"God, I need a drink." Toni mumbled, throwing off her helmet.

Jughead followed suit, his lips forming a thin line as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

It was gone.

He was an idiot.

He should have known better than to leave Jason Blossom's phone in a place she could find it so easily. He wasn't sure why he had even taken it in the first place. Who was he truly trying to protect?

The Serpents?

Or Betty?

Could it have been both? It certainly seemed that way, taking the phone to destroy any possible connection to his own secret about the July Fourth weekend, stealing it so Betty would not attempt to return to the Southside on her own.

He knew her.

Too well.

Pulling out his own phone, he ignored Toni as he dialed the only number he knew by heart, the number he had never deleted, just in case.

It rang six times before her voice mail picked up.

Hey, it's Betty, leave a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I-

Jughead's jaw clenched.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Betty Cooper was nothing if not reliable, she always answered the moment someone called.

"Jug!" Toni said, her voice snapping him back to reality.

"I have to go." He hissed, straddling his bike.

"Jughead-"

"We'll talk later, Toni." Jughead snapped, shoving his beanie into his pocket, pulling his helmet over his dark curls.

He couldn't start the motorcycle fast enough.

He had to get to Betty. He had to make sure she was okay.

He didn't care about the phone anymore.

One Year Ago

His grip on her arm tightened as they stumbled down the uneven path of the embankment.

"I think we lost them." Jason muttered. "Reggie is an idiot. Next time, just pick truth, B, otherwise, one of these days, we probably will end up getting arrested."

Betty barely heard him, too preoccupied with her own thoughts to be amazed that he had actually spoken. When the alarm went off after her attempt to break into the school, why Reggie had dared her to do it in the first place, she had no idea, that was just the game, it didn't have to make sense, Jason had been quick to grab her, yanking her along behind him as they all split up.

She was still confused as to why he'd brought her to Sweet Water River when Pop's might have safer option, let alone why he had accompanied her on her mission in the first place while the rest of their friends were hidden somewhere in the background, drunkenly giggling under their breaths.

They would return to the wooded area within a few weeks for their annual camping trip, and she prayed that this year, they would have better luck. Archie had nearly fallen into the fire pit while it was lit the last time, and with too much to drink, Reggie had gotten lost in the woods as he went to see a man about a horse.

Now that she thought about it, Jason had been oddly protective of her the entire night, constantly at her side any time a certain boy from their group had dared to even to begin to approach her.

"Betty?"

His voice snapped her back to reality.

"Huh?"

He was still speaking; she had never heard him talk this much. It was shocking; she was sure she could count the number of conversations they'd had on one hand.

"I need to ask you something."

"Okay..." She drew out. "What?"

Jason finally let her go, his eyes searching her face for a moment. "B, are you... Are you scared of Chuck?"

The mention of his name already had her shutting down.

"C-Chuck?" Betty repeated warily.

It's just me, B.

She could still feel his hand, wrapped tightly around her throat, not allowing her to budge an inch.

It's just me.

"No!" She cried, darting away from him.

"Betty!" Jason caught her easily, his hands curling around her upper arms. "It's okay, everything's okay."

"No..."

"I know what happened."

She barely registered his words, slowly growing numb, the familiar feeling creeping through her body, nearly rendering her immobile.

"N-Nothing happened." She replied, her automatic response every time Archie had asked.

"Betty..."

"Nothing happened!"

"B, it's okay-"

"No!" She hissed, wrenching free from his grasp. "No, stop! I don't wanna remember! Nothing happened! Nothing happened!"

"Betty..."

Jason took a cautious step towards her, only one, but it was enough to make her further shrink into her protective state, spinning on her heel.

"Betty!"

"Juggie." She whispered, just as she had that night. "I need Juggie."

"B!" Jason called after her. "B, get back here! I want to help you! Please, come back!"

"Juggie." Betty said again, her pace quickening. "I need you, Juggie."

"Juggie." She whimpered.

"Betts." He echoed, just as anxiously, catching hold of her wrists to pull her to her feet. "Betts, I'm right here."

