She knows it's wrong. She's not an idiot. But since the first time she was introduced to Veronica's new boyfriend she could feel the butterflies stirring within her. As well as something else.

At first it was just his looks. Those cheekbones that she wanted to cut herself on. His intense eyes. Even the dorky beanie adorned on his head. They all did things to her. She could feel the heat under her skin intensify as she shook his hand.

And then she got to know him. He was smart, but not in a way that he thought he was superior. He was funny without trying and she found herself laughing a little louder than she knew she should. He was a writer, a journalist and she found herself getting lost in his eyes and his words.

He wasn't even Veronica's type she reasoned to herself. Veronica always went for the jock. The popular guy. She had always been brawn over brains since high school when she had dated their mutual friend Archie Andrews.

But Jughead Jones is different. Even just his name is different and Betty finds herself wanting to know more. She holds her tongue and smiles politely as Veronica recounts their dates to her. How gentlemanly he is holding doors and chaste kisses on cheeks. Betty pushes down that little green monster that is rising up inside her and decides perhaps unwisely that she will find her own 'Jughead'.

Sadly, Richard doesn't quite meet up to her new standards. Not that there is anything wrong with him he's smart, funny too. But he's not Jughead and ultimately that is why after a month they break up. She goes to Veronica's to tell her and is greeted by a shining diamond on her finger and Betty feels the floor go out from underneath her feet.

She's the maid of honour. Of course. They had been friends for so long now it made sense. She attends the appointments, she fawns over Veronica's dress, helps her pick out the suits for the boys all the while trying to hide her disappointment.

She wakes one night late. To a banging on her apartment door groaning as she looks at her phone. Who knocks on someone's door at 3.00am in the morning. Sure she had calls and texts this late from Veronica, anxious about a decision that needed to be made and like a good friend she talked her through it. Betty always made everything better.

She shrugged on her robe and padded to the door. She cautiously looked through her peep-hole and felt at first a wave of relief wash over her as a familiar beanie came into view instead of some drunk knocking on the wrong door. That relief was short lived as she realised that Jughead had come to her apartment in the middle of the night. It was as if her dreams had somehow come to life. She watched as he sighed and knocked again on the door, harder this time making her jump.

She deliberated whether she should pretend she wasn't home. But there must be a reason he was at her front door and Betty's curiosity won out.

She unlocked the safety catch and then her door opened slightly as she took in his appearance. His eyes were red, dark circles underneath suggesting that he hadn't slept and his usually well placed beanie was askew with more of his dark waves escaping their usual confines.

"Betts," he let out. His hand moving from his beanie to brace himself against her door frame.

She blushed at the nickname. He was the only one who called her that. Well the only one that she let. Richard had called her Betts once and she had corrected him immediately.

"Jug," She moved away from her door opening it wider for him to come inside. He moved over the threshold into her apartment removing the beanie from his head as he did so. "What's wrong?" She asked gently moving towards him as he twisted the woollen cap in his hands, twisting and pulling as he seemed to be searching for words.

"I fucked up Betts. I just, I'm nervous you know? " He rang his hand over his face, before he slumped on her couch. He held his head in his hands refusing to meet her gaze. "I feel like it's all moving so quick. I mean I'm the one who proposed for fucks sake."

Betty took the seat next to him on the couch and placed her hand on his back. She moved it gently up and down. Hoping to soothe him, to take away some of his tension.

"We were looking good at cakes today and it just hit me. I just needed to escape and then Veronica got mad at me." He groaned as he recounted the events. The screaming match between himself and Veronica unkind things said on either side until she ordered him to leave. Which left him to try and drown some sorrows in a bar near her apartment. Betty continued to rub his back, nodding and listening. While a little voice entered inside her told her that this was her chance. That she could be happy.

"So you're here because?" Betty tried to keep the hopefulness out of her voice lest it betray her emotions. He looked up to meet her gaze and her hand stilled on his back.

"Because you know Veronica, and I need to make it up to her." She held the look on her face while her heart sunk. "You always know what to do." She pulled herself together and smiled.

"Of course." She removed her hand from his back and placed it instead over his hand. "But first you should probably get some sleep. No one is going to be one over by this look." She indicated to his ruffled hair and tired face. Present company excluded. He smiled back at her and she felt that feeling again in the pit of her stomach and wondered whether with time it would go away. "You can crash on the couch if you want." She offered unsure whether he would accept, but he nodded graciously and she rose to get some blankets from the linen cupboard and the spare pillow from her bed.

He grasped her hand again holding it briefly before he pulled her into a hug and she allowed herself to nestle her face in the crook of his neck and breathe in his scent.

Too soon it was over and he pulled back from her. "You're the best Betts."

"Yeah, yeah," she replied dismissing his praise with shake of her hand as she left the room to return with an armful of blankets and a pillow balanced on top. "Get some beauty sleep, Jug. Tomorrow we start Operation Win Veronica Back." She hoped he didn't see through the exaggerated excitement in her voice. He chuckled softly as he took the items from her and started to make his bed for the night. She wished him goodnight as did he as she returned to her own bed trying not to think about who was sleeping in the next room. It was safe to say that her dreams did not stay so pure that night.

She was the first to wake in the morning. She padded out to her lounge still wiping the sleep from her eyes as she took in his sleeping form on the couch. His hair had fallen slightly over his eyes and Betty couldn't help herself as he hand reached over to push the curl back from his face. She knew she shouldn't. She knew it was wrong. But the words slipped from her mouth before she could stop them.

"I love you Jughead Jones."