Hey all! I'm back!

When they finally come to destroy the earth
They'll have to go through you first
I bet they won't be expecting that
When they finally come to destroy the earth
They'll have to deal with you first

-Invincible, Ok Go

June 14th, 2018

That night, they all got a little drunk. They toasted to the parting of friends and to Betty's belated induction to the Serpents. Toni made Betty drunkenly memorized the Serpent code and Betty reprised her dance, but with clothes on this time. Well, some of her clothes.

Betty stood on the coffee table in the living room, a bottle of Hiram's best champagne in her fingers as she swayed slightly side to side. They'd arranged pillows below her to break the fall, in case she lost her balance. She was wearing what Toni had identified as a 'bralette' (but, to Sweet Pea, he wasn't sure how it qualified as clothing), a thin tank top, and a pair of sports shorts. Over top of all of it was her Serpent's jacket, hanging precariously from her shoulders. When she turned around, her shorts rode up and her jacket was far past her usual build, so it seemed like she was wearing no pants if she was viewed from the right angle. Sweet Pea leaned back on the lazy boy near as far back as it could go, swirling whisky between his teeth, tracing Betty's movements. A part of him was surprised no one had called him out on the fact that he was watching her, but maybe everyone was too busy watching Betty too. She was sort of enchanting, he decided, from the soft pout of her lips to the way her bare feet hopped on the smooth wood. It was just like that moment so many moths ago he'd first taken notice of Betty Cooper at the Wyrm, but this time, he had every reason to be watching her.

Holy fuck, she was sort of beautiful, he decided. Even if she was Jughead's girl, Sweet Pea found no fault in looking. No touching, he reminded himself firmly, but looking was allowed.

"Rule 1," Toni asked, legs dangling as she sat on the top of the couch, a wild light glimmering in her eyes.

Betty steadied herself, passing the bottle neck to one of her hands so she could use her other hand to hold up a single finger. At first, Sweet Pea thought she was asking for a moment, until he realized she was counting the rules off.

"No serpent stands alone," She said, her eyes catching Sweet Pea's. She was likely thinking of their conversation on the dock. Sweet Pea remembers being read the rules to learn and being so relieved, hoping to find a family that would not leave him like all the rest did.

"Rule two!"

"If a serpent is killed or imprisoned, their family will be taken care of," Betty said, a fond smile. Sweet Pea didn't have any extended family for this rule to refer to, but all the same, he was pleased that this was the second rule. He knew that maybe Betty was thinking that, if the world was different, having some assurance of her family's safety and well-being was comforting. Well, Alice was already a serpent but still.

"Rule Three," Cheryl interjected, sipping wine as red as her lips.

"A serpent never shows cowardice."

"Rule four."

"No serpent is left for dead." Betty had questioned him on this one when he was going over them with her today. It was similar to the first rule, but Sweet Pea always interpreted it differently. The first rule just meant that you have your buddy's back, that if they need you, you are there. No serpent is left for dead indicates something deeper, something that's about bravery and chivalry without ever outright saying it. It means it literally and figuratively. You take care of your own. You save your own. And, once you're in, you're always in.

"Rule five."

During this, Ethel and Chuck were watching with rapt attention, likely never having been so close to so many serpents before. Betty had been in this world awhile, so the customs didn't surprise her much any more. Chuck was watching like they were a whole other culture, Ethel's face was pinched and Sweet Pea wondered if she was re-thinking her assumptions of their kind.

She hadn't been mean to him since he arrived, but she didn't go out of her way to include him in anything. Perfectly fine, Sweet Pea found her a little insufferable. She was politely nice to Betty, which Betty seemed a little put-off by. It wasn't really Sweet Pea's place to say, but if Ethel had just changed her attitude only because Betty was wearing a jacket now, she was sort of a shitty person. But, what did he know?

"Rule six, the final rule." Toni said, trying to place a sense of seriousness on her lips but failing rather miserably. Betty looked at her hand- already all five fingers up- and to her other one, holding the bottle. With a decisive grin, she chugged the remainder of the champagne, dropping the glass onto the carpet to hold up her sixth finger. Sweet Pea couldn't help but grin, the smile spreading across his face at her at her actions.

"In unity, there is strength." She said.

"In unity, there is strength," Sweet Pea, Toni, and Cheryl all echoed at varying paces. There was a beat of silence before Toni nearly tacked Betty off the table by launching herself at her, accompanied by a high-pitch squeal.

