" I don't want you to go home yet." She admitted to him as they were approaching her house. He had held her at the diner, they hadn't talked much more about their revelations to each other before deciding to walk home.

"I don't want to either." He agreed. He didn't want to leave her alone. After seeing those marks he wasn't sure he ever wanted to leave her. A deep need to protect her had risen up in him.

"Maybe we could watch a movie." She had enjoyed spending time together just the two of them, enjoying a moment of being two normal teenagers going out to the movies, sharing popcorn and snuggling up to one another. She wanted to capture that feeling again.

"Okay, signal when the coast is clear." They had done this so many times now him sneaking up to her room that they both knew the drill. Betty was sure that her mum was in bed by now. She seemed to have a different set of rules for Betty spending time with Jughead. There was no way on earth she would have been able to go to bed if it was Archie or Veronica that she was having a late night milkshake at Pop's with but he seemed to have earned himself a free pass from Alice Cooper which he was very grateful for.

She pressed her lips against his a chaste kiss promising more to come. He watched as she entered through the front door. He should know better than to take the risk sneaking into Betty's room with her mother in the house. Most of their secret rendezvous took place when Alice Cooper was working late at the newspaper. But Betty had revealed something deep and personal to him and he wanted to be there for her, plus he was not keen to re-enter the Andrews home which was sure to be a disaster zone. Archie had wanted to throw the big party he could deal with the big clean up.

He stayed hidden in the bushes waiting for the tell tale sign of her lamp flashing on and off before he grabbed the ladder from the side of the house placing it gently onto the side of the house resting just underneath the window ledge.

She was sitting on her bed, crossed legged as he entered through the window. Her laptop open in front of her. He sat on the edge of her bed, feeling the usual nervousness that came with being alone with her in her bedroom. The expectations that he would act as any other teenage boy in their girlfriend's room alone suddenly weighing heavily on him.

"So what will it be birthday boy." There was a playfulness in her tone. As she moved the laptop to face him. He carefully looked through the list of films at their disposal.

She examined his face in the soft light of the laptop . The dark bruise around his eye and the cut on his cheek the result of his fight with Chuck. The fight he had gotten in because of her. Despite it all, despite her throwing a party that he didn't want, and her lies here he was. She had bared to him her darkest secret, something that she had never revealed to anyone and he hadn't recoiled from her, he had taken her scarred hands in his own and kissed them gently. Accepting all of her.

"It looks painful." She commented.

"I should have done it sooner, as soon as he started I should have stopped him. I'm ashamed that I didn't."

"Hey not your fault." She took his hands. "And you were there for me tonight. Plus it looks very rebellious. Almost could I say hot?" She winced as the words came out not sure how he would react. She knew that Jughead was not one to graciously accept compliments especially those that commented on his physical appearance a lifetime of being the weird kid and trying to remain invisible as possible had made him shy and unsure of himself. A blush spread across his cheeks at her comment. He pulled his beanie off and nervously ran a hand through his hair. A curl falling over his bruised eye. She pushed it back away from his eyes, and he looked up to meet hers. "Sorry I know you don't like…" She didn't get to finish her sentence as he pulled her onto his lap. His hands moving to her hips immediately holding her in place as his lips assaulted hers. There was a passion and ferocity in his kiss that was different to their usually chaste and gentle kisses in the privacy of her room. She moaned as his tongue swept her bottom lip begging for entrance, she gasped at the movement and he seized on the opportunity to deepen the kiss. His hands were in her hair pulling her golden locks from the restrictive hairstyle she seemed to favour. He pulled back to examine her, eyes blown wide, lips plump and a delicious shade of pink as a result of their kisses.

"Well looks like I got my birthday wish after all." He smiled at her as she remembered the way he had looked at her when he had said those words earlier that evening. He was looking at her just like that now. He had to admire how beautiful she looked with the soft light from her laptop now cast aside on her bed highlighting her face.

He felt a sudden pang in his chest. And thought to himself that he may be falling in love with her.

"Is it wrong that I find this hot as hell." She let out in a breathy whisper. "You defending my honour." She returned her lips to his, kissing him deeply, letting her hands loose in those waves he usually kept so well hidden. Her lips then trailed to his cheek gently brushing against the cut on his cheek.

"I'm glad you came back." She whispered. She had felt the relief wash over her when he had re-entered the kitchen after the fight with Chuck. When she couldn't find him after the punches were thrown she felt for sure that he had been repulsed by the secrets Chuck had revealed about her. That he had headed for the hills and she couldn't really blame him. But he hadn't he took her hand and lead her away from all the chaos to the safe haven of Pop's and a vanilla malt milkshake to share.

"Me too." He agreed as he felt her lips deliver a feather-light kiss to his bruised eye. Without meaning to she let out a yawn. One that he couldn't help but imitate.

"Sorry." She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. She could feel her eyes closing safe in the warmth of his body. "I was up so early this morning, and." She paused, another blush spreading across her cheeks as she nuzzled against his neck. "Trust me I really want to continue this." Her lips brushed gently against his neck and he tightened his arms around her.

"It's okay, Betty. It's late and there will be other times." His hand in her hair directed her to look into his eyes and she could see that he was being honest with her.

"Juggie could you just hold me? Just until I fall asleep." Those wide trusting eyes would be the death of him. He would do anything just to have her look at him like that.

"Sure." She moved off his lap allowing him to lay down on her bed, his torso propped up by her seemingly endless supply of pillows. She followed him, laying her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her snug against his body. He felt that need to protect her rising up again. She could hear his heart beating steadily against her ear. Its steady rhythm lulling her into a gentle sleep.

He knew he should leave when she fell asleep, he couldn't afford to be in Alice Cooper's bad books. He had to admit to himself that he was enjoying coming over for early breakfasts, staying for the occasional dinner. It almost felt a little like a family should, even despite all he knew about how imperfect it really was, he couldn't help but be drawn to it. But he stayed, rubbing his hand gently along her back until sleep eventually overtook him as well.