"Something old… check." Jackie brushed her hair back behind her ear, revealing a beautiful, antique diamond earring. "Something new… got it." Her eyes flickered down to the dainty pearl necklace that Hyde had given her as an early wedding gift. "Something blue…" her bridal tiara was adorned with elegant blue silk flowers. "That just leaves…"

"Something borrowed." Kitty answered, letting herself into the Sunday school classroom that was doubling as the bride's dressing room. "I hope you don't mind that I let myself in." She laughed, sounding a bit nervous.

"Oh, no. Not at all." Jackie smiled brightly. "What can I do for you, Mrs. Forman?"

Kitty looked her over, admiring the beautiful young woman before her. The young woman that was about to become her de facto daughter-in-law. "You look absolutely radiant, dear."

Jackie's smile widened. "Thank you, Mrs. Forman." She turned back to the mirror, smoothing invisible wrinkles from her elegant satin gown. "I'm so nervous. And happy. And I just… oh, are you sure that my tiara is straight?"

"It's perfect." Kitty slowly made her way over to Jackie, before reaching into her purse and pulling out a small box. "Jackie, there's something that I want you to have. I wore them at my wedding, Donna wore them at hers, and it would be an honor if you wore them tonight."

The 'something borrowed' was a beautiful set of ivory colored satin gloves. Jackie pulled them out of the box, carefully slipping them on. They'd been perfectly preserved, and were just as beautiful as they must've been the first time they were worn. For Jackie, who'd never really gotten along with her mother, it was just as special as receiving her mother's wedding dress. It was Kitty's way of welcoming her into the family. Jackie's vision went blurry as tears flooded her eyes, and she struggled to keep them at bay. She couldn't afford to mess up her mascara.

"Mrs. Forman, I-I…" her hands were shaking and finally, she lost her battle with the tears. Mrs. Forman handed her a handkerchief to blot with.

"I have no doubt that you'll make Steven very happy, dear." She looked at the clock, "Speaking of which, it's almost time. I'll let you finish getting ready."

Kitty was almost out the door when Jackie called out, "Is it normal to be this nervous?" She fiddled with the handkerchief, attempting to keep her mind busy. "I mean, I'm so excited. Nothing would make me happier than to be Steven's wife. I just… I don't want to screw it up."

Kitty smiled softly. "It's completely normal to be nervous, dear. That means you're in love."

Jackie looked herself over once more. It wasn't like she was a blushing virgin, nervous and unprepared for their wedding night. No, her concern was with walking down the aisle on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, only to have Steven realize that this wasn't what he wanted at all. After all, neither of their parents had had ideal marriages. Steven's mother had treated him like shit and the man he'd thought was his father only came to him when he needed money. And Jackie, well, she had a love-hate relationship with her mother, and her father was in jail.

Maybe she was worried that, no matter how beautiful she looked, or how much he said he loved her, he'd leave her at the altar. But she couldn't tell Mrs. Forman that. So she hugged her tight, and then let her go, returning to blotting the tears from her cheeks. She was trying not to mess up her base, but her make-up was staring to get streaky anyhow. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, she needed to stop crying! She was going to have the big, white wedding of her dreams. Everything was perfect. Nothing – not even some pesky nerves – could ruin her night.

The door opened again, and Jackie nearly jumped out of her skin. "I wasn't crying!" She spun around, expecting to see Mrs. Forman standing in the doorway. Instead, it was… Edna? Jackie's face fell. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Edna frowned. "What? Can't a mother come to her own son's wedding?"

"Not when she wasn't invited." Jackie bit back smartly. Edna hadn't wanted anything to do with her son for years. What the hell could she be after now?

"So you're the tramp that my son is marrying. I have to say, I'd hoped that he'd have better taste." She rolled her eyes, "But then, considering that his first wife was an exotic dancer, I'd say that you're just the consolation prize."