"You're one of us now, for real, Betty!" She said. Sweet Pea smirked, pulling out his phone from his pocket and playing 'I Got A Feeling' in celebration. It took a second, but Betty righted herself from the attack-hug and hopped back onto the table and began to dance.

It wasn't the seductive twirling she'd done on the pole at the Wyrm, but this was light-hearted and fun and carefree. Betty spun on her heels, her blond hair flying out as she giggled uncontrollably.

That got Toni dancing, as well as Ethel of all people. Ethel managed to rope Chuck into one dance, and he took her hand and spun her. Cheryl joined in after Toni poking her into annoyance and at one point, Betty looked at Sweet Pea as if to say 'you too'. Sweet Pea just held up his palms, shaking his head. Sweet Pea didn't dance, or wouldn't right now, right here. Betty just sighed, but let him remain and he found he was perfectly happy just to watch it all unfold.

It was the most fun Betty had had since this whole thing started. Sweet Pea just sat back on the recliner, watching her and grinning. He got happier when he was drunk. She supposed, under these circumstances, so did she. Sweet Pea provided the music, clicking through different genres and decades, finding at least one song that pleased each person. They were not so careful about making noise, probably not as careful as they should have been, because tonight was about letting go, because who knew the next time they'd have such a luxury?

They all fell asleep in a lump together on the floor, a tangle of limbs and shot glasses that were once filled with vodka.

June 15th, 2018

In the morning, all of them still alive but very much hungover, they made their parting goodbyes. Betty wasn't sure what was worse; never having the chance to say goodbye at all or knowing, deep down, that this could likely be the last time you'd ever see someone. That, if someone were placing bets, it was a safe guess one group would be dead not long after. How do you say goodbye and say everything all at once? How to do you find the words to express feelings for people that you know very well or people you know only in passing?

Sweet Pea seemed just as fumbling as she did, just staring at Toni for a long time, face stoney. His whole posture slumped low and Betty could tell by the way he held his jaw he was trying hard not to cry. For as strong as he seemed, it was moments like this that reminded Betty how young they all were; kids, really. Kids dealing with issues much beyond their reach and completely alone in it.

"I wish there was a way to let you know how to find us," Toni was crying as she hugged Sweet Pea. Betty had learned enough to know they'd known each other since first grade. They were like brother and sister. Her own blood had won her over, though. If Betty didn't know Sweet Pea better, she'd argue that might have hurt his feelings, since Toni's other brother was six years their senior and had always been sort of a rat of a person.

"I want to say also that I'll see you again one day but…" Toni took a step back. There wasn't much to say between them, so Betty wondered if they'd done their goodbyes earlier, out of curious ears.

"We don't know," Chuck cut in, "I sincerely hope we do meet again." He sounded very genuine and Betty even let him hurt her, "Good luck to you both."

"May your paths lead you where it needs to," Cheryl said, which was just like her to be strange a cryptic and make Sweet Pea look a little uncomfortable. He sent Betty a look over Cheryl's head, one that looked halfway between amused and weirded-out.

"Eh, thanks?" He said, a little unsure on how to reply. Cheryl just smiled at him as though she knew a secret he did not, but Betty told Sweet Pea she always looked like that.

June 15th 2018 (Night)

They foursome left at dawn.

"We're never gunna see them again," Sweet Pea sighed as he watched their car speed away.

"You sound so sure." Betty said, closing the door tightly and double-checked their safeguards. Now that it was back to the two of them, her instincts were on high-alert. It was scary how quickly her mind fell back into double-person survival mode. She supposed this was just going to be her new normal.

"You said you had a gut feeling about New York," Sweet Pea pulled his arms across his chest, almost looking ill, "I have a feeling about this."

Sweet Pea spent the rest of the night curled up on the couch, looking like a kicked puppy. He moped, a blanket curled tightly over him, staring out at the rippling lake. Betty found ways to busy herself, to make herself not think about the group of four that had just left. Or that her friends had been here and were no longer. Or that Jughead was gone. Or-

She pursed her lips in frustration, shaking her head. That is exactly why she threw herself into things, because her thoughts were poison of late.

At one point, after Betty forced Sweet Pea to eat dinner, he looked up at her.

