Disclaimer: I owe none of the Archie characters or anything from Riverdale. This was just something that popped into my head this evening. Sorry if it's not accurate or anything! I can't even tell you where this would be at in the show, so just go with it :) ~aparesarah
Summary: When Betty and Jughead go back in time to try and save Jason, their plans go haywire when they land in the 60s. While searching for the time machine, they accidentally have a run-in with their young parents, worrying if the future will change when they return. Can they return before everything changes? BC/JJ fluff!
Chapter One: The Idea
Betty Cooper slung her daisy-printed backpack carelessly onto her back and stalked out of the house.
This is the last time I let her use me like that, she thought with a scowl, kicking an empty soda pop can down her street. She was tired of the day in and day out bullying from her mother. It was starting to drive her insane and she wondered if her mother even gave a shit anymore.
She wondered if she was being melodramatic, but remembered there was a lot of stress on her plate at that moment. She didn't need any more from her hawk of a mother yelling at her to stay away from "that Southside Serpent's son." She didn't need her yelling to stay out of town affairs or stop meddling with neighbors like Archie and people like Veronica.
Betty decided that this evening, she'd put her mother behind her and enjoy getting out of the Cooper household. Things seemed to be falling more apart there day after day, and she didn't want anything to do with it. She wanted to escape it, just once.
Juggie, she thought warmly. Her blonde ponytail bobbed determinedly on her head. She knew where she was going from the second she had slammed the front door shut.
He was sitting in the booth when she entered Pop's. His laptop and notebook sprawled out in front of him. As soon as she started making a beeline for him down the aisle, he looked up at her and waved.
"Hey Betty."
She smiled. "Jug. How's it coming along?" She plopped down in the cushion across from him and thanked the waitress for the menu.
"Eh," Jug said tucking a strand of hair behind his ear and adjusting his crown-hat.
She sighed. "I'm sorry I haven't been helping as much as I should. Today was rough."
"Tell me about it," agreed Jughead. He closed his laptop and looked up at the waitress. "Oh, just water-"
"-and a milkshake," finished Betty. "Two straws." She smiled at Jug as she handed the waitress their menus.
"Thanks," muttered Jug. He side grinned at her as her eyes twinkled back at him. She felt butterflies in her stomach.
"So listen," said Betty. "I've been thinking… why don't we take a break this evening?"
"I'm all for it," said Jug. "No need to convince me." He closed his notebook and put his things to the side. The distance between them was shrinking and Betty liked that.
She nodded. "Good. Because there's a party."
"I don't do parties, Betty," he was eyeing her suspiciously. "Wait… you only wanna go because of Archie, right?"
Betty felt taken aback by this comment. She hadn't been in love with Archie for some time.
"Jug, no. I don't like him like that anymore, we're just friends," she rolled her eyes.
"Uh huh," Jug said with a grin. "I'll take your word for it. I'm still not going."
"But there's something I wanna check out, Jug," said Betty excitedly. She has been thinking about it all day after she'd been invited.
"Which is?" Jughead raised a questioning eyebrow. "Come on Betty, spill."
"Here you are." The waitress placed the icy milkshake glass in front of them with Jug's cup of water to the side.
Betty immediately took a sip of the milkshake. "Mmm."
"Betty, you gonna tell me what it is?"
Betty liked the way he was looking at her. She knew that he knew she was trying really hard to tease him. But she just had to give in to his cute Juggy face.
"Alright, alright. Jug, Reggie Mantle is having a party."
"You've got to be kidding me, Betty. He's a jerk-"
"Hear me out, Jug," said Betty, sipping some more milkshake. "It's at his grandpa's barn."
"Wait.. the inventor? He did a report on him a few months ago. But what's the point?" Jughead was not having it.
Betty smiled. "He's an inventor. So, he's got junk lying all over the place."
"Your point?"
"Jug… he's got a time machine."
"How do you know if it works? That stuff seems far-fetched, Betty," said Jug with a sigh.
"Jughead, I want to try. I want to see if we can make it work. Do you know what I'm saying?" The straw started sputtering and she realized she had drank the entire milkshake before Jughead had had any.
Jug nodded. "I get it. Granted that it would work, you're wanting to see if we can make it back to the day Jason Blossom was murdered-"
"Right, and stop it from happening," finished Betty. Jughead was still not buying it. Betty watched as he bit his bottom lip nervously. She could tell he really wanted to believe it would work, but couldn't.
"Jug, it wouldn't hurt to try."
"What if it really is just a piece of junk in the barn? Plus, say we find it. We go to this, this rave, whatever, and find it. Then it doesn't work. Can we leave when, I mean, if that happens?" Jug asked before guzzling his water down.
Betty nodded. "Of course. We don't stay longer than we need to. But if this time machine is legit, Juggy, we could really save someone's life."
"Fine. I'll go."
Betty squealed. "Oh, Jug!"
"Yeah, yeah. Can't believe I'm doing this," muttered Jughead gathering his things.
Betty stood up. "Meet me at my house in ten minutes. Drop your things off, come by, and then we'll be set to go." She kissed Jug on the cheek and swore she could see him flush.
"O-okay, see you in a bit," waved Jughead as Betty bounded off for the door, smiling on her way out into the moonlight.
