** PLEASE NOTE: TRIGGER WARNING FOR THE FIRST FEW LINES OF THIS CHAPTER **
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX: Turning Tables
Her heart pounds. Her skin develops beads of sweat. Her nerves pulse through her. Her muscles tighten tensely at unwelcome come. Her hands are pinned, trapped. Her pink dress going places that she doesn't want it to. She feels the dread of knowing exactly what is about to happen, without the strength of being able to do anything to stop it...
"No, stop. No. No... Please, no, no, no. Please, Chuck. Stop..."
She is so acutely aware of everything -every sense, every movement, every touch- while simultaneously feeling like she's enduring an out-of-body experience, continuing to feel everything as though it's all heavy and hazy, moving in slow-motion.
It's hot. It's intense. It's clammy. It's suffocating. It's draining. It's distressful.
She moves and turns, her movements are heavy and exhausting. She groans. She can't stop the tears streaming down her cheeks as she feels far too much...
Then, in the dead of the night, Jughead's arm that had been wrapped around her goes flying off as Betty bolts upright in bed, panting. Her chest heaves up and down madly as her heart continues to race and pounds within her. Betty can feel the small droplets of moisture that are clustering around her hairline.
Although she has woken up abruptly, Betty knows the ending to the nightmare that has just been cut short...
Then, as two arms fly around Betty, she forcefully pushes off the one that's just been wrapped around her back before shoving the other that touches her shoulder. Since Jughead has moved in with her and her parents, Betty has only woken up in a panic attack twice before. Once was during the first week that they were married and then again a few weeks later when Emi was just a few days old.
"Betty, hey, hey, hey... It's okay. It's okay... It's me. It's only me... You're okay, Betty... You're okay, you're safe... It's okay, baby... Everything's okay."
It's only after several minutes of pushing him away when the sobs that are wracking Betty's body cease for long enough for her to gain perspective, realising she's safe, she's home and she's only fighting off the arms of the man she loves.
Finally, Betty slowly begins to awaken to her surroundings as her body falls into her husband's loving arms. However, her chest continues heaving up and down from the exhaustion of her nightmare, relieving the most horrific night of her life.
After Betty collapses into his arms, Jughead takes it that she's ready for comfort from him rather than needing space. So, he presses gentle, loving kisses to the top of her blonde locks as he soothingly whispers his reassurances in her ear, over and over again.
"It's okay... You're okay... You're safe now. I'm so, so sorry, baby... I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."
While he's doing his best to remain calming and soothing for her as he utters his whispered words that are filled with care for his wife, Jughead is simultaneously trying to suppress his rage at the reminder of what Betty had to experience and the deep scars that remain. It makes his blood boil thinking of what Chuck Clayton had done to her in such a selfish, heinous act at Betty's expense, changing her life forever. It churns Jughead's stomach sickeningly and he feels his entire body grow tense with rage. Honestly, it's a wonder that he hasn't murdered Chuck yet...
"Are you okay?" Jughead asks gently, pressing soft kisses to the side of her head. He wishes that there's more he can do for her; he wishes that there was more he could have done for her...
Betty simply nods her head against Jughead in response to his question as she sniffles into where she's curled up against his chest. Although it's not entirely truthful, Betty takes the simple answer and the easy way out seeing as it's far too hard to try and tell him about how greatly her heart continues to pound. Not to mention, he's well aware of the way her body is shaking fearfully against his, even despite the fact that she had woken up from the recurring nightmare that had been a reality roughly ten months ago.
The newlyweds spend a long time just lying there together, silently, as Jughead does his best to soothe Betty as she relaxes into the safety and security of him, gradually calming her down from her panic attack that she'd woken to after being forced to relieve her nightmare.
She is lying there, sprawled out across Jughead's chest with her arm slung across him as he rests upright against their mountain of pillows, with one of his hands brushing through her loose, blonde locks, soothingly.
