The sun streamed into Betty's overly white room. She opened her eyes slowly taking in her new environment. This was her life for the next eighteen years, at least. Eighteen years… that seemed like a lifetime. She was 21, for god's sake, she hasn't even lived yet.
She couldn't help but think of how life is going to be when she gives birth to her baby boy, or a baby girl… she looked down at her arm which was resting on her still flat stomach, wondering what her kid will look like. She closed her eyes and before realising it she saw herself, holding a small baby wrapped in a purple blanket. Behind her there was a black haired man. Jughead. He wrapped his arms around her and the baby, making her feel safe and sound. After a couple of minutes she opened her eyes again, and shook her head, surprised where her mind took her.
Jughead was something forced upon her, something her mother wanted. Yet here he was in her dreams, being a father to her baby, which she knew would happen. His arms wrapped around her was another story. A romance was not included in this deal, but here she was imagining him holding her in a warm embrace. Suddenly Betty wondered if he would ever want more.
At the foot of the bed laid Dakota, she hadn't left Betty side all night. Not even when Jughead came in and offered Dakota breakfast. She had lifted her head, looked at Betty sleeping, then laid her head back down. Jughead smiled at the pair, Betty was sprawled across the bed her hair flowing across the pillow and Dakota laid in between her feet. Betty wore an old fashioned cotton nightgown with flowers across the chest. It was big on her but he imagined she would fill it out as the baby grew inside her. He was relieved to see that Betty had finally entered into sleep. Jughead let out a brief sigh before leaving the room. He wanted to kiss Betty's forehead, tell her he was going out to work the fields and that everything was going to be okay. He refrained after a moment's hesitation and went on with his day.
Betty sat up stretching her arms and arching her back. The movement woke up Dakota, she quickly walked up to Betty and licked her face. Betty giggled and rubbed Dakota's head. "Thank you for being my friend last night."
Betty got dressed in shorts and a Berkeley University t-shirt. The smell of bacon and eggs filled the house. Betty glanced at the clock before heading to the stairs. It was 9:30 am, surely Jughead had started his work on the farm. Betty always thought farmers started their work early before the sun was in the sky. She quickly walked down the steps and took a left to enter the kitchen, Dakota in tow. I love that Dakota loves Betty already!
There stood Jughead in a gray t-shirt, a lightweight blue flannel shirt layered on it, and a pair of jeans. Betty smiled at the sight of him cooking as Dakota ran to her bowl of food. The clang of Dakota's collar against her bowl caught Jughead's attention. His eyes caught Betty's, "Good morning. I thought you might be hungry." He greeted as he slid the eggs onto a plate.
"Thank you." Betty said sliding into the seat next to the table. "Shouldn't you be working?"
"I took a break." He said simply setting the plate in front of her next to the mug filled with coffee. In honesty his mind kept drifting back to Betty and Dakota. Dakota refused to eat and Betty would need to eat whenever she did wake up. Finally after four hours of work he decided to go inside and check on the two girls. "Its decaf." He said referring to the coffee and leaning against the wall.
Betty sighed as she noticed the pregnancy books on the table, he had been reading. "I think the whole no caffeine thing might be a myth." She countered taking a bite. "Thank you, it's delicious." Jughead smiled softly at her, "I guess I'll be outside if you need me." He said heading towards the door, he stopped and looked back at her. Her hair was no longer messy but in a neat tight ponytail like it had been yesterday when he first saw her at the church. Her clothes were put together but lazy, he smiled again and walked out the door.
Betty ate small bits of her food and fed the rest to Dakota. She was feeling slightly nauseous. Whether it was from the baby or the stress of the past few days Betty didn't know. She pushed her plate away as she stood up to wash the dishes.
She put her plate in the sink and started to rub it with a sponge getting all of the. Since she was the only one who ate breakfast she was quickly done and picked up her plate again before reaching for a dry towel. Suddenly she felt an unfamiliar rush of dizziness and before she knew it she dropped the plate to the tile and ran towards the bathroom.
Jughead was chopping wood in the front yard when he heard a loud clash coming from the house. Without wasting a second he ran into the house. As he entered the kitchen he saw a shattered plate on the floor. ''Betty?'' He called out, worry dripping from this words.
He took a second, listening, for any calls or cries of pain, suddenly scared Betty wasn't okay. He couldn't imagine losing her before knowing her at all.
He didn't hear any cries of agony but instead a mess of groans and gagging noises.
''Betty?'' He called out again, softer this time as he started to walk towards the bathroom. ''Betts…'' He stopped in front of the bathroom door which was slightly open, his knuckles grazing the door in a light knock. He wasn't sure what he should do. Should he go in? Should he leave her alone?
''Just a second.'' Betty called out when she heard two soft knocks behind her.
''Is everything okay?'' The anxious man asked leaning forward making it open a bit more only to reveal a kneeling Betty over the toilet. She was wiping her mouth with a nearby towel, then trying to stand up.
''Here.'' Jughead rushed in and grabbed her arm, helping her to her feet.
''Thanks.'' She offered him a tired smile.
''Morning sickness?'' he asked sympathetically as she grabbed onto the sink. She washed out her mouth and splashed some cold water over her pale face.
''You really have been paying attention to all those pregnancy books, huh?'' She tried to lighten the mood.
''Yeah'' He smiled. ''How else am i supposed to take care of my wife?"
