It's been almost 2 weeks since Veronica decided to start a new life in Riverdale or better get back to her old one?
Linda knows that her mother has no intentions of going back to New York and she's more than fine with that. 'No more Chad and more Daddy' she smiled when Veronica carefully explained her point.
Her daughter's father is next to her now. He stands in the kitchen and looks completely lost. He wants to help but doesn't know how.
"You would help me a lot if you could prepare a little snack for her" Veronica smiles. She can read Archie like a book.
"Sure tell me what to do" he says. He won't admit it but he's relieved. The silence between them was not really awkward but not comfortable either.
"I have some animal crackers here. Just put some peanut butter on it and by some I mean some and whatever kind of fruit we have. I don't even know. Strawberries, bananas, grapes, anything"
"Mhh sounds yummy. I love peanut butter and crackers"
"I know" Veronica smirks "I went through hours of painful labor just to give birth to a mini version of you. Thanks for reminding me"
Archie chuckles. His eyes linger on Veronica for a second longer before he puts a bunch of animal crackers on a plate.
"So um Archie, I have a question"
"Mhm"
"Since Linda and I are going to stay here, can you help me turn my parents' old room into Linda's and maybe make mine look less.... less 17"
Archie chuckles "of course Ronnie"
"Thank you. I really appreciate that you're here despite everything that has happened. You're here for Linda and you even help me"
"Ronnie, she's my daughter. I will always be here to help. And just because I — well you know, doesn't mean I didn't love you. I promised myself after that, that I will never let you down again, so I'm here whenever you need me"
"Thanks" Veronica smiles.
"Do you want to eat something too?"
"No thanks. I don't like peanut butter. Maybe I'll eat some yogurt"
Archie simply nods. Veronica chews this inside of her mouth before she grabs three glasses and a water bottle "Linda do you want a snack?" she yells into the living room.
Within seconds Linda sits in 'her' spot at the table.
"I made cracker peanut butter banana sandwiches" Archie smiles proudly as he places the plate in front of his daughter. The little girl stares at the bunch of little sandwiches. It's two pieces of crackers with some peanut butter and a thin slice of banana in between.
"Cool!" Linda grins and puts two in her mouth at the same time"
"A mini version of you" Veronica giggles. Archie smiles even more than before but doesn't say anything. He disappears into the kitchen and come back with some more mini cracker sandwiches for him and a bowl with some yogurt and fruits for Veronica. He remembers how much she loves that.
"Thank you Archie"
"No problem"
"Daddy when I'm all done can I have some of your crackers?"
"You eat your food first baby. Daddy is hungry too" Veronica says
"I can make you more if you're still hungry" Archie mumbles with his mouth full. It makes Linda laugh and Veronica roll her eyes. Archie saw that and he absolutely loves to tease Veronica even more. He loves the face she makes when she's annoyed. He dips his crackers into Veronica's yogurt and it takes less than a second for Veronica to slap his hand away. "Get your peanut butter away for me"
Linda laughs even more. She can barely sit up on her chair anymore. Her daughter's giggles make it really hard for Veronica to stay serious and of course Linda copies her father
"You too Missy. No peanut butter for me. No thank you!"
Linda giggles but then all of the sudden her smile fades. "I miss dancing mommy"
"You dance?" Archie asks with a smile on his face.
"I do ballet. I'm very good and it's so much fun but now that we don't live in New York anymore, I need a new dance studio"
"I'm working on it honey. Mommy just got a lot to do at the moment" Veronica promises. She knows how much her daughter loves to dance. That's why she went to one of the best dance studios in the country. She feel terrible for taking her daughter out of it but she needed to leave New York. Linda will be happier in Riverdale, safer. She will do whatever she can to find a dance studio near them that Linda feels comfortable in.
"Okay" Linda sighs but suddenly her eyes light up. She swiftly turns her head to Archie and looks up to him. "Daddy, do you want to see my tutus and dance costumes?"
"Of course! Show me!"
"— when you're done eating" Veronica interrupts before Linda can get up. The little girl groans but puts another cracker sandwich into her mouth.
"I don't know why but this is a very Lodge thing" Archie chuckles "did you dance too when you where a kid?" he asks Veronica.
"I did"
"Ballet just like me" Linda giggles. "I wanted to be just like mommy and now I love dancing too"
Archie's eyes wander to Veronica who looks at her daughter with a wide smile on her face. She looks so proud. He can't describe the feeling he gets when he looks at Veronica and their daughter but it's an amazing feeling.
"Stop starring at mommy" Linda says with a bossy undertone, one that reminds Archie a lot of Veronica. "That's rude"
His cheeks turn deep red when her chocolate brown eyes suddenly look back at him. Her little giggle only makes him blush even more.
Veronica bites the inside of her lip to keep herself from giggling again. Archie is just as cute as he was when she fell in love with him and the girl who now stares at them is living proof of the feelings they once shared.
"Mommy?"
"Huh?"
"I know it's a special costume but can I show daddy the black dress with the feathers?"
"Sure"
"What's the special dress?"
"I was the black swan in swan lake"
"Woah! That's amazing honey" Archie smiles.
