"Seriously, is it always like this?" Archie darted under the tarp, water pooling at his feet. "It's summer! What's with all the rain?"

"Did you not read the fine print before you moved to Vancouver?" Betty laughed and shook her wet hair at him. "Of course it's always like this. Doesn't it rain where you're from?" She picked up the last box of supplies and sprinted to the truck.

The skies had opened up shortly after breakfast, leaving everyone to scramble to get the packed supplies under the truck canopy before the campsite flooded.

"Yeah, but not like this! There must be two inches of water on the ground, and it's only been an hour." He poured the water out of a large plastic container and set it on the picnic table. "Did you leave room for this?"

Veronica, swaddled in bright yellow oilskins and polka-dot boots, nodded. "Yeah, plenty, but Betty's not going to be able to pick me up to get the tarp down. Ground's too wet; it's not safe for an overhead lift. What say you, Quarterback? Give a girl a boost?"

"Sure thing. Just tell me what to do."

Veronica peeled off her wet coat and set it down on the picnic table. "Nothing fancy. Think you can sit me on your shoulder?" She pulled a sheathed hunting knife out of her boot.

"Ha! Your boot! I should have known," crowed Jughead.

"Took you long enough, Jones. Where else was I going to stash them?"

"Them? How many knives do you carry?"

"Two, when I'm camping. Well, one knife, one multitool."

"Plus the pocketknife in your purse," Betty added.

"Does that count? The blade's like two inches."

"Size doesn't matter, V."

"Wow. Mind, meet gutter." Veronica braced herself and dashed out into the rain. "Come on Archiekins, ready when you are."

He easily scooped her up and sat her on his shoulder, holding her waist with both hands. Veronica slashed through the paracord with a smooth swing, and re-sheathed the blade before Archie lifted her down. "I hate cutting through good rope, but I'm not sitting up there trying to untie it with wet hands."

Dispatching the remaining cords as quickly as humanly possible, they stuffed the drenched tarps into the empty container and threw it in the back of the truck.

"Got everything?" Betty looked around the site, making sure it was tidy. "Let's get out of here. First stop, shower hut. You soggy miscreants are not dripping on my upholstery all the way to Downtown."

"Downtown? I thought you two lived at SFU," Jughead said as he jumped into the backseat.

"Yeah, but you don't."

Archie hopped in next to Jughead and slammed the door shut. "You don't have to drive us all the way home. It's nice enough of you to drop us at the bus station."

"Easy on the hinges, please. I'd drive you home anyway, especially in this weather, but we're headed that way regardless. Didn't Ronnie tell you? We always go to - "

Veronica elbowed her. "Shhh, it's a surprise."

Betty raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "Okie. Guess you're being kidnapped then." She adjusted the rear-view mirror and grinned at their reflections. "I hope you're good for ransom."

…

"V, be careful. Eyeliner and wet roads do not mix and I don't want to have to explain to your professors why you've suddenly lost your depth perception." Betty steered carefully around a pothole, watching Veronica out of the corner of her eye.

"Aaalmost done, B. Hang in there." Veronica drew a perfect wing on her right eyelid and snapped the lid on the pencil. "There! See? Nothing to worry about." She rummaged in her purse. "Where the hell is my lipstick?"

Betty glared in the mirror at Jughead and Archie, who had both stuffed their fists in their mouths, trying to smother their laughter. "It's not funny, children. This argument has almost broken us up several times."

"It wouldn't be an argument at all today, if you'd given me more than 2 minutes to get ready," Veronica mumbled, lips taut as she applied a raisin-coloured gloss.

"More like 20." Betty steered the truck into a busy parking lot and joined a drive-through queue. "Who wants Tim's?"

Jughead and Archie looked at each other and shrugged. "Who's Tim?"

Veronica whirled around in her seat, shocked. "What? How long have you been in Canada?"

"10 days."