"Before, this morning," he said, startling her. His voice was ragged and he still was pouting, "Toni told me something. She didn't know if we should tell you. I wasn't, but-"

He broke off. Betty wondered if he was going to say that she had a right to know or on the flip side, he wanted Betty to be as miserable right now as he was. Either way, he seemed to consider it for a second longer before speaking again. Betty was behind him, reading through the books on the shelf, but completely paused, unsure on if she should look at him or not.

"It's about Jughead." He added. Betty wanted to scream 'tell me' but found her lips would not move. She stayed absolutely frozen in place.

"Ah, fucking hell," She heard Sweet Pea mutter underneath his breath before continuing, "She didn't...she wasn't even sure if what she saw was true, so she didn't think there was a reason to broadcast it but I should know because, you know, I'm second in command and so…" He began, rambling. In that moment, Betty feared the worst. At the least, she knew whatever he was about to say was nothing good.

Sweet Pea didn't seem to notice that her back had gone stiff or that she had not uttered a peep yet, "Toni, while trying to evacuate," He said, gathering his thoughts and speaking with a smooth tone, one tinged with apology, "Thinks she might have seen Jughead get bitten."

The book that was in Betty's hand slipped from her fingers and clattered to the ground. She felt her legs buckle next as she collapsed in a puddle on the floor.

First, she felt a biting anger. An anger that Toni knew this and did not tell her. Even if she missaw things, she at least thought she saw enough to tell Sweet Pea, to worry about this.

Next, she felt agony. If it was true, Jughead was as good as dead.

After, Betty just felt nothing at all.

Sweet Pea looked up from the side of the couch, cussing. He got up, stumbling over where he was tangled in the blanket.
"I knew it was a bad idea to tell you," He said, going to help her up.

"Don't touch me!" Betty snapped out of her fugue, standing up and stalking far away. She didn't hear Sweet Pea call after her and Betty locked herself in one of the bedrooms to try to deal with this information.

When she came back out, Sweet Pea likely assumed she'd sobbed up there until she could no more. That wasn't true. Betty hadn't shed a tear. She'd wanted to, but hadn't. She didn't know why.

She hoped it was because a part of her knew Jughead was alive and you didn't cry over the living.

The pair of them existed in Lodge Lodge in a state of anger and disappointment. At one point, when a group of walkers were too close, Betty- who was just sitting and looking out a window- watched Sweet Pea grab his baseball bat from the door and go outside, taking them all out with more violence than was necessary. Right now, Betty sort of wanted to have that same outlet for a release too.

When Sweet Pea returned inside, his whole body was covered in walker guts and he was heaving hard. There was a wild glint in his eyes, one that Betty would have found dangerous before.

"I think," He said while catching his breathe, "I'm going to put nails in the bat, to make it hit harder. Like Steve Harrington. You ever seen Stranger Things? And I-,"

"Sweet Pea," Betty cut him off with a sharp edge, "I don't really care."

"Yeah," Sweet Pea said after a beat, blinking, "You're right. OG Bat is the best."

She frowned in disgust, "You are so gross right now. Go wash off outside." She instructed.

"Ack, fine, fine." Sweet Pea waved a hand, "Want to come watch?" He asked.

When Betty began to stammer and blush red, he gave her an utterly innocent look, "So that you can tell me when I'm properly clean, Cooper. God, what were you thinking of?"

Any other time, Betty might be relieved he was feeling good enough to joke with her. After dropping the Jughead bomb on Betty not too long ago, however, Betty wasn't really in the mood for his antics.

"Fuck off, Sweet Pea," She snapped, stalking away, "You could go drown in a lake for all I care."

She felt bad about it later, because Sweet Pea had done her a solid by telling her about Jughead. In truth, she was mad at Toni. But Toni and the rest of her group might be dead already, so she thought it was poor form to be mad at someone dead and thus she was taking her anger out on Sweet Pea.

When she apologized that night, Sweet Pea hardly seemed upset.

"I get it," He said after a second, "I guess I'm sorry too. You seemed so put-together after they left and I just lay there, like a slump. I wanted to…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but Betty knew. She didn't think she could fault Sweet Pea for being who he was; a selfish serpent. This wasn't new. She knew this. She'd feel unusually disappointed, had he not apologized about it.

June 17th, 2017

They never talked about what their plans were now, but they both knew this place wasn't going to last. It was too close to other major cities to not have tragedy strike. They let themselves sit here, work through their muddled feelings in relative safety. Once Sweet Pea was feeling better, he went through and ransacked Lodge Lodge just as he'd done at the apartment back in Riverdale.