"Thank you! But mommy said the dress was very expensive so I need to be extra careful"
"Makes sense" Archie nods
The next hour and a half Archie watches his little girl dance all her solos and favorite dance moves. She changes into at least 10 different costumes and explains every detail. Veronica loves how interested he is and Archie loves how bright Linda's eyes shine. He's so happy to have her in his life now. He can't even understand how he was able to live without her but he's also upset because with every passing day, he realizes how much of her life he missed. All the birthdays and dance competitions, her first day of pre school, her first steps and first word. He will do anything to make sure he will never miss one of her milestones again. He will be the best dad he can be. His role model is his own father. No one was better than Fred Andrews.
Every day with Linda is amazing. After all the dancing, the three of them go the park to play outside or Veronica watches them play with a smile on her lips. She always knew Archie would be an amazing dad. The love he had for her was already so strong that she can't even imagine how much he must love his own flesh and blood.
He doesn't mind to push her higher and higher on the swing or dig in the sand with his hands. Veronica gets three 'special Linda and daddy mud pies' before the little girl gets bored and wants to play something else.
Before they go back to the Pembrooke, Archie buys pizza and ice cream for everyone. They have a little picnic in the park just like Veronica and Archie used to have when they were teenagers. Veronica absolutely loved picnic dates.
Linda dramatically explains to Archie that her feet are too tired to walk and of course he can't say no so he picks her up and and carries her all the way back to the Pembrooke.
"Archie can you stay with her for just a few more minutes? I want to take a quick shower"
"Yeah of course" he nods.
Veronica smiles and quickly disappears in the bathroom.
Archie smiles too and picks the girl up again. He helps her change into some pjs before she falls into Veronica's bed exhausted. He runs his fingers through her hair for a few minutes before she falls asleep. They say kissing someone's forehead while they are asleep is the purest form of love and in this very moment nothing felt more right than to kiss his little girl good night. She looks so peaceful and calm. All he wants, is to keep her safe and happy.
He brushes a strand of hair out of her face before he leaves the room.
The sound of something hitting the floor interrupts the silence in the apartment followed by a groan from Veronica.
Archie carefully knocks against the bathroom door. "Ronnie? I just wanted to let you know that Linda is asleep. I tucked her in"
Veronica sighs. "Thanks Archie. I really appreciate the help"
"Any time Ronnie. She's my daughter too. I'm here whenever you need me"
"Thank you" she says again and Archie can hear the smile before she groans again.
"what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just can't put lotion on my back and my skin is so dry. It hurts"
"Uhm I — I can help you if you want"
It's silent but only for a few seconds before the bathroom door opens slowly. Veronica holds a towel in front of her chest and looks up to him shyly. She doesn't even know why she feels so weird. They have a child.
"Can you close your eyes?"
"I can but with my eyes closed my fingers might end up somewhere where they are not supposed to be"
"Fine" she sighs and hands Archie the bottle of lotion before she turns around. As soon as Archie touches her skin she gets goosebumps all over her body. She closes her eyes. There are a million thought in her head. She broke up with Archie because he broke her heart. That was years ago though and they have a daughter too.
The moment is over quicker than she expected and she doesn't really know if she's happy or upset about it.
"Done" Archie says.
"Can you stay, please?" Veronica asks without really thinking about her question.
"Do you think that's a good idea Ronnie?"
She knows it's not. "I don't care. I haven't been in this apartment in years. I'm exhausted and overwhelmed and I don't want to be alone tonight, please."
Archie chuckles but Veronica doesn't laugh. She's serious and she stares up into his eyes with that look that made him fall in love when they were young. "Okay fine. I'll sleep on the couch"
"Thank you Archie"
"One condition though. I really need to take a shower too"
"I'm done. Give me a minute and the bathroom is all yours"
"Take your time babe" as soon as the words leave Archie's mouth, be squeezes his eyes shut and bites the inside of his lip. "Sorry"
"Did you just?" Veronica giggles.
"I said sorry. Force of habit"
"A habit we stopped 7 years ago?"
"I'm sorry Ronnie. I don't know why I said that"
"I'm just teasing you" Veronica smirks "I can get dressed in the living room" she says as she grabs her pjs. "The bathroom is all yours.
"Do you have a shirt or something I can wear?"
Veronica chews her bottom lip. Suddenly a wide smile forms on her lips. "I do have something. It's girly but super oversized. It should fit you. I'll hang it on the door handle outside the bathroom"
"Cool thanks Ronnie"
"Sure" she nods as she spins around on her heels.
After his shower he opens the door just enough to grabs the shirt. It's a pink shirt with a unicorn on it. 'Girls rule' it says with glitter all over the letters "you've gotta be kidding me Ronnie" he says as he shakes his head.
After he dressed himself he walks to the living room to get ready for bed. He's tired but his plans change when he sees Veronica asleep on the couch. A blanket lies on the ground next to her.
He picks it up and carefully lays the it over Veronica's body. He wants to make sure she stays warm. He remembers how cold she sometimes got at night.
"That was supposed to be my bed tonight Ronnie" Archie whispers. "I guess I'm going to sleep on the floor in the bedroom then. This way Linda can annoy me in the morning and you can hopefully sleep in. I love our baby, Ronnie. She may look like me but she has that look in her eyes that you have too. The look I fell in love with and can't resist"
He stares at Veronica for a second before he leans down and softly kisses her forehead. "Goodnight Ronnie" he whispers. He grabs a few pillows from the armchair next to the couch and walks back into the bedroom. He remembers where Veronica keeps extra blankets. A smile forms on her lips. She was never asleep, just tired enough to pretend.