Since her rude awakening and wake up a little earlier, Betty's heart rate has been gradually slowing down and her eyes are just beginning to flicker closed... Right as there's another abrupt awakening that fills the room with noise.
Instantly, Betty groans, knowing that Emi's likely just a little earlier than usual for feed number one of three hundred for today alone. However, before she has the chance to drag herself out of bed to attend to her upset daughter, Jughead squirms out from where she's resting against him as his hand briefly touches her from above the covers before he throws his share of the quilt off of himself.
"It's okay, I'll get her" he says, getting up and walking over to Emi's bassinet in the corner of the room, hushing soothingly until he reaches the newborn, before scooping her up and into his loving arms. Instantly, Jughead turns back around to bring her back to bed with them, holding Emi close as he presses gentle kisses to the top of her head to let her know he's there.
As soon as her husband drops back down beside her on their bed again, Betty reaches out to touch her baby, gently stroking her cheek.
Exhaling a sigh as she glances down at her daughter in the dimly-lit room, one thing is abundantly clear to Betty. Despite all the terrible things that Chuck Clayton has done, not for as single moment does Betty associate her daughter with her biological father's evil, or the horrific violence that resulted in her conception.
As Betty turns her attention away from her nightmares and onto her daughter, within moments of being fawned over by her parents, Emi begins to settle and calm down as her grizzles slowly diminish as she's being gently rocked by Jughead.
"Maybe she wasn't so hungry after all..." Jughead comments, leaning down to press a kiss to Emi's forehead. "We might have just woken her up and then she decided that she wanted in on the action, too."
The young parents spend a few minutes watching their daughter from within Jughead's arms, silently doting over the beautiful baby.
"She's got your eyebrows, Betts" Jughead notes, gently tracing the pad of his thumb over the tiny eyebrow of the baby in his arms before glancing between his two girls, looking from one to the other with a smile.
Jughead doesn't look for any sign of himself in the newborn baby, knowing he'll be sorely disappointed, with the search coming up with nothing. Instead, he just appreciates all the details that makes his daughter her, with bonuses found in the little facets of his wife that he sees, such as Betty's lips and her big, Bambi eyes just in a deep shade of brown, along with her long, sweeping eyelashes.
"She looks so much older today..." Jughead comments as he leans down and presses a kiss to the top of Emi's forehead, prompting her little legs to kick around more with excitement.
The two parents take in every tiny detail of the little person that they are both slowly getting to know a little better each and every day, adoringly.
Then, as her big, brown eyes look around without focus, looking between Betty and Jughead and then to whatever else catches her attention, Emi begins gurgling and attempting to talk to them in her baby drawl as she does after waking up most mornings. Smiling at her daughter as she babbles away proudly, Betty's index finger slowly draws swirls into Emi's plump cheek, the movement being well-received.
Then, with both Jughead and Betty gazing down at the baby who is looking up to them, Emi's beautiful, full lips, her rosy cheeks and her glistening brown eyes erupt into the biggest smile as her face just lights up.
Instantly, Betty releases a little gasp while Jughead's own smile increases at the sight of the big, gummy grin that has captivated them both.
"That was a smile, Jug!" Betty beams, looking to her husband with pure excitement, her heart only swelling with more delight at seeing his own pride in the newborn, rivaling her own. "That was her first, proper smile!"
Emi had already had one 'smile' at just over a week old, when she was in her uncle Archie's arms... However, seeing his joy as he boasted over the fact that she'd smiled at him, neither Betty nor Jughead had the heart to tell him it wasn't so much of a smile, as it was just Emi's filling-her-nappy expression.
As she watches Emi intently, Betty leans down from where she's resting against her husband, reaching down to scatter loving kisses all over her daughter with excitement, cooing as she strokes the forehead and cheeks of the baby that she couldn't love more.
"Look at those smiles, beautiful girl! Mummy is so proud of you, bubba..."
