Author's Notes: Hey everyone! I'm very excited because I've started drawing! My mom and brother are both really good artists, and according to my mom, I do have the potential, I just focus on writing more than art. I've decided I'm going to be drawing my own OCs, mostly for fanfics, but could be for other things, too. I'm an author, so I think it'll be nice to visualize my characters. Also, who else is excited they're having a boy?
JUGHEAD'S POV
Welp, I'm awake. Out of my coma. And there for Betty, and apparently, my child.
Yesterday, Betty and I found out that we're having a baby boy. Honestly, I couldn't be more excited. I didn't really get much time to think about if I had a preference, but now, it might be because I know the gender, but I think I'm really going to enjoy having a son.
Betty's twenty one weeks pregnant (today's Thursday), which means she has about four months left to go before she has the baby. Which also means that I have about four months left to prepare for being a father. Not as much time as you'd think, actually.
Jellybean is absolutely obsessed with the idea of becoming an aunt. According to Betty, she's been obsessing over her belly since she started showing.
At the moment, Betty and I are cuddling in Betty's bed. Well, our bed now, I guess. Dad wasn't really thrilled with the idea of us sleeping in the same bed, but then Mom reminded him that Betty's already pregnant, so it's not like they have anything to prevent from happening, so here we are.
I woke up about an hour ago, and had been writing in the windowsill, waiting for her to wake up. Since Dad recommended that we do the rest of the semester online, Mr. Weatherbee told us that we started today.
Betty woke up when Jellybean slammed the front door angrily as she walked to school. She was angry because she wants to have her friend Annie come spend the night here tomorrow night, as tomorrow is Friday. Mom and Dad told her that she could go over to Annie's house, but Annie can't come over here because Betty's pregnant and they want her to sleep good, and not have to fall asleep while Annie and Jellybean are giggling all through the night.
I honestly don't think Betty would mind, because being pregnant makes her very tired. Last night she fell asleep while Mom and Dad were arguing, while it took me another solid half hour to fall into the same state of sleep as my girlfriend.
"Why did Jellybean slam the door?" she asked, her voice hoarse from sleep.
"She wants her friend to sleep over here, but they said that she can go over to her friend's house, but her friend can't come over here, because they want you to sleep good," I explained.
Just as I suspected, Betty objected to this. "What? I wouldn't mind. Seriously Jug, I'm gonna go tell them," just like I also thought she would do.
Betty then climbed out of the covers, and, holding her stomach, she waddled down the stairs (I followed close behind just in case), and approached my parents.
"Jellybean can have her friend over," Betty said to my dad. Mom was out looking for jobs again, but she apparently hadn't applied anywhere. I… I had a strange feeling that she was up to something bad.
Dad gave Betty a skeptical look as he said, "But, don't you want to be able to sleep in silence? I know I do,"
She crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Jughead told me that you and Gladys won't let her stay because you guys want me to sleep okay. Ask Jughead, I sleep like a baby!"
"It's true," I defended.
Betty then let her arms drop to her sides as she said, "I just want her to be happy. Besides, I haven't had a sleepover in forever, and I think it would be nice to see Jellybean having fun at one of her own,"
Dad smiled as he said, "Alright, alright. We'll tell JB that she can have her friend over,"
"Yay!" Betty exclaimed, clasping her hands together happily.
We then went to sit on the couch, and watched the morning cartoons as Dad got ready for work, and left, telling us that he was going to ask around the Serpents to see if anyone knew anything about Penny Peabody or where she was staying. I was pretty confident that Sweet Pea and Fangs had found out everything that could be found out, but Dad's the sheriff, and the retired leader of the Southside Serpents… maybe he could find out something that the others didn't trust with Sweet Pea and Fangs.
Once Dad had left, me and Betty started talking.
"Why were you so adamant that Jellybean could have a sleepover?" I asked her. Yeah, Betty could be doing it because she wants to do something nice for my sister, but she only really makes points like she did if she has some sort of reason to. Not to throw shade on her or anything, but Betty's a fighter. And she usually needs a reason to be a fighter.
Betty let out a dark sigh as she folded her hands over her belly. "I don't know, Jug. I mean… I can't be a normal teenager anymore. Neither of us can, but I especially can't." she pointed to her protruding stomach as she said, "I'm pregnant, Jughead. Once you start showing like I am, people don't overlook that. They say stuff like, 'Oh, congrats!' and then all they can talk about is the baby. I don't get to talk about stuff like school, or college anymore. I'm pregnant with an actual baby, we're keeping it, I'm going to be a mother. Ethel told everyone at school after I told her in confidence about the baby, and now everyone knows,"
I had not yet heard about the Ethel part.
"Oh my God… Betty…" I said, moving her hands so I could place my own on her stomach. Betty had told me yesterday that when I touched her stomach, it made her feel safe and happy. "I had no idea."
"It's okay," she gave me a sad smile. "It was really hard for a while, but we're going to be doing the rest of the semester from home! It shouldn't be too bad."
