Betty and Archie woke up refreshed the morning after his graduation. After the heaviness of the previous day and the clearing of the air, they were ready to tackle the monumental task of getting all of Archie's belongings packed into his truck for the trip home.

"Hey, Betty, when do you start at the Gazette?" Archie had a thought as they carried the last couple of boxes down to the truck. He still had to do his walk through with the facilities people, but they had a couple of minutes before he was to meet them.

"I still have a couple of weeks, why?" she leaned against the truck. The heat of the day hadn't yet set in, but she was feeling the effects of all the lifting and carrying they'd done. She could feel the sweat sliding slowly down her back.

"I was just wondering. Mom and Frank are giving me a bit of time to transition from college to the business, so I've got some time to kill before I have to be home," he explained, "How about a road trip before we head back to Riverdale?"

"A road trip," she sputtered, "Isn't five hours already considered a road trip?"

"No, I mean we do a bit more than that," he laughed, "Let's head north, see Niagara Falls, follow the highway from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, and then circle our way back down. Maybe we can even see Cooperstown or the Catskill Mountains."

"That's like a month worth of activities, Archie," she smiled.

"So we'll pick and choose," he's enthusiasm was infectious, "Let's have a bit of fun before the real world comes calling."

"It does sound like fun," Betty conceded, "And Louis wouldn't even think about me road tripping."

"Does that mean you're in?" Archie leaned into her. He wasn't sure yet what their boundaries were now that they were in this new found coupledom, but he trusted Betty to tell him when he pushed too far.

"Yeah," Betty bobbed her head, "What the heck? Yes, let's hit the road and see what we stumble into."

Archie leaned in for a soft kiss, taking Betty a bit by surprise, but she didn't push him away. He took that as a small victory.

"Did you want to come with me while I do the final walk through, or did you want to hang out here with the stuff?" he asked.

"I'll hang out," she smiled, "Maybe I'll see if this beast of a truck has some maps we can use to plan our route."

"Deal," he pecked at her lips again, "I'll be back in twenty minutes."

Betty was deep in thought while she studied the maps and phone before her when Archie returned from his walk through. He made a bit of extra noise so he didn't startle her as he approached the truck. She turned towards him with the most Betty smile he'd seen in a long time.

"All done?" she began folding up the map.

"Yeah," he bobbed his head, "Passed inspection with flying colors. We're free to go."

Betty climbed into the truck as she began rambling on about all the highlights she wanted to hit on the way to Niagara Falls. As the miles added up, there was endless conversation, lots of laughs, and the occasional handholding. With each mile, Archie watched Betty relax more and more. She filled him in on a lot of the things she'd done during their years apart. Naturally she glossed over things with Louis. It made him ache once more that he'd lost touch with her.

"We have to stop there," Betty began bobbing in her seat as she pointed at the upcoming turnoff for a state park, "They're supposed to have this amazing waterfall that is a can't miss attraction based on an Internet search I did earlier."

"Betts, we're on the way to Niagara Falls," he pointed out, "I think that is the can't miss waterfall attraction."

"Turn, turn," she demanded.

Archie dutifully turned the truck into the parking lot. There were very few cars in the sizable lot. "Are you sure about this?" Archie asked when he climbed from the truck.

"Yes, it has great reviews on Yelp," she hopped down and pocketed her phone. "It's a Tuesday afternoon. Schools are still in session. People are at their desks working. I think we picked the perfect day."

"If you say so," he dutifully followed her as they checked in at the ranger station to get a lay of the land. The hunky ranger promptly tried to flirt with Betty as she inquired about the area, taking notes on her phone to potentially use on a story down the road. Archie came over and put an arm around her shoulder, staking his claim, "Ready to go exploring, Babe?"

"Yeah, Ranger Randy here was giving me all the details. He said there is a waterfall a bit off the beaten path that is worth taking a look at," Betty glanced at the map the ranger had marked up for her.

"I bet he did," Archie narrowed his eyes in the ranger's direction.