Meanwhile, Jughead just presses kisses to the baby's fingers that are curled up around and latching onto his own. Then, he glances over to his wife, elaborating on her doting coos to their daughter.
"I'm so proud of both of you."
#
It's partway through lunchtime on the Friday of Betty's first week back at school. So far throughout the week, the three of them have survived, avoiding any further run-ins and interaction with Chuck.
During their lunch break so far today, Jughead and Betty have already had lunch with Archie, Veronica and Kevin. The two of them barely even saw their daughter while she was being passed back and forth between their bickering friends before Archie pulled rank as Emi's favourite uncle, seeing as he is both Jughead and Betty's best friend.
Then, a little over halfway through lunch, Betty and Jughead left the group before parting ways with each other, too. After all, Jughead had arranged to meet up with his psychology teacher before class in order to go over his drafted final assignment, receiving feedback to improve his final grade. Meanwhile, after splitting up, Betty went off to go and change Emi's nappy before swapping her school books over and getting her textbook out for her final lesson of the day.
Minutes later, with one of the two tasks done, the young mother now finds herself darting through the crowd of students, holding her daughter close as she lovingly peppers the top of Emi's head with kisses while walking through the corridors to make her way to her locker. Then, after putting her combination in single-handedly, Betty grabs the book she needs and stashes the others that are in Emi's nappy bag and no longer needed.
Exhaling a little huff as she closes her locker, Betty is busily pondering over the fact of how much she's surprising herself and finding it increasingly easier to do almost everything one-handed, with her daughter occupying her arms more often than not since having her.
Then, realising she has time to spare before the school bell will bellow out and mark the end of lunch, Betty plans to slowly make her way towards her classroom for the final of the lesson of the day. However, Betty is quick to realise that her plans have been foiled as a little gasp escapes her lips upon turning around from her locker and coming face-to-face with the tall, broad-shouldered jock who is standing far too close behind her.
After her audible gasp at Chuck's presence, Betty immediately cradles her daughter tighter and more protectively, her heart pounding from where she's standing directly in front of her locker.
"Go away, Chuck. Just leave us alone" Betty pleads, trying not to showcase the weakness in her voice as she concentrates on her heart returning to a steady beat as it continues to thump within her.
However, Chuck just shakes his head as an arrogant smirk erupts on his face.
"No... You ignored me when I tried to make a time to talk about this amicably. But, the thing is, Betty, I want to know her and I want her to know me."
Betty pours all her strength into trying to remain tenaciously strong, despite being cornered by the man who is standing in front of her, wishing to be anywhere in the world but here as he continues to speak.
"What's her name?" Chuck asks as he gazes down at the baby in Betty's arms.
As Chuck extends a hand out to Emi -giving her his forefinger as her tiny hand curls around his- it awakens a ferocity in Betty that is anything but forced.
Betty is gentle, but immediate, as she takes Emi's tiny hand into her own, pushing Chuck's finger away from her daughter's grasp before scooping Emi closer to her from where she had been cradled in her arms. She is now holding Emi against her chest as she clutches her closely, holding her newborn's head in her hands supportively while she does her upmost to keep Emi facing away from Chuck. Then, once her daughter has been shifted further from and protectively angled away from Chuck, Betty's rage begins to spew out.
"I said go away, Chuck! Stay the hell away from me and my baby!"
While Chuck's last question had been asking of Emi's name, in her reply Betty intentionally fails to divulge that detail -along with any other- about her baby. After all, she doesn't want Chuck to know anything about her daughter, including Emi's name, for as long as it can be avoided.
However, ignoring Betty's request, Chuck only does the opposite, taking a step closer to Betty that she didn't even know to be possible. Then, Chuck just takes Betty's calculated words and turns them back on her as an arrogant smirk erupts on his lips while he reaches out to touch Emi's foot.
"Don't you mean our baby?"
Betty's big, green doe eyes are suddenly widened like a deer caught in the headlights. Not only do her eyes conceal very little as they reveal far more than she wants him to know, but so does the way that her bottom lip quivers as Chuck continues to speak.