I removed my hands from her stomach and pulled her so she was laying on me as I laid on the pillows behind me. We sat in this position for a few minutes before I whispered, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. All of that sounds so… traumatizing, and stressful. I'm sorry I couldn't help you through that."
"No, Jug!" she sat up quickly. "No, you cant wake up from a coma and then say you're sorry you weren't there for me!"
"Well I am!" I protested.
She moved her hands to be rubbing her belly. "I was so worried about you, Jughead. The idea of you waking up and being with us again, that was what made everything worth it. Everything that happened was worth it when you woke up. So, in a way, you were technically still there for me,"
"Awww," I teased her, pulling her into a long kiss with me.
We then realized that we should be getting to work on school stuff. Betty and I were both disappointed to learn that we couldn't continue working for the Blue and Gold. But, that did mean that we didn't have to stress about having a story, or getting everything done by a certain deadline.
Betty and I worked for the rest of the day, trying to get as much done as we could. Apparently, Dad had texted Jellybean (Author: I had a phone by the time I was JB's age, so I just gave her one, please don't sue me) telling her that Annie could come over, because when my little sister walked through the door, she was followed by a girl with chestnut brown hair, and snow white skin.
Betty had been taking a break from schoolwork, watching America's Got Talent on the TV. It technically wasn't my break, but I found myself enthralled in the dramatic competition show.
"-yeah, and I can't wait to show you my room!" Jellybean's voice broke me and Betty out of our trances as the door opened and she led her new friend inside.
They both stopped after closing the door, letting Annie get a good, clear view of the front room.
"Wow!" Annie said. "I like it here. This place is a lot bigger than my house,"
Jellybean shrugged and said, "Yeah. When my mom said that she bought us a house, I expected something a lot smaller. I definitely didn't expect her to buy us a house like this!"
They then turned to me and Betty as Jellybean introduced us to her friend. Apparently, I got her name wrong, as her name is really Anna. Not Annie. But whatever.
"So nice to meet you!" Anna said, shaking our hands. Betty's hand (the one she hadn't used to shake) was rested on her stomach. Anna looked fondly at Betty and said, "Congratulations you guys. Honestly, JB can't stop talking about how excited she is to be an aunt!"
They then excitedly scurried upstairs to Jellybean's bedroom, leaving me and Betty alone in the living room again. When I looked over at my pregnant girlfriend, she had a bit, goofy smile on her face. I really liked that she liked my sister, and that my sister liked her. It was clear that the pregnancy brought them closer together, when they otherwise would still be like strangers to each other.
"That was cute," Betty said. "Anna's really nice. I'm glad Jellybean's making friends like her,"
Smiling, I agreed with her. "Yeah. Mom told me that she was really upset when she had to transfer here. Apparently she was really popular at her school up in Toledo,"
"Well, looks like she's getting popular here, too," Betty said, turning the TV off (much to my dismay), and we got back to work.
Dad got home at 5:30, ten minutes after Betty and I finished our work for the day. Both of us mentally exhausted and starving (Betty especially), Dad decided, in celebration of JB having her first ever sleepover in both the new town and new school, we were going to order pizza, something we do a lot, but we got a dessert pizza this time, something we almost never do, unless there's a reason to celebrate.
The second the doorbell rang, Betty jumped up and ran to get the pizza. She already had the money, ready to pay. She wanted to be the one to get the pizza so she could get the first slice, famished, as she said.
Anna and Jellybean were down shortly after hearing Betty's moans from the pizza, and each got themselves a slice.
We all sat down at the table and talked through dinner.
"I have a baby brother," Anna told us while we ate our pizza. "His name is Henry, and he's really cute. I bet your guys' baby is gonna be really cute, too!"
Betty smiled her signature smile (the one that always makes my heart leap) and said, "Aww, thanks Anna. We're really excited to be parents, even if it was a bit of a surprise,"
"That makes sense," Anna said. "You know, my mom got pregnant with me when she was fourteen, and my dad was fifteen,"
"FOURTEEN?" me, Betty, and Dad, all choked out.
Anna nodded. "Yeah. We lived with my grandma up until two years ago. Then we moved into a small house on the Southside. But, I wanted to go to Riverdale Middle, so my mom got a job at the school as a secretary, and then opened up a spot for me!"
"She kicked a kid out of the school for you?" Dad asked.
"No, of course not!" Anna giggled. But her boss was a lot more easygoing once he found out how great of a secretary she is.
Betty sat back in her chair, rubbing her belly. "That was maybe the most delicious pizza I've ever eaten. And before you say anything, no, it's not just because I'm pregnant,"
"That may be part of it," I chuckled, holding her hand and giving it a kiss.
After dinner, Jellybean and Anna ran back upstairs to watch a scary movie (Coraline, which is definitely not as scary as they're thinking it is).