His suspicions that something was wrong had only been confirmed by her unlocked front door. Her mother wasn't home, unsurprisingly, and he had taken the stairs two at a time to get to her bedroom, still pink, frilly, and very Betty Cooper like, to find her curled up in a familiar ball, her hands pressed over her eyes, whispering his name again and again.

She wound her arms around his torso, clinging to him for dear life. He grunted at her death grip, though folded her into a tight hug, his free hand smoothing back the crown of her ponytail.

"Betty." Jughead muttered. "Shh, it's okay, everything's okay now."

He dropped down onto the mattress, Betty still wrapped in his embrace.

It was now or never.

He couldn't let her go through this again, he wouldn't, not when he had the power, the knowledge she had never wanted to hear, to save her, to finally break through the protective walls she had worked so hard to put up.

There was just one problem. Saving her could also mean destroying her.

What would hurt her more?

"Betty..." He began.

"N-Nothing happened." She stuttered.

"Betts."

Betty squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her face into his shoulder, staining his t-shirt with her tears. The sight broke his heart.

He couldn't let her go on like this. She needed to know.

He should have told her long before, god had he tried, but she seemed to block him out every single time, if only to protect herself.

"Betty, we need to talk about-"

"No!" Betty cried, gripping him tighter. "Nothing happened! I don't... I don't wanna remember. Not tonight, Juggie, please."

"Betts..."

"Nothing happened!"

He knew those words. Too well.

One Year Ago

Sweet Pea finished his beer and chuckled the bottle at the closest tree, both he and Fangs letting out a drunken cheer as it shattered into a million pieces, the glass littering the ground.

Jughead glanced at Toni and rolled his eyes.

He knew he should have stayed in, but someone had to keep an eye on his band of inebriated idiots, so there he was, wasting a perfectly good Saturday night at the edge of Sweet Water River, listening to Sweet Pea tell the same raunchy joke every ten minutes.

"Glad you came?" Toni teased.

He smirked in response, something in the distance catching his eye.

"Jug?" She questioned.

"Stay here." He ordered, already starting down the path.

"Jug-"

"Keep an eye on them, Toni." Jughead warned, his tone making her think twice about speaking again.

Carefully, he began to approach the familiar golden haired girl.

He would have known her anywhere.

"Betty?"

She didn't respond, still mumbling incoherent nothings under her breath, her arms twined tightly around her middle, a clear indicator that she was upset.

Or terrified.

"Betty." He repeated, a little louder this time.

She was a trembling mess, shivering in her sleeveless top and jean shorts despite the summer heat, twigs attacking the curls that had fallen from her usual meticulous ponytail, mascara streaking down both cheeks, her eyes red from tears that had refused to fall.

"N-Nothing happened." She whispered.

"What?" Jughead demanded, stepping closer to her. She flinched at the abrupt movement. "What are you talking about? What are you doing here, Betts?"

She slumped forward into his waiting arms.

"Juggie." She whimpered.

"Right." He acknowledged, easily supporting her weight. "Are you okay?"

"I don't... I didn't..."

He took a moment to survey her, beyond her disheveled appearance. Her eyes went wide, and it suddenly occurred to him that she was not completely in her right mind.

Irritation filled him, almost over masking his hidden concern. He wasn't supposed to care anymore, she wasn't his to protect, but he couldn't turn it off. He would always be there for her, whether she knew that or not.

"Are you drunk?"

"N-Nothing happened." Betty responded.

A pit settled in his stomach.

She wasn't just drunk, she was gone, trapped in her own subconscious, a memory that only she could call recall in its entirety, oblivious to her other surroundings.

"Betts." He pronounced slowly.

"J-Juggie..."

"I'm right here." Jughead promised. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere, but I need you to snap out of it. Come back to me."

His final words held so much meaning than either one of them knew.

"Juggie." Betty slurred, reaching up to cup his face, and he let her, her palm clammy against his cheek.

"Come back to me, Betts." He begged. "Please."

Something flashed in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm so sorry, Juggie. I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?" Jughead echoed warily.

Her arms locked around his torso, pressing her face into the crook of his neck as her legs threatened to give out from under her.

"Jug?" Toni called.

She slowly made her way down the path.