Hey guys! Hope you are all safe and healthy and awaiting chapter 3 :) I really enjoyed writing this chapter (probably one of my favorites) so I really hope you guys enjoy reading it!

*Disclaimer

Chapter 3

I was cold.

I was laying in the middle of Sweet Water River, and I was cold.

The river was peaceful, and everything was quiet. The trees were swaying, the clouds passed through the sky ever so slowly, and time ceased to exist.

Riverdale stood still.

But I didn't.

I was moving along the River. My hands and feet felt stuck to my body, and the clouds drifted by me as they paid me a short visit. I wanted to yell. I tried with everything in me to move, speak, breathe, but I was a silent rock floating in the water.

Soon enough, I felt the water around me ripple and splash. Before I was able to comprehend what was happening, I saw Archie stand beside me, redness overpowering his typical almond colored eyes. He knelt beside me and brought himself back up, bringing me with him. I felt the need to smile, but my lips felt stiff and cold.

Archie knelt down and hid hands appeared from under me. He quickly laid his head on my chest and stayed there for a moment or two.

Then three, then four, then five …

Archie kept his head on my chest while his arms swang across me to wrap themselves around my body. I felt him shake and a violent vibration pulsed through my body. Someone quickly ran to his side and tried to pry him off of me. Jughead was soon by his side, and then Kevin joined to ply him away. His entire face was red. Bright red. The tears in his eyes came running down like a violent waterfall. Archie opened his mouth, and his bright red face was almost purple, and his veins that were usually hidden, detailed the anger and frustration he was displaying.

That's when I realized my surroundings.

The trees were in full bloom and the birds flew to them with ease. The clouds I visited earlier were nowhere to be found, and the sky was once again as blue as my mother's eyes.

The air and earth felt warm, but I was cold.

I began to panic. I needed to yell, right then and there. I needed Archie to hold me again so I can remember if I felt something. I needed someone to talk to me so I can hear them. I needed someone to listen so I tried to yell as loud as I can. I knew I wanted to do these things, but my body laid still. Still and cold.

I felt my eyes begin to burn but nothing was falling down. My chest began to ache, but I couldn't feel anything beating.

I was suddenly surrounded by darkness. I scanned around my surroundings trying to find familiarity and settle myself into wherever I was. I noticed a faint light coming from the left side of wherever I was, and my eyes soon began to adjust. The darkness turned into a cool blue, and furniture in my surroundings began to take form. I laid myself down holding my head, feeling every drop of sweat currently living on my forehead. My skin was steaming, and my breathing was ceased to be controlled. I smiled to myself as I finally realized that I was me, I was in my room, and the only body of water near me was coming down my temples.

The next morning, I greeted my mom with a warm smile, and hoped that she wouldn't have noticed the dark circles resting underneath my eyes.

"Good morning, Elizabeth." My mother was ready to start her day in a pink blazer and white blouse. Her eyes complimented the necklace she was wearing, and her brown slacks fitted her perfectly. One of the many things my mother thankfully passed on to me, was how to dress yourself, no matter the kind of morning you've had.

"I'm working late again, today, and yes I'm still thinking about your offer. I'll see you tonight. Love you, honey." She headed out the door with an expression on her face that burned a hole in my chest. She was hiding something and was doing everything in her power to hide it from me. I shook myself from the feeling and pushed any inquisitive thoughts to the back of my head, again. After finishing up breakfast, I decided to pay a visit to a certain red headed boy.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do as I approached Andrew's Construction office, but I knew I needed to fix things with Archie. The closer I got to the entrance, the fast my heart began to beat, and the sweater my palms began to get.

I walked into the office space and scanned the room with no luck in finding Archie. The desk in the corner was empty despite the stacks of paper on top. While the summer temperature warmed my skin outside, the space within the office was cold and uninviting. I sighed at the disappointment and turned towards the door when the bell rang. While he wasn't the Andrews I was looking for, Fred Andrews still managed to put a smile on my face.

"Mr. Andrews, hi!" I stated. The confusion on his face quickly turned to shock, and then to happiness. His usual ear to ear smile was painted wide across his face.

"Betty! It's nice to see you. Archie mentioned you were back, how are you?" my smile slightly grew with the knowledge that Archie had mentioned me to Mr. Andrews, even if my coming back wasn't as welcoming as I'd wanted it to be.

"I'm good, thank you. How are you?" I stepped closer to the man who I once considered a second father for so many years.

"Hanging in there. Every day is a new and better day." He led himself towards his desk to drop off the folder in his hands.

"It's really good to see you, Mr. Andrews." Tears began to cover the brim of my eyes, and I clenched my fists together to keep them from falling. His warm smile hid the pain in his eyes, and a part of me wanted to desperately to know what exactly was hurting him.

Fred Andrews, even after everything I put his son through, had never judged or blamed me for everything that happened. His heart was truly made of gold, and no matter what happened between Archie and I, he was always there to give me a smile, offer a hug, or listen to anything and everything I had to say. Even after Archie and I stopped talking, Mr. Andrews never once saw me as anything else but his son's best friend.

"He's been through a lot, Betts. That year with the Black Hood really took a toll on him, and then losing you senior year… Now, I'm not here to lecture or tell you what to do, but please be careful with him." My heart broke at the brief history lesson I didn't know I needed to be reminded of.