"It's the end of the world. I hardly think you need Hermes ties," Betty said when he stuffed the fabric into his 'take' bag.

"Oh, so you think!" Sweet Pea said, "I've never in my life been rich enough to even breathe near this shit. I'm going to enjoy it now that I can." He said. He dangled a pair of heels in front of her, "And you can't tell me that these Louboutins aren't just screaming your name?"

"No," Betty crossed her arms, "Heels are a stupid, stupid idea in this climate." She pointed out. She did spy a Prada handbag in the back and couldn't stop herself. When Sweet Pea gave her a raised eyebrow with a smirk, she argued, "You always needs bags for things. This, Sweet Pea, is a reasonable thing to take. I'm surprised you even know the names of these brands."
"What, cuz I'm a guy? Sexist much?" Sweet Pea said, but he was only teasing, "Naw, it was Fangs. He always liked this expensive shit. Said one day he was gunna make it big and be able to buy these things like Hiram always did." Sweet Pea ran the pads of his fingers across one of the ties, "I guess, I'm taking them because I really want to see Fangs again one day and he'd flip if I gave him this stuff."

"Does it matter that there's no one around anymore to be impressed that you're wearing it?" Betty asked, an honest question.

"I think just wearing it for himself would be good enough." Sweet Pea decided.

And they continued going through the house for supplies.

It was a couple days past the month anniversary when they heard the screaming across the lake, the screaming of people being eaten alive. When the screaming stopped, they didn't think it was because the walkers had been dealt with. It was because the walkers had killed them. And that's when they sort of realized that this place was going to fall and it was time to go. Neither of them had to speak as they quickly gathered their things and began packing the car to leave again.

Sweet Pea got on the top of the roof, peering through a pair of binoculars, "The herd's about fifteen away. We should be gone in at least eight." He said, "You finish packing."

"And what, pray tell, are you going to do?" Betty asked, miffed that he was vanishing, shoving another box into the back of the van.

"Just...pack," He urged and Betty rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to let his weird moment take away from getting out safely and as prepared as they could have been. She didn't grab his stuff, though, only their shared supplies and her own things. If Sweet Pea didn't think it was worth it to be loading now, he could leave his stuff.

When there were only Sweet Pea's garbage bags of Hermes ties, bad 80s CDs, and god knows what else, she went to find him. Looking at her watch, they still had three minutes before their eight was up.

She found him at the post, the one where Veronica and Archie had written something. Her nagging she'd been about to unleash on him stopped as she just watched what he was doing. When he turned, he jumped to see her right behind him.

"Thought we might leave our mark too. Just in case." He said, tucking his pocket knife into his shoe. He'd written their own names along with the day's date.

It was a soft, almost touching thing for him to do, but Betty nor Sweet Pea could do much more than catch each other's eyes as they continued the pack the truck. He managed to convince her into helping him with his stuff, because the sooner it was in the van, the sooner they could 'blow this popsicle joint' as Sweet Pea said.

"All good." Betty said, sliding into the driver's seat, "C'mon Sweets!" She'd taken to starting to use the nickname Toni had called him, feeling more comfortable with him than before.

Sweet Pea was sprinting across the gravel as a walker emerged from the trees. Sweet Pea was well on his way to outpacing it and the car was running, so Betty was ultimately dismayed when he paused to go back to the walker. There was a look on his face, one like someone was inches away from seeing a hurricane pick them up. Betty did not understand the look. She did not understand what he was doing.

He wasn't so reckless, he had a certain affinity with life and he liked to keep himself there. So, running toward a walker was something he'd call 'doing a Jughead', or, putting one's self in unnecessary danger. Had he lost his fucking mind?

She yelled out the window, flashing the headlights and saw a glimpse of the walker coming toward Sweet Pea. She was more confused for her friend, though, and terror gripped her. She held her breath and gripped the steering wheel tight, counting mississippi's in her head, as though that would make time continue faster. Sweet Pea smashed the head in of the walker four times, and then two times after it stopped moving, and nabbed something from the arm area before leaping into the car. They barely had the door closed before they were skidding away, missing the herd shambling toward the Lodge Lodge. Sweet Pea was watching in the rearview and Betty only saw a glimpse of the way that the walkers felled the doors.

Betty gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. She realized what she was doing and loosened her grip, but not before sending Sweet Pea a furious snarl.

