They waited another week to tell their family the news.
Betty wanted to hold on to some of the post-engagement glow she was basking in, and Jughead needed time to think of a toddler-sensitive way to explain it all to Jordan.
It wasn't too difficult to keep quiet, because Betty decided she wanted to lead the investigation into former Director Garrickson's links to Riverdale's seedy underworld. So she spent the remainder of the week busy conducting interviews with the local sex workers. They trusted her more now that word had spread she went undercover looking for Polly, and by Friday there was a warrant out for Ned's arrest.
He'd been selling some of his workers off to Garrickson. If one of them decided to quit, or made him lose money one too many times, then he'd turn a blind eye if that woman happened not to report back to him at her usual time.
Ned had confessed everything when the FBI offered him a deal. Jail time for Aiding and Abbetting instead of Human Trafficking.
Betty was against the deal, but couldn't deny it was beneficial. With Ned's information, there was no way in hell Garrickson would ever see the light of day again. And if his sex workers wanted to keep turning tricks, they were free to do so without needing to give Ned a cut of their earnings.
The night before the big reveal, Jughead sat Jordan down on his single bed in their garage home. He kneeled down in front of him to make sure Jordan was focusing, and took a deep breath before he started to explain.
"Hey Buddy, I have something important to tell you." Jughead began.
Jordan just looked at him curiously.
Jughead swallowed before he continued. "We're going to make some big life changes very soon. We're moving to a new place. There's going to be more space, and you'll have your own bedroom with lots of room for all your trains. But it means we won't be living with Grandma and Grandpa anymore, or Aunty Polly and your cousins."
Jordan frowned as he processed it. "Can I still play with C?" He asked. His little voice had a worried tone, and his eyes widened as he focused on his father.
Jughead smiled. "Of course!" He said quickly. "You can come over here to play with Chandler whenever you want. And he can come visit you in our new home. So can River and Blossom, if you want? You can show them your new bedroom. We can go and pick out a new bed for you tomorrow…"
His blue eyes lit up. "Like Daddy's bed?"
"Yeah, a real big person's bed." Jughead tickled Jordan's side, and he giggled. "You're getting too old to be in a crib now."
Jordan grinned at Jughead. "Okay." He said happily.
Jughead let out a relieved sigh, and steeled himself for the rest of their talk. "There's one more thing, Jordan. And this part is really important." He reached out to take the toddler's hand. "Daddy's going to get married."
Jordan pursed his lips as he assessed Jughead's face. "What's married?"
Jughead smiled. "It's when two people love each other, and they want to spend their lives together, so they have a… wedding to celebrate." He paused to think of something Jordan to relate to. "Do you remember when we watched The Little Mermaid and at the end of the movie Ariel was wearing a white dress and she kissed the prince and they were waving to all the mermaids?"
Jordan nodded.
"Well, it's going to be kind of like that… except there won't be any mermaids or boats, it'll just be all our family and friends. And instead of Ariel and Prince Charming, it will be me and Aunty Betty getting married."
Jordan's eyes widened. "Are you going to kiss Aunty Betty?"
"Yes." Jughead smirked.
Jordan said: "Eeewwww!" with a scandalised tone in his voice and started giggling.
Jughead couldn't help laughing as well. "Aunty Betty's going to live with us one day, too. Is that okay with you?"
"It's okay." Jordan said, then crinkled up his nose. "No kissing, Daddy. Kissing is gross."
"Oh really? Is it gross when I kiss you?" He grinned and kissed Jordan's cheek. Jordan giggled and tried to squirm away, so Jughead tickled him and planted more kisses on his face. The sound of his son's laughter filled him with an overwhelming joy…
The next day, after Jughead took Jordan with him to the furniture store in Centerville and made several orders for their new apartment, he started to feel a foreboding nervous anticipation welling up as he made the drive back to Riverdale. He had no idea how the family was going to react, as most of them didn't even officially know that he and Betty were even dating.
FP, Polly and Alice were aware, though they held most of their comments to themselves. And Betty was reasonably certain that Charles and Jellybean had figured it out, but nobody had a clue that the couple was serious.
Jordan almost spilled the beans before dinner when he started talking about weddings, but most of the family assumed that he was talking about Polly and Sweet Pea's wedding. They were deep in the planning stage, and Betty enthusiastically asked about how they planned to decorate the Community Center for the event.
Jughead was about to call attention to their announcement, but Sweet Pea caught him off guard.
"We have some great news, guys!" He said happily. "We closed on a house this morning."
FP grinned widely. "That's awesome you two!" He said proudly, and everyone else offered their congratulations. The twins beamed as Polly explained their plans to start moving in the next week to their new four bedroom home that was located several blocks away from Elm Street.
Alice smiled wistfully. "It's going to be so strange having an empty home. All our kids are growing up and moving on…" She gave FP a knowing look. "It's going to be so quiet… and weird…"
"Um, I still live here Mom." Said Chandler. He pouted, and crossed his arms over his chest, which encouraged a round of laughter from the occupants at the table.
Jughead swallowed when there was a break in the conversation, and leaned his hands against the table. "Actually, while you're all still here…" Several faces turned in his direction. Jellybean perked up, her eyes going wide. "Me and Betty have… some news of our own."
"Oh my God, it's happening." Jellybean said, amusement in her voice. "They're finally going to admit they've been hooking up in secret. You guys are literally the least subtle couple I've ever met. You think we haven't noticed you two giving each other the eyes and sneaking off to make out in the garage? News flash, there aren't that many women interested in my brother. Who else would he be with when he gets Alice to babysit on Saturday nights?"
Polly sat up rigidly. "Betty, what's that?!" She gasped as she eyed her sister.
From beside Jughead, Betty had slowly placed her left hand on top of his. Her classic and elegant diamond ring stood out against the gold band, and sparkled as it caught the light.
Alice let out a shriek and stood up. "Oh my God!" She gasped and hurried over to pull Betty into a hug.
The rest of the night was filled with excited noise, and Jughead couldn't have been happier.
…
The first time someone referred to Betty as a "Mom", it was a complete accident.
She was alone with Jordan, so it was an easy mistake for the waitress to make. And she was sure the friendly middle-aged woman had overheard Betty telling him not to worry, that Daddy would be finished with the doctor soon as she cleared their table at Little Ciceros.