"Let's go," Betty took his hand and led him down the marked path. "You're pretty cute when you get all jealous."

"Cute? Really?" Archie lifted a brow, "I think I'm a few years past cute."

"Come on, Archie," Betty tugged on his hand to encourage him to pick up the pace to their destination. It was a warm day for the middle of May. Thankfully they were both in shorts and tee shirts, so they weren't sweating buckets.

Seeing the path up ahead was clear, Archie made a quick decision and picked Betty up, tossing her over his shoulder, and carried her to the clearing. She laughed like she hadn't laughed it what was likely a long time.

"Wow," Archie stopped dead in his tracks as he took in their lush surroundings. The foliage was a vivid green, with a sprinkling of some kind of vivid pink flowers growing. The air was thick, but the real draw was the waterfall filling the pond below. Everything about their surroundings had a magical feel to it.

"Put me down," Betty wiggled in his arms.

Archie returned her to her feet so she could enjoy their scenery. "I'll give your buddy Ranger Randy some kudos when we get back to the ranger station. This is amazing."

"We should have brought snacks and had a picnic," Betty pulled out her phone and took picture after picture.

"We'll know for next time," Archie found a nearby rock to take a seat, pulling her into his lap.

"This place is incredible," Betty smiled.

"And isolated," he glanced around. It felt like there was no one around for miles.

"Let's go for a swim like we used to when we were younger," she suggested.

"We don't have bathing suits," he pointed out.

"When has that ever stopped us?" she pulled her shirt over her head and threw it at him, hitting him square in the face. She was stripped down to her bra and panties in the blink of an eye and wading into the water. Archie appeared frozen to the boulder he sat on. "What's the matter, Andrews? Shy?"

Betty's teasing threw him into action. He promptly tossed his shirt and shorts aside and dove into the water, popping up at her side. He lifted her over his shoulder and threw her several feet away. She came up sputtered and laughing as she dove towards him, attempting to dunk him under water.

After a few minutes of exertion, they found themselves in each other's arms.

"This was a good idea," Archie held her against him, like she was something precious.

"The water feels good," Betty smiled.

"You feel really good," his hand trailed up and down her back.

Betty swallowed hard. Things between them were developing. They'd slept next to each other the previous night, and she found herself migrating sometime during the night into his arms. She woke up feeling like it had been the best night of sleep of her entire life. They'd woken to engage in a bit of innocent kissing, and now they were in this romantic setting. Part of her wanted to jump him and reclaim the feeling they'd had the one time they'd slept together, but a larger part of her didn't feel ready.

"No pressure, Betty," Archie appeared to be reading her mind, "We go at your pace. I know there are still a lot of things for you to deal with. I just like knowing you're here, and we're moving forward."

"It's a bit overwhelming," Betty confessed, "I wanted to be with you for so long, and then we went our separate ways after high school. I turn up at your door step out of the blue after my jerk of a boyfriend beat the crap out of me, and now you and I are together."

"It's a lot," he smiled, "I get it. We go slow, no pressure."

Betty bobbed her head before it came to rest against his shoulder, "I do want to be with you, but I want to do it right. I want to do it with a clear head and heart."

"I'm in this for the long haul, Betty," he told her, "We've been dancing around each other for fifteen years. We deserve a chance to see what we can be together. I've waited this long, I can wait until you've got things sorted out. You've been given a lot to deal with. I'd be a jerk to push you."

"You're a good man, Archie Andrews," she ran her fingers through his hair.

"And you're a beautiful, warm, generous, intelligent, sexy woman," he replied.

"I haven't felt like any of those things in a long time," she admitted.

"Well, it's time to look in the mirror then," he told her, "I see it every time I look at you."

Pulling themselves out of the water, they found a secluded spot, which offered some sun to dry them and then redressed. They found their way back to the main trails and did a bit more scouting of the park. They didn't find any place that felt as magical as the falls they first happened upon.

Stopping at the ranger station, they gave Ranger Randy a thanks for the recommendation. "If you're looking for some good eats on the road, there's a pie place up the road a couple of miles. It's a local treasure with the best pies this side of the Mississippi."

