A/N: This is the final chapter everyone, thank you so much for all your follows and faves and reviews over the course of this story it has been so nice to be able to share it with all of you. I imagine that it will not be the last story I tell in the particular universe.

Jackson had taken no time to fall asleep for the night. He had barely kept his eyes open during dinner, after taking a brief nap in the car ride home and perked up slightly for his bath before falling asleep on Jughead's shoulder as he had his cuddles before bed. Jughead placed him gently down in his cot as he pulled the blanket up to his waist, bending down to place a kiss on his head as he stirred a little at the contact before closing his eyes again.

Jughead stood in the room for a while just watching him as he slept. He looked like her when he slept. He felt the stab of the memory but instead of pushing it down he let it wash over him. He let himself feel the loss. But also found comfort in the fact that he had Jackson. That he would always have a part of her with him.

He rubbed his eyes as he left the room. JB handed him a cup of tea as she sat down in her chair and he slumped down on the couch on the other side of the room.

"Big day." JB mused as she took a sip. Jughead nodded in agreement sipping his own drink.

"Jackson had a good time." He replied as he reflected on the days events and Jackson running with the larger kids feeling confident enough to leave his and JB's side even for brief moments as he played and laughed. He let out a soft chuckle.

"I think you did as well." JB prodded and Jughead gave a soft sigh. JB was never one for subtlety and he knew that she had been itching to enquire further as soon as they left the party Jackson's energy dwindling and his patience and good nature going with it. "Don't pull that face." She laughed as Jughead returned his attention to his tea and the girl in question. He had had a good time. Despite his hesitation of attending and letting himself get close to another person he had found himself smiling, making small talk, even laughing.

"Maybe I did." He could already feel the beginnings of a blush rising up the back of his neck as the memories replayed in his head.

"You're blushing."

"Maybe."

"Well I like her." JB said definitively as she got up from the couch to move towards her room. Before looking back at him over her shoulder. "I think she's good for you. And Jackson."

"Thanks JB."

"For?"

"Making me go today. For saving me from myself in New York. For being the best little sister I could have asked for." JB smiled.

"Don't go getting all mushy on me now Jughead." She teased as she reached up to mess up his hair. "I'm going to read for a bit before bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure." Jughead replied as he stretched himself out on the couch. His long limbs almost stretching to touch the other end. He looked over to his phone as it chimed signalling a new message. He couldn't keep the smile from his face as he saw that it was from Betty.

I know it's late, but I couldn't not send these. Betty 3

What followed the message was some of the pictures that had been taken from the party of Jughead and Jackson. There were some of the two of them with JB jumping on the castle, eating cake together, Jackson and Juliet sitting together.

The final picture was of the group singing happy birthday as Juliet smiled at those around her. He noticed himself standing behind Betty and the smile on her face. But also the smile on his own. He looked happy. He scrolled through them again allowing the feeling to wash over him. To allow himself to feel happy again. His finger traced along the outline of her cheek and he felt that feeling again in the pit of his stomach. The same feeling that had been there that night on her front porch. The feeling that he might just be falling for her.

***

Betty couldn't sleep. She knew that she should be tired, exhausted but her body was buzzing. She had deliberated over whether she should send the pictures her finger hovering over the send button for much longer than she would care to admit. She had then stared at the message window, a blue tick indicating that he had seen them. Only moments after she had sent them. She waited for a reply.

Jughead typing.. But then nothing followed. It then went blank and Betty began to regret her decision immediately. She had pushed too hard, again. She looked at the time on her phone 11.00pm much too late for acquaintances to be messaging each other. And why had she put that stupid heart on the end. She always used emojis in her messages though. If she had sent it to Archie it would have looked the same. But Jughead didn't know her like Archie did. He might have thought it meant something more. Then again didn't it.

She let out a frustrated groan into her pillow as she flopped down on her bed. Willing herself to sleep to escape the night and she would think of a way to apologise tomorrow. Unfortunately for Betty that was near impossible and her mind was busy working on possible plans when a quiet tap on her window broke her from her thoughts. She screamed as she saw a figure hovering outside her window quickly snapping her hand over her mouth to cease the sound as she saw a familiar face and beanie. She held a finger up, indicating for him to wait while she opened her bedroom door, poking her head out into the hallway to make sure that she hadn't woken any of the other inhabitants with her startled scream Luckily it seemed that no-one had stirred and Betty quietly re-shut her door before heading over to her bedroom window.

"What on earth are you doing here?" Betty whispered as she slid open her bedroom window. She moved away to allow him the space to finish climbing through her window.

"I wanted to see you." He attempted to navigate the window seat tripping over in the process and colliding with Betty, gripping onto her arms for support.

Betty started to laugh before clamping her hand over her mouth as she remembered that the rest of the house was sleeping. Her sister Polly and Jason were in the room next to hers staying over the night before driving back to their own home. The twins sleeping in Juliet's room on the floor in their roll out sleeping bags. They were so excited to have a sleep over and use their new sleeping bags that they did not complain about not being in their own beds.

