CHAPTER TWENTY NINE: The (Im) Perfect Day
Three frantic weeks of planning and preparing flew by and in the blink of an eye, the big day had come...
In planning her own wedding, the girl who had spent her childhood daydreams up on imagining the perfect wedding had been quick to reach a conclusion. Just as with everything else in her life, Betty realised that 'perfection' is anything but. Perfection is just the superficial concealer to hide the imperfections and blemishes of reality that fester beneath the surface...
So, Betty Cooper decided that she didn't want the 'perfect' wedding day; the several hundred dollar wedding dress, the hundreds of guests she doesn't really know or care about to make up numbers and a seven-tier wedding cake flown in from a Parisian pâtissier that would only accrue debt for herself and her family all for just one day, with no bearing on the most important detail. Instead, 'sweet', 'simple' and 'them' have been the words to define the shotgun wedding planned entirely within three weeks.
Perhaps she used to want all that and more, but that was the Betty Cooper who dreamed of perfection with a different groom; thriving off of the idea of a future with Archie Andrews, complete with the white picket fence, the two and a half kids; the power couple.
However, in contrast to the image of forming a perfect power couple with Archie, what she had found with Jughead Jones was so much more beautiful, because it is real. Ironically, it is so much more perfect for being so vastly imperfect.
After all, in this reality, Betty isn't the picture-perfect wife in the 1950's golden family as she had dreamed about for years... No, Betty's the's the scarred, damaged young girl who has suffered through far more horrific things than most people have ever had to endure... She's her. Meanwhile, Jughead is the broken teenager who hasn't belonged for longer than he has... He's him. And, those two people who needed loyalty, stability and -more than anything else- unconditional love, had found each other, finding what they needed in one another.
So, now it doesn't matter if the balance between soft pink roses and white lilies in her bouquet isn't quite right... It doesn't matter if her soft curls that are beautiful nonetheless don't turn out quite how she imagined... It doesn't matter that her wedding dress isn't a Vera Wang frock or a gown that she's been lusting over on Pinterest for years... It doesn't matter that she decided on Jughead's pick of a wedding cake over her own personal preference...
As long as long as she is Mrs. Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third by the end of the day, none of the little details matter. After all, hearing two little words from the man she loves, after repeating their lifelong vows to one another is what does.
#
The last Saturday in February is one of the last wintry days for the year. However, it is still a frosty and bitterly cold day when one very heavily pregnant, teenage girl wakes up as Betty Cooper for the very last time.
Yet, despite the cold outside, nothing can dim the radiant glow and the warmth of her heart at the prospect of marrying the love of her life. After all, today marks the day when the two childhood friends who became unlikely lovers and undeniable soul mates prepare to commit themselves to one another and to their expanding family, forever...
#
Very early on in their rushed wedding planning, Betty and Jughead had opted for a simple wedding at City Hall. After all, finding an alternate venue at the last minute would create more trouble than its worth and the empty chairs in the larger spaces would only magnify the lack of guests, rather than emphasize the intended intimacy of the occasion seeing as they had only invited a select few, their nearest dearest, to share their special day with them.
The guest list consisted of family predominantly –her parents, his parents, Polly, her newborn twins and Jellybean- with just a few friends invited; namely Archie, Veronica and Kevin. Beyond their friends families, Jughead and Betty kept their engagement quiet as the couple knew that the only thing that would come from the rest of the town hearing that the two teenagers were set to be married would be judgement.
Despite the small wedding, Jughead and Betty had selected low-key bridesmaids and groomsmen, mostly for the sake of having their friends stand by their side. Jughead had chosen his father and his childhood friend, with the only indicator of being groomsmen evident in the white rose that is lapeled to their own suits.
Meanwhile, wanting everyone to be as comfortable as they can, hoping for the least stress possible, Betty just told her bridesmaids –Polly and Veronica- to find a dress in a similar shade of dusty pink that they love and that they felt suited them. After all, it would taking six months alone to find a dress that suited Polly's typically slim, breastfeeding-mother, frame as well as it would show of Veronica's more curvaceous build. As a result, Veronica chose a lacy, shorter and more tight-fitting dress that exposed her shoulders, in a lighter shade of dusty pink that only accentuated her tanned skin, while Polly picked a long, slimming dress that happened to have a similar lacy bodice to Veronica's, before flowing out loosely beyond a light pink silk belt. Thankfully the 'Betty Cooper colour' only enhanced Veronica's golden, tanned skin while also bringing a little colour to complement Polly's fair hair and colouring.
