you've always been!" He said much louder then he meant to, which woke up the baby. Nick glanced behind him in the bassinette laughing when he saw the baby, "and now I will be taking your baby," Nick said turning his attention back to Veronica, leaning in close to her, "I hope you die, bitch," he whispered, "for everything that you and Archie did to me, I can't think of better payback then to have Archie lose both you and his baby." Nick laughed before deciding that he should probably calm the baby down before a nurse came in and caught him.

Standing up and walking over to the bassinette Nick smiled down at the baby, "hello," he said about to pick her up, "I'm your real Daddy."

"Leave her alone!" A male's voice yelled, causing Nick to jump, luckily he hadn't picked the baby up yet, he looked around the room confused for a moment, "who's there?"

"If you leave now you might get out alive." The same male's voice said.

Nick continued looking around the room, but he didn't see anyone, "show yourself you coward!"

"It is you who is the coward, you kidnap Veronica to get her baby what kind of man does that?!"

"I'd be ten times the Father that Archie Andrews would be!"

"You think so?"

"Why do you care?!" Nick demanded, "Who the hell do you think you are, show yourself you coward!" He was trying to make whoever he was talking to angry so that he would come out from wherever he was hiding.

"You want to see who I am?"

"Yes."

Nick gasped when he saw something move in the shadows, he squinted into the darkness as a person dressed in all black walked out, "oh… my… God…" Nick whispered as he realized who he had been taunting, "You're… you're the Black Hood…"

Archie didn't respond, all he did was continue standing partly in the shadows, he almost couldn't believe that him making his voice deeper had even fooled Nick, he really hadn't had high hopes for that. But now he was staring at Nick, who seemed to be genuinely scared, Archie decided to use that to his advantage.

"Leave Nick St. Clair," Archie said calmly which had seemed to work better then yelling thus far.

"Not… not without my baby."

"It's not your baby." Archie said this time he was really fighting to keep his voice even, now he was really getting angry.

"Rightfully it should be mine!" Nick yelled.

"You don't even know what sex the baby is."

Nick glanced beside him, the baby's blanket was yellow, and it was dressed in green, so that was no help, "that doesn't matter I'd be a great Father!"

"After what you did to Veronica?!"

"She deserved to pay for what she put me through!"

Archie's anger was really boiling over now, and he knew that sooner or later a nurse would come in to check on Veronica as well as the baby, "this is your last chance to leave uninjured."

Nick scoffed, "you won't risk hurting me when I'm so close to the baby."

"Then step away from the baby," Archie said, "and let's see how tough you really are."

Nick laughed, "The Black Hood cares about a baby?" He asked before picking her up.

"Put her down!"

"Nah I don't think I'm going to," Nick said rocking the baby gently, "it looks like this baby is my ticket out of here."

"I will never let you leave with her!"

"Oh it's a girl…" Nick said smiling.

Archie silently cursed, Nick was manipulating him and it was working.

"Now step aside, Archie," Nick said confidently, "neither one of us want to hurt the baby."

Archie rolled his eyes taking off the hood, and throwing it into the shadows where he had just been standing, he had gotten far too cocky and now Nick had ruined his whole plan.

"Nice try with that whole Black Hood thing," Nick said, "you really had me for a second," he added in sarcastically.

"Put my daughter down," Archie said, "let's you and me end this man to man." He said holding up his fists, of course he had no intentions of fighting Nick with just his fists he would use his pocket knife. He was done playing nice.

Nick looked at Archie skeptically, "what are you getting at, Andrews, the winner takes the baby?"

Archie nodded his head.

Nick looked down at the baby weighing his options, Archie had already beat the crap out of him earlier, so odds are he could probably do it again, "no." Nick finally said.

"What?"

"No," Nick said again, "I am going to take my daughter," he said taking a step, "and I'm going to walk right past you," Nick said taking another step, "because I know that you won't attack me and risk hurting your daughter."

Archie took a step in front of Nick, "you're not leaving this room."

"What are you going to do to stop me?"

Archie moved his eyes around trying to think of the best way to get his daughter out of Nick's hands, but the only thing that he could even think of doing was using the pocket knife, but he couldn't think of a way to use it without hurting his daughter.

"Well, Andrews?" Nick asked smugly, "What are you going to do to stop me?"

Archie began desperately trying to think of a plan, and just when it looked like things were hopeless the door flew open and Betty, Jughead, and the private investigators ran in.

"Nick St. Clair we're arresting you on charges of kidnapping, and attempted murder!" One of them said, two others pointed guns at him.

"Give me the baby." Archie said calmly, but his face was red with anger.

Nick scoffed, "Do you honestly think that I'm going to give up the only thing that's keeping me from being shot right now?"

"One of the private investigators got Nick into a headlock and the other one grabbed the baby out of his hand, and quickly handed it to Archie.

"Is she OK?" Betty asked nervously.

Archie stared down at the baby, who was still sleeping, "yeah I think she's fine," he said leaning down and kissing her head.

"Nick St. Clair, we are arresting you on charges of kidnapping, and attempted murder, you don't have to say anything but anything you do say will be used against you in a court of law." He said as he began leading Nick out of the room.

"This isn't over, Andrews!" Nick screamed, "I'll be back!" He threatened before the door shut, leaving just Betty, Jughead and Archie in the room.

"Thank God you guys showed up when you did." Archie said relieved.

"Betty's gut told her something was wrong," Jughead said taking her hand, "it looks like she was right."

Archie started rocking his daughter gently as she started waking up.

"Well my Black Hood plan backfired…" Archie said slightly embarrassed, "he figured it out."

"Your emotions probably got the better of you," Betty said putting her hand on his shoulder, the three of them staring at Veronica, "and who can blame you."

Archie swallowed, trying to make the lump in his throat go away, "I guess we'll know in just hours if she'll be OK…"

"We have to believe that she will be…" Jughead said.

Archie, unable to speak just nodded his head, the three of them just staring at Veronica all of them hoping beyond hope that they'd get to see Veronica again.

End Chapter 20

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