Jordan was uncharacteristically nervous and fussy as he chewed on the ear of his blue rabbit plush toy. He'd eaten almost as much of their shared cheese pizza as Betty had, and asked her no less than eleven times whether his dad had called her yet. Jughead's carpal tunnel surgery was a quick procedure, and she'd dropped him off at Riverdale General less than an hour earlier, then taken Jordan for pizza to distract him.
She got Jughead's phone call as the waitress stacked their empty drinks onto her tray. "Hey, are you ready to be picked up?"
Jordan's head perked up as he stared at Betty's phone.
"Yep." Jughead responded tiredly. "I accidentally looked down at my arm while they were cutting through the palm. So, long story short we can tick 'fainting' off my bucket list."
Betty couldn't hold back the snicker. "You okay?"
"Yeah… just don't tell Sweet Pea or I'll never hear the end of it." He joked. "Has Jordan been okay?"
"Yeah, he's been alright." Betty said as she watched the toddler in question slide down off his chair and make his way to her side of the table. "He's definitely ready for me to come get you, though."
Jughead laughed fondly. "I'll see you both soon."
Betty smiled as she hung up the phone and looked down beside her. Jordan was busy stuffing his rabbit into her hand bag, then quickly hoisted it into his tiny hands to offer it up to her.
"Aww how cute." The waitress commented affectionately. "Look at you helping out your mom. Such a gentleman." She said to Jordan in a sugary-sweet voice.
Jordan looked up at the waitress with a confused expression on his face. Betty cleared her throat awkwardly. "I'm his… aunt, actually."
An apologetic expression befell the waitress. "My apologies." She said, then gave Betty a polite smile. "I'll sort out your cheque…"
In hindsight, Betty felt that her first time babysitting Jordan was successful.
The second time someone called Betty a "Mom", Jordan had just turned three years old, and the term came out of the mouth of one of her closest friends.
Jughead had to go to New York to meet with his agent, and he was entirely against taking Jordan with him. He'd planned to leave him in the care of Alice, but was quietly thrilled when Betty offered to take him for the day.
"Are you sure?" He'd asked as he rubbed circles into the skin of Betty's hand. "I'll be gone the whole day… that's a lot longer than you're used to watching him. You're going to have him through nap time, and his cranky afternoon mood…"
Betty nodded, and swallowed back her nerves. "It's been slow at work the last few weeks… I can afford to take one day off. Besides, I'm twenty nine, he's three. Surely it can't be that hard…"
Betty learned quickly that she couldn't have been more wrong.
Jordan was full of energy by the time his nap time came around. Betty took her eyes off him for only a second to make him a sandwich, and he somehow ended up on top of the dining table. Jughead warned her he might not settle, but she didn't expect Jordan to become more excited to play during the hours he usually slept.
"Wait, Jordan. Slow down." She begged and tried to catch him as he chased the cat around her apartment. Toffee hissed as Jordan got too close to his tail. Betty quickly scooped Jordan into her arms as Toffee made a graceful leap onto the couch.
Jordan made a noise of annoyance as he wriggled in Betty's tight embrace.
A phone call from Cheryl was her saving grace. "Hey cousin, how's babysitting mini Jughead going?"
"Great." Betty grumbled as she readjusted Jordan onto her hip. "Everything's just fine."
Cheryl laughed loudly on the other line. "Me and the girls are meeting Veronica for coffee if you want to come and get him out of the house for a while."
Jordan leaned sideways to try and reach for Toffee again. The cat glared up at Betty in contempt. She swallowed. "That sounds like a great idea. Jordan, do you want to go see River and Blossom?" She asked desperately.
Jordan looked up at her hopefully. "Can Toffee come with us?"
Betty sighed. "I think Toffee needs a break, Jordan…"
Having coffee at Pop's with Veronica and Cheryl was a relieving pastime. Jordan was happily showing off his favourite train to River while she munched on her cheese fries. It was barely Two PM and Betty was already exhausted, but having the company of other adults made her feel a little less insane.
"Blossom, do you like my train?" Jordan asked the one year old girl sitting on Cheryl's lap. Blossom ignored him and focused on her mother. She babbled random noises as she clapped her little hands together.
When Jordan frowned and gave her an unimpressed look, Cheryl let out a giggle. "Don't take it personally Jordan. If something doesn't jingle or live in my bra, she doesn't care about it."
Betty couldn't hold in her own laugh. "Sorry Jordan. Don't worry, I like your train."
Jordan grinned at her and placed the train on top of the table. He rolled it back and forth, and made engine noises as he played. Betty felt herself warming inside as she watched him.
Veronica looked down at her phone and groaned. "Hermosa just sent me another not-so-subtle reminder that children are a blessing from above, and straight up told me to reconsider the whole 'waiting to have kids' thing. Like motherhood is the only thing that a woman should be striving for. I swear since she adopted Javier the only thing she wants to talk about is babies. It's maddening."
Cheryl rolled her eyes. "Would having a baby be such a bad thing, V? Just look at this little face and tell me it doesn't make your ovaries swoon." She lifted Blossom higher up on her lap so the toddler could stand up on her knees. Blossom's red curly hair and rosy cheeks were adorable, as was the sweet smile she flashed in Betty and Veronica's direction.
Veronica crinkled up her nose. "You're not fooling me, Cheryl. I've witnessed first hand the infinite capacity of your daughter's lungs."
Cheryl smirked. "They don't cry all the time." She turned her head to face Jordan and River. "And it's never boring with a toddler in the house. Especially when you're a stay at home mother."
Veronica still had a distasteful expression on her face. "I don't think I could cope with spending one hundred percent of my time with tiny humans I can't even have an intellectual conversation with." She sighed. "I'm glad Archie's open to being a stay at home dad when we inevitably do have children, because otherwise I'm not sure I'd even consider parenthood…"
"Aw, V, parenthood is great." Cheryl said dreamily. "Honestly, I don't miss out on anything with these two. I sent Toni a video of Blossom walking around the coffee table this morning. She's growing so fast! I miss when she was little…"
Betty's eyes lit up. "She's walking already?!" She exclaimed.
Cheryl shrugged and bounced Blossom on her lap. "Not properly. She's still grabbing on to things to hold herself up, but she's getting there." She nuzzled the baby's cheek with her nose. "Aren't you, my little munchkin?" Blossom giggled and waved her hands.
