"You're sure it's not broken?" She asked, and not for the first time.

"Ronnie." Archie managed a laugh, tightening his grip on her hand. "If it was broken, you would be screaming in pain right now. Relax, it's probably not even sprained."

Veronica considered his words.

"I'm drunk." She admitted, after a moment.

He laughed again. "I noticed."

Kevin and Reggie were just ahead of them, leading the way with the only flashlight. He could just barely make out the dim embers of their dying fire, Cheryl standing beside it, trying to warm herself.

"Archiekins." Veronica whined, halting them both.

"Ronnie." He began. "We're almost-"

"Carry me." She begged, holding her arms out. "I'm so tired."

"And drunk." Archie reminded her, grinning.

"Archie!"

With a subtle roll of his eyes, he complied, lifting her up again. She weighed practically nothing, and despite the hours of fresh air, and their earlier dip in Sweet Water River, she still smelled vaguely like Chanel No. 5, her favorite perfume.

Her head fell heavily against his shoulder, and he allowed his cheek to rest against her soft raven curls for a second.

Moose and Cheryl were laughing about something when they finally arrived, and Chuck stepped forward, throwing several logs into the fire. Another match was lit, and the flames came to life once again.

Archie placed Veronica on the log he had been occupying earlier and took a quick glance around to ensure they were all accounted for.

One obvious person was missing, the only golden haired girl in a sea of brown, black and red.

"Chuck." He snapped, unwinding Veronica's arms from around his neck. "Where's Betty?"

Chuck seemed surprised. "She's not back yet?"

"Where the hell is she?" Kevin demanded, sounding angry.

He let his shoulders drop in a shrug. "Hell if I know. We split up."

Even Reggie looked alarmed. "You let her go off in the woods by herself? You know Serpents like to hang around here!"

Archie snatched the flashlight from his hand. "I'm going to look for her."

Reggie began to follow him. "I'm coming with you."

The first thing she was aware of was a chill.

It had started getting cold around six, and although she had sworn that she was fine, her friends knew her better than that. Moose had finally pulled off the plaid button up that had been previously tied around his waist, despite her protests, draping it across her shoulders.

She tried to open her eyes, though found them too heavy to lift.

Her entire body was numb.

Where was she?

The last thing she remembered was leaving the campsite to retrieve firewood. Had she fallen again? Maybe they really did have bad luck when they went camping.

Then, she heard a different noise from a distance.

It was laughter at first, and for a moment, she thought it was the rest of the gang coming to her rescue, but none of the voices were the ones she was accustomed to.

"What is that?" A stranger demanded, his tone deeper than any of the boys she usually hung around with.

"Oh my god!" It was a girl, not Cheryl or Veronica, who had spoken. She'd gasped. "What is that? Is it another body?"

"Shut up." A third snapped.

Leaves rustled, and a twig broke as someone seemingly moved closer.

"What are you-"

"Shut up." He said again, sounding so close and yet so far away, so familiar, but so new, so foreign, the same voice that had haunted her dreams for longer than she would ever admit. "Hey... Are you all right? What happened to you?"

She managed to groan in pain, still unable to open her eyes.

"Zombie!"

"Shut up!" The girl echoed angrily. "Dumb ass."

"Betty?"

There was alarm in his tone now.

"Betty." He repeated anxiously. More leaves crunched under the weight of heavy footsteps, and she wondered if she was surrounded. "Betty, hey, what the hell happened?"

Darkness was beginning to overtake her again, slowly but surely.

"Betty." Someone grasped her shoulders, almost shaking her. "Betty, are you okay? Open your eyes."

She wanted to comply with his request, if only to see his own beautiful irises, she had always loved the color, she tried, but she was in too much pain to follow through with the plea.

"Shit, man, she's bleeding, dude."

"Thanks, Sherlock." He hissed. His rough hand moved upward to cup her cheek, his palm cool against her skin. "I can see that. Betty? Come on, Cooper, wake up."

