CHAPTER ONE – Tell Me

Tell me I'm your baby
And you'll never leave me
Tell me that you'll kiss me
Forever...

It turns out that 'forever' has an expiration date.

In fact, for one young pair of lovebirds, forever only lasted until the night of FP Jones's arrest.

Forever ended when Jughead Jones ran away from Riverdale High School, away from his friends and his girlfriend, not looking back...

It was the night that all had seemed lost to a broken, seventeen-year-old boy. Hearing the words that his father had been arrested simply acted as the straw that broke the camel's back. Consequently, feeling the flood of emotion as his world that had been filled with hope comes crumbling down, that devastated young boy had run away from his high school homecoming, leaving his best friends that had betrayed him and his girlfriend who had been caught up in the crossfire.

As the school doors flew open, three teenagers watched on helplessly as Jughead Jones raced away from them, away from the school and ran out of their lives. However, in that moment not one of them thought that it would mark the last time. Not one of them thought that he had no intention of ever coming back.

Now, that night there happened to be one, last bus headed out of Riverdale, bound for Oklahoma; a destination that one young teenager could exchange with a one-way ticket that was originally purposed to get him to Toledo. However, after the change of plan and now with a newfound purpose, Oklahoma would be just fine for what Jughead Jones had set out to do...

Tell me I'm your baby
And you'll never leave me
Tell me that you'll kiss me
Forever...

It had been their song.

It was the song that she would twirl her hair to, while thinking about a certain beanie-clad boy, whenever they were apart... It was the song that she had shown him when she opened up and exposed a little piece of herself to him by sharing the song that she confessed reminded her of them... It was the song that they would then repeat to one another, meaning every word of the lyrics every time that they repeated them to the other person... It was the song that became their song.. It was the song that she had cried her broken heart out to... Then, it had become the song that a young mother would gently sing to her daughter as a baby in a desperate attempt to lull her to sleep, willing to try absolutely anything if it would calm her child...

Snapping Betty from her thoughts, two big, bright blue eyes mirroring her father's look up to her mother's green ones.

"Mummy... Can you sing, please?"

It is a part of the little girl's night-time routine. Bath, bed, story, song, sleep.

Betty never volunteers to sing that particular song. However, it is the only song that her stubborn daughter will ever accept as a night-time lullaby.

When that very same question is repeated by her little girl each and every night, Betty had tried singing almost any other song in response. Her efforts ranged from Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, to a Coldplay one, to Bohemian Rhapsody, to a One Direction hit. However, no matter what other song Betty knowingly tries to supplement it with, she is always met with the same answer.

"Not that one, mummy! The for-wever song! You know, mummy..."

Looking into her daughter's pleading, electric blue eyes that are entirely his, Betty can't stop the smile on her face. She can't say no to her little girl's request. No matter how hard it is to keep her voice strong and no matter how much pain that song brings her with the onslaught of bittersweet memories, her pain is always worth it for adding to even just a little piece of her daughter's happiness.

Whisper that you love me
That you'll never leave me
Be mine for always
I'll be yours forever

After hesitantly and softly singing just a few verses, Betty peers over to look at her daughter from where she's resting on her bedside. She quickly notes that the little girl's eyes have fallen shut and her mouth is beginning to open just a little as her breaths grow deeper and deeper. She is quite clearly falling to sleep.

Betty can't stop her smile. She's always loved watching her daughter as she sleeps. Even after an awful, long, tiring day, watching her seems to be the remedy for just about anything.

Leaning down to press a single, gentle kiss to her three-and-a-half year old daughter's disheveled, golden curls, Betty prepares to pry herself away from watching her little girl, forcing herself to leave the little, dusty-pink bedroom.

"Goodnight, Bailey-girl. I love you."

...

You see, the thing is, Jughead Jones hadn't just left behind his girlfriend that night. He hadn't just left behind the love of his life.

He had left behind his daughter.

... He had left behind their child, too.

Tell me I'm your baby
And you'll never leave me
Tell me that you'll kiss me
Forever

Hi guys! New story here, starting with the song that made the beginning of Riverdale so iconic. This is just a very random idea that I had a few weeks back and an idea I've been working on since, but it's definitely another Bughead one. Please let me know if you're interested and you'd like to read more. I have quite a few ideas for places where this one could go, too, exploring Betty & Bailey's life and also where Jughead has wound up.

Next chapter: Come along for the journey as Betty's world comes crashing down, before picking herself back up again.

Don't forget to follow, favourite and let me know what you think so far/if you'd like to see some more!