"And you haven't heard of Tim Horton's? It's a national treasure!"

"I may have seen a sign for it, once or twice..."Jughead answered weakly.

"Betty. They've never been to Tim Horton's. We must fix this." Veronica sat rigidly straight, eyes determined. "It's unacceptable."

Betty nodded her agreement."It's a coffee chain, guys. Donuts, sandwiches, soup. You've really managed to avoid it for ten days?"

"In our defense, we were in the bush with you for three of them," Archie pointed out.

"Welcome to Tim Horton's! May I take your order?"

"Good morning! May I please have 3 medium double-doubles, a hot chocolate with two creamers and a 40 pack of assorted Timbits?" She paused. "You drink coffee, right Archie?"

"I don't think I'm prepared to say no to that question," he laughed. Catching her expression, he relented. "Yes, I drink coffee."

"Drive to the second window, please!"

Betty passed the coffee around and handed the box of Timbits to Jughead. "Those are for sharing," she said sternly.

He opened the box and peeked inside. "Doughnut holes?"

"Timbits," Betty corrected. "They're so much more than doughnut holes."

"Kevin's dad calls them cop kibble," Veronica laughed. "But I don't recommend pulling that line out in company. People get offended by it."

Archie poked around in the box. "Oooh they have little tiny jelly doughnuts!"

"Yup, just don't get the powder all over the seats. Betty won't let you out of the truck until you clean it up. I know."

…

Jughead leaned forward and tapped Betty's shoulder. "Any chance we could stop for lunch soon? I'm starving."

Veronica turned to look at him, disbelief etched all over her face. "In the three hours since a massive breakfast, you've eaten half a box of Timbits and most of the leftovers from dinner. How are you still hungry?"

"I'm a growing boy, Veronica. Being this sarcastic burns a lot of calories."

"Don't worry, Juggie, we're almost there. I promise there will be food. Will you survive for another twenty minutes?"

He slumped into the corner of his seat and pretended to sulk. "Yeah, I guess," he muttered.

"Don't make me come back there," Betty teased, trying and failing to sound like her mother.

Five minutes later, he whined, "are we there yet?", grinning at the back of her head.

"Good grief. Archie, smack him for me, please."

A resounding crack was heard from the back seat, followed by "Ow! Dude!"

"Mom said to."

"She said smack, not maim, you turncoat."

"Archiekins, apologise to your brother," Veronica sang.

"He started it," Archie groused.

"Look, kids! There's Science World" Betty cried, driving past the massive golf ball-shaped building.

Jughead and Archie made appropriate oohing and aahing noises, Archie leaning across Jughead to press his face to the window.

"Hey! No nose prints on the glass! Honestly, you two would put anyone off having children."

"Over-population is a serious issue, Betts. Someone has to pitch in to lower the birth rate."

Betty rolled her eyes and turned up the stereo. Bohemian Rhapsody blared from the speakers and she hummed along, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. "I don't want to hear another word from anyone until this song is over."

Veronica leaned over and whispered to her, "This song is like ten minutes long."

"I know. We'll be there in five, though. I think they'll make it."

They almost made it.

Unable to resist singing along, they broke halfway through the second chorus, but Betty was inclined to forgive them when she heard Archie's rich baritone blending with Jughead's tenor. She pulled up to the curb and put the truck in park, waiting for the song to end before turning off the radio. One doesn't just turn off the car, mid-Queen. "You guys sound really good together. "

"Almost like you've done that before," Veronica added.

Archie mumbled something about freshman year and karaoke and quickly exited the truck. "So. Where are we?"

"We're on West 4th," Veronica answered.

"And what brings us to West 4th?" Jughead asked, holding Betty's door open for her.

Joining Archie and Veronica on the curb, she gestured to a green brick building with leopard-print lettering. "Sophie's."

"Please don't tell me this is another Canadian institution that we've remained embarrassingly ignorant of?"

