A few hours later, Veronica returned Jughead’s email. Hey Jug-- We JUST got the photos back from the photographer. What a nightmare. Here’s the link to the website, you can print whatever you want. There’s a great one of you and Archie somewhere in the middle. Send my love to Betty. -V. Lodge-Andrews

He clicked the link Veronica provided him and glanced over the photos from the wedding a few months earlier. As he scrolled, he remembered back to their time spent back home in Riverdale; how stupid he acted and how scared she must have been. He laughed it off as he continued on. The photographer was wonderful at capturing the beauty and elegance of the event. He stopped and enlarged one of the photos of himself and Archie. Veronica was right, it was a great photo of them. He saved it to his computer. Toward the end, he found what he was looking for. He quickly saved it to a USB drive. Jughead ran upstairs and got dressed. He grabbed his Serpent leather, keys and helmet, shoving the drive firmly into his pocket.

He weaved in and out of traffic, making his way back home after a few errands. He was only home for a few minutes before running back out; he hadn’t even shut off his bike. He was off again. He pulled into a parking lot and found a space for his bike. He placed a small package and Betty’s lunch into his helmet, pinching the helmet to his hip and he approached the windowed building.

“Hello, sir. May I help you?” the receptionist offered.

“I’m looking for Elizabeth Cooper.” Jughead said nervously.

“Sure, Miss Cooper is at her desk. Go down this hall, take the west elevator to the sixth floor. Make a left and her office is the first on the right.” She smiled at him as he combed his free hand through his hair.

Jughead followed the receptionists directions. When he got off the elevator, he made a left and he saw her. She was sitting her desk with her head in her hands. It was just around noon. Her desk was littered with paperwork. He saw his book displayed on her desk prominently. The corners of his mouth twitched up. He leaned up against the doorway to her office. Her coworkers glared as they walked past him, confused by the insignia of his jacket. He heard her let out a stressed sigh. He watched as she picked her phone up off her desk and frantically typed. A moment later, he felt the vibration in his pocket. He noticed she had headphones in, she wouldn’t hear him if he rustled slightly. He pulled his phone out.

B: I’m having the worst day, Juggy. I was almost late to work, I forgot my lunch, I was in a meeting all morning, which was awful. Chase is the worst. I can see why you said what you did. I got into it with my mother, again. Uck! Sorry for ranting, Jug. I’m sure you’re busy.

He put his phone back in his pocket. He didn’t answer her. Jughead heard a sniffle come from Betty. Is she crying?

He carefully placed his helmet down on the floor next to the bookshelf near the door. He approached her carefully. He knew no matter what he did, it was going to scare her. He backed up to the door again. Instead, he took out his phone and responded to her.

J: I’m sorry you’re having such a horrible day, darling. Anything I can do to make it better?

B: Probably not, I just can’t wait to be home with you.

He watched her place her phone back on her desk, the sniffles more frequent. She was crying. She removed her headphones and took a deep breath. She tightened her ponytail, as she did when she was determined. He pushed off the edge of the doorway. He felt a little creepy having been watching her for the better part of ten minutes. She didn’t register the footsteps behind her. She was used to hearing footsteps all day outside her office; she’d learned to tune them out. He crouched next to her desk chair. His sudden presence next to her startled her. Before she had time to panic, she took note of the familiar and comfortable leather next to her.

“Jug? What’re you doing here?” Betty asked, a smile spread across her face. She brought her hands to her face, drying her tears.

“Well, I noticed you forgot your lunch today, so I came to bring it to you.” He flashed her a quick smile. She threw her arms around his neck and breathed him in. His familiar scent calmed her nerves. “Also,” he started. Betty looked at him. He kissed her with purpose and pressed his forehead into hers.

“Also what?” Betty questioned. Jughead stood up and grabbed his helmet from the floor. “Jug, you know I hate when you take your bike out in the winter.”

“It wasn’t like I had another option,” he shrugged. He procured the small package and her lunch from his helmet. “First, here’s your lunch.”

“First? Jug, what’s going on?” Betty was thoroughly confused.

Betty was overwhelmed. Her work day had not been going smoothly. The editors had torn apart a piece she wrote, her mother was being ridiculous, and Chase hadn’t left her alone all day. He had been out the day before, evidently still recovering from the party Saturday night. Once he came in, he had forgotten meeting Jughead, forgotten the fact that she was seeing someone, forgotten everything. Betty wanted no part of it. She sent him off for coffee, just so she could have fifteen minutes of peace. Shortly after, enter Jughead Jones, her personal knight in shining armor.

“I’ve been talking to Veronica, trying to get these for months.” He handed her the package. Inside were the photos from the Lodge-Andrews wedding, and a few of his favorites they had taken on their way to Baltimore. Tears began to form in her eyes. She flipped through the pictures smiling to herself. “This one is my favorite.” Jughead placed a finger on the photo she had on top of the stack. It was their first picture together as a couple. They were dancing. Her hands were tangled around his neck. Her smile was genuine, pure. It was captured as he gave his commentary of the guests around them. Betty hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time. Her nose crinkled when she laughed. The face of pure happiness.

“Jug.” Tears fell from her eyes. “I love this. All of them.” She took that particular picture from the stack, laying the others on her desk. She picked up the frame that sat next to her computer monitor that contained a picture of her family in it. She opened the back and replaced the picture. She reassembled the frame and set it back next to her monitor. They both stared at it smiling. Jughead placed his hand on her shoulder and kissed her temple. “Thank you, Juggie.”

