Archie walked through the baby section of the nearest department store, searching for the perfect gift. He still couldn't believe he was going to become a father in less than a year. He'd been a bit of a scatterbrain on the construction site since Betty told him the good news. His uncle actually suggested he clock out early. It was the first time he'd even thought about leaving his crew early since he took over, but he couldn't deny he had something else he needed to do.

A sales lady approached him cautiously, "May I help you find something?"

Archie looked at her blankly before nodding, "I, uh, my girlfriend is pregnant."

"Congratulations," the older woman smiled.

"Uh, thanks," Archie replied, "I'm looking for something to give her that lets her know how special I think the gift she's giving me is."

"I see," she nodded. "That's a wonderful way to put it."

"Thanks," Archie blushed a little.

"What about something small like this?" She held up an onesie that said 'I Love My Daddy'.

Archie bobbed his head, "Yeah, this is perfect."

"Wonderful," she smiled, "Did you want me to wrap it up for her? It's free with purchase."

"Uh, yeah," he nodded, "Is there a little teddy bear or some other sort of stuffed animal we could add to it?"

"I have just the thing," the woman found a small little brown bear.

"Yeah, that's perfect," Archie smiled.

"Give me five minutes," the woman suggested, "I'll have everything wrapped up special for you."

"Thanks," Archie smiled, following her to the front to have her ring up his purchases. When he handed her his credit card, she looked at the name and then at him, "Andrews? Are you any relation to Artie Andrews?"

"He was my grandpa," Archie nodded.

"He built my parent's home," the woman smiled. "I was about five at the time. I remember the day he announced his wife was pregnant again. They had a son named Oscar already, but you would've thought he'd just discovered gold in the backyard."

"Yeah, that would have been my father his wife was pregnant with," he replied. Archie loved hearing these stories. It connected him to his grandfather. It was the same feeling he got when he heard stories about the buildings his father worked on. It made him feel closer to them.

"Fred, I remember," she nodded, "My sister was a year behind him in school. She and half the girls in her class had a crush on him."

"Yeah, I've been told he was something of heartbreaker back then," Archie laughed.

"Well," she smiled, "I'm thinking it's a family trait. Congratulations, again."

"Thanks," he gave her a shy smile.

With his gift firmly in hand, he stopped at the florist for a bouquet of roses, Pop's for some dinner, and then headed home. He knew Betty had left the office early as she wasn't feeling well. At least now they knew what was causing her issues.

Betty was lying on the couch, the TV on low, as she drifted in and out of consciousness when Archie entered the house.

Archie walked over to her, "Hey." He bent down and brushed her hair behind her ear as her eyes focused.

She gave him a smile that melted his heart as she said, "Hey."

"Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, "I was just so tired at the office I could barely keep my eyes open."

"Hey, little one, how about giving your mommy a break?" Archie whispered to Betty's stomach.

Betty giggled and ran her hand through Archie's hair.

"I have a surprise for you," he smiled, "Do you have enough energy to accept gifts and have dinner?"

"Yes, I'm starving," she sat up.

"Good, I stopped at Pop's on the way home. Are burgers tolerable today?" he caressed her stomach slightly.

"I guess we'll find out," she smiled.

"Take your time getting up, I'll set dinner up," Archie grinned.

Archie set up the counter, complete with a vase full of roses he'd purchased on his way home.

"They're beautiful," she leaned forward to smell them, "Are they my gift?"

"No, your gift comes after dinner," he handed her the container of food.

"Smells really good," she opened the box and dove in. For the moment at least, morning sickness was taking a backseat to her rumbling stomach.

Archie smiled before he dug into his own dinner.

"Besides getting nauseous, how was your day?"

"It was okay," she shrugged, "Nothing too exciting. No interesting news stories to cover as of yet. It's mostly a lot of grunt work and learning the ropes."

"Good for the citizens of Greendale, but bad for my pregnant girlfriend who likes the rush of a hot story," he replied.

"Something I got from my mom," Betty shook her head, "She loves saying 'if it bleeds, it leads'."

"Cute," Archie snorted.

"How about you?" she asked, "How's your new project going?"

"Fairly smooth," he replied, "We'll be done fairly soon."

"Wow, that was fast," she smiled, "What's the next project?"

"Not sure yet," he admitted, "I was sort of thinking about tackling the master bed and bath here. It looks like it hasn't been touched since the Eisenhower Administration."

Betty giggled at his joke, "Really, you want to remodel your dad's bedroom?"

"It's in desperate need of a refresh," he bobbed his head, "My dad had all these plans to remodel after Mom left, but he never got around to them. I figured the space needs a full reset, especially if you're going to be using it for the foreseeable future."

"Am I? I've only slept there a few times, " Betty asked, "Does this mean you want me to stay?"

"Well," he turned his stool towards her, his hand caressing her stomach, "You are having my baby."