"I don't think she can hear you..."

There was an oddly familiar smacking sound as someone was slapped. Hard.

Chuck. Betty thought, trying and failing to hold onto the memory. Chuck hit me.

"She's not dead, idiot." The girl sounded even more irritated now. "She's just knocked out."

"We're sure she's breathing?"

"If you say one more word..."

"Knock it off. Both of you." A gentler hand brushed a few strands of blonde hair away from her eyes. "What are we going to do?"

His palm fell away, and it sounded like he was searching for something. When he didn't find what he was looking for, he cursed under his breath, a habit she had once scolded him for the first time she witnessed him doing it. They were only in seventh grade, she had told him, he didn't need to be talking like that.

She wanted to scold him again, more than anything, she wanted to berate him, pretending to be mad until that familiar smirk, not as smug as it was now, graced his lips, and she would inevitably end up grinning too, her faux anger easily melting away.

"Sweet Pea, give me your bandana." He ordered. "Elizabeth Cooper, you stay awake, do you hear me? Don't you dare fall asleep."

Sweet Pea? Her mind wondered, and in any other situation, she would have smiled. What kind of name is Sweet Pea?

Not that her given name was any better. Why had he addressed her as such, anyway? He'd only ever called her Elizabeth when he wanted to get on her nerves. Now it was something different entirely.

"Aww, man, c'mon, this is my lucky one!"

"Well it hasn't been very lucky so far." Two voices teased together.

"Give it!" He barked. "She's losing a lot of blood."

A few obscenities later, a rough fabric was being pressed against her forehead. She could feel a wetness seeping through. Was he right? Was she really bleeding? She was too numb, too cold, too tired to feel much of anything.

Suddenly she was glad her eyes were closed; she hated the sight of blood. Was he glad too? He'd always teased her for being so squeamish.

He wasn't afraid of anything.

"What are you going to do?" She asked again.

He ignored her.

"Betty."

She ignored him, though not completely on purpose.

"Betts?" He whispered, using the name that only he had been able to call her. "What happened?"

She only groaned in pain.

Jughead glanced back at Toni, his eyes widening in fear.

He had seen far worse, cleaning the worst of wounds after his fellow Serpents had finished a job gone wrong, but finding Betty alone in the middle of the clearing behind Sweet Water River, technically on the Southside, barely conscious, blood gushing from her head, scared him more than anything else ever could.

"We should go." Sweet Pea mumbled.

He was really getting on Jughead's last nerve.

"We can't just leave her." Toni argued, and he was grateful for her presence, for her sanity, her calm, cool and collected demeanor.

"What the hell are we supposed to do with a Northsider?" He shot back. "How did she even get here?"

"We'll worry about that later." Jughead decided, slinging Betty's arm around his neck.

Sweet Pea stared at him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not leaving her here."

"Jughead-"

"I'm not leaving her." He hissed, lifting her from the ground. Betty winced, but he had no time to worry about if he was injuring her further. "Come on. Let's go."

Fangs took the lead, Toni and Sweet Pea following him. Jughead lagged behind, the extra weight in his arms slowing him slightly.

"Betts." He muttered, low enough for only her to hear. The name wasn't a slip this time. "Betty, hey, can you hear me? Everything's okay now. You're going to be fine."

Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of his voice.

"J-Juggie?" She whispered.

"I'm right here, Betts." Jughead promised, his grip tightening.

Betty's head fell heavily against his shoulder. "I didn't want it."

"W-What?" He wasn't sure why he had stuttered. "You didn't... Betty, what are you-"

"I didn't want it." She repeated, a little more firmly this time. "I didn't, I swear I didn't."

He didn't have to ask again.

"Betty." Jughead said, the urgency clear in his tone. "You can't fall asleep, okay? Don't fall asleep. You have to keep talking. Talk to me, tell me what you remember. Please."

"I didn't want it." She insisted, blinking several times.

Then, her eyes closed.

