Shadows of Your Dreams

Epilogue

Betty loved the world like this. Jughead's arms around her, his lips and nose against the back of her neck, the arm under her neck reaching out its hand to play with her hair when he felt like it. Overall, it just traced small circles against her scalp as his other hand was doing on her waist. Cuddling like this never got old. Not ever.

They may have been in their early thirties, but this was always going to be their favorite position. Honestly, Betty was looking forward to being eighty, still cuddling him like this, still happy together.

They were talking about small things quietly, planning the dinner for the day, speaking about how one of them would have to go and take Bea outside to walk Bubbles. In the end, they decided they'd do it all together today, and that they could start cooking a bit later as well, since no one was going to be there before four, hopefully.

Sharing small kisses, the two were in their little bubble until the door opened and their seven-year-old daughter smiled, stepping inside with an excited look on her. The two grownups smiled. The girl let her dog inside who obviously ran to the bed and jumped in.

Betty and Jughead groaned together, moving away from their comfy position to stop Bubbles from licking their faces. "She's just saying good morning," the little girl protested when they pushed the dog off of their bodies.

"She's making my face covered in dog drool, Bea. I don't appreciate that very much," the guy spoke, getting the dog to settle down at the end of the bed where their feet were.

"Daddy's talking sophisticated again," the little girl said to Betty, stumbling a bit over the big word the woman had taught her.

"Daddy's trying to look smart while you're here," she mumbled back with a smirk, giving Jughead a teasing look when the girl giggled, climbing into the bed and right in between the two.

"Can daddy at least get a good morning kiss?" Jughead pouted, Bea still giggling.

"But you didn't like kisses Bubbles gave you."

"Yes, because Bubbles is a dog. You're my baby."

"Not a baby," she sang with a smile, her head resting on Betty's warm arm.

"Not a baby. Our baby," Betty said and covered her whole face in kisses, making the girl giggle, wiggling in between the two. Jughead smirked and moved to blow raspberries on the girl's stomach (a thing she loved and hated at the same time).

When Bea finally escaped it was thanks to Bubbles who had come to the rescue, licking the grownups' faces. Now, the dog was on the ground, having decided there wasn't enough room for her, and the little girl on her stomach, still giggling. She looked adorable with her two front teeth starting to come in, and two missing from the lower row as well.

When they were all smiling, Jughead's eyes closed again, the girl pulled herself upward and kissed his cheek with a smile, making the man smile as well as he opened his identical eyes. "I'm hungry," Bea said, looking in between the two parents.

Jughead turned her head to look at Betty, eyes pleading and big, but the blonde shook her head and pulled their daughter into her arms. "Daddy will go make us breakfast," she promised to the girl.

"Or mommy could do that," Jug mumbled.

"Daddy can do it," the little girl smiled, closing her eyes in Betty's arms, loving the warm cuddles she was giving her,

Jughead groaned and moved closer to the two of them, wrapping his arm around them both. "I wanna sleep, too."

And so, nobody got out of the bed for another half an hour when the girl couldn't stay still anymore.