#
Waiting nervously, standing among their guests, Jughead is attempting to ignore his nerves, his churning stomach, the quiet and the nonsensical whispers of insecurity in the back of his mind asking him: 'but what if she doesn't turn up?' as he attempts to quash his fears by concentrating his attention to where is gaze is fixed down on the marble flooring.
From where he stands there, he waits and twitches and readjusts his new suit. Despite all the sentimentality that his old suit had held, Jughead had splashed out and bought a brand new suit for his wedding day.
However, the real controversy over the groom's attire had been in the lead up to his wedding, concerning a certain, knitted garment when Veronica had made a passing comment, a week or so before the big day.
"Honestly, one of the things I'm most looking forward to about the wedding seeing is you without that hat on, Jughead..."
"Who says I'm not wearing it?"
Veronica's remark and Jughead's response had caused quite the stir and debate between their friends, just a week ago, until it ended with Betty's final say on the matter as she addressed her husband-to-be on the matter in front of their friends.
"Look. The little details don't matter. Our wedding is about you and me. I want you to be happy and I want you to be comfortable... Wear it, Juggie."
Jughead had appreciated his fiancée's backing in the debate. But, he'd appreciated it even more after seeing her little glimpse of hesitation over the idea of him wearing his trademark beanie when he had first responded to Veronica.
So, thinking about the look on her face that told him what she really thought and what she really wanted despite her words to contrary as she proceeded to support him is what had resulted in Veronica's wish coming true, with a beanie-less Jughead standing there waiting for his bride-to-be...
Meanwhile, shunning the 'fashionably late' attitude for a bride, Betty arrives minutes earlier than she needed to; unable to shake the habit after years of punctuality. Yet, her husband-to-be and their small groups of guests are already there, already waiting.
Suddenly, hearing a flurry of soft gasps and whispers from their guests surrounding him, a nervous Jughead can't keep his eyes on the ground any longer. Looking up, all eyes are on the golden-blonde young girl as she, her sister and Veronica arrive, joining Jughead and their other guests.
Everything about his bride-to-be is radiant...
Her green eyes sparkle more than they have in months, her cheeks are glowing from far more than a generous sweeping of highlighter and, her smile that she can't wipe from her lips spreads, permeating across her face.
As his heart races, Jughead can't wipe the shy smile off his face, as if struggling to believe that the most beautiful woman in the world is there to marry him...
He is absolutely smitten.
Meanwhile, as she approaches her groom, seeing the look on Jughead's face sends a blush over Betty's cheeks as her own gaze falls to the ground, suddenly a little coy from seeing the intensity of love in his eyes. But, her downward gaze doesn't last long and before she knows it, her eyes are locked with his once again, unable to tear herself away from looking at him.
Despite her initial jokes to just throw on a big, white tent to adorn her eight-month pregnant figure, thanks to a lot of research on Veronica's part, the two had tracked down a maternity store nearby that specifically catered to formal gowns.
Her dress is a beautiful crisp white, consisting of lace sleeves that span halfway down her arms, then back up to adorn her shoulders and her back. The material glides over her baby belly where her daughter grows within, the fabric flowing down to her knees. It was the one and only dress she had tried on had been the one without doubt and after that, Betty couldn't even imagine a wedding dress without her baby belly now.
She looks beautiful, ethereal, and Jughead has to pinch himself to ensure it's not all just one hell of a dream...
It's not a dream, he confirms as she approaches his side and he slips his hand into hers, stroking against the outer-side of her clammy palms that tell of her good type of nervousness that hasn't caused her hands to clench into fists.
"Hey there, Juliet..." Jughead whispers. He speaks unintentionally quietly from the sight of the woman in front of him who has quite literally taken his breath away as he swallows, feeling his mouth run dry.
Then, before she says a word, Jughead checks one more detail, knowing the importance of consent in Betty's life after everything she's been through.
"So you're sure you want to do this?"
Looking down to his bride-to-be, their hands still entwined, Jughead just receives the biggest smile from the most beautiful girl in the world before feeling her strong squeeze of reassurance from their interlocked hands that is enough to convey her complete confidence and her affirmative answer in response to his question.
... There's no doubt about it.
#
The nuptials begin with the opening words from the celebrant as he addresses the couple in front of their family and friends and the ceremony seems to lapse in the blink of an eye when the time finally comes for the teenagers to vow themselves to one another, forever.
