Everyone was deeply dreading this from families to Serpents you name it. Jess sighed as she went to view his coffin as Matt and Everly stand beside their mom.
"They did nice with his coffin and everything."
Matt admit.
Everly placed a note to her dad inside the coffin as Matt place a note as well. Jess placed her letter and gave him one final stroke of his hair.
"Rest easy, love till we meet again and hug our son my heart is only at peace with that you are with him."
She said.
The kids were aware about their older brother as jug and she explained when Everly was 4 and asked for a sibling. Deep down for Jess, she understood her dad at this very moment as she remembered watching her father on his knees crying for his beloved Emily begging for her to come back: she felt the urge, but held it back for the kids as she didn't want to scare them especially Everly or their other Godkids: Junior, Annabelle and Emily.
On cue: Junior, Annabelle and Emily walked over, as they stood next to their godmother. Junior said feeling concerned.
"Goddaddy was the best ever! Who is going to help you now, Momma? We want to help you."
Joaquin and Marie were touched by their son's heart. Veronica sobbed at Junior's question.
Jess said hugging him.
"Aww sweetheart. I have you all, Veronica, Archie and your mom and your dad, Grandma Glady, Aunt Jellybean, grandpa FP and my cousin Daniella."
Junior felt better, but it was not enough as he loved how Jug helped Jessica with everything. He vowed to be like his godfather and want to have a love story like his Godparents.
Emily said referring to Archie and Jug tight friendship.
"I will miss our dad's bonds."
Archie choked up hearing that and cried for the first time in weeks as Veronica console him. Despite the fact that Jug has passed and knowing it as he is helping Jess through it, he has been in denial for months as he never imagined his life without his brother in law and best friend. Once Emily admitted in how she put it, it had caught up with him that his best friend was truly gone.
Annabelle agreed tearing up.
"Same with our dad too. Dad and Jug were so close!"
Joaquin teared up in that moment as well as Marie comfort him.
Emily said as her own dad would say.
"If you ever need us, we got you guys."
Jessica said complementing Emily.
"Emily, you are definitely his daughter for sure! Like father like daughter. Your Dad says this many times to me."
Archie was smiling proud.
Everly and Matt hugged them then Jessica hugged her Godkids as she assured them.
"You all are our joy from the minute you were born and the minute your parents has asked and chosen us to be your Godparents: Jughead loves you all so much."
Veronica, Marie, Archie and Joaquin choked up but smiled as they never realized how much their decision meant to them.
The service began and Jess was feeling the loss big time. After the kids, Archie, Joaquin and Jug's family spoke, Jess went up to the podium shaken up a bit.
"Good afternoon.
What can I say about Jughead? God has really placed him in my life in ways I had never expected. Looking back on my first day at Riverdale as a student: was nerve racking the pressure with the history of my parents attended the school and that I pretty much grew up in Riverdale High with Jughead's parents and Archie's parents but deep down, I was home again this time with just students my age. Seeing Jughead the first time, I was skeptical yes he is a weirdo as he says, but deep down I knew that I had to get to know him but I didn't know how to approach him. On the day I had started school, the teacher introduced me to the class and I knew that I had wished that my parents were here with me in the moment because I remember the classroom vividly as a baby where my parents sat in the seats and Jug was sitting at my Dad's desk as I was sitting at the exact spot with a desk that was accommodated by the school next to him which was my mother's spot which exactly how they met few years back before I unexpectedly came along."
The yearbook photos came on screen of Jessica's parents and Jughead and Jess side by side: exact seating arrangements but exact positions.
Archie was stunned same with Joaquin.
Jessica said.
"Surprise! This is why I had started it off with God has really placed him in my life in ways I had never expected."
Jess took a moment and acknowledge Archie's expression with Joaquin before continuing.
"I know right, Archie and Joaquin? It incredible I never spotted it till later in school."
She continues.
"After finishing the assignment in class and getting ready to hand in when my wheelchair suddenly went forward I fell out and then my chair fell on top of me. As I was expecting, no one wanted to help, but Jughead did that and took me to the nurse. My thought was he didn't have to do this especially on the first day and he did. Eventually one day I did got the courage to go up to him and thank him.
My fondest memory was when I learned that he was indeed Aunt Glady and Uncle FP's oldest son. I pretty much grew up around his parents so imagine my surprise, when I showed up at the restaurant with Jug and sees the rents pulled up in their motorcycle I honestly wanted to punch Jug, but my emotions were everywhere going AUNTIE GLADYS, UNCLE FP I MISS YOU SO MUCH! This was the best moment of my life alongside my reunion with Fred and Mary, I haven't had seen them since I was 10 years old and that goodbye with my dad in the car, was the hardest goodbye I have ever gone through period. So seeing FP and Gladys, the excitement was on a high."
Joaquin asked.
"Did you eventually punched Jug?"
Everyone laughed.
Jessica said as she laughed at the question.