Betty smiled wistfully. "They say some hilarious things sometimes, V." She said, and turned away from her friend to face the toddlers. "Hey Jordan, what did you say you wanted to be when you grow up?"
"A train!" He said proudly, and lifted his plastic toy above his head.
Cheryl and Betty both laughed, but Veronica let out a groan. "Oh my God, I'm not even thirty! I'm a successful businesswoman. I own a nightclub and an apartment complex. How is it that my two best friends are moms?"
Betty still hadn't quite recovered from the feeling of wistful and endearing warmth when she took Jordan back to her apartment.
The third time, the woman at the gas station hadn't technically said the word Mom. She merely listened as Jordan tried to convince Betty that he needed to get a Twinkie, while Betty gently reminded him that his dad already said no.
"He's a charmer, your little one." She said as Jordan pouted and put the treat back on the concession stand. "Is he yours?" She asked, looking at Betty with a friendly expression.
Betty gave her a small smile. "He's my fiancé's son." She replied quietly. She nodded her head towards the window; just outside, Jughead was filling up the SUV for their trip to Toledo. Jughead's Mom hadn't seen Jordan for almost a year, much to both her and Jughead's dismay, and she had strongly encouraged him to bring Jordan and Betty up to visit before the snow started making the roads too icy to leave Riverdale.
The fourth time it happened, it was several weeks later at the playground in SoDale.
Jughead had to finish up an overdue English assignment for his online teaching degree. Betty could well and truly handle two hours alone with the child by now, and she pushed him softly on the swing while he giggled and kicked his legs in the air.
She smiled as she pushed him, until the novelty wore off and he wanted to climb the jungle gym.
Betty kept a cautious watch on him as she hovered beside the climbing frame. A mother and her two older boys were at the playground too, and she stood nearby Betty and supervised her kids as they ran circles around the entire jungle gym.
Then Jordan climbed off the equipment and started unzipping his coat.
"Nope." Betty said and crouched down to re-zip it. "You have to keep this on. It's almost Winter, Jordan."
Jordan stubbornly shook his head. "But why?"
Betty huffed as she heard the boy's new favourite word for what felt like the thousandth time that day. "Because I don't want you to catch a cold."
Jordan tried to move away from her grasp. "I'm not cold!" He said stubbornly, and crossed his arms over his chest.
"That's because you're wearing your coat." She said, withholding the urge to roll her eyes.
Jordan made a move to unzip the coat again, but Betty was ready for him. "Jordan Carter Jones, you leave that coat on or I'll take you straight back home."
It was a bluff; Betty had no intention of disturbing Jughead while he frantically submitted an important college essay during his few child-free hours in his apartment, but Jordan sighed dramatically and stopped trying to remove his coat. He looked grumpy as he returned to the climbing frame, but Betty felt satisfied that she'd won the coat battle.
"Ugh, I feel that." Said the woman beside her. She chuckled and moved closer to Betty. "I always have to be the evil dictator forcing clothes on my boys, too. All part of being a Mom, am I right?"
Betty let out a laugh, but didn't correct her.
It was becoming a common occurrence; people assumed, whether she was alone with Jordan or simply joining him and Jughead on a child-friendly grocery store adventure, that she was Jordan's Mom.
It was an assumption, Betty felt, that she didn't exactly hate.
In fact, the closer it became to her wedding day… the more the idea of being Jordan's mom felt… right.
It was a week before Christmas, and Betty was spending the night at Jughead's South Side apartment. These adult sleepovers were few and far between for the couple, because Jordan struggled to stay in his own room the whole night, and Jughead was usually greeted with a nighttime visitor. Jughead was mindful of the big life transition his son was about to undertake, and he didn't want to overwhelm him.
Betty lounged comfortably on the living room couch, and ran her fingers through Jughead's hair while he laid his head on her lap. It was a cold night, but between the cuddles Jordan gave her while Jughead read him a story before he put him to bed, and the joy she felt just being in Jughead's presence, Betty felt warm all over.
"There's a house up for sale on Elm Street." Jughead said idly. "Your Mom was talking it up when I went to get Jordan earlier. She's really making a selling point out of the fact that it's a four bedroom."
Betty smirked. "There's moving close to our family, and then there's living practically on top of them."
"You're telling me." Jughead chuckled. He remained quiet for a while, and eventually he moved to sit up properly and face her. "So… I was talking to Jordan earlier about the wedding…"
Betty nodded cautiously. "Yeah…?"
"I was trying to explain to him how afterwards, you won't just be his aunt anymore…" He said slowly. "You'll be his step-mom."
Nerves bubbled up inside her. "How does he feel about that?" Betty asked.
"I'm not really sure. It's hard to gauge how much he understands." Jughead sighed. "He had a lot of questions. I tried to explain how Juniper and Dagwood had another dad once, and when Polly married Sweet Pea they got a step-dad. I explained that Azalea is their baby sister, and Sweet Pea is her dad, but that doesn't mean that Sweet Pea loves the twins any less than he loves her."
Betty gnawed on her cheek. "Did he ask you about his… mother?"
"No…" Jughead leaned the side of his head against the back of the couch. "He doesn't remember her at all." He said softly, and there was a wistful look in his eyes. "I think… that might make things easier for him to adjust."
Betty nodded, and built up the courage to bring up a topic that had been nagging at her for weeks. "You know… I was thinking…" She swallowed, and forced herself to get the words out. "How would you feel if… after we get married, I… adopt Jordan?"
Jughead's expression didn't change. "Is that something you've been considering?"
Betty nodded. "I really love him." She said, and her eyes started to feel hot. "You, me and Jordan… I feel like we've become a real little… family." She gave him a smile, and tried not to let her emotions get the best of her. "I wouldn't mind making that family official. Legally official."
Jughead smiled and shifted so he could get closer to her. "You know, it's relatively easy for step-parents to adopt their kids. When the other biological parent isn't in the child's life, or has no legal rights to them, you don't even have to get their consent in most cases. You don't need to go through an attorney, it's basically just a bunch of paperwork." He reached out a hand to place it on Betty's knee. "We'd have to be married for a year before we can start the process, but it only takes three months for the paperwork to go through. A social worker will come out to do a home assessment, and all up we'd be looking at around four hundred dollars to pay the legal fees…"
Betty couldn't stop her smile from widening. "Have you been thinking about it? It sounds like you've done your research."
