"Construction in the master bedroom is finishing up today," Archie told Betty as they had breakfast. They'd endured five weeks of construction that was fraying Archie's sanity more than Betty's. Even though the project had gone smoothly, there had been delays, seemingly at every turn. What should have been a two-week project and stretched out, thanks to lumber delays and emergency repair work caused by a summer storm to several local residents.

"I took a peek yesterday. It looks nothing like it did when your parents used it," Betty stated. She could see the relief on her boyfriend's face. She was proud of how hard he worked, more so for fighting through the demons he was facing which the room brought forth.

"That's what I was going for," Archie admitted, "Otherwise it would be too weird sleeping there."

"Are we still planning on you moving in?" Betty rubbed his shoulder gently. She knew he had mixed feelings about relocating to the master bedroom, even with the complete remodel.

"Yeah, unless you don't think we're ready for that," he bobbed his head.

"I think we're ready to share a joint living space. Heck, we shared quarters more cramped than the main bedroom when I invaded your space for two months at Penn State. Are you ready to live in the space your dad occupied?" Betty asked.

"One day at a time, right?" he smiled slightly.

"I never thought about it like that," Betty smiled, "Grief as an addiction."

"Mom made me read this book once after Dad died," Archie said, "She said it helped after her dad died."

"On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross," Betty guessed.

"Yeah," Archie nodded, "Grief has steps or stages, so does AA."

Betty smiled and gave Archie a kiss.

"What was that for?"

"The way you look at things," Betty smiled.

"We'd better get our day started," he replied, "How about I cook you dinner tonight to celebrate our official cohabitation?"

"I'd like that," she smiled.

"Good," he smiled back, "Any requests?"

"Nothing complicated, okay? I know you'll have a hard day today. In fact, you are not required to cook. I'd be fine with Chinese food."

"I can get a bit more creative than that," he replied, "You'd better get going. My team is going to be here soon."

"Be safe. No missing body parts when I come home," she warned him before gathering her belongings to head out the door.

Archie sighed as he put the dishes in the dishwasher and then went up to the master bedroom to get things organized for the final touches.

He looked around the room, running his hand over the bed frame as he passed it. He hadn't been sure about keeping it at first, but Betty pointed out it was still in good condition and the mattress was new, so it wasn't like they'd be sleeping on the same one his dad had. He's still refinished it to go along with the new decor he and Betty had selected.

Archie tried to put all the memories lingering around the room out of his mind as his crew arrived. There was usually a great deal of satisfaction in finishing up a project. Most of the men working with him had been with the company since well before his father's passing. They knew what to do without much direction. They also had been sensitive to the current project.

"Thanks, fellas," Archie ushered them out of his house at the end of the day, handing a wad of cash to his uncle with instructions to buy the crew a round of drinks when they gathered to celebrate the completion of the job. Normally Archie would join them and buy the drinks himself, but everyone understood why he wasn't joining them that evening.

"See you tomorrow, Boss," one of the guys patted his back as they filed out.

Archie smirked at that. Being the 'boss' took some getting used to, but he hoped that not only did they now see him as the boss, but also a good boss. He checked his watch and decided he had enough time to shower before he started dinner. Just as he started up the stairs his phone chimed.

From Betty:

Hey, just checking in. If you're in the mood, I bought new sheets the other day. Bottom of the linen closet in the pink bag. If not, I'll do it when I get home. Love you.

Archie quickly typed up a response:

Things went better than I'd hoped. We finished a bit early. Miss you. See you soon.

He didn't wait for a reply before hopping into the new shower to give it a test drive. Not only had the main bedroom been given a refresh but the bathroom too. He had to admit that the way things turned out gave the space a completely different vibe than when he and Betty first moved home. He hoped it was enough to chase away the lingering memories.

He got dressed in something he could cook in and headed to the kitchen to make dinner.

Betty let herself into the house a little passed five holding the mail, "Arch, I'm home. We got something postmarked Hawaii."

"Monroe's down there," Archie called from the kitchen as Betty walked towards his voice. "I had a chat with him last weekend. We were talking about our limited choices when it comes to meals. I'm betting it's a cookbook."

