A/N: This is the first part of a series I'm starting with this. This story basically starts during the episode "Hyde Moves In" and will go on from there. This is canon divergence with Hyde having a younger sibling. I also couldn't work in the skinny-dipping scene from the beginning of the episode; not only would it not flow right, but I felt weird writing a group of naked people walking nonchalantly into a house with a five-year-old around.

This will also focus more on the friendship Eric and Hyde had. I really loved their relationship and was disappointed there weren't more moments between them.

Disclaimer: I do not own That '70s Show or anything (characters, etc.) that pertains to the show. Seriously, not even a DVD copy. I only own Heather's character and the idea of Hyde having a little sister.

Steven unlocked his front door as quietly as he could, praying that he didn't disturb any of the inhabitants inside. He had left the Forman's house later than he usually did and had to be extra quiet. He wasn't sure if Edna was passed out or had yet another boyfriend in the house and he knew his baby sister would be asleep in their room; at least she should be. It was nearly 11:30pm after all but sometimes, his five-year-old baby sister could be stubborn about bedtime, especially if he wasn't around.

Slipping inside, he relocked the door and made to walk to his room when he caught the familiar sound of sniffling. "Edna?" he called out softly as he reached out to turn on the light. As light flooded the room, his heart sank at the little girl curled up on the couch, clutching her stuffed dog. Hanging his aviators on his shirt, he knelt down next to the couch and brushed his sister's blonde hair out of her eyes. "Heather, what are you doing up? Why didn't Mom put you to bed?"

"She not here," Heather whispered, gazing up at her big brother.

"Did she have to work late?" Why didn't Edna call me?

"She came home, but she left. Stinky man took her away again." Anger bubbled in Steven's chest before resignation settled uncomfortably in his stomach; of course Edna would put herself before her kids. Sure, Steven was nearly 16 and could take care of himself, but Heather was only five and started in Kindergarten. The most Heather could do to take care of herself was dress herself and even then, Steven still had to make sure her shirt wasn't backwards. She still couldn't reach the sink to brush her teeth and she was forbidden from going near the stove. The time she touched the stove still shook him up; he couldn't get her screams out of his mind for days.

Shaking his head of the thoughts, he focused back on the present. He needed to know what Edna did manage to get done before she left. He just hoped Heather had managed to get something to eat. "When did she leave, kiddo?" A small shrug was his answer. "Was it before or after bath time?"

"Before," she whispered. Great; he would have to bathe her in the morning. Luckily, they could simply sleep in since it wasn't a school night.

"Okay, we'll just do that in the morning. Did you get dinner?"

"I had orange and crackers." His heart sank further. Dammit…

"Did you get the orange or did she give you the orange?"

"I did. I didn't want Oreos, Stevie. I wanted ravioli and I knew you didn't want me to have Oreos either. But she told me to shut up and threw the Oreos on the table. When she left, I got an orange and crackers." Steven swallowed the lump that was trying to choke him and pressed his lips to her forehead. He should've come home earlier. His sister needed him and he was getting high with his friends while his sister was scrounging around the house for something to eat. Why didn't Edna call him?

"Are you still hungry?" Heather nodded tiredly, rubbing her eyes in her stuffed dog. "Okay, I'll fix you something and then we'll go to bed." Looping her arms around his neck, he lifted her easily into his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder, breathing softly. "You're getting heavy, kiddo."

"You just need to 'easy-size' more," she countered, completely butchering her vocabulary. Steven chuckled as he walked into the kitchen and started rummaging through the cabinets with one hand.

"You mean 'exercise' and I do exercise. Keeping up with you is enough. What do you want? You want a sandwich? No, that's too heavy for so late. Hmm, if I lift the cookie rule, I'll let you have a couple Oreos and a glass of milk," he asked, eyeing the package of Oreos still sitting on the counter.

"Do we have 'gurt?" Steven barely managed to keep himself from rolling his eyes as he opened the refrigerator.

"Yup, looks like we have some yogurt." He chuckled at the small "yum" in his ear. "Blueberry or cherry?"

"Blueberry!" she cheered, both her fists pumping the air. Grabbing the two containers of yogurt, he shut the refrigerator and blew a raspberry into her cheek.

"You healthy little weirdo," he said with affection. Heather responded by blowing a raspberry into his cheek, her little hands grabbing each side of his face.