"I have been, and I did." Jughead said seriously. "Betty, if anything ever happened to me… you're the only one I'd trust to raise him." He swallowed. "I know it's a lot to ask of you, but I don't want you to just be Jordan's step-mom… I want you to be his Mom."
"It's not a lot to ask." The tears escaped Betty's eyes. "I want that too. Sometimes it feels like… I already am his Mom."
Jughead smiled and stroked her knee. "You do a way better job of looking after him than his birth mother ever did." He admitted solemnly. "He's comfortable around you. He trusts you. And he always talks about you."
That made Betty's heart melt. "Does he really?"
"I swear." Jughead laughed. "He makes me give him a countdown to your arrival. He loves spending time with you. I know he's only young, but I think he really does love you." His smile morphed into a smirk. "You're definitely his favourite babysitter, that's for sure."
Betty laughed through the tightening feeling in her throat, and when she wrapped her arms around Jughead, she felt something in her heart locking itself into place.
…
It wasn't long after their conversation took place that Jordan asked Betty a question that stopped her in her tracks. She froze as she unpacked a box that contained his trains while he waited patiently beside her.
They'd only just moved into their new house in Riverdale. It had four bedrooms (Alice was thrilled, and she not-so-subtly encouraged Betty to fill those rooms with more grandbabies) and was still reasonably within walking distance to their parents' house, and Polly and Sweet Pea's house, but far enough away that they had their own space.
Jughead had been gone for several hours, attending a highly anticipated book signing in New York over an assignment-free weekend, and so Betty was hanging out with Jordan for most of the day. It was as Betty helped Jordan locate his favourite train set and began pulling the pieces out of the cardboard boxes they were still half-living out of, that he hit her with the question:
"Are you my Mommy?"
Betty swallowed as she turned to face him. He was giving her a quizzical and confused expression, and his eyes pierced her own as he waited for her answer.
She settled on saying: "When I marry your dad, I will be." She said gently. He still looked confused, so she asked him: "Are you okay with that?"
He nodded slowly, and looked like he was trying to think through some deeply complex details. His facial expression resembled Jughead's deep look of concentration, and Betty couldn't help but muse on how much Jordan looked like his father.
"Daggy and Juni have a Daddy in heaven." Jordan said slowly. "Do I have a Mommy in heaven?"
Betty's heart lurched. She was so not equipped for this kind of conversation. This was Jughead's parental territory, and she knew exactly how he felt about Jordan's birth mother. But it was a sensitive topic, and she was stressed that she'd end up giving Jordan a complex about mothers if she gave him too many or too little information.
She let out a deep breath and tried to formulate a response. "No, your Mommy's not in heaven."
He cocked his head to the side. "Where is she?" He asked innocently.
Nausea rolled in Betty's stomach, and she chose her words carefully. "She's… very far away. And she can't see you anymore…" She swallowed and moved closer to sit on her knees in front of Jordan. "But your Daddy's always here with you, and I'm always here too, okay?"
It was difficult to figure out how the small child felt about that knowledge, and Betty's throat constricted as he asked: "Will you go very far away?"
"No." She said, and placed her hand on Jordan's shoulder. "I'm always going to be here with you and Daddy, okay? I'll never, ever leave you."
He still had that worried look on his face, but he reached out for Betty to hug him, and she held him close and kissed him on the top of his head.
…
Months passed, and Betty's Bachelorette party took place at La Bonne Nuit. It was springtime, and Betty was on the cusp of turning thirty.
Veronica insisted on planning the event, and she and Kevin set up a grazing table for each of the booths where the relatively small party gathered. Betty wanted to include Juniper in the event, and the young teen was thrilled to be joining in the celebrations with the grownups. There was a lot of dancing, and a lot of glasses of champagne shared among the guests, and Betty was feeling a pleasant buzz as she slowly made her way to join Polly and Veronica at their booth.
She stumbled into her seat, and Polly grinned up at her as she rocked four month old Azalea in her arms. "How are you doing there, Bride to Be?"
Betty let out a huff. "I should not have let Veronica pick my outfit. Girl, these shoes are killing me!" She exclaimed as she crossed one leg over the other.
Veronica shrugged. "You look amazing though, B. Jughead's going to keel over when he sees all our photos. All that FBI training has done great things for your physique - you've got to show it off to the world sometimes."
Jellybean made her way over to the group and slumped into the seat beside Betty. "Are we talking about how hot Betty looks in that tight pink dress? Because damn girl, where have you been hiding those legs? It's no wonder Jughead writes such intense sex scenes if that's his inspiration."
"JB!" Betty gasped, but giggled and leaned against Jellybean. Jellybean grinned and sipped her wine, then snorted as Betty ungracefully slid sideways and laid her head in her lap.
"You've certainly let your hair loose tonight, Betty." Jellybean said with a smirk.
Betty was barely audible as she told Jellybean the room was spinning.
Polly shook her head. "Juniper hasn't tried to convince you to give her a drink yet, has she?" She asked Jellybean.
Jellybean bit her lip in amusement. "Hey, I can't snitch on my niece to her mother…"
"Ugh." Polly said. "I told her no drinking… the twins start high school this year, my God I am so not ready."
"Don't worry about that one, Pol." Jellybean said kindly. "She snuck one sip of Britta's Chardonnay and swore off alcohol forever. Apparently the taste was so bad that she can't understand how people drink it for fun." She let out a laugh. "If I were you, I'd be more worried about whatever Dagwood's up to at Jughead's Bachelor party. Sweet Pea is the biggest pushover I've ever met."
Polly rolled her eyes. "They're just playing video games and eating junk food. Besides, Chandler and Jordan are both there too. Sounds low key enough for me not to get too worked up over it. "
"I'm sure you're right." Jellybean said with a smirk. "Just hope they don't take after their aunt or grandmother - who are both, might I add, way more intoxicated than I am." She let out a laugh and she patted Betty on the shoulder. "Not that I can really blame Alice, she's been talking to my Mom half the night." She nodded towards the opposite side of the dance floor, where both Gladys Jones and Alice were wearing overly polite expressions and holding large glasses of wine. Britta stood between them both, her cheeks blushing and her eyes wide. "Poor Britta, maybe I should go rescue her… then again, talking to my intoxicated mother and step-mother sure would be character building. Think of all the family bonding she's doing right now."
"JB, you're terrible."
"Aww, she secretly loves it. Trust me." Jellybean grinned.
