So this is the last chapter for this story and I'm so sad about it. BUT I want to thank ellie097 (Who has a great story ya'll should check out if you haven't) because they were always so supportive and commenting on every chapter and giving me the inspiration to keep going with the story. Thank you to everyone else who comments or votes or just reads it means a lot to me! Sorry for the wait now here's the last chapter enjoy! :)
"Betty h-hey, I uh I-" Betty cut him off.
"Look Jughead it's almost two in the morning and you're drunk what's going on?" Betty asked irritated.
"I need- I need to know where- uh where Veronica is. It's l-life or death. Betty plleeaase help me." Jughead managed to get out all his thoughts in an understandable way but it was still very obvious he was drunk.
"I don't know Jug. She never told me where she was." Betty sounded sad and Jughead knew how much she must be hurting over her best friend leaving her and never talking to her again. "Goodnight Jughead." He took the phone from his ear and tossed it to the ground.
Jughead vaguely heard the door to the bar open but ignored it because he was on a mission. With little effort, he found his bike and tried to get on.
"What the fuck do you think you are doing, Jones!?" Sweet Pea yelled from the other side of the parking lot.
"I need to find her. I-I have to talk to him!" Jughead stuttered out.
"No, I'm taking you home. You aren't going anywhere in that state.
Sweet Pea drove Jughead home and dropped him into his bed without his beanie or shoes. Jughead had ripped his leather jacket off the moment they walked in the door. Just as Sweet Pea was about to walk back through the door and go home Jughead sat up and screamed at him.
"Marker!" He even snapped his fingers on an outstretched arm. Sweet Pea spent a good ten minutes rooting through the Jones' trailer. Eventually, he found one and brought it back to Jughead who proceed to write Veronica in all caps on his arm before flopping back down on his bed. A drunken reminder for a hungover Jughead.
The next morning he awoke with a stabbing pain in his head and immediate nausea. He could tell he was still slightly buzzed and mostly hungover and his body wasn't having it.
As he leaned over the toilet bowl he finally noticed the writing on his arm. The events of the night before were mostly a blur but that stood out to him. 'I need to find her.'
Jughead waited till he knew he could be away from the bathroom for a good amount of time before he headed out to the Lodges. He got there in record time despite his hangover.
Jughead ran to the door reading 305 ignoring Smithers' yelling. He banged on the door as loudly as could with such urgency. The door was opened quickly to reveal Hermione.
"What is it Jughead?" Hermione seemed angry as she spoke, most likely because of the banging on her door.
"I need to speak to your husband. It's about your daughter." Hermione looked confused. "Please." Jughead pleaded. Hermione let him in and walked him to Hiram's office. She knocked on the door and walked in while Jughead stayed outside.
Not but a minute later she walked back out and gestured for Jughead to go in. Hiram was standing in front of his desk looking extremely powerful but Jughead was too desperate and too hungover to care.
"Sir I need your help. I know we haven't been on the best of terms, like ever, but It's about your daughter." Hiram waved his hand waving Jughead on. "I need you to tell me where she is."
"Why would I tell you that?" Hiram crossed his arms and stared at Jughead. "You're clearly still hungover well into the day and I don't want a drunk Serpent contacting my daughter."
"Look, Mr. Lodge, I haven't been very good to your daughter and it's killing me inside. I spend all day trying to drown out my guilt and to stop myself from missing her and nothing works. I need to talk to her. I need to make it right."
"Why do you suddenly care so much about my daughter?"
"I love her, she's my soulmate!" Jughead ripped down the hem of his pants to show Hiram his soulmark. Hiram went back around his desk and sat in his chair. He stared at Jughead for a long time before speaking.
"Two weeks."
"What?"
"You have two weeks to get sober and to prove to me that you are really serious about my daughter." Jughead didn't need to think twice.
"Of course! Whatever I need to do I'll do it."