"Something smells good tonight," Betty entered the kitchen. She took in Archie's appearance. He was dressed in a simple royal blue cotton shirt and a pair of well-worn jeans. His feet were bare. Even from the back, he looked incredible with the way the cotton fabric stretched over his shoulders.

"It's chicken and roast potatoes," Archie smiled at her over his shoulder before he studied her, a small frown appearing.

"What?" Betty checked her face and hair with her hands.

"You look exhausted," he said.

"Yeah, second trimester," she replied, "Whoever said that the morning sickness ends with the first trimester lied."

"Why don't you get into something comfortable," he suggested, "All your belongings are back in the master."

"I figured you'd want to make a bit of a production out of revealing your crew's handwork," she advanced towards him, smoothing out the fabric at his back before wrapping her arms around his waist from behind.

Archie turned the heat off on the stove and set the pan aside, "Then let's go take a look together."

"Sold," she smiled, taking his hand and walking upstairs with him, "Am I closing my eyes for this?"

"No," he laughed. "Just open the door."

Betty pushed open the door and gasped, "This is amazing."

"Do you really like it?" he asked.

"Oh, my goodness, it's just incredible," she felt herself getting emotional, "It looks like one of those high-end bedrooms you see on those home improvement shows."

"Really? Maybe I should take pictures and submit them to HGTV and see if I can get my own show," Archie smirked.

Betty laughed as she ran her hand over the comforter on the bed, "This is so nice. You got a new one?"

"Yeah," he bobbed his head, "I figured we'd want a total makeover."

"You liked the sheets?" Betty asked as she spotted the familiar pillowcases.

"I did," he said.

Betty turned to face him, "This is perfect."

"It turned out better than I expected," he agreed as he watched Betty flop down on the bed, sinking into the comfort it offered.

"Are you going make it to dinner tonight?" Archie asked, watching her face as he approached and relieved her of her shoes.

Betty gave him a smile as she leaned back on her elbows, "I'm starving, so yes, I'll make it."

"Good," he tossed her shoes into the closet. "Come on, Babe. Get changed. I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes. Dinner was almost ready."

"Give me five minutes," she requested.

"Five it is," he nodded, "I'll take care of setting the table."

"Thanks, Baby," she smiled.

After a quick wardrobe change and a washing of her face, Betty made her way down to the kitchen where Archie was plating their dinner. "Did you open the box from Monroe?"

"Not yet," Archie shook his head, "You can if you want."

Betty nodded and grabbed a knife to cut the tape on the box. After she got it open, she looked inside, "You were right. It's a cookbook and a stuffed bird. The tag says it's a nene, the official bird of Hawaii."

"It must be for the baby. I told him about our bundle of joy. That's very thoughtful of him," Archie replied, "We'll have to send him a thank you note."

Betty nodded in agreement, "Absolutely."

"Dinner is served," Archie motioned to the table he'd set, complete with flowers and candles.

"Where did you get the flowers?" Betty was taken aback.

"I might have snuck across the lawn to your mother's garden," he held his finger to his lips, "Think she'll notice?"

"If she does, we'll tell her it was that teenager for around the corner. We saw him sneaking away."

Archie chuckled as he held out her chair for her. "Eat up."

"Smells really good," she grabbed her fork and dug in, "You've had a busy day."

"Yeah," Archie agreed, "How about you? How was your day?"

"Not bad," Betty nodded, "I'm in editing for a few days. I have no idea how some of the sports writers got out of high school."

"Probably some star quarterback that used the class nerd to do their homework for them," he snorted.

"So, basically the same way Reggie did," Betty giggled.

"Probably," he smiled.

"Polly called me today," Betty replied, "She thinks that it's time to start planning a baby shower."

"Already?" Archie coughed out in surprise.

"Yeah, I thought it was soon too," Betty agreed, "I asked her to push it off at least until after the holidays. Cheryl and Toni should have one before us."

"Not to mention, you hate parties that call attention to you," Archie said.

"I do not," Betty protested.

"You've hated birthdays since we were eleven," Archie reminded her.