"Not really, as I was very emotional but I was mad and said. "You couldn't say you are a Jones?" And he says he wanted to pull off the reunion really special for me knowing the story of my parents and I and how special I was to FP and Gladys. At the same time he was like, dress formal, my dad is very specific alongside my mom this that and the other so he made me nervous just a tad like how formal is formal? I really want to impress them and make Jug proud. He brought that typical nerve in meeting the parents. My reaction ended up being like "Aunt Gladys, Uncle FP, Jughead Jones what?" And he smiled like surprise! And said. "I'm their son!" It was the stress that he was putting me through hours before that where I was mad at him but at the same time, I really appreciate in how he made the reunion special."
She paused to compose as the memories were flowing through her mind: Jellybean went up alongside Veronica and they held her hand.
"Breathe, you got this."
Jellybean said.
Jessica composed herself and spoke.
"Over time Jughead always had my back wether it helping the serpents or doing school and homework or sitting with me through chemotherapy twice or my incident during school and when I picked up our son, Matthew. When I had my surgeries: I mean we went through so much and he was patience through and through each time caring for me. I will miss his dedication as a Godfather to Joaquin and Marie's and Veronica and Archie's children and a Father to our Kids. He was a loving dedicated boyfriend in high school, but he became a dedicated husband from the moment we got married. I have watched him grow from a boy in high school to a man on our wedding day."
Everyone applauded in that sentence. She continues.
"I have always hoped that I have succeeded my dad's wishes in what he has been looking for in a boyfriend and husband for me as Uncle John read what my dad say when I was born at the reception, I was praying literally I mean Veronica and Jellybean remember that clearly as Uncle John went through that list and I'm like thinking where is Uncle John going with it?"
Everyone laughed. Jess smiled at the reaction but she said.
"At the same time I remembered looking at my in laws, grandmother, my aunt and my godmother as they choked up because they were presence at the hospital when I was born and I knew how emotional it was for them hearing from their POV, knowing what my dad's words were and they literally take it to heart especially Uncle FP's speech said it all. When Uncle John said. "You Jughead, have succeeded." I was really relieved to a point that I was going to cry and I remembered out of the corner of my eye, Archie was ready to comfort me: I saw that he wanted to get up from the table. So I quickly texted had my cell on my lap and thankfully under the table I texted Archie with. "I'm ok bro, just feeling happy that Dad's wishes came true and that both sides of mom and Dad's families sees that in Jughead. I have heard Dad's wishes to me when he was alive so many times, I had thought I would never find it and Jughead really fit everything. Just hearing Uncle John approval as he cares about my parents is a relief."
Everyone understood that emotion.
"Yeah now you all get it!"
She ended with.
"Thankful that you were my first everything, Jug. I'm at peace that you reunited with our firstborn son rest until I meet you both again. I love you."
The place Jug was going to be buried was underneath a willow tree that Jess's mom admired and Jess has no idea what Jug picked for their resting place and she haven't thought of this process at all but she and jug chat about it a couple times. When the car stopped the limo driver said.
"Here we are."
Jess got out of the car with FP's help and FP told her to close her eyes. She did as Archie and FP guided her chair down to the willow tree once they made it, FP said.
"Open your eyes."
Jess did and teared up and broke down as Archie hold her for comfort. She said.
"Oh my. Momma's tree plus mom, dad, Jug and my date spot. I hope Mom didn't mind and place her blessings on it before Jug did all of this."
FP said as he comfort her.
"Archie and I was with Jughead when he showed us where he had in mind and our heart stopped when we recognize where we were and I said Son are you outta your damn mind? This will break your wife!!! Archie try to knock some sense into him knowing that is his Godmother and out of nowhere your mother came through."
Archie showed her the picture from that day: it was a beautiful shine upon the willow tree as if momma had blessed it and passed it to her son in law. It had a rainbow shined over as if she said. "My Son in Love, this was my favorite spot with Matthew and now it yours and Jessie."
FP said.
"Archie and I were like Ok she has spoken, put blessing on it and now it going to be ya'll resting place."
Jessica said speechless.
"Jug always brought up the conversation multiple time of us needing a burial plot and I was like why what prompted this? He says that he say he wanted to make sure we have one and so I often thought of this, but I knew that this was my parents favorite place but I just need my mom's blessing so thank you guys for assuring me that. Deep down I was hoping my parents would be buried here, but we took mom with us to NY."
Her eyes laid on a swing.
"Wait- is that a swing?"
FP said.
"Yeah Jug did that for you- I told him how your mom wished there was a swing here so she could rock you to sleep and having something for you to enjoy as you grow up and of course you did move with dad. I always told your mom that we will fulfill it somehow."
He had teared up.
"I thought of your mom as he put it together."
Jess hugged him.
"I know mom is pleased."
After the burial, she felt Jughead's presence telling her get on the swing. So Fang helped her transfer from the chair to the swing and he did the first push as Jess laid back against the swing-Jughead has chosen this swing for her big time and Jess smiled.
"Now I see why mom wanted a swing for me here. It a calm peaceful place!"
AN: the swing jug got her just to give an idea