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Betty finds out not long after the magic mushroom incident — she doesn’t want to say anything to anyone in case the worst happens, so her plan is to just wait the three months out, and go to appointments that don’t indicate anything out of the ordinary. It couldn’t have been Glen’s due to his sterility, anyway, and Betty’s sure Archie would be crushed if something still happened.
But after the Trash Bag Killer ordeal, when Betty sits off the side and watches as the man of her nightmares is finally taken to be locked down, a few cuts on her face but nothing serious, Archie sits down next to her. He’s suffered worse than her — as he’d taken his selflessness far, again, looking out and protecting everyone but himself. But that’s who Archie is.
Betty guesses he’s only here for a few minutes before the medics have to take him away for full inspection. But Archie just keeps looking at her, unmoving, save for his lips that cannot seem to form the words properly, so she asks, “What is it?”
She’s just tired of it all. If she’s being honest, Archie is the last person she wants to talk to right now. She could scream at him for being so careless with his life.
“Betty, when you were… When you were in danger, I realized that… that if something happened to you, I couldn’t live with myself.”
This they both know. This Archie feels towards most people in his life. Even if he feels the need to say it, he doesn’t — this they both realized when they kissed that night in that car and when Archie was ready to die for Betty.
“It’s because I don’t love Veronica.”
That makes Betty look at him sharply. What?
And then, “It’s you, Betty.”
“I’m pregnant.”
Both come out at the same time, and both change the rest of their lives.
That was then, and this is now. It’s not easy, and it’s not without difficulties or fights, but it’s also full of joy and laughter, and most importantly, it’s their life. A life where the girl next door meets the all-American boy — halfway, right where they need to meet.
They find an apartment not too far from Toni — who, along with Fangs and Kevin — has been a huge help in figuring out what they actually need and what they should actually buy; often, their other friends help out too — they were there for the quick court house wedding, and Tabitha has been essential in making sure they are both fed. The apartment is cozy and small-ish, but miraculously has an office space that’s ready to be turned into a nursery. Betty plans and budgets, and Archie makes sure everything goes according to plan.
And then, one sunny day, Archie shows up with a paint can in both hands — a shade of blue, and a shade of pink. “I was just thinking… maybe beige is a bit boring for a kid, uh…”
It’s not in their budget. It’s so out of it. Betty’s just spoken with Toni about whether or not they had some leftover paint — yellow and white — and primer that they could use — they do — to paint over the cracked walls of the office space.
But Betty can’t even get mad at him. Not when he beams like that. Not when he’s excited like that. “Yeah, not beige,” she smiles at him.
She walks over to the kitchen countertop, and picks up an envelope. They waited until the eighteen weeks were over to even approach finding out about the sex of their baby. Maybe that would make it, her pregnancy, seem even more real, Betty supposes. But it sat unopened there — until now, at least. With so much to be arranged, neither of them has had the time to rush to it, and at the end of the day they would rather focus on each other. Besides, they both agreed that they’d wait — they just haven’t discussed until when.
Betty already has names ready in any case, and she can’t imagine Archie would protest against either of them — Frederick, Freddie for short and Mary, May for short. Not that that’s all their options are, and if Archie’s displeased in any way there are many others, but those are the ones she feels would be most fitting, that she is most drawn too. For now, anyway.
“Well, I guess we should… open this,” she says, and turns to Archie.
“Right, right,” Archie nods along, and puts the cans down. “Or, we could wait if you want.”
“No, no.” Betty narrows her eyes. “Not that it changes anything.”
“No, no.” Archie nods again. “We will teach all our kids all that we know.
All our kids. Betty nearly melts at those words and their implication.
“Fishing and fixing cars and —” He stops himself a bit, and smiles lopsidedly. “Toni said it’s best not to force any gender roles on kids. Including colors. So, we can use both and begin teaching ‘em young.”
In moments like these, Betty finds Archie the most adorable, and attractive. The fact that he’s so involved in their kid’s life, and is so ecstatic about it and learning about it all.
“Obviously,” she adds, raising her eyebrows for a second. “So, should we…”
Archie stands next to her, and fixates his eyes on the piece of paper that Betty pulls out.
“It’s a boy,” Archie reads.
“Freddie Andrews—Cooper.” Betty can’t help it — it slips out naturally. She looks up at Archie to find him staring at her. He tears up a bit, just enough for his eyes to glisten, although Betty can’t quite place if that’s a good or a bad thing.
“Freddie Andrews—Cooper?”
Betty gulps. “I just thought that — after your dad… we could name him after your dad, but if you don’t want then of course —”
He cuts her off, “It’s perfect, Betty.”
Now it’s clear that the tears are happy tears — and so, Betty tears up, too, as Archie cradles her face to press a sweet kiss to her lips. When he pulls away, with a smile you couldn’t wipe off his face, Betty feels like they are both soaring.
This is it. This is forever. Archie, Betty and Freddie.