*****
Veronica sat on the couch in the apartment her dad was renting for her down the street from her new school. She was about four months pregnant and settling in nicely. She even made a friend. Her friend didn't even care that she was pregnant which was something that made her feel so much better about moving to her new school.
She spent all her time either in class or her apartment aside from the occasional doctors visit but she was happy. Well, as happy as a pregnant teen who had to leave her whole life behind could be.
After every doctor visit, she would take the ultrasound pictures and hang them on her fridge. She only had a few and they weren't really discernable but she loved them. They reminded her what she was doing everything for. She even had a job lined up around the corner that would let her take a month off when she had the baby. Things were looking up.
She had daily check-ins with her father where he checked up and made sure she was going to class and being a good girl in her new school. He always called at the exact same time every day on the dot but he was late and Veronica began to worry. She was about to call him herself when the half-hour mark rolled around but he beat her to it.
"Hello, daddy. What kept you?"
"Sorry, Mija, I was in a meeting. How is everything?" She didn't want to know about what and who knows if that would have changed had she known who the meeting was with. She carried on a short conversation with her father before he bid her farewell, deeming her well, and promised to call on time the next day.
She dropped her phone on her bedside table before crawling under the covers for a short afternoon nap before her dinner date with her only friend.
*****
Jughead sat in his last class bouncing his leg in anticipation. Hiram told him he was allowed to leave for Veronica a day early because as Hiram put it he "didn't want to deal with Serpent trash for longer than he had to" and Jughead did not object.
Every day after school Jughead would go straight to the Lodges for a meeting with Hiram. Every day he would be interrogated for a while about his day and what he had done, Hiram most likely making sure Jughead was no longer drinking and actually staying in school.
Every meeting would end with a single question about Veronica. Jughead knew Hiram was trying to judge if he was good enough for his daughter. Jughead knew he wasn't but he damn sure was going to start trying to be. She deserved that and so much more.
Jughead watched the clock and as soon as the bell rang he was out of his chair and through the doorway. He was practically running down the hallway when he heard a familiar voice calling to him. He reluctantly slowed and turned his head to the blonde calling his name.
"Hey, Jughead. Where are you in such a hurry to? I've never seen you leave class so fast before, it must be important." At some point as Betty talked Archie appeared almost out of thin air next to her.
"I'm going to Veronica's and I'm trying to get there before the sun disappears." He would feel absolutely awful if he banged on her door in the middle of the night waking her up or disturbing her routine he knew she had to have.
"But Jug... I already told you I don't know where she is." Betty sounded worried and that pissed Jughead off. But the agreement hmm from Archie didn't help either.
"And who said I needed you?" Jughead walked out the doors and ran to his bike leaving Betty and Archie behind.
It only took him a few minutes to make it to the Lodges. He was up the stairs and to the door in second. He didn't even have to knock because as soon as he stopped running the door swung open and Hermione stood in the doorway. Jughead nodded politely.
"Hiram asked me to give this to you." She reached her hand out to him giving him a piece of folded paper. "It's Veronica's address." With that, she shut the door and left Jughead alone in the hall.
Jughead hopped back on his bike ready to go make things right with his soulmate. He just had one stop to make first.
*****
Veronica was sitting on her couch reading a book having just cleaned up from dinner when she heard a loud knock on her door. She walked to the door slowly and looked through the peephole. She gasped immediately and felt as though she might faint. She blinked rapidly and swung the door open.
"Jones?" She breathed out. He had his hands behind his back and his hair was a mess.
"Princess." He smiled at her relieved. His humming had been diminishing throughout his trip and once he saw her face it disappeared completely.
"W-what are you doing here?" Her hands were still on the door holding her upright.
"I brought you something." He took his hands out from behind his back and revealed a small box. Veronica took it from him and walked into her apartment Jughead following behind. Veronica set it on the counter and opened it looking up at him confused.
"A cupcake?"