Polly sighed and turned to Veronica. "Do you mind holding Azalea for a minute while I run to the restroom? This baby's head absolutely destroyed my bladder."
Veronica's eyes widened. "Oh, I dunno… are you sure you want me holding her?" She eyed the sleeping infant in Polly's arms nervously.
"You're the only other adult in this room who hasn't been drinking, so you're certainly my top choice." Polly said kindly, and gently maneuvered Azalea into Veronica's stiff and awkward grasp.
Veronica stared wistfully down at the infant as Polly walked away from the group.
Jellybean rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I'm not that drunk. I could have kept a hold of the little thing for five minutes."
Veronica let out an awkward laugh. "Well, I suppose I understand her worry…" She swallowed as she shifted Azalea into a more comfortable position, but the worried expression didn't leave her face.
"Fair, but damn that girl is protective of her kids."
Betty scrambled out of Jellybean's lap to sit upright, and stared at Veronica with wide eyes. "Why aren't you drinking?"
Veronica avoided Betty's eyes. "Oh, I just didn't feel like it today."
Jellybean's gaze switched between Veronica and Betty with confusion, and then her eyes widened even more than Betty's. "No." She said.
Veronica bit her lip and turned her gaze back to Azalea. "Yes."
Jellybean shook her head. "No…" she said again, though this time it came out weaker.
Betty slid closer to Veronica. "V… are you…?"
"No, Betty! Don't say it." Jellybean said in horror. "V, you were my last hope! The only other child-free woman I know! Toni and Cheryl were my lesbian love inspiration, and now they're two kids deep and Cheryl is over there wearing jeans . Jeans, Veronica!"
"You're wearing jeans." Veronica deadpanned as she looked up at Jellybean with a grimace.
"Yes, but I'm a hot young woman in a same sex relationship. I have an image to uphold here, V."
Veronica rolled her eyes. "You've been spending way too much time with Kevin."
Betty cut off Jellybean's retort. "Really, Veronica, are you…?"
Veronica sighed and looked back down at the infant in her arms. "I am…" She swallowed. "But we haven't told anyone yet… it's still too early." Tears sprang up to her eyes and she huffed and wiped them away.
Betty put her arm on Veronica's shoulder. "Aww, V, it's going to be okay."
Veronica shuddered. "How, Betty? This wasn't supposed to happen… I'm not ready to be a mother."
"How did it happen?" Jellybean asked, an incredulous look on her face. "I thought you were waiting until you were thirty five?"
Veronica screwed her eyes shut. "I forgot that antibiotics render the pill ineffective."
"Girl… that's a rookie mistake." Jellybean sighed.
"I know. I know." Veronica's voice shook as she opened her eyes again.
Betty gave her a worried look. "Are you okay?" She asked kindly.
Veronica anxiously bit her lip. "I'm freaking out." She shook her head. "Archie's thrilled. He's going to be an amazing dad. But me? I don't have a clue what I'm doing. How am I going to look after a baby?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but Betty still heard her when she said: "I don't have a maternal bone in my body."
"Hey, yes you do." Betty reassured her. "You've been looking out for people since high school. And I know for a fact that you keep Archie out of trouble. You're kind, caring, generous…" She nodded down to Azalea. "And look at that baby in your arms right now. She's content, and asleep - and you're absently rocking her back and forth without even realising it." She gave her shoulder a squeeze. "You're going to be fine V. No one is a parenting expert overnight." She smirked. "Trust me, I would know."
Veronica sighed. "You're a natural, B. You're always so good with Jordan, and Polly's kids… I'm never going to be that good…"
Betty shook her head. "I wasn't always." She said seriously. "It took a while to learn. Honestly, Jordan used to run circles around me, and it was overwhelming." She gave Veronica a smile. "But I got used to it. Now I can't imagine not having him with me every day."
Veronica visibly relaxed, and when she turned her gaze back to Azalea, her lips made a tiny twitch upwards.
Jellybean gave them both a wistful look. "This is way too much emotion for a Bachelorette Party. You Moms always kill my vibes…"
…
Polly dropped Betty home late that night (or early the next morning, depending on one's definition). Jughead's at-home Bachelor Party had ended by that time, but Jughead was still wide awake as he waited for his fiancée to get back home. They were just under two months out from the wedding, and with each night that passed the anticipation and excitement built higher and higher until Jughead thought he was surely going to burst.
Jordan was in a deep slumber when Jughead carried him to his bedroom and tucked him under the covers of his race car bed. The child had to settle for the race car when it became apparent there was no train-shaped bed frame, and yet Jordan was still happy that a giant image of the Hogwarts Express was printed on the blanket.
Chandler was going through a Harry Potter phase, which meant Jordan was going through a Harry Potter phase. Though admittedly Jordan's phase was centered more around the magical train than the actual storyline.
Jughead had thrown the last empty bottle of beer into the recycling when he saw the headlights illuminating their driveway. He smiled as he heard Betty giggling as she bid goodbye to her older sister, and waited until he heard the clumsy rattling of the door handle before he made his way over to rescue his drunk fiancée.
He opened it and smiled wide. "Juggie!" She said happily, and threw her arms around his neck. She planted a kiss on his mouth, and pushed him further into the house.
He was sure he heard Polly's laughter as he closed the door.
Jughead pulled away as he walked Betty backwards towards their bedroom. "You taste like alcohol."
"So do you." She said defiantly, then raised her eyebrows and reconsidered. "Or maybe it's me I taste."
Jughead shrugged. "I don't mind. You always taste good." He said slyly, then surprised Betty by ducking to slide his arm under her legs and lift her up.
She let out a quick shriek, followed by a giggle. "You're meant to wait until after we're married to carry me over the threshold."
"It's an archaic tradition anyway." Jughead said as he carried her to their bed. "I love your dress. It's so sexy…"
Betty shifted to get out of his arms before he placed her on the mattress. She stood in front of him and smirked as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Let me guess - it looks great, but it'd look even better on the floor?"
"No way." Jughead said, shaking his head. "Something that hot needs to be properly appreciated."
She pulled him hungrily down with her as she sat on the bed then leaned backwards. Jughead pressed her into the mattress as they kissed, their lips and teeth and tongues showing each other proper appreciation. Then Jughead slid down to kneel beside the bed, and kissed Betty up her legs, and then her thighs… he pulled her legs apart further…
"Betty… you're not wearing any panties…" Jughead asked as he looked up at her with wide eyes. "Have you been walking around like that all night?"