"What?" Sweet Pea noticed her expression.

"What the hell was that?" Betty's voice was low, dangerous.

"I-,"

"No! God, what were you thinking? Clearly, nothing! You could have been killed, Sweet Pea!" She thundered, swerving left and right through the woods, pushing maybe a little too hard on the gas.

"Didn't know you cared." Sweet Pea said, and he usually would have had a tone of haughtiness to him, if he wasn't grabbing the sides of the car and didn't look a bit green, "Wouldya calm the brakes, there, Coop-"

"Shut it!" She said and Sweet Pea didn't speak. Cooper looked and realized she was going near 100 MPH and did cool down to a reasonable 70 for the winding roads out of the woods. When she collected her breaths back, she gave Sweet Pea a look.

"I...I don't want to be in this alone. Plus, I'd have to kill you," Her voice broke a little, "What the hell was so important about kill that one fucking walker, Sweet Pea?"

In response, Sweet Pea just held up a watch. He turned the back of it around and Betty let herself be distracted from the road for just a moment, just enough to see the writing on the back.

'To HL, may we have many wondrous years more, love HL.'

Betty frowned, thinking back to what the walker had looked like, although she'd only given it a passing glance. Now that she was focusing herself to think to it, she couldn't not see the imagine that had floated to her mind.

The realization made her skid to a stop on the road, spinning around and looking at Sweet Pea with wild eyes.

"That was Hiram?" She said.

Sweet Pea gave a tense nod.

Betty felt something rise in her throat and before she could stop herself, she'd thrown open the door and was vomiting on the side of the road. Sweet Pea jumped down, holding her hair back and patting her back.

She'd seen grosser things, but it was the lightbulb moment that she'd just seen her best friend's father's head brutally caved in and his gray matter spilled across the pavement. It was one of the first walkers she'd seen that she'd known very closely. Yeah, he was a shitty person, but that still didn't mean that she was gleeful about this.

Sweet Pea might have been.

"You feel like you've avenged it now?" She managed, using one of the water bottles they had to clean out her mouth.

"I wish I coulda been the one to kill him the first time, but yeah," He did seem less anxious, "It felt really satisfying to bludg...I mean, to kill him again." He switched when he noticed Betty looked a little green again, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I don't know why I'm acting so strangely about it." Betty sighed.

"Probably because you're wondering if the same fate happened to the rest of them." Sweet Pea said. Betty felt the panic invade her, until Sweet Pea shook his head, "He was wearing some of the same clothes that he was wearing the day he had your friend arrested. Which means he hadn't changed. A man with a closet like his? He wouldn't spend more than a couple hours in each set." Sweet Pea scoffed, "And we know that Veronica and Andrews made it to at least ten days ago. I think they're okay."

"Gut feeling?" Betty asked.

"Gut feeling," He agreed.

Betty climbed back into the driver's seat, sighing.

"How would you feel about going to Arizona?" She asked. When Sweet Pea shrugged, she continued to blabber, "I know you said it's stupid to look for people and I know that Jughead isn't specifically your favorite, but I just gotta look, and-,"

"Hey, yeah, cool." Sweet Pea agreed, cutting her off.

They drove without talking for the next couple hours. Sweet Pea had managed to find an aux cable and played whatever songs he liked on his ipod while Betty's mind wandered. They made great time, considering that they didn't have to obey traffic laws anymore and there wasn't much traffic to meet to begin with. There were a couple places where the cars bottlenecked, abandoned, but overall they covered ground.

Sweet Pea never expressed displeasure about their course, but Betty couldn't let it go. She'd been told she had a problem with that. Not letting things go, that is. It had helped her catch Jason's killer and The Black Hood, so she liked her natural tendency, but she knew it could also be a negative personality trait. She sort of wished she had just let this one go, in hindsight.

"Are you sure you're fine with going to Arizona? Because just say it, and we can try somewhere else first." She asked again when they found a place to sleep for the night.

"Yes. I'm fine." Sweet Pea sent her a look that told her she should drop it. They had a tiny, tiny fire set up. They didn't want it to get too big in case that would alert walkers and put up a homing beacon for them, but the night air was cool enough to need some sort of warmth. Betty was not about to snuggle up to Sweet Pea, so she'd take the risk of a fire anyday.

"I just...it's been what I've suggested this whole time. You haven't offered up any plans." She pointed out, "It's about my friends, these places. I've been selfish."

