Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I'm so glad you guys don't hate this story! You have no idea how happy I was when I saw your reviews and all of them asked for me to post the rest of the chapters. Thanks so much for being so supportive!

I know this is a fast update, but that's because I figured you guys would want to know Hyde's reaction.

All the updates probably won't be this fast. I'm going to edit before posting, maybe add in some stuff...

I'll be happy to take any suggetstions/tips/advice you guys have for me!

Once again, thanks for the reviews! Send more of them, please?

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Still.

PS. This chapter begins the same night Bets told Uncle Hyde about the baby.

And...GO!


Wednesday September 11, 1985

3:20 AM

The Basement

Chapter Three

Tall Tales

Hyde couldn't stop thinking about Jackie. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was her face. He could hear her laughter; feel the warmness of her body against his whenever she sat in his lap, never even looking back at him to make sure she was allowed to sit there. Donna never sat on Eric's lap – not that he could blame her for that one. She wasn't tiny the way Jackie was and Foreman wasn't built the way Hyde was. When Jackie dated Kelso, she never sat on his lap, either. It was a special privilege reserved for only Hyde.

He missed the days when his heart would race whenever Jackie was within his sight. The days when he would stare at the Basement door through his sunglasses so no one knew what he was looking at, waiting for his chick to join the rest of the group. Somehow, she had a way of making his day better, like he didn't know how to be happy unless her perky face was around to guide him in the right direction. She was annoying and loud and spoiled and rich, everything he thought he would hate in a girl, but the little vixen knew her way around a mouth. Her kisses were unlike anything Hyde had ever tasted. Even when he was with Sam, the stripper who knew more about sex than Jackie could ever wish to find out, he still found himself longing for Jackie's slender body to be the one beneath his, for her tongue to be the one drifting down his throat. There was just something special about Jackie.

Like all high school relationships, the one between Jackie and Hyde had its ups and downs. They spent so much of their time fighting, sometimes Hyde found himself wondering why he stayed with her. She wanted him to succeed in life. He wanted to lie around on the couch all day. She wanted him wear a suit to work. He was more comfortable in his jeans and t-shirt. She thought she could sign him up for things without asking him first and he thought he could blow her off by refusing to leave his bedroom.

She wanted to know there was a slight chance they would end up together. He wasn't even able to give her that much.

Hyde wasn't sure when he realized he was willing to marry Jackie. He knew he was in love with her after cheating on her with that nurse. His heartfelt apology in the car followed by another one in Donna's bedroom when he finally said, "I love you, Jackie,"…He had never said those words to another girl. He was saving them for when he met the right one, the girl he could say them to knowing that he wasn't lying to her. Jackie was that girl.

Of course it hurt when Hyde travelled to Chicago just to find Kelso standing in Jackie's hotel room, dressed in nothing except a towel. He felt as though someone had ripped his heart from his chest. The wedding band in his pocket, the one Jackie still didn't know about, felt like it weighed a thousand tons. Jackie and Kelso were back together. After all the times she told him he had nothing to worry about, that she loved him more than she had ever loved Michael Kelso, his gut had been right all along. She really was still in love with her ex.

When he ran away to Vegas, Hyde had his goal in mind: he was going to hurt Jackie. She had no idea how much it hurt to know she was sleeping with one of his best friends, but she would find out. He would sleep with somebody too, maybe a whole lot of somebody's! Jackie's heart was going to hurt just as much as his.

His plan went awry. He never intended to get married.

He saw Jackie's face the first time she saw Sam. As much as he wanted to hurt her, this was taking things too far. His ex was appalled by the other girl! Hyde recognized the look in her eyes: she was mad as heck. She wanted nothing more than to claw Sam's eyes right out of her skull.

