Betty was at the kitchen counter, reading the Sunday newspaper. She'd been banished from Archie's workshop for a few weeks. He said he was working on a surprise for her and the baby, but she was starting to get a bit antsy. She'd even tried to sneak a peek when she got home from work before him, but the shades in the window had been pulled and the door locked. She hadn't yet resorted to picking the lock, but she'd certainly thought about it.
In truth, she missed Archie. He'd been spending most of his free time in his workshop. It seemed with each week they moved closer to her due date, his determination to finish his mystery project grew greater.
"Hey, Babe," Archie came into the kitchen. He stopped to give her a quick kiss before making his way to the sink to wash his hands, "Do you have a few minutes?"
"What'd you have in mind?" she smiled.
"There's something I want to show you out in the workshop," he said.
"You mean I'm finally allowed to go into the man cave again," she teased.
"I know you're not crazy about surprises, but this is one you're going to love, I promise," he grinned.
"Okay, lead the way," Betty nodded.
Archie took her hand and guided her towards the garage which he'd converted to his workshop when they moved back to Riverdale.
The smell of fresh varnish wafted from the space when Archie opened the door. Inside was a beautifully crafted crib, shaped like a train, with a cab attached to it that was fashioned as a dresser and changing table.
"Wow, Archie, this is amazing," she ran her finger along the rail of the crib.
"Worth the wait?" he rocked slightly on his heels; a bit uncertain of his work. He'd never done such intricate work like the front of the train.
"Absolutely," Betty wiped at her eyes, "Happy tears, I promise."
"I saw how much you liked the drawing my grandpa did, so I thought," he started.
"It's perfect," Betty assured him, turning around to kiss him, "I love it. I love you."
"The crib can be converted into a bed when Frederick is ready for it," Archie replied.
"I can't believe you did all of this," Betty pulled out a few of the drawers to feel how effortless they glided on their tracks. There was even a catch that wouldn't allow the drawer to close too quickly or make a loud noise and wake the baby. "Is this going to be hard to get into the nursery?"
"No," he smiled, "I thought ahead. I've already conned Jughead, Fangs, and FP into helping me carry it up next weekend."
"At what price?" she smirked.
"Couple of beers," he shrugged.
"Sodas for FP," Betty corrected gently, "And that stuffed meatloaf he likes so much, because unless my eyes are going, I'm pretty sure I saw him sneaking in and out of here a few nights over the last few weeks."
"It was good to have the help," Archie said.
"Get any good stories about your dad?" Betty smiled, running her hands over the front 'engine' of the train.
"Oh yeah," he chuckled, "I couldn't have finished without FP's help. There were some parts that needed two hands, and I wanted yours to stay pristine." He took her hands into his and kissed each one.
"Freddie is going to love this," she smiled.
"I hope so," he nodded.
"Do you remember the eulogy you gave for your dad? How if you were lucky enough to have a child, you'd be proud to point out a building in town and tell them how their grandpa built that? Well, we are taking a picture of this and many years from now one of our grandchildren is going to find it and your son is going to tell them that their grandpa built that for him with your great grandpa's best friend and he is going to do it proudly," Betty smiled through tears.
Archie swallowed hard as the emotions hit him. He'd been trying not to think about his dad too much as he built the crib, but it was impossible. At times it felt like his hands had been guided by the memories of his father.
"I miss him so much," Archie pulled Betty into his arms as the tears spilled over.
"I know," Betty nodded against his shoulder, "Do you want to see him? Tell him about this? We could go to dinner at that Italian place in Greendale he liked after."
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Archie bobbed his head slightly.
"Come on," she took his hands. "It'll be dark soon, and we've watched way too many horror films as kids for me to ever feel comfortable in a cemetery after dark."
Archie bobbed his head, "Let me change clothes quick."
Betty rose up to kiss his cheek, "I'll be here admiring your work."
"Okay," Archie left the door open due to the fumes as Betty ran a gentle hand over the railing before she pulled out her cellphone and hit speed dial.
"Hello?"
"It's perfect. Thanks for helping him."
"Anytime, Blondie," was the response she got.
"I'll see you soon."
She disconnected and slid her phone back into her pocket.
"Your daddy loves us a whole lot," Betty rubbed at her belly, "He spent days and days building you the most perfect crib, and I know you're going to love it so much."
She breathed out slowly, "We are naming you after one of the best men either of us has ever known. When you get older, we'll show you what Uncle Jug wrote about him. He got every word right."
Archie returned a few minutes later. He appeared to have taken a quick shower and changed into fresh clothes.