"Just a Vancouver institution." Veronica slipped her arm through Archie's and steered him to the door. "B and I come here every year after our camping trip. And like, whenever we're Downtown."

"Wow, cool place," he said, looking around the inside. "Kitschy."

"And the milkshakes are to die for," she smiled happily. "It's not Pop's, but I think you'll like it."

…

"What do you mean, you've never been skiing?" Betty stared at Archie and Jughead. Half-eaten meals crowded the table, with everyone swiping bits off everyone else's plates. "Aren't you from New England?"

Jughead swatted her hand as she aimed for a particularly cheesy nacho. "Not everyone from New England skis. I have personally never seen the appeal of hurtling down a mountain on a couple of pieces of fiberglass. There are much more fun ways to die."

"Well aren't you a merry sunshine."

"What about you, Archiekins?" Veronica pointed a french-fry at him. "What's your excuse?"

"Football scholarship. Couldn't risk an injury."

"That's annoyingly iron-clad." She sipped her lemonade. "Are you still on a scholarship?"

He laughed ruefully. " 'fraid not. I'm on my own from here on out."

"Good. That means you can ski. We always go to Whistler for New Year's; you guys should come up for a day or two."

"That's months away," Jughead pointed out. "Do you really think you'll still be putting up with us that far into the future?"

Veronica leaned back in her chair and studied the two of them thoughtfully. She looked over at Betty and then back at the boys. Finally, she shifted forward and rested her elbows on the table. "Yes. I do."

He seemed surprised by that. "Really?"

"Yeah. The whole reservation snafu was serendipity. We mesh well, the four of us. I think we'll keep you."

"Cheers to that," Betty said, raising her lemonade.

"Cheers," echoed Jughead. "To new friends."

"To new friends," Archie and Veronica chimed in. "Yum, I think those are for us," Veronica added, noticing the waitress approaching with a tray of milkshakes.

"Hey guys, I've got four milkshakes here. One strawberry, one vanilla and two chocolate. Any chance I can just match them to your hair and pass them out that way?"

Betty looked around the table and laughed. "I never noticed that, that's hilarious."

"You'd have to find a carrot shake to match my hair, but I'll cede your point," Archie chuckled good-naturedly. "But the strawberry one belongs to the bottomless pit in the corner over there."

Jughead looked up with a massive mouthful of burger. "What?" He chewed and swallowed. "It's an excellent burger and I'm hungry."

"I'll pass on your compliments to the chef," the waitress winked as she handed him his shake. "Enjoy, guys."

Archie tasted his shake experimentally, snapping his tongue like a wine connoisseur, and finally nodded his approval. "It's not Pop's, but it's a pretty close second."

"Yeah, all that's missing is the blushing date and the dulcet tones of Reggie Mantle trying to sing along with the jukebox." Jughead snorted. "I can't replace him, but he really didn't add to the atmosphere. Shove over, Arch."

He grabbed a second straw from the dispenser and dropped it into Archie's shake. Snuggling coquettishly into his side, he sipped away, affecting bemused innocence at Betty and Veronica's giggles.

"You two are totally relationship #goals," Veronica quipped, aiming her phone at them. "Smile, I need a picture of this."

Archie and Jughead, cheek to cheek and looking sideways at each other, managed to smile around their straws.

"Get your shot, Ronnie?" Archie asked. "Good. Bugger off, mate. You've got your own drink."

…

"Alright, boys. Where's home?"

"Honestly, I have no idea at this point. That's the address." Archie handed Betty his phone.

She typed the address into her GPS and handed the phone back to him. "That's only about 5 blocks from here. You guys live right by the beach."

"So JB enthusiastically explained, when she convinced me to lease in that building,' Jughead said wryly. "I'm not entirely sure how much time she'll spend in class on sunny days."

Veronica scoffed. "Yeah, 'cause we get so many of those."

"That's true," he conceded, eyeing the soaked hems of his jeans.