Jackie had never met Hyde's mother before, but she'd heard enough about her to be able to identify her almost immediately. And she certainly lived up to expectations – not that that was anything to be proud of. For Jackie, even with twenty feet between them, the older woman was still uncomfortably close. She reeked of alcohol and cheap cigarettes. At least she'd dressed for the occasion, though. She wore a simple black dress with a sweetheart neckline, and a deep purple ascot. She seemed more put together than Jackie had expected, but looks could be deceiving.

"I'll give you a friendly little piece of advice." Edna took a step closer, expecting Jackie to take a step back. But Jackie stood her ground. "One day, the honeymoon is gonna be over. One day, he'll wake up and realize that that ring on his finger is like a noose around his neck, slowly suffocating him day by day. He'll come to resent you."

"Bud resented you because you slept around behind his back and lied to him about Steven for years." Jackie said, trying to stop the new tears that were threatening to fall. "I would never -,"

Edna just ignored her, "It'll be better if you don't embarrass yourself in the first place. There's no shame in leaving him at the altar. It might hurt a bit now but… one day, you'll realize that you saved yourself from the biggest mistake of your life."

"What kind of mother would want her son to be hurt like that?" But Edna had never really been much of a mother to Hyde anyhow, so she'd really just answered her own question. "And while I'm sure you're enjoying messing with me, this is the first time we've had the misfortune of meeting. So what is the real reason you're here?"

"To pay my respects to the happy couple, of course." Edna smiled darkly. "You seem like a smart girl. I know that you'll make the right decision in the end."

And with that, Edna took her leave. Jackie collapsed into one of the tiny chairs, the tears falling freely now. Edna must've figured out where Hyde was living thanks to his bitch of an ex-wife, Sam. How she found out about the wedding didn't really matter. She'd managed to ruin it. She'd managed to hit on every one of Jackie's fears and she just couldn't seem to bury those little 'what ifs'. What if there was no happily ever after? What if they grew apart, and ended up just like their parents? Wouldn't it just save everyone so much heartache if she stayed in that Sunday school classroom and called off the wedding?

"D-Damn it…" when she looked in the mirror, she realized her mascara had started to run.

"It's time, son." Red gave Hyde an approving once-over. The boy certainly could clean himself up when it mattered.

Kitty choked back a sob, before scooping her de facto son into her arms and hugging him tight. Hyde patted her back awkwardly, meeting Red's eyes over her shoulder. The understanding that Kitty had been hitting the punch early that night went without saying. Hyde was the last of her children to 'leave the nest' – not that Laurie was planning on getting married anytime soon, but moving in with Fez was definitely a step in the right direction – and it was an emotional time for her. And Red… well, he was just looking forward to a little peace and quiet now that they'd finally have the house to themselves.

There was a knock on the door, before Donna poked her head in. As the maid-of-honor, it was her job to be the go between for Jackie and Hyde. "Hyde, um… we have a problem."

Hyde raised an eyebrow, "A problem?"

Donna cleared her throat, "Yeah, um… Jackie has decided that she's not going to get married."

An awkward silence followed. Hyde cocked his head to the side, allowing Donna's words to sink in. Jackie had decided not to get married. Something about that didn't sit right with him. Kitty and Red shared a glance, Red's dream of a quiet house dying before his eyes. Hyde sighed, before heading toward the door. Donna, momentarily startled, hesitated for a moment in the doorway, before moving aside and letting him out. She thought that he'd be heading downstairs to inform the guests that the wedding had been called off, but instead, he started down the hall to the room Jackie was preparing in.

"Hyde… you really think that's such a good idea?" Eric asked.

"Just distract the guests. I'll get to the bottom of this." Hyde said, "I didn't rent a freakin' tux just to get left at the altar."

"Distract the guests? I think that they're gonna figure out something is off when the bride and groom don't show up to their own wedding." Eric said, but he knew deep down that his words were falling on deaf ears.

Hyde sighed, "Have Kelso do something stupid. Break into the catering. I don't really care. Just buy me some time so I can figure out what the hell is going on with Jackie, and I promise," he adjusted his tux, squirming uncomfortably. He really hated wearing a monkey suit. "The wedding will go on as planned."