Jughead clenches the hands of the love of his life as he pours his heart out to her, revealing:
"Life has never been something that I've been awfully fond of. I've never thought of myself as being overly lucky. But, you have turned my life around, Betts. All my luck in life has been spent on the privilege of being able to call you mine and I couldn't be more glad about that... I can't wait for the rest of my life with you, with our family and with our bubba... I know I might not have been able to give you the perfect wedding day that you deserve and I can't afford a home of our own just yet, but to make up for that I want to spend the rest of our lives trying to give you the world."
After she takes a long, deep breath at hearing his words that have choked her up and brought tears to her eyes, Betty strokes Jughead's hands with her thumbs from where their hands are entangled together in front of the celebrant, their family and their friends as she so earnestly proclaims:
"Thank you for loving my imperfection. Thank you for your kind, loving heart that bubba and I have been enormous recipients of. Thank you for everything, Jughead Jones... Thank you for being there through the worst. You've seen my darkest days, and you were right there by my side through it all... I want to do the same for you, forever. Through every dark day, through everything life throws at you, at me, at us, I want to be right there, by your side, always."
Then, with two golden rings that shine as brightly as the prospect of their future together, two teenagers who have already been through hell-and-back in their short lives enjoy the moment of bliss and joy as Mr. and Mrs. Jones are pronounced husband and wife.
#
The second half of the day's proceedings had meant that the newlyweds and their guests relocated from City Hall to Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe for Mr. and Mrs. Jones's wedding reception.
Betty had feared for her mother's sanity and well-being when she announced that she and Jughead had chosen the small town's diner as the venue for their wedding reception. However, even Alice Cooper has to admit that the establishment has been embellished nicely to give Betty and Jughead's special place an added classiness and charm, appropriate for their wedding.
After they asked to use the diner for their wedding reception, Pop Tate had been more than obliging, honoured even, to clear his diner out for the day for the couple; the teenagers he'd witnessed grow up and then fall in love before his very eyes.
In the diner, flowers are in place of the napkin holders, a guest book is in place of the sauce and condiments counter, the pie-of-the-day display is replaced with a decadent, Jughead-approved wedding cake and little lights are spread across the perimeter of the room's walls, complementing the diner's neon surprisingly well.
The newlyweds are sat at their own booth -the one Jughead had proposed in- with the surrounding booths being filled by her family, his family and then one for their closest friends.
An abundance of food has just been set down at the newlyweds table and Jughead hadn't wasted a second before digging in. While Betty began with daintily eating a few fries to start with, Jughead is up to his elbows in grease from his burger that's been wolfed down in seconds.
Finishing her fry, Betty's eyes are locked on the man beside her, filled with so much love and adoration. She can't help the smile on her face as she brushes a hand against his cheek, without interrupting his meal as he feasts on his second burger.
"You look like a pig in mud, Jughead Jones..."
"Pop's burgers after marrying the love of my life? This right here is the Jughead Jones definition of heaven, wifey."
A smile springs to the corners of Betty's lips from her new title as she repeats it.
"Wifey?"
"Uh-huh..." Jughead acknowledges, finishing off his burger in one final, swift mouthful before wiping his hands with a napkin. "Wifey."
Betty's smile only increases, rolling her eyes as she gives his face a final stroke before returning to her own food with half the appetite as her husband. After just a few mouthfuls, Betty collapses her head against Jughead's chest, relaxing into him.
"Dance with me?" Betty murmurs into him. The further her pregnancy has progressed, the earlier and earlier she feels ready to crash each day. Consequently, she knows that if she doesn't get up and dance with her new husband soon, they may not ever have their first dance. Besides, she knows that she will be a puffing mess, struggling to breath, within minutes, saving Jughead -who is not a dancer- by the bell.
In response to Betty's question, Jughead just shuffles away from her in the booth from where she had been leaning against him. He scoots out of the booth and bows down in front of her, holding a hand out to help her out from her seat. With a giggle, Betty takes his hand gratefully as Jughead helps her up, bringing her to stand by his side.
The newlyweds slowly make their way to the small area that had been set aside for dancing, right near the entrance of Pop's. Instantly, Jughead's hands slide around his new wife's waist as hers sling around either side of his neck. Neither of them can take their eyes off each other as they dance gently in a slow, swaying rhythm to the slow song playing in the background.
"Have I told you how breathtakingly beautiful you look today, wifey? I mean it. You are literally breathtaking..."
Jughead's compliment spreads a natural smile across Betty's lips, bringing a shy blush to her cheeks. Leaving one hand still slung around and hooked on his neck, Betty brings her other to rest on her husband's chest.