He squeezed her shoulder in a silent you’re welcome. She stood up and faced him. She placed her hand on his neck, thumbing his jawline in adoration. “How did I get so lucky to have you, Mr. Jones?” She smiled and tiptoed up to kiss him.

“Patience, mostly,” Jughead snickered. A knock came to the door, but before they knew it, Chase Bradford was standing in front of them with coffee. Jughead’s demeanor changed almost instantly.

“Oh. I’m sorry Lizzy, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Chase said, delighted, holding out the coffee she had asked him for. She took it from him and put it on her desk.

“Thank you,” Betty said, coldly. She looked up to Jughead who hadn’t stopped glaring at Chase.

“Forsythe, what brings you in today?” Chase asked.

“Betty left her lunch at home this morning, so I came to bring it to her. Is there a problem with that?” Jughead asked raising his eyebrow.

“What a nice thing to do,” Chase grimaced.

“I thought so,” Betty said, looking up at Jughead. She kissed his cheek and smiled sweetly, almost too sweetly. “Babe, I have to get back to work. Thank you, for lunch, and this. I’ll see you at home?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you at home. Regular time?” She nodded. He kissed her long and slow, ensuring Chase saw it. She’s taken, buddy, back up. He leaned down and grabbed his helmet. He straightened out his leather jacket, looked over his shoulder and winked at Betty. She hadn’t noticed the Serpent on the back of his jacket until he walked out. Her cheeks were rosy.

She settled back into her desk and pulled her lunchbox toward her. She ignored Chase and eventually he walked out of her office with a huff. She unzipped the side of the lunchbox, inside she found a post-it note. All it read was 1012. Betty’s eyebrows knitted together.

“What?” She continued on her day, every so often glancing up at the picture of her and Jughead from the wedding. It made her heart swell with happiness. It was such a beautiful moment, no matter what inappropriate things were being said directly before and after it was taken. It was the perfect representation of their first date, even if the event in and of itself was awkward. She picked up the phone on her desk.

B: Thanks for making my day better by just being you, Jug. I really am lucky to have you. Why are you so good to me?

J: You deserve the world, Betty. I’m just glad Archie came to find me. ;)

Betty laughed to herself. She had never actually heard what had happened when he ran; she had thought it would be better not to know.

B: What’s 1012?

Betty did not get an answer back to that. She shook her head and continued on with her work for the day, avoiding Chase as often as she could. There were only a few more days of training before she was officially done with him always around. It could not come soon enough. She left work and headed home. She was right on time. Jughead was in the kitchen finishing cleaning up from making dinner when she walked into the house.

“Honey, I’m home!” she sang giggling. “Something smells good, Jug.” There was no response. “Jug?” He peeked his head around the corner.

“Welcome home, Betty.” She took off her jacket and hung it on the hook. Jughead settled the plates at the center island, in their usual spot. She took her seat and he joined her moments later. He leaned over and kissed her temple. “How was the rest of work?”

“Bearable, I guess,” Betty huffed. “Thanks again for bringing my lunch to the office. Maybe I’ll make it habit. I liked seeing you in the middle of the day.” She winked at him.

“My intentions may not have been so pure,” he confessed. Betty looked over at him confused. Before she could ask what he meant, Jughead continued. “I may have wanted to make sure that Chase saw me there and I may have wanted to bring you those photos so you could display them as a reminder to him. I didn’t want him forgetting. Again.” Jughead stared into his plate.

“He deserves it. That’s part of the reason my morning was so awful. At the same time my mother decided to lecture me about not coming home for Christmas this year, he decided to do what he does,” Betty said simply. Jughead and Betty had decided to stay in Baltimore for Christmas, as it was their first together. The five hour ride to Riverdale was not something they particularly wanted to include in that.

“What do you mean, do what he does?” Jughead asked taking a bite.

“You remember what an incredible ass he was at the party on Saturday? Well, apparently , he didn’t remember our conversation. He just doesn’t want to get the hint that I’m not interested.”

”Is that so?” Jughead said tilting his head toward her. “Well, I am just going to have to have some words with Mr. Bradford, then aren’t I?”

“Jug, it’s fine, I can handle it. I only have one more day working with him this closely. It’ll go away with time. I’m sure he only thinks he’s interested because of proximity.”

“Betty, you understand how asinine that sounds, right? You’re a smart woman, but that’s moronic. Of course it isn’t going to go away. Any one who has the pleasure of knowing you would know that.” Jughead cleared their dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Betty went upstairs to change into her pajamas. She came back down to Jughead on the couch, arms tucked behind his head, feet propped on the coffee table. “Movie?”

Betty settled into her favorite spot, pressed against Jughead’s side, head on his chest. They settled on a movie and relaxed for the night. Halfway through the movie, Betty looked up at Jughead. She couldn’t concentrate after what he said at dinner.

“You really don’t think it’ll just go away?” she asked innocently. Jughead looked down at her and smiled.

“I really don’t. Guys like him are persistent. He’s going to keep trying until his hand is forced, at least in my experience. He’s a Chuck Clayton type--never been told no, so he expects to get what he wants.”

“Chuck Clayton was the worst,” Betty shuttered, remembering the awful things he’d done in their high school years.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Jughead laughed. “Betty, if you said you can handle it, you can handle it, but if you can’t I want you to tell me. Some Serpent justice might be in order,” he teased. She glared up at him and shook her head. She got up to stretch and get a glass of water. She passed the mantle on the way into the kitchen.

“Did this clock stop?” She picked it up. Jughead smirked to himself. 10:12.

She looked back at Jughead, who was conveniently on his phone. Hey, Toni. I need a favor. Do you still have access to privileged information? -J. Jones  He shut his phone off and Betty shook her head again.