"Sold," Betty smiled, "Thanks, Randy."

"Pleasure to meet you," Randy returned her smile, "Enjoy your road trip."

Archie rolled his eyes at the obvious flirting. "We'd better hit the road," Archie wrapped an arm around her shoulder and guided her back to his vehicle.

"If you really want to mark your territory, you could just tattoo your name to my forehead," she teased as she climbed into the truck after he opened the door for her.

"Don't tempt me," he leaned into the cab for a kiss, pulling away with an earth-shattering smile. "How about some pie?"

"Yes, please."

Taking another kiss, they set off for their next adventure.

It was late in the evening four days after they'd left Penn State when Betty and Archie rolled into Riverdale. They'd seen many sights along the way: Niagara Falls, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Cooperstown, the Catskill Mountains, and at every stop their unique bond grew stronger. They were no longer friends forging a bond into a romantic relationship. They were becoming partners in every sense of the word. They'd yet to make love, but each night they found themselves in each other's arms as they drifted off.

"Why don't we wait until tomorrow to unload the truck?" Archie suggested when he pulled into his driveway.

"Yeah, I don't know that I have the energy for it anyways," she fought to keep her eyes open.

Archie quickly came around the cab of the truck and helped Betty out, keeping her tight against him, as she was practically dead on her feet.

"Thank you for the road trip, Arch," she smiled up at him, "I had the most fun I've had in years."

"It was my pleasure," he told her as he unlocked the door. His mother had hired a cleaning service to come in and refresh the interior as it had been quite awhile since anyone lived there on a regular basis. The sheets covering the furniture had been removed, the exposed surfaces had been dusted, and the walls given a good scrubbing. There was an eerie feeling when they first stepped inside. They felt the presence of Fred the instant they entered.

"I half expect him to come out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hand," Betty gave Archie's hand a squeeze.

"Yeah," Archie bobbed his head. There was a sadness in his eyes Betty couldn't ignore.

"Are you sure this is where you want to live?" Betty gave his hand a second squeeze.

"Yeah," he didn't hesitate for a moment in his response, "This is my home."

"We'll make sure we find a way to make it comfortable," she assured him.

"Starting tomorrow," he agreed, "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. Let's go to bed."

"Yeah," she bobbed her head and followed him up the stairs.

Archie hesitated for a moment at the top of the stairs. He had two real options, he could claim the master bedroom as his own as was his right, or he could sleep in the bedroom he'd grown up in.

"Why don't you take the master," Archie suggested, "There's more room, and you have more belongings than I do. Not to mention there's an attached bathroom for all your womanly things."

"Are you sure?" she hesitated, "This is your home. Technically the master bedroom should be yours."

"I can't," he shook his head slightly, "I'm just not ready for that."

"Okay," she agreed, "If you change your mind, I won't mind switching or taking the guest bedroom."

"Mom changed out the mattress in anticipation of my return and the sheets are new," he told her, "Make yourself at home."

"Okay," she took her overnight bag into the bedroom as Archie turned the opposite direction to take his old room. He'd barely had his shirt off when Betty joined him in his bedroom in her pajamas. Her arms wrapped around his waist. "I hope you don't mind a bedmate."

"You're always welcome," he offered her his hand after kicking away his jeans. He pulled back the bedcovers and slid into bed, pulling her in against him.

"You've been amazing with helping me keep my demons at bay. I'm hoping maybe I can return the favor tonight," she snuggled against him.

"I'll take all the help I can get," he smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Welcome home, Archie," Betty mumbled.

Archie played around with those words as Betty tumbled off to sleep. Home. It had so many meanings. Riverdale was home, obviously. He'd grown up here, graduated from here. The house he grew up in, again home, for all the obvious reasons. Betty. Home. It certainly felt like being with her, holding her in his arms, in his bed. It was a home like none other.

He kissed her forehead and allowed himself to drift off.

TBC...