He ruined everything by marrying Sam. He and Jackie had no chance of a future together and they both knew it. He decided to pretend he was ok, both for his own sake and for Jackie's. He knew she had a hard time getting over people and it would only be harder for her if he acted like he still had feelings. She needed to understand that he wasn't going to come running back to her. He was a married man and no matter how much he was still in love with Jackie, those feelings had to be pushed aside.

Sam wasn't his wife now though…

No. No, no, no, no, no. He couldn't walk down the 'Jackie' path again. There was too much history between them, too many feelings that had gotten hurt. Besides, what he did to her was horrible, an act he was certain Jackie could never forgive him for. He ran off and married another girl then rubbed that marriage in his ex's face. How could he even ask for her forgiveness?

It wasn't like he was the only one who had some apologizing to do anyway. What about Jackie? Sure, she and Kelso both claimed nothing happened between them, that he was only in the hotel room because Jackie didn't want to be alone in Chicago, but were they telling the truth? If that was Kelso's only reason for being there, why did he have nothing but the towel covering him? That was the part of the story that made no sense whatsoever to Hyde.

Jackie hurt Hyde by sharing her hotel room with another man. Not just another man: her ex-boyfriend and one of Hyde's best friends, an ex-boyfriend who spent years trying to steal Jackie away from him. Hyde hurt Jackie by marrying another girl. It felt like they should've been considered even now.

Hyde knew that in Jackie's eyes, things were far from 'even'. If something had been about to happen between her and Kelso, it would've been a one-night stand. She didn't run off to Vegas, get drunk, and marry the first half-way good looking guy she saw. Plus, she didn't spend the next year rubbing said marriage in Hyde's face, trying to break him.

And what about this baby, if Betsy was right and Jackie really was pregnant? Was it really his baby? He couldn't remember sleeping with her – not clearly, anyway. It was possible he did something under the influence. That was how he ended up married to a stripper, after all. But why him? She and Kelso had been together more times than he liked to think about and she never ended up pregnant. Why was he the lucky guy who slept with her one time in a six-year span and ended up with a baby?

How would a baby change their relationship? Would Jackie expect him to be her boyfriend again? No, knowing her, she would probably beg him to marry her. Well, she had another thing coming if she thought that was going to happen! Baby or no baby, he wasn't in love with her anymore. He had moved on years ago.

Well, he liked to think he'd moved on years ago, that is. Truth be told, Hyde wasn't sure what he and Jackie were nowadays. Since her relationship with Fez, he hadn't seen her around very often. Eric spent most of his time off at college, but occasionally he visited his parents. Whenever he was around, the gang reformed in his Basement. Sure, Hyde saw Jackie during those times, but the two of them always made sure to avoid each other. Did she even consider him a friend anymore or were they simply acquaintances who used to make out?

Why did Hyde care what Jackie thought about him in the first place?

Hyde sighed as he leaned back, slamming his head against his pillow.

"When did my life get so screwed up?" he asked the silent room.

Knowing he wasn't falling asleep anytime soon, Hyde grabbed his jacket. He had to find out whether or not Betsy was right.

For the first time in years, he headed to the Burkhart's house.


How could one little girl have so much energy at three o'clock in the morning?!

"Betsy!" Jackie shouted over the music the six year old had turned on. "You need to go to bed! Your parents could get home at any minute and if they find out I let you stay up this late, we're both in trouble!"

"I won't be in trouble," Betsy argued. "You're the baby-sitter. You're the one in charge."

Jackie was going to rebuttal, but honestly, the music was giving her a headache. She had to turn it off before-

Someone was knocking on the door.

"You know, I hope this is a kidnapper," Jackie told her God-daughter. "I'd give you up without a fight."

"Mommy and daddy would find me!"

"What makes you think they would want you back?"

Betsy's eyes widened in fear while Jackie's lips curled into a triumphant smile. At least she's gotten a tiny piece of revenge for Betsy's awful behavior.

An older man stood on the doorstep when Jackie finally answered his obnoxious knocking. He was bald, his stomach hung out way too far, and the red robe he wore barely covered anything. Jackie scrunched up her nose in disgust. Michael and Brooke had some ugly neighbors apparently.