Dad went upstairs to his and mom's room, trying to call her for the second time tonight (she didn't answer), and Betty and I stayed downstairs, giving Anna and JB some privacy, so we could watch a movie of our own.
"I don't wanna watch a scary movie," Betty said as she laid her head on my chest, our legs tangled together at the other end of the couch. "I want to watch something with lighthearted themes, that's what we need right now."
I laughed and said, "'We?' Who is this 'we'?"
She rolled her eyes and said, "Just put on the LEGO Movie, Jug,"
Still laughing, I put on her movie request and within ten minutes of the movie, my pregnant girlfriend was fast asleep, on top of me, on the couch, restricting my ability to move for the most part.
I watched just about a dozen back-to-back movies until my mom finally came home at three in the morning, holding something that did not look normal.
"Mom?" my presence clearly startled her. My eyes lingered on the item in her hands and I quickly asked, "Why are you holding drugs?"
The next day…
After I somehow managed to squeeze out from under Betty, Mom took me out to the backyard so we wouldn't be heard. She then explained to me that she was in the process of taking over Riverdale's drug trade; she was the one who was mass-producing Fizzle Rocks like that very dangerous and addictive drug would save the world.
I still couldn't believe it. And I was having a really hard time pretending that I hadn't heard what I heard.
Mom threatened me. She didn't outright say it was a threat, but it was.
"Something is gonna happen to you if you dare tell your dad about this," she'd said. She then let out a dark sigh, widening her eyes, and said, "I sure hope nothing happens to your pregnant girlfriend there, eh?"
I was on edge. I wanted to tell my father that my mother was running the drugs in Riverdale. That he was closer to the perp than ever before. That he was sleeping in the same bed as the woman that he was trying to find and put away in jail for a very, very long time. But I couldn't. Not if I wanted Betty, and my baby, safe.
No, it was most definitely not a fair trade. My mother was basically saying, exchange her freedom for my girlfriend's life. It was something that she knew I couldn't refuse.
She knows how much I love and care about Betty. She hears how often I'm talking about her. And my mother, my own mother, is using that vulnerability to her advantage. Honestly, she's no better than Penny Peabody, the woman who almost shot my girlfriend in the head and stomach.
Betty and I woke up on the couch after a very long night. Betty almost fell off, but I caught her before she hit the ground.
"Thanks," she said, giving me a warm kiss on the cheek.
Anna and Jellybean were in the backyard playing on the trampoline that my mom bought us with her drug money.
And of course, right after telling me about the whole drug trade thing, she told me that she could afford an apartment for me, Betty, and the baby. Like I'd ever take money from her, especially not the money that she got from making and selling drugs. Not only is it morally incorrect, it's supporting the most important thing that my father and I are trying to stop right now, whether my father knows I'm apart of it is irrelevant.
Mom walked down the stairs cheerily and said, "Morning lovebirds! Enjoy this time while you can, because your mornings are about to get a lot earlier! I remember when Jug was a baby… FP and I were always awake by two or three every morning," she said, talking to herself.
She acted as though last night never happened, something I was sure she wanted me to do as well. But I couldn't. I also couldn't tell Betty, knowing full well that her investigative mind would either tell my dad right away, or do a bunch of digging to find fool-proof proof that my mother is essentially the new Hiram Lodge, then she would tell my dad.
For whatever reason, it kind of… hurts, that I can't tell Betty this. We've always shared everything with each other, except for her pregnancy, for whatever reason. Although I do understand why she was afraid to tell me, I was definitely shocked when I found out. This was like her pregnancy; something I wanted to tell her, but I was too afraid.
Right?
I sighed to myself as Betty got up to get us both a bowl of cereal. I offered to get it, but she said she needed to stretch her legs. Besides, Betty hates it when people act like she can't do anything for herself simply because she's pregnant.
Betty came back with the bowls of cereal and we both ate them while watching Saturday morning cartoons. We were trying to live it up while we could that we didn't have any work to do, because if the previous day was any indication, this online schooling was going to be torture, considering both Betty and I got very distracted throughout the entire day.
But at least we're both safe, for now. And I'd like to keep us both that way for as long as possible. Although that isn't acceptable.
Betty needs to be safe. She needs to be. I don't.
Author's Notes: and on that very dramatic note, I'd like to end this chapter! I've decided I'm not going to start a Percabeth fic, instead going to start another Riverdale one! It is an AU story where the roles are reversed. More will be explained in the first chapter! I wanted to get this chapter out before I published that one as a sort of formal announcement of sorts. So yeah! I'm really excited to write the characters differently, and sort of re-explore their character developments and such. Quick warning, there will be a bit of smut in future chapters. So yeah! Super excited to show that new fanfiction to you guys! I really just wanna keep myself busy during this extremely boring quarantine, so yeah! Oh, and it is a Bughead fic. Does not include a pregnancy unless it fits with the story. I guess what I'm saying is that a pregnancy isn't the main plot point like it is with this fic. So yeah! Adios, everyone!