A faint blush appeared on Betty's cheeks. "I didn't want to have underwear lines… this dress is really tight…" She pursed her lips. "Does that make you uncomfortable?"
"No." Jughead said, and the heat in his eyes made Betty shiver. "That's such a turn on."
Betty moaned and leaned her head back as Jughead ducked his head between her legs and showed her just how much it turned him on…
The next morning, Betty groaned and rolled onto her back as she threw her arm over her face. The light shining in through the window was far too bright, and she grimaced as she built up the courage to face the light of day.
She forced her eyes open and frowned as she realised Jughead wasn't beside her. She rolled onto her side slowly and checked the alarm clock; it was almost midday, and she sighed with relief as she noted there was water and Tylenol sitting on her nightstand.
Thank God for loving fiancé's, she mused as she swallowed the pills.
Nearly an hour later she'd showered and brushed her teeth, then made her way out into the living room, feeling significantly more human than she had when she first woke up. Jughead was in the kitchen assembling chicken nuggets onto a tray and he smirked as she made her way over to him.
"Good afternoon." He said as he placed the nuggets inside the oven. "I didn't think I'd see you until tomorrow."
"Ugh, I could sleep until tomorrow." Betty mused as she sat down at the kitchen table. "Where's Jordan?"
"Playing in the yard with River." Jughead nodded towards the window. Betty followed his line of sight and noted he had been watching the two children playing in the sandpit. "You should have seen Toni's face when she dropped her off - she looked almost as hangover-free as you do."
Betty couldn't help laughing. "How are you not hungover? How tame was this boy's night?"
Jughead shrugged. "I drank a bit, but I didn't really want to get too drunk with Jordan still in the house. He enjoyed himself last night. Didn't go to sleep until eleven." He gave her a smile. "We ordered pizza and played the Xbox, then watched a few old movies. Nobody argued with my choices since I was the man of the hour. It was liberating, honestly. The perfect Bachelor Party."
Betty smiled warmly. "I'm glad you had a good night."
"I had a great night. Honestly." Jughead laughed. "So, anything scandalous happen during your 'final night as a single woman' party? Did strippers show up?"
Betty snorted. "As if. If I wanted to see a strip show I'd just come home to my fiancé."
"Oh, Betty, I'm touched." He grinned and made his way over to her. He leaned down and moved closer to her ear. "Though I think I was the one who got the show last night."
Betty softly and playfully shoved him back. "God… that was a wild end to a wild night."
"Indeed. Wouldn't mind seeing more of those heels though…"
Betty giggled, and stood up to wrap her arms around him. "You know… I was thinking about something while I was in the shower."
Jughead's eyebrows raised. "Oh really? I hope it involved me… and significantly less clothes than we're wearing right now."
Betty laughed. "Actually… yes, it did."
Jughead smirked. "Wow, first guess."
She giggled, and then took in a steadying breath of air as she looked into his eyes. "Jug… I want a baby."
His eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" He asked, a hopeful tone in his voice.
"Yeah, really." She said, and played with the hair at the nape of his neck. "It's something I've been thinking about for a while. Jordan's getting more independent, we're about to get married, and you're almost finished with college. You'll be working as a substitute teacher by the time the next semester starts, and between that income, your book sales, and my wages with the FBI, we'll have enough to put Jordan through a decent preschool program a couple of days a week and get this house ready for an infant. It just… feels like it could be the right time to start trying." She swallowed and looked up at him nervously. "What do you think?"
"Honestly…" he grinned. "I'd love to have another kid… but, are you sure you're ready? This isn't just a hormonal reaction to Polly having another baby… or because Veronica is pregnant?"
Betty's mouth dropped open. "How did you know V was pregnant?"
Jughead chuckled. "Archie told me last night."
Betty nudged her nose against him. "No. While I love having a new niece and I'm excited for Veronica, this is something that I really want. With you. The three of us are already a family, but… I want to start expanding that family. We have the room, we have the money… I think we should do this."
Jughead pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. He buried his head into her shoulder, and Betty felt warmth growing inside her.
"You know, it's a shame I'm babysitting…" Jughead pulled back and looked at her with a smirk. "Otherwise, I'd suggest we start trying right now."
Betty was still smiling ten minutes later when she called the kids inside to eat their nuggets.
…
The morning of the wedding, Betty felt awful.
She'd woken up with a nausea so intense that she was still hugging the toilet bowl when Alice arrived to help her get ready. All the girls in the family were gathering in her new house to beautify themselves together.
Jughead had long left to finish setting up the backyard in the family's Elm Street home; it was where the wedding was taking place, after all. He'd left her whilst she was still in bed, giving her a kiss goodbye and collecting Jordan on his way out of the house.
Alice used her key to get inside when Betty hadn't answered the door, and knocked on the door to the bedroom's ensuite gently. "You in there, Elizabeth?" She asked.
Betty groaned. "Yeah, Mom." She leaned back and flushed the toilet, but remained on the floor.
Alice opened the door, and gasped as she crouched down beside her. "Betty, are you sick?"
"Yeah." Betty nodded and slowly lifted herself to her feet. "I woke up feeling awful."
"Well, let's get some Pepto-Bismol and food into you." She placed her hand on Betty's cheek and smiled. "Pre-wedding jitters are normal. But this is going to be one of the best days of your life. I promise."
Betty felt significantly better once Alice had force fed her the anti-nausea medication, and found herself relaxing as Polly arrived with both her daughters. A slow trickle of women made their way into her house, and by the afternoon all girls were laughing, nibbling on snacks and sipping champagne as the feeling of excitement built.
Knowing that she was about to become Jughead's wife… that Jughead was about to become her husband… it thrilled her, and she couldn't settle herself down as the hours until her wedding became mere minutes.
It was these 'pre wedding jitters' that she blamed when she found herself hunched over the toilet again ten minutes before she had to put on her dress and leave to marry Jughead. She frowned as she brushed her teeth again, then called out to Polly to bring her lipstick into the bathroom.
Polly knocked on the door. "Hey, you all good in here?"
Betty nodded took the lipstick from her sister's hands. "Yeah, just need a touch up." She turned and focused on her reflection in the mirror.
Polly was giving her a serious look. "Still throwing up?"
