Jackie sat snuggled against Hyde. Yesterday had been a rough day with everyone finding out. Not that she was ashamed- quite the opposite, she was just frightened that something that good could be taken away somehow when the others got involved. She elbowed Hyde as he made a comment about Donna's uniform and he smirked, kissing her cheek.
"You have way better legs in your cheerleader skirt..." he whispered.
Jackie felt a pleased flush go up and down her entire body. "Really?" she whispered back.
Hyde nodded, and his hand moved lower to her bare thigh, until Donna threw a newspaper at him.
"I'm gonna turn the hose on you two!" she said. "This isn't the basement, it's my living room, and my dad's gonna be walking in and out of here." she reminded.
Hyde rolled his eyes, and picked Jackie up into his arms princess style. "Your bedroom's still upstairs..." he said with a wicked smirk.
Jackie, arms twined around Hyde's neck, grinned at him.
"Hyde, you stay out of my room!" Donna warned.
And then, Bob came into the room, Joanne trailing behind him.
"Hey there, hi there, ho there." he greeted cheerfully. "Aw, lookit that..." he said to Joanne, gesturing to Jackie, still in Hyde's arms. "So darn cute..."
"Yes, Bob." Joanne said indulgently.
"I remember... I remember you gettin' dance lessons from Kitty to go to that disco in Kenosha..." he said, giving a little wave of his hand, laughing softly as he walked to the wet bar with Joanne.
All eyes went to him, and Hyde looked like a deer caught in headlights.
"Dance lessons from Kitty?" Kelso asked in a voice so pleased you almost expected him to piddle down his own leg.
"Aw, Hyde, that's so cute..." Donna chimed in, mocking.
"So, Hyde... does Red know I might be getting a new Daddy?" Eric chuckled.
"Man, shut up." Hyde fidgeted, and sat Jackie down.
"Leave my Puddin' Pop alone!" Jackie huffed. "It was a couple of years ago, and learning to dance is a manly pursuit so you don't look like a spazoid on the dance floor, unlike some people- Micheal and Eric!"
"Please, he wasn't doing it for you, Jackie." Kelso said spitefully. "He was trying to impress Donna before Foreman could ask her to be his girl so she'd go out with him instead!"
The entire demeanor in the room changed, and Eric looked through narrowed eyes sideways at his best friend and almost brother. "... what?"
"You're taking Kelso's word for that?" Hyde spat. "He's pissed at me right now- which is such bull, considering it's his own fault and Jackie's mine- and he's being a complete dick! Not to mention, hereally deserves to wear the Stupid Helmet 99 percent of the time on a regular day."
"Just sayin', Hyde; you were chasin' tail that wasn't yours." Kelso said loftily. "Jackie should know you're prone to such behavior..."
Jackie's eyes narrowed. "Seriously, Micheal? You're going to try to make Steven look untrustworthy?" she asked with an incredulous laugh.
Kelso frowned, not liking where this was going. "What?"
"Steven treats me like a Princess! Like I always deserved!"
"Jackie..." Hyde hedged, embarrassed.
"No, Steven, he should hear this. Micheal, you used me for some kind of arm candy, I realized that when you left for California for those months."
Kelso looked at her, gobsmacked.
"You didn't respect me, you didn't treat me well-"
"I did everything you asked!" Kelso huffed, getting angry.
"Except not cheat on me, not lie to me, not listening when I talked..." she said, ticking things off on her fingers. "Should I continue?"
Kelso mumbled something under his breath that luckily, no one could make out, and huffed to the couch, flopping down. Joanne, meanwhile, had been furtively trying to nudge Bob out of the room to give the kids some privacy, but to no avail. The big man was too interested.
"Yes, but I'm better looking and I know I'm more experienced and skilled!" Kelso burst out finally.
Hyde shook his head, putting a posessive arm around Jackie's waist, glaring at his dimwitted friend.
"You're kidding, right?"
Kelso looked at her with wide eyes, when she made a "itsy-bitsy" motion with her finger and thumb at him, and then made a much bigger motion nearer to Hyde.
Donna's eyes went wide, and Eric and Fez started laughing.
"Burn!" they both yelled.
"But... I'm taller!" Kelso whined.
"Yeah, I'd've thought that made a difference too; but no." Jackie said, shaking her head. "Besides, size isn't what matters..."
"That's... that's right..." Kelso said, slightly less ruffled.
"It's the fact that he knows how to make me scream out in unladylike ways and you... well..."
"Ohhh!" Kelso huffed, stomping out of the room.
Hyde pulled Jackie into a kiss.
"You are so freaking hot right now..." he whispered.
"Yeah, I know..." she whispered back.
"Yes, yes, great burn on Kelso..." Eric said. "But... we have the matter at hand... you try to snake my girl away from me man?"
Hyde quirked an eyebrow at him, his hand tightening on Jackie's lower back.
"She wasn't your girl then." he said casually. "If she was, I wouldn't have bothered."
"You knew I was in love with her then!"
"Yes, but you didn't own her, dude, and she hadn't claimed if she loved you. Besides... that was a really, really long time ago!" he said, angry. "I got over it a really, really long time ago, and things worked out better, because Jackie's high-maintence, but that's nothing compared to Donna. She fully expects your lips to be planted on that jaunty ass of hers, and not in the fun way."
"Well... yeah... ow! Sorry, dear- Hyde, take that back about Donna!"
Hyde looked down because Jackie had begun squirming.
"What?"
"I'm just less trouble and easier to get?" she asked, her blue green doe eyes staring at him.
"Oh, crap, not the Bambi eyes..." he said, and Jackie stomped out.
He glared at Eric. "Great, Foreman; because you had to be such a girl and get your panties in a twist about something that never even happened three years ago, now my girl's upset. Thanks loads." he said sarcastically, stomping out himself.
"But... damnit, I'm the one who should get to be mad!" Eric yelled after him, and then folded his arms across his chest, sighing.
"Jackie... wait!" Hyde called out, catching her in his arms.
She struggled weakly.
"Let go; I'm mad at you!"
"Not really, and you know that isn't true." Hyde said seriously. "You are not easy." he said, tilting her chin to make her look at him. "I don't know how I got so lucky... but you're mine... and, Jacks... that means everything..."
"Oh, Steven..." she breathed, melting into his embrace...
Meanwhile, inside...
"Eric, go apologize to Hyde!" Donna ordered.
"But-"
"No! Nothing happened, and he's practically your brother! Go make up." Donna said, shoving him towards the exit.
"But... aw, man..." Eric sighed, realizing she was right.
He loped outside, Donna and Fez at his heels, to see Jackie and Hyde kissing tenderly.
"Hem, hem." he said softly.
Hyde looked up, making a face at him.
"Look, man... I'm sorry?"
Hyde gave him a look that plainly said that wasn't going to cut it.
"Okay, fine- I'm sorry and we'll go down to the pool hall and I'll buy you a beer."
"There ya go, don't have to get all girly about it, Foreman." Hyde grinned, and they all walked towards the Vista Cruiser.
"We gonna go get Kelso?" Fez asked hopefully.
"Yeah, of course we are." Eric nodded, sliding into the driver's seat...