"It may not be a Magnolia because frankly, it's out of my price range, but a New York cupcake is a New York cupcake and there is no wrong the right cupcake can't fix." Veronica tilted her head and smiled.
"What?"
"Your mother used to say that right?" Jughead smiled back.
"Well, yeah, but how did you know that." Veronica began to play with the top of the box as she talked.
"Well, that first night we hung out you told me how you made up with Betty. I thought it was- I don't know what I thought..." Jughead trailed off not sure where he was going. He spent two full weeks imagining what he was going to say and do when he finally got to Veronica but it all went out the door when he saw her face.
"How uh- how is Betty anyway." Veronica lost her smile and began to look at the counter.
"Dating Archie and being a perfect small town citizen." Jughead noticed her mood change. "Look I didn't mean to make you upset. I know the break up with Archie must have been hard but-"
"I'm not upset about Archie. Look why'd you really come here and how did you find out where I was?" Veronica leaned her hands on the counter and rolled her eyes.
"I begged your father to tell me where you were. Long story short I spent two weeks trying to convince your dad that I was sober and good enough for you, which I am not, but he eventually gave up your address and here I am." Jughead spoke fast.
"Wait, good enough for me? What does that mean? Did you tell my father about our marks?"
"Yeah... I was uh- kind of a mess without you." Veronica just smiled and dropped her head.
Jughead got a clear view for most of her kitchen. He looked over the few things scattered around the counters and landed his eyes on her fridge and the few papers and magnets adorning it. That's when he noticed it, the black and white strips at the top.
Jughead slowly walked closer passed Veronica. He ran his fingers across the glossy edge. "Are you- Are you...?" Jughead couldn't finish the question, just turned around and looked at Veronica.
"Yes and if that's a problem you can just leave now." Veronica stood up straight and looked him in the eye.
"Is it mine?"
"Yes." Veronica nodded.
Jughead just stared, his eye's roaming over her face. He was silent for a long while. Right, when Veronica thought she would have to kick Jughead out he leaned down and crashed his lips onto hers and tangled his fingers in her hair.
He leaned back and set his forehead on hers keeping his hands in her hair. "I love you." He whispered.
Veronica could feel tears, happy tears, welling in her eyes. "I love you too."
Jughead dropped his hands to her shoulders and looked at her eyes. "So do you have a name yet? I vote against passing names down. It never goes well." He chuckled.
"I'm not sure if it's a boy or a girl yet. So I didn't want to get dead set on a name. I'm gonna find out at my next appointment." Jughead couldn't stop smiling.
"Would you allow me to be with you. Can I help you through all this? I want to be there for you and the baby as much as I can."
"You'd do that?" Veronica asked quietly.
"Of course I would. I want to be here every weekend with you if you will let me and as soon as graduation happens I'll be here as many days a week that you'll let me. I want to be a part of your life and if that means having a baby I don't care. It makes it that much better." A few tears fell from Veronica's eyes and onto her cheeks. Jughead brought his hand up and wiped them away with his thumb. "So will you allow me to be with you every step of the way?"
Veronica laughed a wet laughed before wrapping her arms around his neck and putting her head into his shoulder. Jughead wrapped his arms around her pulling her as close to him as he could.
"Please stay." Veronica closed her eyes just living in the feeling of Jughead's arms.
"Of course, Princess."
They stayed like that for a long while just feeling each others embrace making up for lost time. Jughead stayed the rest of the weekend helping out with anything Veronica needed and just loving the time he was spending with his soulmate.
Every Monday he would get to school late because Veronica had to physically drag him out of the apartment on the way to class so he could finish his education. He never wanted to leave her. After graduation, he moved in officially and got a job to help support his soulmate and their child.
Neither one of them could remember ever being happier.
So This is the end and it's s sad to think about but The next "chapter" I post on this story will be about my upcoming Jeronica story I have started and other Jeronica stories that I have written if yall would like to check them out :)