"Speaking of the famous Jellybean," Veronica drew out the name expectantly, "is she home? Can I meet her?"

"She'd probably love you meet you, but she's on the Island this weekend. Surfing vacation, she said, but I suspect that there's a boy involved." He looked as though the words left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Archie ruffled Jughead's hair. "Cheer up, man. She's growing up and she's allowed to have some fun."

Jughead batted his hands away and grimaced. "Ugh, don't say fun like that. Why couldn't she stay ten forever?"

Betty laughed ironically. "Why couldn't any of us? God, how awesome would that be? Being an adult is hard."

"We hardly qualify as adults, yet, B. We're still in school and are therefore entitled to good times and bad decisions."

"Speaking of good times," Betty replied slyly, "we're having a party at our new condo this Friday, to celebrate surviving the first week back. You guys should come."

"I thought you were in a single-bathroom, non-soundproof dorm," teased Archie.

"We were, but the charm has worn off. We rented a place near the school. It's got wicked views and a real kitchen, and it's about three times the size of the room we were in last year."

"The selling point was the walk-in closet, though," Veronica admitted. "So what do you think? You in?"

Jughead didn't bother checking with Archie, who he knew would sell his soul to spend more time with Veronica. "Yeah, for sure. Thanks."

"Excellent!" Veronica passed her phone back. "Put your info in there, please, and I'll text you the details. And bring your sister! You said she's 19 right?"

"Yeah, almost 20."

"Good. We're having an open bar and I'm iffy about minors drinking."

"That denotes a misspent youth, Miss Lodge," Jughead teased.

She looked at him in surprise. "You read the book, too?"

"More than once."

"You'll do, Jones. You'll do."

Betty pulled up outside a four-story apartment building. "Look familiar, guys?"

"Home, sweet home," said Archie. "Thanks for the ride Betty."

"Any time. Need help getting your two whole bags in?"

"Oh, I think we should manage if we make two trips, but thanks."

Betty jumped out and opened the tailgate. "There you go, then."

"Thanks, Betts." Jughead grinned at her and leaned over, whispering "If I hug you, Archie might have the balls to hug Veronica. You mind?"

"Of course not," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and bending backwards, lifting him off his feet.

"You really have a knack for making a guy feel manly, you know that?" He picked up his bag and pretended to struggle with it. "See you Friday." He winked and made his way to the front of the truck where Veronica was chatting with Archie.

Jughead looked appropriately apologetic when he interrupted. "Sorry to dash off, but Mother Nature calls." He bent low over Veronica's hand and dropped a reverent kiss on her knuckles. "It's been a pleasure, Queen V. Looking forward to our next royal audience." Dashing up the steps to the building, he quickly unlocked the door and sprinted inside, where Betty had no doubt he was hiding behind a pillar, watching the scene unfold.

"Bye, weirdo," Veronica called after him. "You've got strange friends, Archiekins."

"I really do, but I wouldn't trade him for anything."

"We should get on the road, V. I don't want to hit too much long-weekend traffic." Betty said. "Bye, Archie. Don't be a stranger, eh?"

"Bye, Betty. Thanks again for rescuing us." He gave her an affectionate nudge on the shoulder. "Drive safe."

"Always," she drawled as she climbed into the driver's seat.

"You know," Archie said to Veronica, "the first time you called me 'Archiekins', I'm pretty sure it was a bona fide threat, but now it almost sounds endearing."

She flashed her milkshake and chick-flick smile again. "Almost." She stood on her toes and he bent slightly so she could slide her hand around his neck. "Bye, Red." She placed a lingering kiss on his cheek then hopped quickly into the truck. "Until Friday."

….

Notes: The book referenced is Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth JR and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.

Pop's is not a real restaurant, but Sophie's Cosmic Café is (in the interest of disclosure or copyright awareness or whatever. That one didn't come from my imagination in any case.)

Thoughts? Shall I write more?