Jughead in the Hospital

I can see her face before she even enters the room through that stupid window I was just loathing earlier. Now it is the window to my Betty. She rushes into me, tears on her face, looking scared. I envelop her into my arms.

"I'm so sorry, Juggie," she says.

We hold each other there for a while, just resting in the other's arms. I put my head on her shoulder and then decide she still is not yet close enough.

"Closer, Betty," I tell her.

She starts to attempt to climb onto the bed with me. She looks worried, constantly afraid she might hurt me.

"I don't want to hurt you," she says with worry.

"It's alright. You won't."

"What did they do to you, Juggie?" she asks through her tears, breaking my heart. I put my hand on her face when she tries to sit up to look at me. my heart aches for her to be closer. I hold onto her shoulder.

"Please don't cry, Betty," I say, brushing the tears away.

"How bad does it hurt?" she asks. Please don't ask me that, I think. She can tell I don't want to answer so she cries more. I don't move my hand from her face, biting my lip to keep from doing the same.

"Juggie, what is it?" she asks.

"Come here," I beg her, sounding pathetic. That most basic human emotion is the only one I can feel in this dreadful moment. Fear. So much fear.

"Please, Betty," I beg.

"Juggie, what's wrong? I know it's not this that's hurting. It's something else too. Tell me."

"You. Crying. Over me. And I wasn't there for you during this whole thing. I should have been," I tell her.

She shakes her head and this time returns her hand to my face. "It's okay. Tell me what they did?"

"They grabbed me and a bunch of them hit and kicked me. I wasn't breathing and apparently, I started again. My dad found me and brought me here. I wanted to be with you so badly. I'm glad you're here now," I spill but I don't want to tell her the other part.

She pushes my hair out of my face and kisses my forehead. I lean closer to her, letting her comfort me. I grab her arm, pulling her closer as gently as I can. She puts her arm under my back and neck and I let my head rest on her chest.

"I'm scared, Betty," I say.

"Oh, Jug," she says with worry.

"Not of them. Of being alone I guess…of pushing you away when I need you and letting you push me away again."

She squeezes me in her arms gently and puts her hand on my head, almost as if petting me. I want to make a funny comment but I don't want her to stop.

"You are not alone," Betty says. "We aren't going to do that again."

"You won't go?" I ask her.

"No. Not ever again."

I smile and hold her close, feeling her warmth envelop me. I let myself calm, actually relax and let that most natural human emotion slip away with her precious arms. The most complicated one comes next. It's obvious but filled with all other kinds of emotions.

"I love you, Betty," I tell her. I can almost hear the smile in her voice.

"I love you too."

Betty's Nightmare

I feel her toss and turn beside me, throwing her arm over my body. I grab her arm and turn to her with a smirk.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"NO!" she shouts.

I realize it all at once. I grab her arm and move her off of me. I rub my hand across her soft arm. She doesn't wake up. Her beautiful face is ruined with panic and worry. Her eyes are pushed together and her body is shaking, constantly turning in every direction. The clock at the side of my bed tells me that we have three more hours before we have to get up for school. I put my hand on the side of my face.

"No!" she shouts again.

"Betty!" I tell her, grabbing her wrist when she tries to bat my hand away. I hold onto her fingers, kissing them.

"Come on, Betty. Please wake up," I beg her.

Tears fall down he face in her clenched eyes. She throws her body around again, almost hitting me. I hold onto her wrists and then decide that I have to bring her closer. She needs me and I'm going to make the demons go away. I put my arm underneath of her body, pulling her entire being close to me. she is almost naked, wearing literally nothing but one of my dark purple S shirts. I push her body onto mine, encompassing her in my arms.

"Betty," I tell her, feeling her tears on my bare chest. "Please, Betty! Wake up! I've got you. Just wake up."

I hear her gasp and then grab onto my wrist.

"It's okay. You're okay," I tell her.

"What? Why?" she asks, never finishing either sentence. I make her look at me, still keeping one strong arm around her body so that she might feel just a little bit safer. She lays with her head on my bicep, tears falling down her face and her lower lip trembling. I brush them away carefully, kissing her forehead and whispering to her.

"What happened, beautiful?" I ask her, pushing her sweaty hair from her face and resting my hand on her cheek.

She shakes her head, trying to speak but not able to say anything. I kiss her forehead, begging my eyes to stop watering. I can't let her see this right now. She can't know that I am just as afraid as she is.

"The black hood…when he told me to break up with you. I cried all night. I knew I was hurting you. I love you so much. There was no reason that I ever had to break up with you. I never wanted to hurt you and I knew that it would," she says.

"Why are we talking about this now, Betty?" I ask, hoping that same pain will not come back. I can almost feel it returning to my chest like a vice grip on my heart. I can't handle it. Not when I have so many other thoughts going on in my head.

"In my dream, I had to hurt you. Not just break up with you. Worse," she says, crying, her chest heaving, breathing too hard. "He held the gun and my hand. He told me to shoot you. I couldn't and then…" Betty cries harder, burying her face in my arm.

I hold her around her body, cradling her head and kissing her forehead. I run my hand over her hair, soothing her, enveloping her entire body with mine to calm her. It doesn't work. I have never heard her this afraid before. I kiss her head again, begging her to calm down. I feel the tears in my eyes pushing harder than before. My chest is on fire. I attempt putting it out, breathing slow and calm. It doesn't work. Her pain is my pain now. I didn't lie when I told her that I loved her and neither did she. But she knew I thought she was lying. She knew she hurt me. If I thought I destroyed the very ground she walked on, I might be as crushed as she is right now, no matter the circumstances.

That is when I realize I know what she needs to hear.

"Betty Cooper, listen to me," I demand in a powerful but quiet voice. Betty picks her head up, giving me those beautiful eyes that are still filled with tears. Her hair falls in her face so I hold it back with my hand on her head. I make her look at me, keeping her frame still.

"I forgive you," I say. "I forgive you for sending Archie. I forgive you for breaking up with me. I forgive you for all of it and I hold no grudge against you or any of the decisions that you were forced to make to protect me."

She gives me a small smile. I hope she believes me. She just has to believe me. I can't stand this pain anymore. I need her to be okay for me to be okay. She nods.

"I love you," she says.

I smile, not able to hold the tears that fall down onto my cheeks when she says it. She finally smiles and I feel a little safer than I was.

"I love you too," I say.

"You don't ever have to doubt that I love you. I never lied. I never stopped. I never wanted any of it. I have never wanted anything other than to support, care for and love you, Jughead Jones," she says, smiling.

I hold up my hand to hers and cross our fingers in each other. I pull her head close to me, keeping my hand on the back of her neck where I know I can make her feel safe. I kiss her on the lips. She returns the kissing a few times before she is pushing herself over my hips. I hold onto her back, sitting up so that I can conform her body to mine.

"I don't want to sleep," she says.

"You don't have to," I tell her and kiss her again, getting lost in her perfect body.

"I want you Juggie," Betty says with eyes filled with need. Not just need for me or our fornication. But need for something else. She needs to forget the terrors that haunted her sleep. She needs to forget hurting me and Veronica and everyone else. She needs to feel something special and real. She needs to feel it all with me. I can make that happen. I can promise to make that happen, for her.

"I can keep the demons away," I promise.

"Be with me," she says, leaning down to kiss my neck.

"I will," I promise. "I will."