"Yeah." Betty answered, then paused and turned to face Polly properly. "How did you know I was throwing up?"
"Mom mentioned you were sick this morning." Polly said, then she slowly closed the bathroom door and fumbled through her silver clutch purse. "It's why I thought I should bring this with me… just in case you needed it." She pulled out a small object and offered it up to her sister.
Betty knew exactly what it was. "Polly… no, I'm just nervous about the wedding… I'm not pregnant."
Polly took Betty's hand and placed the pregnancy test into her grasp. "Can't hurt to check, right? If it's negative, at least you'll be able to drink tonight with a clear conscience." She paused and gave her a knowing look. "But if it's not…"
"It will be negative." Betty rolled her eyes. "We've barely started trying… I haven't even been off of birth control for long."
When five minutes passed, she heard Alice calling out to them. "Girls, hurry up in there. I know the bride is traditionally late to the wedding, but this is cutting it close."
Betty withheld the urge to chew on her nails as she and Polly silently waited for the test to finish calculating. When it beeped, Betty kept her eyes closed as she picked it up and handed it to Polly.
"I can't look. You need to do it for me." She said, unable to force her eyes open.
Polly took the test from her outstretched hands. "Betty… look." She said calmly.
Betty opened her eyes with a sigh and took the test from Polly's hands…
…
"If you don't want to do this, I'll distract everyone while you make a break for it." Dean whispered to Jughead as they stood at the end of the makeshift aisle in the backyard of his parents' house.
Jughead laughed and shook his head. "Thanks, but that won't be necessary."
Dean held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, nothing against your lovely step-sister, but you know my thoughts on permanent monogamy. I'm just saying, if you did have any cold feet, I'll be there to help you escape." He clapped Jughead on the shoulder. "It's my duty as your best man."
Archie piped up from Dean's other side. "And it's my duty as your most assuredly married best friend to remind you of the joys of matrimony." He laughed and gave Dean an incredulous look. "Seriously, dude. I don't know what marriages you've witnessed in your days, but being married is… the best thing ever." His eyes donned a gooey expression as he no-doubt thought of Veronica.
"Just trying to ensure my favourite author knows there's no judgement coming from this here groomsman."
Jughead shook his head. "Thanks for the helpful tips guys, but I'm sure I'll be fine."
"I'd hope so," Charles said as he carried a suit-clad and smiling Jordan to join the line of waiting groomsmen, "because FP just told me Betty's outside right now."
Jughead's heart leapt as he waited for the ceremony to start.
It was surreal, looking out at the small crowd of people. There were fairly lights handing along the perimeter of the property, and Jughead smiled as he watched the lights illuminating the yard in a heavenly glow. He watched as Dagwood and Chandler showed people to their seats, clearly taking their job as Ushers incredibly seriously. All of their family was present, even Jughead's Grandparents from Toledo and his Grandpa from Seaside. Sweet Pea bounced Azalea on his knee as he talked with Cheryl, Toni and their kids, right beside Kevin and Fangs. One of Betty's Cooper cousins had flown in from LA, and she sat beside Tabitha Tate and Britta and some of Betty's colleagues from the FBI. There were several people from High School seated among the guests, and Jughead had even invited Sam and Caitlin from Visionary Publishers to attend the wedding. They both brought their spouses, and Jughead was pleased that at the very least, anyone he and Betty associated with had made the effort to celebrate with them.
When Juniper started the bridal procession, wearing a flowing white dress and holding a small bouquet of blue flowers, completely unable to keep the smirk off her face, Jughead felt his heart racing faster. She was followed by Jellybean, who wore the same bridesmaid's dress and winked at Jughead as she neared the front of the aisle. Veronica was next, followed closely by Polly, who seemed to be holding back the tears threatening to fall down her eyes.
Then Betty came into his view, and Jughead's breath was completely taken away. Her dress was a shimmering silver, and her shoulders were bare, though her arms and legs were covered by a light and floaty material that was fit for a queen or an ethereal being from a supernatural plane of existence. The toes of her silver, crystal encrusted heels peeped out from beneath her long skirt as she walked alongside FP and her Mom, both of whom seemed honoured to be bringing her down the aisle.
When she was finally by Jughead's side, she reached out to take his hands and smiled widely at him. Jughead found himself swallowing, but couldn't help himself from teasingly whispering into her ear: "Silver, Betts? How untraditional of you." He smirked as her smile widened.
"There's nothing traditional about you and me." She whispered back, and Jughead knew that there wouldn't be a day in his life that he wouldn't love this woman with the sheer entirety of his heart.
…
Their hotel room at the Five Seasons was peaceful and felt luxurious as they lay naked atop the sheets. Jughead couldn't comprehend how every hotel bed seemed to be infinitely more soft and comfortable than the ones you could find in the mattress stores.
He played with the long strands of Betty's hair - no longer neatly arranged into the bun she'd been wearing at their wedding; their passionate and amorous post-marriage activities had left them in a disheveled and sweaty mess.
Betty traced the outline of the black wedding band he wore on his left hand. He'd made the suggestion with the expectation that she'd roll her eyes, but she'd merely nodded and smiled, and told him: "If you want to wear a black ring on your finger for the rest of your life, then let's go and look for the most badass black wedding ring we can find."
He'd settled on one that was thick black in the center and outlined in silver. He loved it, almost as much as he loved her engagement ring, but not nearly as much as he loved her.
Betty lifted her head to smile up at him. "Hi, husband."
Jughead rubbed the warm skin of her back. "Hi, wife." He leaned down to kiss her slightly swollen lips, and felt her shifting as she moved to lay completely on top of him.
It was a position he found complete enjoyment in. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as he closed his eyes and kissed her slow and deep. She placed her palms on both his cheeks, and pulled away to look into his eyes. She rubbed the side of his face with her thumbs and smiled.
"I have something for you…" She said quietly, her eyes shining with happiness as she lifted herself up off of him.
Jughead groaned and his arm reached out to her as she slid off the bed and searched for something on the floor. "Wait, come back… it's bad luck to leave your husband cold and naked in the bed on your wedding night."
Betty giggled. "Did you make that up, or is it another wedding superstition you found online?"
"Hey, I don't make the rules, Betts. It is what it is."
Jughead sat up as Betty crawled towards him across the large bed. She sat on her knees, and the sight of her naked body distracted him from seeing what she was holding in her hands. Until she reached out and placed it in his palm, and he mournfully looked away from her to inspect the small plastic object.