"I've had several complaints about obsessive noise coming from this apartment," he said. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to turn the music off."

"I'd be happy to turn the music off," Jackie consented. "I'll just-,"

Betsy wriggled her way into the doorframe, studying the large man.

"Auntie Jackie," she said, tugging on Jackie's sleeve. "Why is that man so fat?"

"Kids!" Jackie laughed, quickly shoving Betsy behind her. "They just say the cutest things sometimes, don't they?"

The fat man glared. "Turn the music off."

As soon as she closed the door, Jackie ran to the speaker system and punched the power button. As suddenly as it had started, the music stopped. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Look at me! I'm a bird, Auntie Jackie!"

Betsy was standing on the edge of the couch, her arms spread out on either side as she flapped her imagery wings. Not wanting the ugly fat man to come back because of the noise Betsy would make when she collided with the floor, Jackie rushed forward, lifting the girl into her arms before she could jump.

"That's it! You're going to bed whether you want to or not!" Jackie ordered, carrying Betsy to the bathroom. "Which toothbrush is yours?"

"I don't want to brush my teeth! Toothpaste is gross!"

Jackie was going to tell her she needed to brush her teeth, but she ended up shaking her head. It wasn't worth the fight.

"Fine, don't brush. I don't care. Every tooth will fall out of your mouth by the time you turn sixteen, but if you're okay with that, then so am I."

Getting Betsy in her bed was the hardest part of the evening. All she wanted to do was run around her bedroom, screaming that she wasn't tired. When Jackie eventually caught her, she tried picking the girl up and throwing her onto the mattress. However, Betsy kicked, screamed, and bit, preventing Jackie from disposing of her body. Every time she tried to throw her, Betsy hung on all the tighter.

"Need some help?"

Betsy shut up at the sound of the new voice. While moments ago she'd been trying to stay in Jackie's arms, now she was struggling to get down.

"Uncle Hyde!" she exclaimed, throwing herself at the newcomer the moment Jackie's embrace was no longer restraining her.

"Betsy!" Jackie said firmly. "I told you it was time for bed!"

"I'm not tired yet!"

"Now, Betsy…" Hyde knelt down on his knee, bringing himself eye-level with the little girl. "You're not giving your Auntie Jackie a rough time, are you? Because remember…I told you to only give her a rough time when I'm around to watch!"

Hyde and Betsy laughed at their joke, but Hyde stopped when he noticed Jackie wasn't joining in. She looked beat. Her hair was frizzy, dark circles were under her eyes, and he could tell she was angry by the way she placed her hands on her hips. Maybe it was time he tried helping her instead of encouraging Betsy.

"Alright, that's enough play time for you," he said, rising to his full height. "Auntie Jackie said it's time for bed, so it's time for bed."

"Aww!" Betsy whined, attaching herself to Hyde's leg. "I want to stay up as late as you, Uncle Hyde!"

"I'll tell you what: the next time your parents ask me to baby-sit, we'll stay up all night drinking beer and watching cable, alright?" Hyde promised.

That was all it took to convince Betsy to crawl into her bed. One little promise from her Uncle Hyde and she was ready to fall asleep. Where had Hyde been six hours ago when Jackie first tried to put Betsy to bed?

Hyde snuck out of the room, figuring Betsy might cooperate now that she was realizing how tired she really was. Besides, he wasn't good at the whole parenting thing. Jackie would be much better at tucking Betsy in and kissing her goodnight or whatever it was parents did when putting their children to bed. She didn't need his help for that part.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Jackie said softly a few minutes later, joining Hyde in the hallway. "I love you, Bets."

"Love you too, Auntie Jackie," Betsy's sleepy voice replied.

And with that, Jackie closed the door. Yes! Finally! She could relish in the peace and quiet!