"That must have been the world's quickest shower," she ran her hand through his wet hair.
"My girl doesn't like cemeteries after dark," he grinned.
"She's also hungry," Betty gave him a coy smile. "Let's go."
Archie guided her to his vehicle and helped her in. It was a quiet drive to the cemetery.
When he parked, she reached over and squeezed his hand, "You go. We'll wait here."
"You don't have to," he shook his head.
"Some things are better said just from son to father," Betty said, "No audience necessary."
"Thanks," he gave her hand a kiss and then exited the vehicle.
Arriving at his father's tombstone, he parked himself on his butt and took a deep breath, "I finished the crib for Frederick. Betty loves it."
He paused for a second and then continued, "FP helped me out. He's really good at stuff like that. I think JB inherited it more than Jug. I got some good stories about your high school days out of him while we were working. Don't worry I won't repeat them in front of your grandson.
"It feels weird to do this, but I took a picture to show you." He pulled out his phone and flipped to the picture and turned it towards the headstone. "I can't explain it, but it felt like you were guiding my hands as I built it.
"Betty said that one day our son will proudly tell his child about the crib their grandpa built for him with his great-grandpa's best friend. It got to me because I want to be there when that happens, and I'm a little terrified I won't be. You lost Grandpa before you graduated high school, and I lost you before I graduated high school. I don't want it to happen a third time."
Archie closed his eyes. He could almost hear his father respond, "I'm not going to let that happen. You will live a good long life, full of more happiness than you even think possible."
Archie pushed a stray tear away as he stood up and ran a hand over the stone with his dad's name on it, "I miss you, so much. Stick close for a bit longer, okay?"
"I'm always close," the wind whispered.
Archie took another deep breath and then turned towards the vehicle. He felt so much better.
Betty was only half awake when he got into the cab of the truck, but she still reached for his hand when he got in without even opening her eyes, "Okay?"
"Yeah," he bobbed his head, "Actually, I feel really good and really hungry."
"Good," she cracked an eye open, "Your eyes look better. No more clouds."
"Feeling sunny and clear," he brought her hand to his lips again, "Are you sure you can stay awake long enough to eat? We can skip the Italian and just grab a couple of sandwiches at home."
"No," she pouted slightly as she rubbed her belly, "We're craving pasta."
"Well, we can't let that craving go unsatisfied," he chuckled as he revved the engine to life, "Let's feed that little boy."
"Yes, please," she nodded.
After dinner, Betty fell asleep on the drive home. Archie didn't have the heart to wake her, so he carried her up to the bedroom. He was surprised to see the light was on in the nursery. He laid Betty in their bed and then grabbed the baseball bat by the door and raised it in case Louis had somehow gotten into the house. He was taken aback by the crib and changing table/dresser already set up with a gigantic red bow tied to it.
Archie smiled as he took the note attached to the bow. He recognized FP's handwriting immediately, "Where it belongs."
Archie checked to make sure Betty was still asleep and then made his way to the back door of FP and Alice's home.
"Hey, Red," FP greeted him with a Cheshire grin.
"I was going to help you move the crib and changing table," Archie told him as he was waved into the house.
"Wasn't necessary. We had plenty of muscle," FP shrugged as he went to the fridge and offered Archie a beer, which he promptly turned down. "Fangs, Jug, Sweet Pea, and I had everything up the stairs in thirty minutes. Almost smacked Jug upside the head when he nearly dropped his end. Thankfully Sweet Pea takes advantage of his free gym membership and picked up the slack."
Archie chuckled as he accepted the soda FP offered instead as he took up residence on one of the stools. "Either way, I'll have to make sure they're properly thanked for their efforts. Betty wants to make you dinner some night soon."
"I ain't going to turn down free food," FP snorted, "How's it really going, Red?"
"What do you mean?" Archie asked.
"You've been running around this town for months, like you're running from a ghost or maybe towards one," FP stated, "You've got to stop trying to fill your father's shoes. Yours are big enough."
"It's hard when everywhere I go, I run into someone who talks about something amazing my father did for them and how proud they are that I'm following in his footsteps," Archie admitted, "I knew my father meant a lot to this community, but, man…I don't even know how to describe it. I like what I do, FP. Andrews Construction was always meant to be a family run business, but building Frederick's crib and seeing how well it turned out…maybe I'm meant for more than construction."
"You planning on selling the business?" FP asked.