His eyes widened and his head whipped back towards her. "Betty, is this…?"
She smiled. "Read it."
He inspected the tiny digital screen located at one end of the pregnancy test. Right there, in tiny black writing were the words: Pregnant. 5-6 Weeks.
Betty had tears in her eyes when Jughead looked up at her in excitement. "We're gonna have a baby?" He asked, unable to keep the grin off of his face.
"Yeah," Betty whispered, "we really are." She was still smiling as Jughead pulled her down on top of him, and the rest of their night was spent in each other's arms as they basked in the sheer happiness of the path their lives were on.
…
A year after Betty and Jughead got married, Jughead came home from work filled to the absolute brim with joy. He had exciting news to share with her, and he was anxious to get home and see his children.
When he opened the front door, Betty had her head turned to look at him over her shoulder from her seat on the couch. "Hey." She said quietly. Toffee raised his head curious and sniffed the air, then settled back in to nap on the top of the couch's back rests.
"Hi there." Jughead responded. He looked at the television in front of her and noted that a shot of Draco Malfoy scowling was frozen on the screen. "Harry Potter again?" He laughed softly.
Betty rolled her eyes. "I let him watch the third one today, but he passed out halfway through." She nodded to the couch beside her, and Jughead walked closer to find his son sprawled out beside his wife. "I'm drawing the line there, though. The fourth movie is rated M - he's too young."
Jughead smirked. "Fair call, Betts." He glanced down to Betty's arms, where she held their daughter to her breast as the tiny baby fed. "How was she today?" He asked.
Betty smiled down at her baby girl. "Good. I couldn't get anything done, but at least Jordan tried to clean his room." She laughed quietly. "He was very sweet today. He went and got a diaper out for me, and tried to talk to her while I was changing her. He got so excited when she laughed at him."
Jordan adored his baby sister, and had even had a hand in naming her.
His most adamant suggestion was in the pique of his Harry Potter phase. From the moment they found out the baby was a girl, Jordan insisted daily that they name the baby "Hermione" - but that name hadn't appealed to either Jughead or Betty. Besides, Betty felt wrong using Veronica's mother's name for her own child, when her best friend may have wanted to name her daughter after her grandmother.
She hadn't - she'd name her baby "Linda", a name that meant 'beautiful' in Spanish. Because when Veronica first laid eyes on the daughter she shared with Archie, she knew she was the most people thing she would ever see in her life.
Instead, when Jordan continued to push for the name, Betty found herself researching the actress that played Hermione over twenty years earlier. And she found out that Emma Watson had been so wealthy before she even finished filming that she could have retired at twenty one and never looked back - but she hadn't; she'd gone to college, she'd become a woman's rights activist, and now spent her time using her vast wealth to help educate women in some of the world's most economically disadvantaged countries.
She wouldn't have been a bad person to inspire her daughter's name.
And so late in January, with her husband by her side, Betty gave birth to Emma Elizabeth Jones.
The baby was very cute and had her father's dark hair - but her eyes were a bright emerald green. Betty couldn't help but be overwhelmed with joy that her daughter had some of her features, and rather than give her any hint of darkness, they only made the infant more beautiful.
"Guess what." Jughead said, and Betty tore her eyes away from their baby to look up at him.
Betty eyes him suspiciously. "What?"
"Sam called me." He said as he beamed. "The Pariahs is officially an international best seller."
Her eyes widened. "Oh my God, that's… Jughead, I'm so proud of you!" Her voice was loud, and Jordan stirred beside them. But as was typical for the child, not much more than the promise of food would wake him from his nap.
Jughead had finally written the long-awaited sequel to The Outcasts. Jordan and Bella had grown up and grown apart, but when Bella sought out Jordan's help in going undercover when she investigated a string of deaths connected to his circle of New York writers, after several chapters of sexual frustration and denial of their feelings, the pair had finally rekindled their love and brought down the literary serial killer.
It was an insanely successful novel, and Jughead had received a significantly generous advance on a third book to complete the trilogy.
He told Betty as much as he explained his good news. "So, if you still wanted to try and re-open the Riverdale Register… I think we can afford to do it."
Betty readjusted her shirt and lifted Emma over her shoulder to rub her back. "Jug… yes. This is… I can't believe it. Well, I can believe it, because I know how amazing of a writer you are. But, it's great to see you being publicly recognised."
"And speaking of public recognition… Sam really wants me to promote The Pariahs in LA…" Jughead said nervously.
But Betty stood up so she could properly face him. "When do you need to leave?" She asked curiously, and had an open enthusiasm in her voice.
Jughead felt an overwhelming relief overtake him. "I asked him if we could wait until the Summer, so that Emma will be old enough to travel on the plane."
Betty nodded. "Good thinking. God, I haven't been to LA in years, Juggie. I can't wait. Jordan's going to love it."
A smug look made its way onto his face. "It's good timing for me, too… because we'll be back before I have to start my new job as Riverdale High's English Teacher."
Betty's eyes were impossibly wide as she gasped and threw her free hand around Jughead's neck. She let out a squeal of excitement that rivaled any noise that'd ever come out of their children's mouths, but she was bursting with pride and excitement and there was no way she could keep it in any longer.
Jordan stirred on the couch and rubbed his eyes. "Mommy… why are you shouting?"
Betty pulled away from Jughead, and both parents grinned down at their four year old. "I'm just excited Jordan! There's some amazing things happening right now."
Jordan jumped up and lifted his arms towards Jughead. Jughead picked him up so he could be at eye level with the rest of the family, and then wrapped his other arm around Betty and Emma. Jordan giggled, and Betty planted a kiss on his cheek as she leaned into Jughead.
"How is this our lives?" Betty mused ruefully. "I can't believe we're here right now… sometimes I wake up and I'm convinced I'm still dreaming." She eyed Jughead with a look of pure joy. "Is it possible to stay this happy forever?" She wondered allowed.
"Of course it is, Betts." He said confidently as he tightened his arm around her. "No matter what happens, we're here together, and we're always going to have the best, happiest moments together; as a family. Because despite everything we've been through, we came out of it as better people, and now we have two more people with us on this crazy adventure." He leaned his forehead against Betty's, and smiled as he gazed down at his children. "There's not a doubt in my mind that our story's not over."