"I'm telling Kelso you let his daughter stay up until three AM."

"I don't care what you tell him," Jackie shrugged, pushing past Hyde as she made her way to the living room. "I'm killing him as soon as he and Brooke come home. They left me alone all night with that holy terror of a God-daughter!"

"Are you referring to the 'holy terror' that showed up at my record store with no adult supervision? Because, you know, I could probably have you arrested for child neglect. There's got to be some law against a six year old walking so far in the middle of the night."

"Look, I'm not the one who let her escape. We went to visit Eric and Donna tonight and Eric let her take off while they were playing Hide and Seek."

Feeling drained from her baby-sitting experience, Jackie fell onto the couch. It felt good to finally rest her feet. There wasn't any time to sit down and relax when chasing a six year old around.

"What are you doing here anyway?" she inquired, suddenly remembering that as helpful as Hyde was with the bedtime ritual, he wasn't supposed to be in Michael's apartment. "Were you worried I might lose Betsy again or something? How did you know I was even still baby-sitting?"

"Well, when I stopped by your house and noticed you weren't in your room, I figured you must still be watching Betsy."

Jackie studied Hyde's face for several long moments. "You were really at my house tonight?"

"Of course not. I have a hidden camera in your bedroom."

Unsure which story to believe or if either of them were true at all, Jackie knew one thing: something big was going on with Steven. Why else would he show up at Michael's apartment at this time of night? And why hadn't he left yet? There was an unwritten law between the two of them banning any one-on-one confrontations, or, at the very least, to avoid them as much as possible.

Sitting up straighter, feeling like she was in trouble for something and was about to face her parents' wrath, Jackie locked eyes with Steven. Crap…He had his sunglasses on. He didn't want her to know what he was really thinking about.

"So, uh…" He paused, taking a seat in the chair next to the couch. "Betsy told me something pretty interesting when I saw her earlier."

'Oh, no!' Jackie thought, trying to keep her face composed as a million different fears ran through her mind. 'What could Betsy possibly have said that made him want to talk to me?'

"Did she?" she pressed, trying to get Steven to continue. "What did she tell you?"

A long pause followed her question.

"This is going to sound totally stupid," Hyde finally spoke up. "I'm only repeating what Betsy said…But she seems to think that…You know…You might be…having a baby."

Jackie felt her jaw drop. How did Betsy know?! Had she overheard Jackie when she was gossiping with Donna? Oh, gosh, how much had she heard? How much did she tell Steven?

This was all happening so fast. First she confided in Brooke, then Donna, and now she was supposed to tell Steven too, all in the same night? Wasn't the fact that she was pregnant scary enough without all the added stress of telling everyone?

Besides, she hadn't been planning on telling Steven, not this early on anyway. She was only a few months into the pregnancy. There was still a chance – although it grew smaller with every passing day – that she could lose the baby. Why should she tell Steven about something that might turn out to not even be a problem? The doctor said a lot of girls waited before telling everyone they were having a baby just in case something happened. Maybe Jackie would be one of the lucky girls who didn't make it through the nine month period.

Hyde was waiting for a response. Jackie could feel his gaze on her and she knew she had to say something. What should she say? 'Yes, Betsy was right: I am having a baby and you're the father'? 'Betsy is so cute sometimes, isn't she?'? 'I can't believe you think I'm pregnant, Steven!'? Which response was the one that would keep her semi-safe? Which one would keep Steven as a friend instead of chasing him away?

"You know, you should probably leave before Michael shows up," she said, jumping off the couch and reaching for Steven's arm. "He didn't say anything about guests being allowed over here and I really don't want to lose my baby-sitting rights, so-,"

"Jackie," Hyde protested. "I just told you that Betsy said you were pregnant and all you have to say is that you want me to leave?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me if she was lying!"