"You don't scrub up too bad, yourself, Mr. Jones... Your wife is a lucky lady" Betty smiles, stretching up on her tippy toes to press a kiss to his lips.
Just as his comment had brought a smile to Betty's lips, her own compliment has the same effect on him as two green eyes go wandering while both her arms sling back around his neck and they continue their gentle swaying until Betty speaks up once again.
"You know what? I think we can make it to seventy..."
Looking down at her a little strangely, his eyebrows furrowed, Jughead looks for clarification.
"We can make it to seventy what?"
"Seventy years" she states simply, looking up to him with conviction and an unwavering expression. "I think we can make it to our seventieth anniversary... We'll be in our late eighties. It's doable. As long as you tone down on the burgers to keep your cholesterol under control, I think we can make it..."
Jughead just chuckles at her jibe, pressing a kiss to her forehead in confirmation of her remark.
"We can do it. No doubt about it. Even with my thirst for burgers."
Betty rolls her eyes at her groom for a moment, unable to stay even the least bit annoyed with him. However, her expression quickly changes as light fills her eyes and Jughead recognises it as the look she gets whenever she can feel the baby kicking.
Consequently, he gently presses a hand against her baby belly and after a moment of trying to find the spot, sure enough through Betty's wedding dress, he can feel their daughter kicking like it's going out of fashion, Jughead's smile mirroring hers. He lowers his head, pressing their foreheads together as they slowly sway back and forth, feeling her unborn baby.
"So, this morning, Archie was the worst best man..." Jughead begins, trailing off and leaving a curious look on Betty's face. "He came in looking like he'd seen a ghost before he told me that Veronica called him and said you were in labour..."
Betty can see Jughead's lingering scar that the scare from earlier that day has left and her husband shudders just at the thought of it as he shares their friend's prank with her. She just chuckles, clapping a hand to his cheek affectionately.
"Aw, Juggie... Don't worry. I think that bubba has made herself quite comfortable in there. I don't think we'll be getting an appearance anytime soon. I think, in fact, I'm sure that I'm going to go over my due date. She's in no hurry."
"I'm okay with that... I'm happy to spend as much time as I can with one of my girls before my other one steals my attention away. But, fortunately Archie's prank did help me to see that I'm going to need to be a bit more prepared. It could happen any day, any hour. I need to know where the damn keys are..."
Betty just smiles and presses another kiss to Jughead's lips before her hand joins his on her stomach.
"Don't worry. We'll be ready and we'll know where the keys are. But, let's forget about that for now... It's not her day just yet and I'm not quite ready for our day to be over yet..."
#
Jughead and Betty hadn't arranged a honeymoon, knowing that while Betty's due date is still three weeks off, D-day could arrive any day now. So, they decided to take a proper honeymoon later down the track when the baby is old enough to be left with others, perhaps combining a belated honeymoon with an end-of-school celebration or first anniversary.
However, Veronica's wedding present to the newlyweds is a four night stay at The Pembroke, with twenty-four-hour room service all bought and paid for; with the groom in mind especially.
As happy as she is, Betty has felt a sudden surge of anxiety rising within her since they arrived at their hotel... She's nervous, plain and simple. After all, their wedding had rolled around so quickly and within just a month they have gone from dating to married.
In that time and with all the distractions of planning the wedding, Betty hasn't quite had time to think about what is expected of her and what would happen after the wedding. As a result, Betty hasn't had quite had enough time to wrap her head around the idea of she and Jughead consummating their marriage after her one, horrific sexual encounter in her life, almost nine months ago.
So, walking in hand-in-hand with Jughead, Betty's eyes are down to ground as she focuses on keeping her breathing calm and steady. He had offered to carry her in, but she took a raincheck for both their sakes.
"Fancy..." is Jughead's icebreaking comment as he walks into the lavish hotel suite, trying to remember if he's ever even stepped foot in an entire building that was as luxurious and ornately decorated as this, single room is.
Releasing his hold on his wife's hand, Jughead removes his suit jacket and loosens his cuffs as he begins to wander around their suite, looking out on the view of Riverdale, checking out the fridge of the mini bar and looking at the ornate decor. Meanwhile, Betty lingers by the door, watching him as he explores the room while continuing to focus on steadying her breathing.
Then, suddenly, with a big, deep breath, Betty sets course for him. Rushing across the room as fast as her waddle will take her until she reaches her husband, Betty's stops right in front of him as her hands fly around his neck and her lips collide with his. Betty instantly takes the kiss from 0 to 100 within seconds and while Jughead isn't complaining, he can't help but get the feeling that her sudden, amorous display of affection is more akin to ticking a chore off of a to-do list than it is to a moment of passion.