"And?"

"Well," Betty ventured, knowing even as she said it she should have just stopped there, "Don't you have anyone or any other family to seek out?"

"Trying to get rid of me?" He asked, almost teasing, but his eyes flashing. They were inside of a convenience store, in the back offices, munching on chips. The fire was contained in a metal box. Betty uncorked a Dr. Pepper, which had long gone warm, but still had fizz.

"Not at all. I just figured there were others you must wanna see…try to make contact with...besides people in Riverdale." Betty had a whole list of others from around the USA, and even in other countries, she was worried about. The people from her internship. People she'd played with at camp as a kid. People she knew from the internet. She had a hard time imaging that Sweet Pea seemed totally cool with her taking the reins, that there was no one but the Serpents he was even a glimmer curious about.

"No." His voice was rough. Betty hadn't really heard, though, and was still continuing on from her last question.

"But, what about grandparents?" Betty asked, "Or, other serpents. Like, ones who went away from Riverdale. Would any of them-,"

"Just fucking drop it, Cooper!" Sweet Pea was suddenly in her face, going from 0 to 100 so swiftly that Betty choked a little on her soda, "What do you want me to say? That I don't have fucking anyone? That I'm a goddamn loner? That my father skipped town as soon as my mother came back with a positive test?"

"Sweet Pea," Betty weakly tried to stop him, knowing full well she'd crossed a line, however, Sweet Pea was too furious to let him cut him off. She didn't want him to say that. She hadn't meant to be invading his personal life. She just didn't want this whole adventure in the apocalypse to be about her. Sweet Pea was on his feet, still yelling.

"Or that my mother was a fucking bitch that treated me like shit and died of an overdose when I was twelve? That I was the one that found her? That I survived pretty much on my own until a year later FP found me and helped me into the Serpents? That it's not too much different, I'm still on my own, expect sometimes someone gives a damn about me? That they might bring me a bag of pasta if I don't have food, which more often, I don't? That the serpents are the only family I fucking know and besides you and Toni and Cheryl everyone else is likely dead? That I'm alone again?"

"Sweets," Betty shook her head, swallowing hard, "I didn't…"

"You knew Jughead, Betty. Why would you think my life was any better than his?" He asked seriously and Betty came up with no answers. He grabbed her, yanking her up to be inches away from him. Betty was about to say that he was hurting her, until he realized he wasn't. He was holding her wrist tightly, but not to the point of pain. The realization that he wasn't trying to hurt her, mixed with the tension that was pulled taught across his face caused Betty to go blank for just a second.

She looked at his eyes and saw tears on the edges, one of the most surprising thing she'd seen from him. When he realized what she saw, Sweet Pea jutted his chin up so that she didn't have a good view anymore.

He was still in her face. He grabbed her fingers unexpectedly, trailing his hand up from her wrist to ghost over her palms and finally to her fingers. He held onto a couple by the knuckles, dragging them across his tattoo on his neck.

"Wanna know why it's here?" He asked, voice low, almost dangerous. Betty felt her fingers brush against a rough texture, "To cover up where my momma burned me when I didn't cook her dinner one night. To remind me that there were other people besides the woman that gave a damn. That I was stronger than that. I guess I wouldn't be here, alive, if I wasn't."

Betty felt tears prickle at the edge of her eyes. She felt sick and angry he had to go through this. She felt stupid for assuming that his life wouldn't have been as bad, if not worse, than Jughead's. She felt like she needed to do something, because Sweet Pea was out here all alone with her, his entire family gone and he was showing signs of falling apart. Maybe that's why he'd made her a serpent. Maybe he was so desperately trying to repair, remake a family.

She threw her arms around him, pulling him down to hug her, which was hard to do when he was so tall.

"Think a hug will make it better, Betty?" He asked, trying to sound still upset with her, but the undertone told her he was touched by the gesture. Her fingers rubbed against his neck tattoo again. She could feel when he swallowed hard and she could feel the pounding of his heart. It jumped like a jackrabbit and she could tell he was unused to people initiating such movement. Sure, Toni had hugged him, but Betty could guess that Toni was in a totally different category than anyone else. So, to show him that she was here, she hugged him harder. After a long moment, Sweet Pea's arms pulled around her too, and he rested his chin on her hair. Betty's hand was still lightly resting on his neck, and she pulled it down to pull tight across his back like her other arm.