Jackie flinched. It wasn't often that Steven shouted at her. She hated when he did it. It made her feel like she was Betsy's age, just a little girl who had done something wrong and now had to face the consequences of her actions. Needless to say, his shouting made her want to tell him the truth even less than she'd already wanted to.

"Well?" he demanded, waiting for her answer. "Was Betsy telling the truth or what?"

"I – I don't think you want to know the answer, Steven."

He was quiet as he gave her words a chance to sink in. Slowly, he rose to his feet. Jackie swallowed, wondering what was going to happen next. Was he going to scream again? Would he leave without saying another word? Would this be the last time she ever saw Steven Hyde?

She was surprised when he took her hands in his, pulling on them gently.

"Jackie," he said firmly. "Am I the father?"

She could lie. She could let Steven off the hook and tell him that he had nothing to worry about; the baby belonged to someone else. However, feeling his hands on hers, remembering how good it felt to twine their fingers together, how magical it felt every time his lips conquered hers…She couldn't lie to him. Other boys she could lie to easily, but not Steven.

"What Betsy told you is true, Steven: I am carrying your child."

Hyde met her gaze for a total of two seconds. She tried to figure out what was going through his mind, but it was so hard when he hid behind those stupid sunglasses! She had no idea if he was angry or upset or happy – well, she had a feeling 'happy' wasn't the right emotion.

She got her answer when Steven dropped her hands and turned toward the door.

"Hey!" she called after him. "Where are you going?"

"What do you care?"

Jackie ran as fast as she could, stepping in front of the door just before Hyde reached it. He glared down at her.

"That's what you're going to do?" she asked him. "I just told you I'm having your baby, and you're choosing to walk away?"

"What other choice do I have?"

"Um, I don't know…Maybe you could stay with me?"

"That would be letting the man win."

Now Jackie was totally lost. What did 'the man' have to do with whether or not Steven stuck by her side?

"Look, I know exactly what you're trying to do here," Hyde expanded, noticing Jackie's blank stare. "You purposely got pregnant as another one of your little tricks to get us back together. You know, like when you promised you wouldn't go to Chicago if I said I'd marry you someday? This is just like that, Jackie. You're using this baby to trap me."

"What? Steven, you have it all wrong-,"

"Whatever," he cut her off. "I don't want anything to do with you or this baby, Jackie. Leave me out of the picture."

She always knew that once Steven knew the truth, he could reject her, deciding he wanted nothing to do with the baby. Of course, she didn't think he'd actually do that. She believed he would come through just like Michael did for Brooke six years ago. Steven was a much better person than Michael; he had to know what the right thing to do was.

And yet, he was still trying to get to the door so he could leave her behind.

"If you walk through that door," Jackie warned, grasping at straws now. She was going to use any excuse she had, anything that had even the slightest chance of changing Steven's mind. "Just remember that you're no better than Michael was when he decided to let Brooke raise Betsy on her own. Do you really want your own child to grow up without a father?"

Without saying another word, Steven placed a hand on either of Jackie's shoulders, easily moving her out of the way. Without even turning around to look at her again, he walked into the hall. Desperate now, knowing he was about to walk out of her life forever, Jackie ran after him. She could feel the tears swelling in her eyes but she pressed on, chasing his retreating form. She had to stop him. There had to be something she could say that would convince him staying was worth it.

"Steven!" she cried out, her voice near the hysterical point. "Please don't make me go through this alone. I can't do it without you!"

"Maybe you should have thought about that before getting knocked up."

The last thing Hyde heard from Jackie was a giant sob. He ignored it as he left the apartment complex, heading straight for the parking lot.

Jackie didn't know it, but a few blocks away, Hyde's car rolled to a stop. He too had a few tears to wipe from his eyes. He considered going back to Jackie and promising to stay by her side…but he couldn't do it. Why should her actions be rewarded? The pregnancy was nothing but a stupid ploy and he wasn't going to let her win. He had too much pride for that.

His stupid pride always got in the way when it came to Jackie Burkhart.