"Betts..." is all that Jughead can muster up after a few moments pass, when he wraps the kiss up and pulls away from his new wife, which takes every ounce of his self-control.
"Don't you want this?" Betty asks sounding a little confused as she gestures between them, drawing attention to the elephant in the room.
Looking down, gazing deeply into her eyes, Jughead raises an eyebrow. He knows what his answer to her question is, but he needs to know hers.
"Do you?"
Betty bites her lip, wordlessly, enough to answer Jughead's question sufficiently. So, he presses a chaste kiss to her forehead and takes a hold of her hand as he looks her in the eye, intensely, making sure she understands what he's about to tell her.
"Just so you know, I'm not expecting anything of you tonight, Betty."
A look of poorly veiled relief floods over her face as she brings her hands to cup her new husband's face, her nerves only replaced with stronger love for Jughead.
"I love you, Jughead. Please don't think for even a moment that this means that I don't. I love you more than anything. It's just-"
Jughead presses a gentle finger to lips, silencing her.
"It's okay, Betts. I get it. This is all pretty sudden and you are still trying to move on from something unthinkably horrific. I totally get it... I'm ready whenever you are, but I'm okay with waiting. After all, I've got a lifetime with you."
The immensity of Betty's gratitude is etched into her face as she presses a kiss to Jughead's lips, her heart just about exploding with love for him.
"Thank you. I love you, Juggie."
With a kind smile on his face, Jughead's hands slide down the outer sides of her bare arms, coming to hold her hands in his, resting either side of them. They remain like this for a few moments until Betty takes another deep breath, this time leaving a smile on her face. From where his hands are being held around hers, slung between them, Betty slowly takes their hands, directing them to her waist as her own pull away, leaving Jughead's there, holding either side of her hips.
Then, as she leans against her husband, she feels his hands rise from where they are rested on her hips, moving up to hold her back as she feels a sensation coming over her, a sense of peace.
After her attack, the feeling of Chuck's hands non-consensually moving across her had been a recurring nightmare and both the lingering sensation and reminder of his hands had been a particularly deep scar that Betty was left feeling traumatised from. But, there in her husband's embrace, there's no fear, no suppressed feelings of discomfort and not a single hair stands up fearfully like it would whenever anyone would touch her after the attack.
"I know your hands..." Betty mumbles into Jughead neck, from where her head is nestled into him. The warmth from her words on his neck tickle his sensitive skin.
She slowly pulls away from where she had been resting into him, but she doesn't go far, with their arms still around each other as she looks into his eyes. Then, Betty takes a big, deep breath and she smiles, cupping Jughead's face in her hands as she presses a deeper, lingering kiss to her husband's lips.
When they finally pull away, Jughead sees a lust in her eyes that hadn't been there a few minutes ago. He knows that she's no longer just ticking something off her to-do list, setting her own feelings aside for his.
Then, finally, Betty has her say and she is listened to, an opportunity she was not given on the awful night many months ago when the two-letter word that she did say over and over again went ignored.
"I'm ready, Jughead... I want to. I'm saying yes, to you."
Oh, I hope you guys like this one... I have been so nervous about posting this. For a wedding chapter, the pressure's on, man. Plus, as lovely as it is to read, I always find writing fluff hard because there is such a fine line between sweet and sappy. I'd rather take angst on any day, haha. I think this is the chapter that I have spent the longest writing and trying to perfect by a long shot, so I hope it came across as well-executed. I'd love to know what you thought of this one!
Thank you so much for the feedback and the response after the authors note on the last chapter. I think I was beginning to feel like there was just two or three people still out there and interested in the story and as much as I have loved writing it, it's really encouraging to know that all my effort is not for nothing and that you all want me to proceed with the story and go with the mystery. Like I have said, I really want to go down the mystery path, but I just wanted to try and weigh up the value/interest for all the time and effort that goes into writing and proofing, if people were just as happy for the story to wrap up. So, thank you all for your feedback! I hope you continue to love where life goes for Betty, Jug and bubba! There is a bit of a lead up to the mystery, but that plot will be underway in just over ten chapters time. Ooh, and there'll be another video trailer coming in the lead up to the mystery!
Also, if you're interested I have posted a picture to my tumblr as a little glimpse of the dresses/aesthetic I was so desperately trying to describe! 'riverheadcf' if you're interested in taking a peek.
Next chapter: Although the newlyweds are in their own little bubble of bliss, Betty drops two bombshells on Jughead.