"Everyone else is in bed." She whispered. "I feel like a naughty teenager sneaking a boy up to my room." Not that she had ever snuck a boy up to her room when she was younger, much too concentrated on her own future to even contemplate something like that.

"Well if you couldn't tell from my graceful entry I haven't done this before either." He adjusted the beanie on his head as he spoke, glancing over to her bed as the implications of what she might think that he wanted from her hit him. "Really, I just wanted to see you."

"I'm not complaining. Just if my mom catches you in here. Well-" Betty could only imagine what Alice Cooper would do if she found a man sneaking into her daughter's bedroom. Not that Betty had ever experienced it first hand, but her sister Polly had always had a lot of male admirers back in high school.

"Let's go somewhere then." Her eyes widened at his statement. "To talk," he clarified and her body seemed to relax as she contemplated his request. They had not had much time to talk at the party. Betty with her hosting responsibilities and Jughead looking after Jackson, in addition to being interrogated by her family and friends.

"I know a spot." Betty replied before she could give herself the opportunity to talk herself out of going with him in her own head.

"I'll drive." He made a move to head back out the window, taking a deep breath as the way down seemed so much higher than it did when he had climbed up. He turned back around to face her and held out his hand.

Betty shook her head, "I think I'll sneak out the front door." He shrugged his shoulders and put on a brave face as he made his exit from his room back down the old ladder he had found by the side of the house. He hoped as it creaked and rattled beneath him that it didn't break and send him crashing to the ground. That would definitely bring the wrath of Alice Cooper upon him.

***

They pulled up to the top of the hill as Betty directed him to stop and pull over. It was the classic make out point of the town. A hill overlooking the small town and Sweetwater River. But it was quiet and Jughead's truck was the only vehicle there. Betty got out of the car and headed towards the edge, before she turned around and indicated fro him to follow her. She sat down on the grass and enjoyed the cool sensation of the ground on her bare legs.

"Betty have you taken me to Riverdale's teenage make out spot?" He teased as he sat down on the grass beside her. She let out a giggle at his question and shook her head.

"It's the best place to see the stars." She let herself lie down on the grass keeping her eyes trained on the sky above them. "

"You come here often?"

"Sometimes. When things get too much. I like the peacefulness. The calm." He lay himself out next to her. He looked over at her as she continued to concentrate at the stars and was taken with her. Her expression was serene as she watched the night sky above them and he shifted his own attention to the stars that were above them. "When Richie left and I came back home. I would come out here most nights once Juliet was asleep. I felt so guilty as I slipped out each night. I knew mom was home but I just felt this need to escape the house. To have something that was for me."

"And now?"

"And now." Betty paused as she contemplated where she was now. How things had changed in the months since Richie had left her. She had grown, she was a mother and she had rediscovered her own strength. "Now I feel like I don't need to escape so much. Like I am home and it feels right."

"I want that feeling." Jughead admitted as he watched the stars twinkle above them. "This is going to sound ridiculous but today felt like I was closer to that feeling then I have been in a while. Since Louise has been gone."

"I'm glad." Betty said as she clasped her hand around his and he held onto her hand tighter. "I think everyone deserves that feeling."

"You're not going to tell me that it gets better?"

"That's what everyone says isn't it?" She said as she turned to face him propping herself up on her elbow as he turned his head to face her. Their hands breaking contact. "It doesn't though. Not really. It just becomes different. A new kind of normal."

"I'd like to give that a go. With you." Betty looked into his eyes and felt his hand come up to cup her cheek as she leaned instinctively into his touch. She willed her heart to stop furiously beating in her chest as she felt her feelings begin to swirl inside her. She had tried not to think about what could be between them. Wanting to give him time. Happy to be just friends but with his hand up against her cheek in this moment she knew that she wanted this.

He leaned up to prop himself up on his own elbow as he closed the distance between them pressing his lips up against hers while his thumb stroked softly against her skin. It wasn't the desperate kiss that they had shared on her front doorstep. It was slow and deep. His tongue swept over her lips as they explored one another. Her breath hitched as he shifted his body to move over her. She let her head rest against the grass feeling the softness of the ground beneath her as she brought her arms up to wrap around his torso as he braced himself on his elbows his body hovering millimeters over her own. He pulled back to look into her eyes to see them smiling up at him. He brushed his fingers over his own lips already missing the warmth of hers.

"You do know that if we are going to date I'm going to need to know your first name. The real one." Jughead let out a groan at the suggestion flopping back down on the grass in defeat. Betty giggled as she rolled over to lean her head against his chest laying her arm over his torso as he wrapped his arm over her shoulder holding her tight.

He didn't feel that pang of guilt as his fingers traced absent patterns on her covered skin. He felt a sense of relief. Maybe even a hope that he may have finally found home.

"It's Forsythe."