"Mr. Andrews…" I began, and the tears I was trying so hard to hold shed themselves down my cheeks. My voice suddenly disappeared, and I was unable to find anything to say. Fred shared an empathetic smile and shook his head. He came directly in front of me and comforted me with a soft hug.

"Um, by any chance, you know where he is?" I wiped my tears away and cleared my throat to swallow the many words meant for his son.

"He's out in Seaside today, but I'll tell him you stopped by." Mr. Andrews and I said our goodbyes, and I headed back to my house with more thoughts, and words, left unsaid.

Later that night, as I was reading one of the many books with perfect spines, my ears caught the whisper of strings coming from a distance. I tried to ignore them, but the hum that escaped my throat knew the song before my thoughts were able to understand anything. I immediately turned to face Archie's window. I slowly crept behind my blinds and observed the red head between our curtains. I opened my window to hear his melody, and the light kiss of the night air covered my body in goosebumps.

He was unaccompanied by nothing but the soft glow of the lamp on his drawer. His shoulders were bare, and his skin reflected the light around him. His head lay low as if trying to hide himself from what the night was bringing.

The tune was familiar, but I wasn't entirely sure of what it was. I sighed as I listened to the soft strumming coming from the open window.

I'm lost in the memory

Of the place where summer ends

Late night when this town gets small

I'll be running through the streets again

Let's make it hard to hold on

He kept his head low as he played, never once missing a note. The song was accompanied by memories I thought I'd forgotten, and before I was able to understand what was happening, my emotions knew the pain the memory was causing. There was no controlling the tears forming in my eyes, and the soft, yet uncontrollably hard, beating of my heart raced to harmonize with the song.

Come on, turn the radio on

And honey let's dance, dance, dance

For the rest of the night

It's better left unsaid

I held the necklace that felt so heavy on my chest and tried to keep the tears from falling as the melody rang through my ears. I was brought back to a time where everything was so simple, and the only worry I had was whether or not Archie truly loved me.

Yeah come on, play the remix loud

And honey we'll dance, dance, dance

For the rest of our lives

I'm not ready to go yet

We've got history to forget

He finished the song and ran a hand through his hair. He looked up, locking his eyes with mine. Archie slowly brought his hand down and shifted his position, so he was sitting completely upright. I pursed my lips and tried with everything in me not to let those tears fall. His lips curved to one side, and his crooked smile sent a chill down my spine. He nodded his head to one side, and I immediately responded with a smile.

"I'm so sorry Arch." I began with my apology. Archie and I found ourselves on his porch steps moments after his private performance. I was engulfed with guilt and regret, and my voice was caught somewhere between my chest and throat.

"You have always been there for me, and when things got completely out of my control, you stayed with me. I asked you to not quit on me and you never did." My focus remained on his eyes as the tears I fought so hard to keep in, fell down my cheeks.

"Betty…" he cradled his head in his hands and sighed.

"You didn't deserve the way I treated you, and you sure as hell didn't deserve everything, I put you through, Arch. I'm so incredible sorry."

My tears kissed my cheeks over and over again as I apologized to my former best friend. Regret overpowered my ability to calm myself down, and the words once trapped for so many years replaced my breathing. I strayed my eyes away from him, pain taking over what was regret. I fiddled with my fingers and saw the stains of tears as they hit the sleeves of my sweater.

"I wanted to…" I paused. I swallowed back the tears and caught my breath, trying to build up the courage to look at him again. "I hated myself for being so selfish with everything that happened with the Black Hood. You stood by me long after everything ended, and I continued to push you away. I thought it would be easier if I just stopped hurting the one person, I cared so much for."

"Was it?" he asked. "Was it easier?"

I built up enough courage to lift my head, and my deepest regrets surfaced at the sight of his shattered expression. My eyes were steaming, my cheeks were warm, and the cool air touched my face attempting to dry the tears rushing down.

"Of course not, Arch. You were always the one thing in my life that was right." He smiled and lifted a hand to wipe away my never-ending tears. "You needed someone who needed to be stronger."

His smile was soft, and his eyes were as warm as ever. My cheek was comforted by the light caress of his thumb. We were surrounded by the soft glow of the moon and stars, and the once cool air felt warm and comforting.

"Betty, what I needed was you." His hazel eyes never left mine, and my mind was suddenly clear of everything that had been trapped inside.

We sat face to face, our eyes interlocked with one another. Memories transported me back to a car sitting in front of Thistle House, as two teenagers awaited their fate from a simple phone call. The deeper I looked into his eyes, the more I was reminded of feelings I had long buried after so many mistakes years ago.

We stood in silence, our breathe making the most noise. I glanced at his lips quickly before returning my gaze to him. His usual honey eyes seemed almost black, and once again a shiver ran down my spine, along with many forgotten memories. We inched closer, our breathes almost becoming one.

Then suddenly, a familiar ringtone blasted from behind me, and my once beating heart stood still.

Like I said, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Yes, Fred is still here, I thought it was only fitting seeing as I began writing this after S2. I'm debating on whether or not keep him alive or, unfortunately, have him pass like in the show, I wouldn't want to dishonor Fred/Luke with anything I may write. Let me know what you guys think?

*This story is loosely based off of events in and following Season 2. I took what I (personally) thought were exciting and captivating episodes/story lines in the show to write the story.*