She couldn't help but smile when she heard him call her his wife. ''Thanks.'' They walked out, him letting her lean against him as he lead her out of the bathroom and to the living room. ''Sit.'' He said almost sounding like an order, making her insides clench. He was sweet, protective, and authoritative. It made her wonder what her life would look like. What would happen when their child makes a mistake? Or if she made him jealous? The thought of a jealous Jughead both frightened her and excited her. She could almost see the veins on his arms pop out as he would throw a punch to a guy who just looked her up and down. She shook her head. Damn those pregnancy hormones were messing with her mind, she had just met this man and here she was fantasizing about him.
''I'll make you a cup of tea.'' Jughead said interrupting her thoughts.
''You don't have to..''
''Yes, i do.'' Without another world he walked towards the kitchen. She could see him put some water on the stove, through the little opening between the kitchen and the living room. She liked watching him, he seemed to get lost in his mind often, much like herself. Jughead turned around, catching her staring at him.
''I'm.. I'm sorry.. About the plate.'' She quickly said trying to act casual and cover up her previous actions.
''Don't worry about it, it's just a plate.'' He smiled before picking up the shattered porcelain off the floor carefully and setting it into a plastic bag. Jughead took special attention to each piece of glass on the floor. He wouldn't have Betty stepping on any glass and hurting herself.
A strong loud whistle emerged from the stove just as Jughead swept up the last piece of glass. Jughead stood up quickly and turned off the stove pouring her cup of peppermint tea.
Betty watched as his strong firm hands work delicately with a tiny spoon to stir the tea. "Sugar?" He asked into the empty kitchen space.
"Just a bit." She replied resting her feet on the couch cushion. Jughead came walking into the living room with a steaming mug of tea. "Here." He said simply as he handing her the cup. She took it from him carefully and took a sip. "You don't seem like a tea type of guy."
"Well I'm not. I prefer coffee, but I knew peppermint was good for an upset stomach. Besides it will be cold for most of your pregnancy so I figured you would enjoy something warm." He explained with a shrug and a soft smile.
He really did seem to care, enough to do research and be prepared for when Betty arrived. "Thank you, Jughead." Jughead paused noting the seriousness in her tone of voice, locking eyes with her. "For taking me in when no one wanted me." She told him briefly staring into her cup.
Jughead wanted to tell her she was wanted here, that he wanted her. As a friend, as a wife, as a mother to his children, the one she now carried and any others she might have. "You're welcome Betty." He said letting his arms drop to his side. For the first Betty noticed that he had shedding his flannel overlay and now wore only a white t shirt. His arms were a nice built, his chest firm, the shirt clinging close to him. Betty took a deep breath focusing back to her tea.
"My sister, Jellybean, she wants us to come over for dinner. I told her it would depend on how you felt. You just settling in and all."
Betty looked at him with a nod, "No, we'll go. I won't keep you from your family."
Jughead smiled softly, "My family. Jellybean, her husband, John. They know about the marriage and our…" he paused clearing his throat. "situation. As do my best friend, Archie, and wife Veronica. But my niece and nephew don't, I think it's best it stays that way." He explained clearly so she would feel prepared.
Betty nodded in understanding. "I suppose it's time to put our acting to the test." She responded with a chuckle.
Jughead caught himself in a rare genuine smile. Betty smile brightly at his fleeting moment of happiness. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm better. Go to work. We'll be just fine." She assured as she noted Jughead's hesitation to leave. He hovered by her debated whether or not to kiss her head. He quickly decided against it and walked out the door. Betty sighed as he closed the door, she was happy that Jughead was a nice, gracious man. But something inside her wished for something different. The chemistry between them is so cute and I love it already!
The sound of an axe hitting wood came through the window. Betty carefully swung her legs to the floor and stood up. Dakota followed her over to the front window where Jughead could be scene chopping wood. Betty sat her mug on the window sill keeping her hand by it for quick access if it fell. She made a mental note to not let any other dishes fall while she stayed in the house.
Outside Jughead swung the axe onto the tree stump repeatedly eventually splitting the wood. His black hair had become darker while drenched in sweat. His face glistening under his beanie. Betty wondered why he didn't take it off, she was sure it was hot under there. His arm muscles tightened with every swing. Betty's mouth suddenly felt dry, she slid her tongue across her lips to moisten them. She took a deep breath as she watched him and took a swig of her tea.
After a few minutes, Betty decided she wouldn't be creepy anymore and returned to her spot on the couch. She settled with a book she found laying up the coffee table, her stomach slowly returning to normal.
Jughead finished his day's' work and sent a text to Jellybean telling her they would be there at 6pm. He quickly ascended up the steps and into the house, catching Betty's attention as the door opened. "Hey…" He greeted softly, "feeling better?"
Betty nodded, "Yes, thank you."
Jughead shuffled his feet to dry them off on the welcome mat. "I'm gonna jump in the shower. We'll leave in…" he paused glancing at his watch. "Say 30 mins?" He asked not knowing how much time she needed.
"I'll be ready." Betty assured as Jughead took the steps two at a time. Betty sat the book down and stood up to get ready.
20 minutes later, Betty emerged down the steps to find Jughead waiting for her, phone in hand. His work clothes were traded to dress pants and a nice light blue button down shirt. He looked up at the sound of her coming down the steps. "Hey I was just telling Jellybean we were leaving soon. She likes to keep tabs on me." Betty smiled mentioning that she didn't blame Jellybean for being worried about her brother who lived alone in a farmhouse. Jughead paused taking in Betty's lacy pink dress. "You look great."
"Thanks, the fat hasn't settled in yet." She teased knowing one day soon her body would no longer be thin and shapely, but rather soft and round. Jughead shook his head with a chuckle, "come on." He said offering his arm for her to take. She happily took his arm and followed him out the door.