"Yeah... So, you can try to hide all you want and you can try and fool as many people as you can, but nothing will ever change the truth... She is our daughter, Betty."
Betty feels nauseated. Better than anyone else, Betty knows that what Chuck is saying is true. Despite the fact that Jughead is Emi's father, there's nothing that will alter Chuck Clayton's genetic tie to her daughter.
Then, as Chuck speaks up once again, Betty goes from feeling sick to her stomach to being filled with a venomous rage from just a few simple words...
"I want to be in her life, Betty... I'll help you. I'm her dad... I have rights, Betty, and I have the right to be involved in my daughter's life."
Betty is quite clearly furious... Her emerald green eyes are filled with blazing rage as she does a double take, as if ensuring that she's heard him right. She has.
"I can't believe you. You are a repulsive excuse for human being... I can't believe I have to spell it out to you, but you lost absolutely any rights that you did have to be involved in her life from the moment that you snatched my rights away from me."
Betty's eyes aren't the only ones that are blazing as Chuck looks between Betty and Emi and back, over and over again in a long silence. Then, Betty readjusts her protective hold on her daughter, attempting to push past the man standing in front of her and blocking her way, believing that she has made her point loud and clear and that their heated discussion has ended. However, Chuck has other plans as he speaks up once again when Betty is just steps away from him.
But, this time it's different...
While their voices had been quieter and more intensely concentrated on each other during the conversation so far, this time the way that Chuck addresses Betty as she begins to walk off with Emi is different... This time his voice booms loudly, deliberately, making her stop in her tracks as he bellows out in the corridor.
After all, although his words are a continuation of his hated discussion with Betty, Chuck is now addressing their fellow students more than he is her... It's almost like that night when the game of 'truth or dare' had taken a turn for the worst as Chuck addresses their fellow students in the same manner as he had at Jughead's party when he and Cheryl had gatecrashed at Archie's house.
"You won't even tell me the name of OUR daughter, Betty? How is that fair?" Chuck then begins to look around at their surrounding classmates, as though he's inviting them into the scene that he is deliberately making. "Who else thinks that's not fair?!"
Betty is stunned. She is beyond gobsmacked...
Betty knows that the rumours have been circling regarding her daughters paternity and she knows that her classmates have considered Chuck to be a strong candidate as Emi's father. However, Betty never expected that Chuck would be the one who would give their daughters paternity up, given the nature of her conception.
Continuing to process her absolute shock, Betty blanches, looking to the smug man in front of her, before looking around to their classmates who are surrounding them, enjoying the drama and whispering to one another as the size of the crowd watching their confrontation continues to grow. More than anything else, Betty wishes that Jughead was there with her in that moment...
"What the hell are you talking about? She's Jughead's daughter..." Betty says. Her voice is strong but her volume is low. It's like she can't maintain both, needing to compromise one for the other.
At hearing her counter-argument that is about as weak as she is in that moment, Chuck lets out a loud scoff. Meanwhile, the crowd surrounding them is continuing to grow with people listening in on the heated conversation which Chuck continues to play to his advantage.
"Oh right, clearly... She looks just like him."
Chuck laughs at his own point as he looks to the baby in Betty's arms before glancing around to their classmates for ammunition as he makes a joke out of their situation.
"So, I ask again... Who else thinks that it's fair that Betty is keeping me in the dark about our child? She won't let me hold her or see her... She even refuses to tell me my baby's name!"
Then, Chuck exhales a sigh, looking to Emi longingly before turning back to the increasing number of fellow students who are tuning into the public confrontation. The majority of them are just looking for a bit of drama and are interested in the next installment of the 'who's the daddy' saga with the ongoing rumours that have been swirling around and surrounding Betty's daughter over the last week.
"Look, I'm just a dad wanting to be there for my little girl... But, she keeps pushing me away, trying to sell the lie that it's her emo-boyfriend's kid and trying to cover the fact that she's just a serpent slut."
