Goodnight Lullaby

The baby was crying again for what seemed to be the millionth time. Poor Betty had tried everything to get their baby to calm down, but no matter what she did, little Rose's face stayed bright red and scrunched. It had been that way every night for the past 3 nights in a row, and while Jughead tried to help, the baby just wanted-well, that's the thing I guess. Rose didn't know what she wanted and Betty and Jughead were at a loss. Jughead had suggested leaving her to cry it out for a bit, although that idea was quickly vetoed by the look on Betty's face. It was the look of the complete horror of a very new mother. Of course, Jughead was a very new father too, but, admittedly, he was getting far more sleep than Betty and by default had the arguably clearer mind.

Betty rocked the fussing Rosie into the living room, then walked to the kitchen. Her arms were sore from holding her so long and she ached to reposition her but Rosie had just started to settle down. Betty's tired arms slowly stopped moving her baby up and down and she rested against the fridge door. Betty may as well have moved Rose into a more comfortable position anyway because the moment the baby noticed she had nearly ceased rocking, she became more miserable than the last three days' combined. Betty slid down the door, magnets and pictures and souvenirs alike falling to the ground noisily. She joined her daughter in her sobs.

The moment he heard Betty start to cry, Jughead jumped up from his seat on the couch, where he had been working on his column for the local newspaper, and ran like a Betty-aimed missile, stopped in front of her and sat down. Jughead's heart pulled painfully for Betty and he scooped her and their baby into his lap, Betty's head resting on his shoulder and tears ruining his shirt.

"Shhh, shhhh Betts. It's okay. It's okay, I'm here. You're okay," Jughead repeated. Betty tried and failed miserably to stifle her cries. Jughead gently removed Rose from Betty's arms and kissed her forehead. Like her mother, the baby's forehead relaxed for a moment or two with the gentle show of love, but soon creased up again. Betty hid in Jughead's neck, her trembling lips just barely grazing his tender neck.

"I'm just s-so tired-" Betty hiccupped. Jughead turned his face to rest his cheek on the top of Betty's head. Despite having been married to Jughead for three years before having Rose, Betty still occasionally got goosebumps and butterflies in her stomach when Jughead touched her. He carefully slid his free hand (the other still holding Rose) up and down Betty's arm, taking her butterfly goosebumps for lack of heat instead.

"Hey, why don't you go take a nap? Use my pillow and sleep on my side of the bed, okay?" Jughead compromised with his wife. Betty looked up at him with doe eyes full of tears of exhaustion. Even with every feature of hers being pulled downward with sleep deprivation and her hair mussed up and carelessly thrown into a ponytail, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world. Jughead smoothed her hair back behind her ears and gave Betty a kiss right between her eyebrows.

"Why your side?" Betty asked through a big yawn as she brought her hand up to hide it. Jughead grinned.

"Because I know you'll end up there anyway." He smirked, running his hands through Betty's somewhat ponytail. The little baby in Jughead's arms suddenly wailed, clearly distraught over the lack of attention she was receiving at the moment. Betty's eyes welled up at the outburst and her chin trembled, but Jughead was quicker. He gently turned her face to his and kissed her deeply, successfully stopping her from crying. They broke away from each other and he would have missed the way the corner of Betty's mouth turned up slightly, if it weren't for his excellent observation skills. That, and also how he spent his formidable years watching Betty, learning the difference between her fake, polite smile from her real one. The way her eyes crinkled when she was really smiling, and her mouth seemed to open almost too wide in that adorable way of hers. If she weren't so exhausted, she would have been smiling that one right now.

"No more tears. Go to sleep, Betty. It'll all be better when you wake up," Jughead shoed her lovingly out of his lap, and she nodded. Without looking back, she walked into their room and flopped on the bed. She was out cold in seconds.

Jughead slowly stood, giving Rosie his finger to play with for the time being. He rocked and bounced her lightly, staring at her with such love and concentration that gave rivalry to the way he stared at Betty when he woke her up with kisses. Jughead moved into the living room and let Rosie lie on the couch beside him. He gently brushed her tiny forehead with his long fingers until she fell silent.

A few hours later, Betty awoke feeling much better, as promised by Jughead. She slowly crept out of the warm comfort of her bed and silently made her way to the kitchen. Once there, she sat in her previous spot in front of the fridge, noticing all the magnets were back in their rightful place. Betty swept her fingertips along the floor beside her, shocked at the feel of the cool tile on her warm legs. Betty was in the middle of readjusting her ponytail when she heard Rose wail out again, surprised she was even calm to begin with. She was about to get up when she heard Jughead.

"Shhh, shhhh baby. You're alright. No need to wake up your mama. Shhhh," Jughead whispered, and Betty quietly made her way to the shadow behind the door to observe her husband. Jughead was slowly rocking Rosie back and forth, trying to calm her down.

"Hush little Rosie, don't say a word, daddy's gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird won't sing, daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring," Jughead sang softly, brushing back the little jet black peach fuzz that was Rosie's hair. "And if that diamond ring won't shine, daddy's gonna buy you a brand new rhyme," Jughead huffed a laugh through a breath, "because I can't think of anything else." His song worked though, and Rosie calmed down, her cherry red face going back to it's normal pale hue. Jughead was unaware of Betty watching him sing a lullaby to his daughter, and Betty's heart leaped in her chest. She grinned as she walked out into the living room, making Jughead jump when she reached her arms around his middle. He relaxed however, and maneuvered Rose into one arm so he would wrap his other around Betty. A picture of the perfect family moment. Jughead sighed and tilted his head down to meet Betty's and she held him a little closer.

"Thanks for making me take a nap. You were right, I do feel a lot better." Betty said, looking down at her now sleeping baby resting in her love's arms.

"Of course I was right," he scoffed, then gazed down at little Rosie too. "I love you, Betts."

"I love you more, Juggie," Betty said, leaning her head into the crook of his neck. The couple stayed in that position for a long time, simply gazing at their baby, who was finally calm and most importantly, not crying.