"That's because Grandma Cooper got into a fight with Gladys Jones during my birthday party," Betty said.

"It certainly made the day memorable," he smiled.

"I got a call from your mother," Betty stated, "She still wants to help us set up the nursery, so she asked us to wait until she visits the week before Christmas since she's only going to be here for a few days at Thanksgiving. She's been sending me website links for all these ideas she has for days. It's exhausting."

"Are you okay with waiting that long?" Archie asked, "I can talk to her, if you'd rather not wait. December is cutting it a bit close."

"I can wait," Betty assured him, "I'm just a little nervous about what her ideas are. I know this is new for her too since she really never got to set up a nursery for you, but we're different people with different ideas."

"She's a planner. She always has been," he chuckled.

"Is it wrong to be worried about her plans? I could hear her flipping catalog pages over the phone," Betty said.

"If her plans are different than yours or you don't like something she picks out, I want you to tell her," he insisted, "I don't want you to settle for something you won't like just to keep the peace. If things escalate, I'll handle it."

Betty gave him a smile as she walked around the table. She leaned down, her hands cupping the back of his neck, and kissed him.

"What was that for?" Archie asked.

"For being wonderful," she smiled.

"You're welcome," Archie grinned.

Betty woke to thrashing coming from the man next to her. Just as her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw Archie shoot upright in bed.

"Hey," Betty reached for his shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Archie jumped a mile in fright.

"Hey, Arch, it's me," Betty reached to turn on the lamp.

Archie was breathing heavily as his eyes locked with hers, "Sorry I woke you."

"Don't be sorry," she shook her head, "Tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing," he shook his head.

"It's not nothing," Betty said gently, skimming a hand down his arm.

"It's just a reoccurring bad dream," he admitted, "I haven't had it in a while. It threw me."

"I have that problem too," Betty admitted, "Usually it's about my dad and all his mayhem, and now, sometimes about Louis."

"We're a pair, aren't we?" Archie tried to joke.

Betty rested her chin on his shoulder, taking his hand with hers, "We all have our demons. Do you want to talk about yours?"

"Not really," he gave his standard reflex answer before he sighed and gave into her puppy dog eyes batted at him in the most loving way, "It's about my time in juvie, being forced to fight, getting stabbed in the gut, all the millions of other horrors I endured."

Betty reached up with her free hand and turned him to face her, "I hate that you went through all of that. You have no idea how much."

"I know," he nodded.

"I didn't get a lot of sleep that summer."

"I remember," Archie nodded, recalling how many times he'd seen Betty's lights on at weird times that summer as she did as much as she could to prove his innocence. Her faith in him had been unwavering.

"I wished I'd been able to find a way to keep you out of there," Betty felt tears well in her eyes, "You didn't deserve that. I'll never forgive Hiram Lodge for how he manipulated everything to get you in there."

Archie pressed a kiss to her forehead, "You guys outsmarted him and got me out. That's what I focus on when I wake up from these dreams."

Betty gave her best attempt at a smile as she reached for his hand and brought it against her stomach, hoping that the thoughts of their baby growing inside her would help calm his turbulent thoughts. She leaned back against her pillows and allowed his hand to caress her stomach. He leaned down and began whispering to his child, his breath tickling her bare skin.

She giggled a little at the feeling and a moment later she felt something else, "Oh!"

"What?" Archie backed way, fearing the worst. "What's wrong?"

Betty reached for his hand as she felt another flutter. "I think the baby kicked."

"What?" Archie looked amazed.

"There," Betty said, "Did you feel that?"

"Are you sure it's not gas?" he asked as she moved his hand again.

"No, right there, that fluttering, that's the baby moving," she felt tears well in her eyes, "He was reacting to you speaking to him."

"Wow," Archie breathed. "There's really a little person in there."

"What did you think I was growing in there?" Betty laughed as he leaned in again and whispered more words of love. "A hamster?"

"I know we saw the sonogram and heard the heartbeat, but this makes it really real somehow," Archie smiled.

Betty's fingers ran through Archie's hair as he dusted her belly with kisses, happy tears trailing down her cheeks.

TBC…