Betty's heart pounds heavily as she looks around the room in disbelief at how he is playing to the victim card to her bad guy. Not only is he turning the tables around on her but he's also turning their classmates -who know anything but the whole story- against her.
So, glistening tears prick Betty's eyes as she holds onto Emi, clutching her tightly and desperately holding onto the only thing that is keeping her afloat and upright, stopping her from crumbling down.
There's so much she wants to shout and bellow out at the top of her lungs in response to Chuck's slanderous accusations that are only showcasing one, limited side of the story. She wants to blurt out the truth. She wants to reveal the fact that he had raped her...
But, the words don't come.
After all, holding their daughter in her arms, Betty can't bring herself to say those words. She would prefer to shoulder the consequences and ramifications of Chuck's decisions, rather than push them onto Emi's shoulders for when she's older, having everyone know that she was born from such a horrific act. She doesn't want her innocent little girl to have to carry the weight of knowing that she was created from something so horrific and though she knows there'll need to be some explanation, Betty can't let that truth out for her to find when she's older.
Besides, even if Betty did declare the truth, she knows that the awful truth will just sound like a last-ditch effort against him in the battle of 'he-said, she-said' that he is quite clearly winning, gaining not only the battle but also their classmates favour and sympathy. If Betty was to reveal the truth of the matter now, it will only sound like a desperate cry in a sinking ship, carrying just as much weight as it would for the boy who cried wolf.
Chuck has backed her into a corner, and he knows it.
"You want to know her name? Fine. Her name is Emi Jones... Now, stay the hell away from me and my family. We both know the truth of the matter and if you so much as look in her direction, I will ruin you, Chuck."
Although Betty's threat is very much directed at Chuck, although her emerald green eyes are piercing into his deep brown orbs, and although she is talking to him rather than addressing the group of nosey parkers around them, they all listen in intently as Betty spits her threat to him that consumes every ounce of strength in her.
Then, clutching her baby tightly as she presses a calming kiss to the top of Emi's head, Betty moves past Chuck, through the crowd of students as she walks off as quickly as she can, fleeing as fast as she can and doing her best to disguise how wrecked she is feeling.
Walking off, Betty leaves Chuck standing there fuming and just about foaming at the mouth with his outrage over hearing Emi's name and especially her surname, as their peers all 'oooh' at the blonde's threat for long after she's stormed off.
However, even after Betty leaves, the effect of her final, cutting words remain, as does the brewing rage that fills Chuck Clayton over the fact that not only is Jughead Jones the man that is raising his daughter, but the fact that she is carrying his name, too...
After all, Jughead is taking claim over the little girl who looks like him, the little girl that is half of him and the little girl who he never knew that he wanted to know until he saw her, sleeping in her mother's arms, in the middle of their classroom earlier that week.
Standing there, Chuck bubbles with rage, despising Betty for pushing him out of their daughter's life while he's just as furious with blazing anger over his enmity, his jealousy and his resentment towards the dad of the baby that he fathered...
Wow, that was intense to write. Isn't Chuck disgusting? I do hope you enjoyed the tiny little smidgen of family fluff between Betty's nightmares both before and after that. I'd love to know your thoughts on Chuck and Betty's confrontation and the power play. Who was expecting him to use it against her like that? Anyway, now that Chuck has revealed himself to be Emi's father and says that he wants to be in her life, things are only going to go further and further downhill from here...
Thank you, thank you, thank you to TwelfthCenturyName, Callieborose, violet1429, ViolateForever, Guest, hopelessromantic618, Flowingwiththeriver, Fan-of-Fandom279 and Rose Scott for leaving a review on the last chapter. I would love to know what you all thought of this chapter, too!
Next chapter: In the wake of Chuck declaring he's Emi's father, Betty and Jughead lie low. However, just when the drama seems to be easing off, what happens to make things take a turn for the worst?