"Betty!" He snapped. "Damn it, Betty, stay awake. Talk to me! Tell me what you remember!"

She only snuggled into him more, a content smile on her face despite the blood dripping from her forehead.

"Juggie." She muttered.

She woke again to sharp movements, and something being pressed up against her brow. She felt light headed, and the scent of gasoline, leather, cigarettes and aftershave currently filling her nostrils did little to help the nauseous feeling slowly creeping up in her stomach.

"C'mon, Betts." He murmured in her ear. "I need you to stay awake. Keep talking to me."

She was being carried, she realized, the arms cradling her familiar enough, a comfort she hadn't felt in so long. She muttered something under her breath, what, she had no idea, but it made him chuckle just the same, and he brought his hand up to brush the hair from her face.

And then, someone else was calling her name.

"Shit." A deep voice mumbled.

"Who was that?"

"Archie." He answered, without hesitation. "Figures he'd come to save the day, huh Betts?"

Betty thought she might have sighed.

"What the hell do we do now?"

"Shut up!" He snapped. "Damn it, just give me a minute to think."

"We don't have a minute." The girl pointed out. The people calling for her were growing closer.

"What do we do?"

"Just leave her."

The person supporting her weight tightened their grip, almost crushing her to their chest.

"Jug-"

"Not a chance." He declared.

"You don't have a choice!" She argued. "She's one of theirs."

"Toni-"

"We protect our own, Jug."

"I am protecting my own."

"Jughead, I remember the promise you made, but she's not in any danger. Her friends are looking for her. She'll probably be safer with them."

Promise? Betty thought. What promise?

Jughead scoffed. "You obviously haven't met the people she hangs around with."

"What, and you think she'll be safer with you?"

"Betty?"

It was Archie calling her, his tone desperate, pleading, and exactly what Jughead seemed to need to cause him to pause.

"Jug." The girl said, a little more sternly this time.

He sighed in response.

"Okay."

Suddenly, Betty felt herself being lowered, gently, a hand underneath her head as if he were trying to cushion the agony of them being separated all over again. She opened her eyes to find a familiar pair of blue irises staring back at her in concern.

He crouched down beside her.

"Juggie." She whispered.

He traced her cheek with a hesitant finger.

"I'm sorry Betts." He muttered, and as her lids became heavy, he was gone.

"Arch." Reggie muttered, catching hold of his arm. "Look."

Archie followed his line of sight, his own eyes widening when he saw a familiar golden haired girl lying in the grass.

"Betty!" He yelled, Kevin echoing him.

The three boys ran to her.

Archie dropped to his knees, his hands curling around her shoulders. He started to shake her, but then thought better of it. Her breathing was shallow, and from the dim beam of the flashlight, he wasn't sure when he had given it to Reggie, he could tell that there was a bleeding scrape across her forehead that might need stitches.

"Betty?" He demanded anxiously. "Betty, can you hear me?"

She groaned in pain, and although it wasn't much, he was still glad to hear it.

"Betty." Archie said again. "What happened?"

"And where did that bandana come from?" Kevin asked.

"Later Kev." He muttered. "Betty?"

She whimpered, her eyes slowly opening as she glanced around in confusion.

"Arch?" Betty stared up at him.

Archie managed a tentative smile. "I'm here, Betty, I'm right here."

"Where's Juggie?" She whispered, slowly bringing a hand up to touch her forehead.

He blocked her easily.

"Jug?" Archie echoed warily, his brows knitting together. "Betty, what are you... It's just us here. You, me, Kevin and Reg."

Reggie had kneeled down, the flashlight pointing directly at her.

Betty tried to sit up, but he held her down with a firm hand, pressing her shoulder into the dirt. The last thing he needed was for her to rise too quickly.

"I think you might have a concussion, B." He admitted.

She winced. "I think you're right."

"What happened?" Kevin questioned, his fingers locking around her wrist.

"Please don't be checking my pulse." Betty mumbled, still somewhat in her right mind.