"I was really stupid," She admitted, "that was all stupid. I'm sorry you had to go through that. It's not much, but I am." She said.

"She's dead, and has been for awhile," Sweet Pea sighed, but didn't shake Betty off him, "I was serious before. You're part of my family now, so I only need to go where you are." It would have sounded romantic in any other context, but Betty knew this wasn't the case. There was a 'love' there, she considered, a small growing one, one between two people that were in something for better or worse.

"You don't care about finding Jughead? FP?" She asked, pulling back.

"FP more than Jughead, though, I wouldn't be upset if we were to find Jug. Not anymore. I just wanna survive this goddamn nightmare. And if it comes to it, I don't want to die alone." He said.

"That's understandable," Betty thought of Hiram. He'd likely died alone both of his times, which was a sad way to go, "I always thought you got a neck tattoo to be a badass and get laid." She admitted.

Sweet Pea laughed, but it still sounded a little bit pained, "Well, those reasons too." He agreed, "A whole month without sex. I don't know how I'm managing."

Sweet Pea not being a virgin didn't surprise Betty. She wasn't sure he was as experienced as he was passing himself off as right now, because Sweet Pea liked to inflate his ego around Betty. She decided to send him back a sassy smirk.

"Me neither," Betty agreed, and Sweet Pea swung his head around, "What? You think me and Jughead hadn't done it?" She asked with wide innocent eyes.

"Frankly? Naw. Didn't think Jughead had it in him. Congrats?" He offered, raising his palms up.

"Jughead totally has it in him," Betty felt the need to defend her...she frowned, realizing that the word 'boyfriend' hadn't sprung ot her head immediately.

"What?" Sweet Pea asked.

"I...hmm," Betty chewed on her lip. What were her and Jughead? When the other was probably thinking the other was dead, even if they had a little bit of hope? When she hadn't seen him at all in a month? When the world was ending, "Would you say that Jughead and I are still...dating?" She asked, trying to explain her dilemma.

"Do you date at the end of the world?" Sweet Pea quirked an eyebrow.

Betty slumped her shoulders lower.

"I mean, if you want to still be dating, you can," Sweet Pea offered weakly, seeing her expression.

"I just don't know. I mean, it's silly. With all the times we were off and on we only dated for maybe five or six months. And he said that he loved me after just like a month. It all felt like so much more time when we were chasing murders and everything. I never thought I would fall for someone so fast but I feel like I do and now, what if he's gone? Do I spend the rest of my life hoping?"

"It's only been a month, Betts," Sweet Pea shifted, "We might still find him."

Betty wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "He used to call me Betts."

Sweet Pea matched her expression, "I know." He whispered.

For some reason, that's what sent Betty over the edge, and after that she just couldn't stop crying. She tried to bite her hand to keep herself from being too loud, and she hated that she just broke down in front of Sweet Pea, but the reality of it all weighed upon her. They'd been out here a month. More than a month. The world had been fucked up for nearly five weeks.

A month without Jughead. If someone had asked her how she would do that two months ago, she would have felt like her world was ending. Even when they were broken up, he wasn't far away.

But here she was, the world actually ended, and she'd survived. She wondered if it would feel this easy as the months wore on to continue to survive?

"Hey, hey," Sweet Pea looked unsettled at her crying, but scootched over, doing his best. He let her ease into his jacket and cry on his shirt, "I mean, who am I to judge love?" He pointed out, "What if it was?"

"What if it wasn't? And I'm sending myself on a suicide mission? And if I did, what if Toni was right and Jughead is already dead and he's been dead this whole time?" Betty managed to ask. She saw Sweet Pea open his mouth, but no words followed as he realized he didn't have anything to help console her, "I hate this! I hate this!" She threw her empty chip packets at the wall.

"Yeah," Sweet Pea whispered, and she hardly noticed- but indeed did after a second- when he curled his fingers protectively around her waist, pulling Betty in closer, "Me too."

So, sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I had to do a major rehaul (re-write most scenes to fit into the narrative I'm telling now compared to how I was telling it when I wrote this) and I was also finishing up writing another fic. But, I won't lie, the lack of reviews on this really made me not as inspired to write or update this as I am with other stories.

Also, I plan on writing a couple other stories in this universe, including a Choni one and also a Varchie one about what they're getting up to during all this.

So, really, if ya have a second...drop a review. Make my long day at work better.