Donna nodded, "She's in the last room on the right." And then, a little softer, "She's a real mess, Hyde. Just… be prepared."

"Thanks, I think I got it." Hyde said, before starting down the hall.

When Hyde reached the door to Jackie's room, he knocked. Like he'd expected, there was no answer. So he tried the doorknob and found it to be unlocked. Opening the door, he heard the sound of Jackie's muffled sniffles. She was sitting in the dark, her face buried in her arms. Her entire body was wracked with the force of her sobs. Now, Hyde was no expert on romance, but he was pretty sure that uncontrollable sobbing was not what was supposed to happen on a woman's wedding day. He slowly made his way over to her, gently scooping her into his arms. As soon as he touched her, she jumped.

"Steven! No, you can't look at me! It's bad luck!" The panicked look in her brown eyes was almost adorable, were it not for how red-rimmed and swollen they were. Her make-up was a disaster, with messy black streaks of mascara following the paths of her tears.

Hyde rolled his eyes, "Well, considering the fact that you've already called off the wedding, I don't think we have anything to worry about." He brushed her hair back from her face, "You wanna tell me why we're not down there right now, getting married?"

"W-What if there is no happily ever after?" Jackie stuttered, trying to get ahold of herself enough to get her point across.

Hyde frowned, "You wanna start making sense, doll?"

Jackie sniffled, "What if I get pregnant and we have like ten kids and you have to work three jobs to support all of us? And what if I'm just a spoiled, pampered princess that you come to resent because you realize that I'm not what you wanted after all and we end up just like them? I want you to be happy, puddin' pop. And maybe… maybe I'm not the one that can do that for you."

Hyde nodded, "Hmm… you do have an incredibly valid point."

Jackie's eyes widened, and if possible, she looked even more panicked than before. "W-What?"

"Maybe you will pop out ten runts, and maybe I will have to work three jobs. But if you spend your life worrying about what ifs, you don't really live, do you? And maybe you are spoiled and pampered and shallow. But if I cared about that… would I still be with you?" Hyde pointed out.

Hyde took that moment to really look at her. Even if she'd been crying for who knows how long, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. And while the idea of having ten kids wasn't exactly… pleasant – he had far too many unresolved issues with his mother to want to risk screwing up another innocent child – he wouldn't exactly be against the idea if it was with Jackie. Leaning in, he kissed her gently, smirking when he realized that it caused her tears to still almost immediately. She leaned into his touch, her breathing evening out as she began to calm down.

"Now…" Hyde pushed her back a bit, looking into her eyes. "You wanna tell me who put these crazy thoughts in your head?"

Jackie looked away. She really didn't want to tell him, didn't want him to get upset. She knew about his strained relationship with his mother and she didn't want to ruin what little happiness was left in their special day. "Nobody. It's… nothing. Let's get married, hmm? Let's do this thing."

Hyde laughed. He actually laughed. "Nice try, but you're not getting out of this. Who made you so upset?"

Jackie swallowed hard, before whispering softly, "Your mother."

Kelso had mentioned seeing a woman that bore a remarkable resemblance to Edna bartending the other night, but Hyde hadn't really given the idea too much thought. After all, last he'd heard, Edna was in Vegas. She'd done her damage in Point Place and didn't really have a good reason to come back. At least… that's what he'd originally thought. Why the hell had she shown up at their wedding and upset Jackie like that? If she wanted something, why hadn't she come to him? Edna had no business with Jackie – hell, she didn't even know her.

She'd never wanted anything to do with Hyde before. Hell, she'd left him to fend for himself at sixteen, with no money and no food in the apartment. He firmly believed that she'd never cared, and he'd made his peace with that. He hadn't forgiven her – didn't think that he'd ever be able to forgive her – but he also didn't spend his every waking moment stressing over the 'whys' anymore. She simply wasn't worth it, and never had been. But now that she'd shown up at his wedding and upset his future wife… Edna had poked the bear, and Hyde was less than pleased.