Reggie leveled his gaze at her. "What happened, B? Chuck said you guys split up."

Archie paused, still wondering if he had any reason to doubt Chuck's story. His gut told him not to believe it, that there was more to it than the rest of the of them knew, but the only person who could set the record straight was Betty.

"What happened when you left the campsite?" Kevin urged.

Betty's gaze locked into Archie's.

"Where's Jug?" She demanded again.

Kevin and Reggie shared an unreadable look.

"Dude." Reggie muttered, clapping him on the back as if to try and get his attention. "Why does she keep asking for Jughead Jones?"

"Hell if I know." Archie replied.

"He was here." Betty insisted. "He carried me. Did you know he was so strong, Arch? I didn't."

"The bandana!" Kevin pointed out.

"No." Betty shook her head, a little too quickly for his liking. "Juggie doesn't wear bandanas, Kev, remember? He has his beanie... It kind of looks like a crown. And really, who wears a beanie in the middle of summer? Only Jughead."

Reggie's bewilderment turned to concern. "I think Betty having a concussion is a safe bet."

"Oh, really?"

"We should go camping!" Betty declared, again trying to stand.

Archie's grip tightened. When had she gotten so strong?

"B, we were camping, remember?"

"The only place you're going is the hospital." Archie told her.

She pouted. "Oh, Archie, I'm fine! See!"

Before he could stop her, she sprang to her feet, and she would have fallen if not for Kevin and Reggie, simultaneously reaching out to grasp her arms. For whatever reason, Betty giggled at their reactions.

Archie used her distraction to his benefit, grabbing her around the waist. He anchored her to his chest, holding her tight.

She stopped laughing. "I want to see him, Arch."

He shook his head. "The only person you're seeing is a doctor, Cooper."

Betty frowned at the sound of her last name, and Archie mentally cursed himself. Only one person had ever called her that, the very same person she had been asking for since he had found her.

"I need to see him, Arch." She repeated. "I remember. I remember everything. He needs to know. I remember."

Archie stared at her.

"I remember everything."

For the first time in what felt like forever, Jughead finally felt like he had something in common with his former best friend.

Astonishment. Complete and utter shock at the words mumbled by the girl next door.

"Jug." Toni hissed, her voice barely above a whisper.

He waved her away.

Fangs and Sweet Pea hadn't gone far, he could smell the stench of cigarettes, not that that had ever stopped him from smoking them himself, a mile up the path or so. They had tried to convince him to leave, but he couldn't, not without knowing that she was going to be okay.

Toni had grabbed his arm to stop him from giving away their hiding spot when Betty sprang into the air, trying to prove a point that had no merit. His face had formed a permanent scowl as Archie looped his arms around the girl's waist, pulling her close.

He was still holding her, struggling to keep his grip steady, and Jughead wanted to laugh. Ninety-five-pound Betty Cooper, she had always been tiny, a lightweight, was somehow stronger that weight lifting, football playing Archie Andrews.

She was tougher than anyone, even himself at times, gave her credit for.

But she was also fragile, she broke easily, and this was one of the times that she was broken, not just physically, at some point, Kevin had picked up the blood stained bandana, glaring at it with disgust before pressing it to the scrape against her forehead yet again, but emotionally, and he didn't think she even realized it.

If she really remembered, if this wasn't simply the concussion talking, then he had a lot of explaining to do. That was, if she would ever consciously give him the time of day again.

Even if she didn't, he was going to get to the bottom of this, starting with why Archie, Betty and the rest of their friends had been at Sweet Water River in the first place.

"Jug." Fangs whispered.

A twig snapped under his boot.

"What was that?" He heard Kevin demand.

"I don't know." Archie replied, swinging Betty up into his arms. "But I'm not waiting around to find out. Come on, guys."

"Archie!" Betty whined. "Put me down! I want to see Juggie!"

Jughead's heart sank at her words. God, how he wished she really meant it.