"Yes, I am," her hand covered his.

"It feels right to have you here," he replied, "Even if things are a bit uncertain between the two of us."

"We were in this puppy love kind of relationship once we left college, and now we've been taking advantage of my surge in hormones," she smiled.

"When your morning sickness and Cheryl Blossom allow it," he chuckled.

"Cher feels this duty to watch out for me," Betty said.

Archie nodded, "I get that."

"She just wants to make sure your intentions towards me are honorable," she replied.

"They're honorable," he smiled, "More than, actually."

"That's good to know. It's been a while since I've had someone in my life who could say that," Betty nodded.

"I was going to wait until after dinner for this conversation, but now seems to be when it wants to come out," he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering against her cheek, "I want more with you, Betty, in every way that is possible. I don't want puppy love and innocent kisses. I want to share our lives together, sleep side by side, have this baby together, and somehow figure out if the connection you and I have always had can be something more."

Betty couldn't help it; she started to cry, scaring Archie.

"Betty?"

"I'm sorry," she shook her head, "I've just waited to hear you say that for so long."

"And honestly, I've wanted to say it for probably as long," he wiped at the tears trailing down her cheeks, "We've had horrible timing."

"The absolute worst," she bobbed her head slightly.

"I'm done being an idiot. I'm done waiting for the perfect moment," he replied, "Are you willing to take a chance with me, Betty Cooper?"

"Yeah," she bobbed her head, "Just promise me this is going to work because I can't lose you, Archie."

"I can promise that I'm going to fight for you with everything I have," he vowed, "Is this too soon for you? You're only a few months removed from getting out of a really bad relationship."

"No," Betty shook her head after a moment, "I think we finally our timing right."

"Are you sure?" he pressed, "Louis is still a headache we're both dealing with. I don't want you to feel rushed because we're having a baby together. We can keep things as they are until you're ready."

"Yeah, my relationship with Louis is finally ending, but honestly I've been removed from it for a long time. I stayed because I was scared of what was going to happen when I left," she admitted, "When I finally summoned the courage, I went straight to you. That says something, doesn't it?"

Archie rose from his stool and gathered her against his chest, "You are the most courageous person I know."

"Thank you for making me stay with you when I first showed up at your dorm room," she wrapped her arms around his torso, "I was so embarrassed when I came to you out of the blue, embarrassed and terrified."

"I know," he held her closer.

"It's pretty nice out," Betty glanced out the window, "How about we take a walk?"

"A walk?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "We can get some fresh air in us and change gears."

"How about we finish dinner first while your stomach seems willing to accept actual food?" he suggested, "Then we'll walk."

"Deal," she leaned in for a kiss and then inhaled her dinner.

Betty and Archie walked towards the river, hand in hand.

"I love this view," Betty sighed as she saw the sun's dying rays cast the glittering glow on the water.

"It's not bad," Archie agreed.

"You were a hero at this river," Betty smiled.

"I was just in the right place at the right time," he shrugged off the suggestion.

"You made sure Cheryl was around to find Toni and be a mom. I'd like to add godmother to her resumé if you don't mind," Betty said.

"Yeah, I think she's earned that title," he bobbed his head.

"Sorry about changing the subject back in the kitchen," she leaned against him, "I'm trying to think less and less about Louis, even though it's hard with him still out there as a potential threat."

"He's never going to lay a hand on you again," Archie vowed, "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"I know," Betty put her hands on his shoulders while offering up a smile as she stood before him, "I trust you."

"Yeah?"

"Always," Betty smiled.

Archie pulled her into a hug, relishing how she simply melted against him. This sort of closeness was new for them, even after they first left school there was a distance between them. There could have easily been some awkwardness but it was effortless, like two pieces of the puzzle that fit together perfectly. They simply needed one more puzzle piece to make the picture whole, their child.

As they walked along the river, their hands joined, Betty's free hand gravitated to her stomach, "I know we're pretty sure it's a boy, but we do need to consider girls' names just in case. Any other names besides Alexis or Alana?"

"Mom's name would be good for a middle name," Archie nodded.

"Alexis Mary Cooper Andrews," Betty smiled, "I can get on board with that."

Archie smiled, "I like the way it sounds. So we're sold? It's Alexis for a girl?"

"Yeah," Betty nodded, "But I'm pretty sure we won't need a girl's name. Andrews make boys."

"And Coopers make girls," he kissed her temple.

"Nope, it's going to be Frederick Arthur Cooper Andrews," she insisted.

"I think you might be right," Archie nodded.

"Good answer," Betty smiled.

"This weekend, you and me, let's do something, let's go somewhere," he suggested, "Let's have a weekend where we go somewhere no one knows you're Betty Cooper or I'm Archie Andrews. We're just two people having a romantic weekend away at a bed and breakfast."