It didn't take him long to find her. Like most of the guests, she'd wandered downstairs to the catered dinner. However, unlike most of the guests, she'd cracked into one of the bottles of champagne that they'd been saving for the toasts and had already finished half the bottle. A few guests were giving her suspicious, uncomfortable side-long glances, but nobody made to stop her. Perhaps that was for the best. Hyde had learned the hard way that his mother was even more difficult to deal with when you took the booze away. But right now, he just didn't care.

He moved the bottle out of Edna's reach, and when that made no impact, he yanked the champagne flute out of her hand and dropped it on the floor, where it shattered into hundreds of tiny little pieces. "What're you doing here, Edna?"

"Can you really afford to go breaking champagne flutes like that, Steven? Such an extravagant wedding… it must've cost a pretty penny." And it had, not that that was any of her business.

"Is that what you're after? Money?" Hyde bit back, trying his very best to keep calm. Weren't weddings supposed to be happy occasions?

Edna seemed to consider this for a moment, before laughing. "Money? I don't need your money." The glittering engagement ring on her finger addressed everything that was left unsaid. "When I heard you were getting married, I just had to find out who this special girl was that you'd chosen to ruin you."

At that moment, he'd almost wished that she'd come after him for money, that she hadn't gone and made things personal. "She makes me happy and she cares about me. That's more than you ever did."

"A few years down the road, with a couple a kids in the backseat on that hunk of junk you call a car, and you'll start to realize that I was right. You'll resent her and start drinking to mellow out. By the time you finally divorce her, you'll be an alcoholic in the gutter, just like your old man." Because, of course, he'd end up just like Bud.

"You know what?" Hyde frowned, "I think it's about time for you to leave."

Of course, Hyde had known the entire time that Mr. Forman and Mr. Pinciotti had followed him downstairs, and, taking that as their cue, each placed a hand on Edna's shoulders and steered her toward the exit of the church. Hyde watched her leave, feeling his anger melt away to agitation, and finally… sadness. His own mother had shown up at his wedding to tell him how epically his life was going to fail. That, no matter how hard he tried, he'd never be like W.B. He'd end up just like Bud. And somehow, that hurt worse than her coming to pilfer money off of him.

Hyde turned around, ready to head back upstairs, only to come face-to-face with his three groomsmen. Kelso handed him a small flask, "Liquid courage, dude. We were thinking that you might need it."

But Hyde shook his head. "Nah, man. I actually kinda wanna remember making a commitment that I'm gonna stick with for the rest of my life, you know?" He laughed. Because when Jackie came down that aisle, he was promising her forever. No matter what. "Any word on Jackie?"

Eric nodded, "Yeah. Donna went up and was helping her fix her make-up. She should be ready any time now."

That was followed by an obnoxious sniffle from Fez. Hyde raised an eyebrow, "What's the matter with you?"

After trying (and failing, miserably) to get his act together, Fez announced "Oh, I always cry at weddings!"

In the end, it wasn't perfect. Betsy, who had been recruited as the flower girl, threw a tantrum and refused to go down the aisle. The ring bearer tripped over an untied shoe lace and the guests spent twenty minutes trying to find the rings. Hyde was shaking so badly (not that he'd ever admit to it) that he tried (and failed) three times to get the ring on Jackie's finger. And Jackie was crying so hard by the time they said their vows that she could barely be understood. But even with everything that went wrong, it was still the happiest moment of their lives thus far.

"I know pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Hyde didn't need to be told twice. The second their lips met, the guests broke out in applause, and the bridal recession began.

As they passed, they could've sworn that they heard a mumbled "Dumbasses" come from the crowd, and when they turned, Red's fond smile and Kitty's tears of happiness said all that needed to be said.

Their real family, the ones that mattered, were here with them now, celebrating their happiness. Nobody else mattered.

A/N: How was it? Good? Bad? In-Between? I had to write some J/H fluffy angst to counter out everything going on in The Price of Happily Ever After, because that is turning out to be one heck of a bumpy road to happiness. Please remember to review!