Riverdale: Betty X Jughead

Chapter 8: Responses

  'Juggie... I'm pregnant.'

  Jughead's POV:

  For just a second I'm speechless.  I look down at her beautiful face and she seems so nervous and excited at the same time.  My eyes water for the second time today and I can't stop myself from actually crying this time.
  "Pregnant...? Oh my god, Betty! That's... That's amazing!" I say through tears.  I pick her up quickly and spin her around with a laugh.  My heart is pounding and I just want to explode with pure joy.
  I kiss her quickly before hugging her tight with my face buried in her neck.

  Archie's POV:

  I'm stunned into silence by everything that is happening, while Veronica is completely beside herself.
  "ELIZABETH COOPER OH MY GOD I AM SO THROWING YOU A BABY SHOWER!!!" She squeals.
  Betty laughs softly while holding onto Jughead.  "Thanks, V..."
  I clear my throat.  "Congrats guys... Hey Jughead, can I talk to you and your dad for a minute?"
  Jughead reluctantly pulls away from Betty.  "Sure..."  I watch him stare at her abdomen for a minute, just trying to see a difference from five minutes ago.  He places his hand on her stomach gently.  "I'll be right back," he whispers.
  Jughead, F.P, and I walk a few yards away where we can talk alone.
  "Jug... I'm really happy for you, honestly... But what are you doing? You're eighteen..." I say quietly.  "Betty isn't the most stable person in the world... What will you do when her mom finds out?"
  "That's the point, Archie.  Her mom isn't going to find out... Not now, not ever.  And Betty is perfectly stable... Betty is just perfect.  We didn't plan on getting pregnant, but we're married Archie... It's no crime."
  I turn to F.P.  "You've been awfully silent... If you have something to say you should say it."
  He rubs his face and then looks at Jughead.  "I was just thinking about when your mother told me she was pregnant with you... To be honest, I was devastated.  I knew the kind of person I was, and I didn't want any kid to grow up with me as their parent... I always thought you were going to be screwed up like me.  After today, though... I realize you are already more man than I will ever be.  You're going to be an amazing father, Jug.  I'm sorry I wasn't here for the marriage, but I'm so so glad I was here today..."
  Jughead smiles a bit.  "Thanks, Dad..." Jughead turns to me. "I know you aren't the biggest fan of this... But it's already happened, Archie.  Do you think you could find a way to support our decisions?"
  I close my eyes and take a deep breath.  "I... Sure..."
  He smiles a bit.  "Good... Now come on, I'm starving.  A celebratory lunch is on me."

  Jughead's POV:

  We arrive at a little cafe and all of us manage to squeeze into one booth.
  I can't seem to keep the smile off my face, or myself off of Betty.  I haven't stopped touching her in some way since we left my work.  I think this is partly to make sure she's still here, safe and real... The other part is because I just absolutely love her.
  I'm seated between Betty and my dad, while Archie and Veronica sit across from us.
  Betty lays her head on my chest then smiles at our friends.  "So how have you been? What did we miss?"
  "Two whole years," Archie mutters. 
  Veronica clears her throat.  "What Archie means is... There's been a lot going on." She looks up at Archie with a nervous expression.
  "I guess I'll start the day you guys left... It took everyone a while to realize you were gone because something really really bad happened that morning..." She looks to Archie one more time.
  He picks up the story in a quiet voice.  "When I left you two... I was going to meet my dad.  We went to Pop's and... When I was in the bathroom there was an armed robbery.  I came out and saw my dad sitting there, but the robber noticed me and turned his gun on us.... I was fine but he- he shot my dad..." He looks down.  "He didn't make it."
  Betty claps a hand over her mouth and I can feel the sobs starting to wrack her body.
  "Archie," I whisper, my own tears beginning to fall.  "I'm so, so sorry... God, I'm such an asshole... I can't believe I wasn't there for you...."
  He shakes his head a bit.  "You had your own things to deal with... You kept Betty safe... Don't beat yourself up about it.  Yeah, I was crushed without you guys, but you were where you needed to be... V, can you continue your story? Please?"
  "Right... Sorry, Archikinz. So let's see... Oh, Cheryl burned down the Blossom's mansion and Mommy Blossom went off the deep end.  Now, Cheryl is actually really nice due to the amount of antidepressants she is on.  Polly had her babies... Elizabeth and Jason..." 
  We all let that sink in for a minute.  I squeeze Betty's shoulders gently.
  "Oh," Veronica continues.  "Your mom left, Betty... She divorced your dad and just moved away... No offense, but everyone has been a lot happier since.  My dad got out of jail... He and my mom got a mutual divorce, but we live in the same building in Riverdale... It's kind of nice, actually.  Who else is there? Oh yeah... Kevin and Joaquin are super serious... My money is that they get married before they are twenty.  And I guess that just leaves us... We are official high school graduates.  Archie and I are both going to New York University in the fall.  He's going for music and I'm going for business."
  "Wow... Congrats, guys." I smile.  "Sounds like everything has turned out well for our little town, huh?"
  "I can't believe so much has happened," Betty says with a shake of her head.  "It's unreal."  She bites her lip.  "What about you, Mr. Jones?" She turns to my dad.  "What have you been up to?"
  "Well... Thanks to you, Betty, I got out of jail about two months after you left...  Now I am the proud co-owner of Andrews Construction with Hermione Lodge.  I think I'm doing pretty well for myself, Betty... Well enough that I can pay you back.  With interest."  He pulls out a huge wad of cash and Betty and I just stare at it.
  "Wait..." I say.  "Pay you back for what?"
  "Didn't she tell you? Your terrific girl here gave me enough money to bail myself out of jail... She gave me a second chance, and I can't ever repay her for that.  I hope that this will help with the baby, though... Maybe you can even get yourself a real house."
  I stare at Betty with a new sense of love and pride.  "God I love you," I whisper.
  She smiles softly.  "I love you too..." She bites her lip.  "Mr. Jones, you really don't need to pay me back... I just wanted you to come visit."
My dad smirks. "I did visit.  And I'm giving you your money back.  And I'm going to come a lot more often now that I have a grandbaby on the way..."
  "Here, here!" Veronica laughs, holding up her glass.