"Your hea'thy weirdo," she corrected, smiling.

"Yup, my healthy weirdo. At least I know you won't get cavities." Setting her on the table, he opened up her yogurt and handed her a spoon. "Eat up baby. Then we'll brush our teeth and go to bed."

"Story?" she mumbled hopefully. Steven wrinkled his nose a little in disgust. He got enough of Kelso's "see food" tricks as it is; he didn't need to see a five-year-old try to talk around yogurt.

"Your mouth is full," he reminded, wiping the bits of yogurt that dribbled out with a paper towel. "No, it's way too late." Heather pouted and swallowed her bite before speaking again.

"Can I sleep with you tonight? The stinky man who took mama was scary." Steven froze mid-bite, his heart dropping to his stomach. Oh God, no.

"Heather, why was stinky man scary? Did he hurt you?" he asked, setting down his half-finished yogurt and checking her over more carefully. While some of Edna's boyfriends had gotten rough with him in the past, he made sure Heather stayed out of the firing zone. He didn't know what he would do if this guy hit his baby sister because he wasn't there.

"No, he just yelled really loud. Called mama that b-word and something else bad. He was laughing when he said it, but I don't think he was happy. He made an evil laugh like the bad men in Dalmatians." Sighing in relief, Steven set down Heather's yogurt cup and lifted her into his arms again. He rocked side to side as she sniffled into his shirt, her arms latched around his neck tightly.

"It's okay, baby girl," he soothed. Softly, he hummed a Zeppelin ballad as he grabbed the stuffed dog and headed towards the bathroom. Once he finally convinced her to let go and brush her teeth, he picked her up off the sink again and carried her to his room. Pulling back the blankets, he set her on the bed. "Get undressed; I'll get you some pajamas." Turning to his dresser, he rummaged around for the ratty, AC/DC shirt he never wore and handed it to her. She grew out of her last set of princess pajamas and they never had the money to get her a new set. He had to resort to stealing from the thrift shop so she would have clothes to grow into.

Putting the shirt on, he chuckled as the shirt nearly reached her feet and the sleeves drowned her arms. Kissing her forehead, he helped her get under the covers and flipped the blankets over her head. "Remember, no roaring until I say, okay?" he reminded her, pulling his shirt off.

"'Kay!"

Quickly, he got into his pajamas, which were pretty much a sleeveless shirt and boxers. As small as his sister was, he learned quickly Heather was practically a heater. It was usual to find Heather's blankets on the floor and her half covered with the bed sheet. With the night's getting colder and the heater not working right, they were going to have to start bunking together again.

Turning around, he could hear Heather giggling softly in anticipation under the covers. "Ready?" he called out.

"Ready!"

"One…" He snuck quietly over to the bed. "Two…" He carefully grabbed the covers. "Three!" Ripping back the covers, both siblings let out the biggest play-roar they could muster at each other. Heather squealed and laughed when Steven finished his roar with a raspberry to her cheek. "Not too bad, kiddo. Now budge over." Getting into bed, Steven let Heather snuggle into his side as he pulled the covers over both of them. Turning out the light, he kissed the top of her head, making a mental note to call Edna and ask how long she was going to be gone this time.

He could already hear Heather's breathing softening as she began falling asleep. "Night Heather," he whispered, wrapping his arms protectively around her.

"Night Stevie," she slurred slightly, already half asleep. After a moment, she turned around and kissed him. "Love you." A sleepy smile crossed his lips.

"Love you too. Go to sleep."

A/N 2: I have to admit, I was pretty nervous about posting this story. After being on a long hiatus due to life and health problems, I wasn't sure about this. Even though I have been mucking about with different ideas, this is the first idea in forever that is actually on its way to being finished with more ideas and plot lines coming up for it. I was worried about getting Hyde's voice right, though he is interacting with a younger sibling. I was also worried about getting the general voice of a five-year-old down. I'm an only child and I don't remember what my speech was like when I was five (side-stepping the fact I had heavy, twang-y North Carolina accent). So if anyone has little siblings around this age, your input would be greatly appreciated.

I have this posted on AO3 as well, so if you want to follow me on there, my pen name is same.

For those who have been following The Sorceress, I am going to get back onto that. Since my writing style has changed since I last wrote it, I'm going to do some heavy editing and re-work a lot of it to get it flowing better.