"No, nothing like that," Archie scoffed, "I just wonder if we could add additional services to it. Uncle Frank did a great job running the crew while I was away at school, and I get the feeling that he's sort of bristling over being second in command, not that he ever says anything. We've got all this working coming in. It seems like with each job we finish, we get two new clients referred to us."
"Nothing wrong with being busy," FP pointed out.
"Maybe it's time to expand, maybe even add a second crew," Archie replied.
"That's a big gamble," FP told him, "Yeah, you're busy now, but what happens when there's a downturn? Construction companies are some of the first to take a hit."
"How do you know that?" Archie asked.
"Watched it happen to your pops a time or two," FP replied, "Killed him having to lay off some of his crew members when the jobs dried up. You'd probably be able to sustain with one crew, but with two, you'd definitely have to lay off."
"I hadn't thought of that," Archie admitted, "What do I do about Uncle Frank though?"
"Has he said he doesn't like being number two?" FP asked.
"No," Archie shook his head, "Not at all. Maybe it's me and my self-doubt."
"You've got to tell that self-doubt of yours to shut the hell up," FP advised him, "It's nothing but trouble. You've got a good thing going, Arch. You've got a good career that is providing well for you and your crew. You've got the love of a good woman and a baby on the way. That's really all a guy can ask for. Don't go stirring up trouble because you need to do better than your old man or even fill his shoes."
"I'm so excited for this baby, but I'm also so freaking terrified. Sometimes it keeps me awake at night," Archie admitted.
"All new fathers feel that way," FP patted his back, "When I first held Jug, I nearly dropped him. I was so nervous about getting everything exactly right that I mishandled the transfer when the nurse placed him in my arms. Thankfully the woman was on her game, and it turns out babies are more resilient than they're given credit for."
Archie snorted.
"Just enjoy it, Red," FP gave the younger man's shoulder a shake, "You're going to make mistakes. You're going to put the diaper on backwards at some point, and trust me, the result ain't pretty. You're going to incorrectly heat up the baby bottle. You're going to put your foot in it with Betty when all her hormones are out of whack after she gives birth, and she's going to banish you to the sofa."
"I'm supposed to enjoy all of that?" Archie raised a brow.
"Every damn minute of it," FP smirked, "There's nothing better than being a father, even though I screwed up a lot of it myself, I wouldn't trade a minute of it for anything else."
"Betty and I went to my dad's grave today. I wanted to be near him, to speak to him, and I swear I heard him speaking back," Archie replied, "That's crazy, right?"
"Nothing is crazy when it comes to grief," FP stated, "You had to really grow up quick after your dad died, and quite honestly, I don't know that you've allowed yourself to truly grieve. It makes sense that you'd be doing it now when you're going to be experiencing fatherhood just like he did."
"Yeah, maybe," Archie stared at the can in front of him. "Any tricks to tell which way the diaper should face?"
"Not telling," FP chuckled, "That's an error every new father needs to make at least once."
"Thanks," Archie grumbled.
"Any time you want to talk, I'm always here for you. I know I ain't your father, but I knew him about as well as anyone," FP patted his shoulder as Archie slid from his stool.
"I should get back to Betty," Archie replied, "It's hard being away from her for long knowing who's lurking out there right now."
"Louis isn't getting into Riverdale unseen," FP assured him, "We've got the entire department on the lookout, and the serpents are on the prowl."
"No offense to you and Riverdale's finest, but I don't trust anything when it comes to this scoundrel, and once he knows Betty is pregnant…"
"Hey, we've got her covered," FP did his best to sound confident. "We're turning over every rock. We've called the FBI. They're digging into his finances. You're not the only one that cares about Betty. She is my stepdaughter."
"I hate this FP," Archie's fists wadded together, "I get him in the ring, and he's down in two punches."
"One," FP amended.
"But he's out there, free in the world to do as he pleases," Archie swallowed hard, "And he's gunning for my girl."
"We're going to get him, Arch," FP assured him, "He's going to slip up, and when he does, we're going to be there to arrest him. The charges are going to stick."
Archie bobbed his head as he tried to calm himself down.
"Go home. Check on Betty, and then go pound the crap out of that heavy bag in your garage. You need to work off some steam," FP told him.
Archie bobbed his head and made his way home. Betty was soundly sleeping as he'd left her. He brushed her hair aside and kissed her cheek. She muttered something in her sleep and then shifted on her side to find a more comfortable position. He then took FP's advice and worked out his anger on the punching bag in the garage until he was neared the point of exhaustion. He managed a quick shower and then curled in behind Betty, his arm around her waist where he could feel their son squirming against his palm. The movements soothed his soul as he managed to drift off to sleep.
TBC…