"I like that idea," she bobbed her head, "Sort of a baby moon."

Archie laughed as they walked back towards Elm Street.

"Hey, I almost forgot," Archie poked his head into her room, "I got you something."

"Oh?" Betty looked up from the book she was reading. She looked downright adorable in her footie pajamas, her hair pulled back in her signature ponytail, and black rimmed glasses.

"It's a bit warm for footie pajamas," he tugged lightly on her foot as he stepped closer.

"It's never too warm for footie pajamas," she insisted, "Keeps my toes nice and toasty as I sleep. I don't know if you're aware, but women's feet are like popsicles when they get in bed, doesn't matter if it's winter or summer."

"I will remember that," Archie smiled, handing over the small bag in his hands, "Open it."

Betty smiled at him as she pulled out the small teddy bear on top, "Oh, Arch, he's adorable."

"There's something else."

Betty reached into the bag again and pulled out a cute onesie, "I (heart) my daddy. Oh, Archie, this is perfect."

"Yeah," he sat next to her.

"Yeah," she hugged him.

"I just wanted to give you something that shows how happy the news about the baby has made me," he explained, "I mean, having a baby together, at least right now, is a bit surprising, but I'm over the moon about it."

"Yeah, me too," she agreed, "Having this baby with you makes it that much more special."

"God, I hate keeping this to ourselves," Archie said.

"A little while longer," Betty smiled, "Once I'm into the second trimester, we can hire a sky writer if you want."

"Yeah, definitely," he reached out to caress her stomach.

"Did you want to stay here tonight?" Betty covered his hand with both of hers.

"Yeah?" he raised a brow.

"Yes," she smiled, "We agreed to share our lives together, remember. Sleep side by side."

"Yes, I remember," he chuckled.

"If it's too weird for you because it used to be your parents' bedroom, we can continue sleeping in your room until you finish whatever renovations you want to make," she offered.

Archie looked around. It still looked like his dad's room even with the new bedding.

Betty studied him and pushed her covers away after carefully putting the present he'd gave her back into the bag. Then she stood and took his hand, "Come on. It's not all that late. How about we talk about colors for this room and the nursery?"

Archie brought her into his office where he kept paint samples along with plans he'd come up with for renovating the master bedroom and bathroom. They were still rough sketches, but Betty could get an idea of what he was thinking.

"Wow, Arch, you did these?" Betty flipped through the few ideas he had.

"Yeah," he bobbed his head, "They're pretty rough."

"Rough?" she looked to him in confusion, "They look incredible, almost professional. I had no idea you could do this."

"I guess I got it from my grandpa," he smiled. "Dad kept all these old binders full of designs he did."

"Are they still around?"

"Attic," Archie nodded, "One of these days I should clean that out."

"I'll help."

"We'll see how dusty it is up there first," he suggested, "I wouldn't want you and the baby inhaling too much bad air just to go through a few boxes."

"You're so sweet to me," Betty smiled. "We should probably clean out your room, too."

"Yeah probably," he agreed, "Let me get a handle on the master first. Then we can tackle my room. Maybe we can turn that into a guest room, and we'll turn the current guest room into the nursery. It's closer to the master."

"That's a good idea," she bobbed her head.

Archie nodded as Betty flipped through the pages in front of her.

"This one for the bathroom," Betty tapped on the page with a smile.

Archie pulled it out of the pile and put it on top. "Anything jump out at you for the bedroom?"

"I like these two," Betty said, "Could we maybe combine them?"

Archie studied the two drawing for a bit and then nodded, "Yeah, I think I could make that work."

"We should hold off on the nursery until we know for sure what we're having," Betty said.

Archie tapped her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "We're having a baby."

Betty shoved at his shoulder and laughed, "I meant boy or girl, you doofus."

Archie grinned at her, "I love making you laugh."

Betty picked up the color swatches and flipped through them to find a color for the master bedroom. She suddenly stopped on a particular blue shade. She held it up, "For Frederick."

Archie glanced at the label and made a note. "And Alexis?"

"Hmm, that's a bit more of a challenge," she continued flipping, "I'm not really feeling like it should be pink. I want it to feel bright and cheerful."

"Like the blue you picked out for Frederick," he noted.

"Yes, exactly," she bobbed her head.

"How about this," he picked up a sample of a beautiful lavender color.

"Oh, I love that," Betty smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Betty nodded.

Archie made another note.

After flipping through the swatches three times, Betty had yet to find something she thought was suitable for the master bedroom. "Maybe I'm overthinking this."

"Sleep on it," Archie suggested, "We've got plenty of time to decide. I probably should finish the other projects we have on the books before I should even think of starting ours."

"Yeah, okay," she grasped his hand and tugged, "The baby is telling me it's bedtime. Are you going to tuck me in?"

Archie quickly swept her into his arms and carried her up the stairs.

TBC…