A/N: Thanks again for the great reviews! I'm glad to see that you guys are digging this story. Please keep it up. Your encouragement means a lot!

Dedicated to BloodyLyra

Chapter titles are Maria Mena songs.

Chapter 4: Calm Under the Waves

Jackie had attended two group meetings, mostly as an observer. She listened to the others talk about their experiences with sexual assault and just their lives in general. She was still rather nervous about actually speaking up herself. Jackie had never been the best at opening up about her problems. It may have seemed to her friends that she was a pro at it, but the truth was, she could be really closed off when it came to her deep internal struggles. The leader of the group, a kind woman named Joan, turned her eyes over to where Jackie sat. As Jackie made eye contact with Joan, she decided it was now or never.

"Hi I'm Jackie…" she spoke up.

"Hi Jackie!" The group replied in unison.

"I..umm…" she wasn't quite sure what to say.

"It's okay, take your time." Joan said soothingly.

"I was living in Chicago last summer. It was really hot out one night so I opened my window…" Jackie paused and choked back her tears before continuing

"And when I was sleeping, a man climbed the fire escape and came into my room and…and…" Jackie's tears began to fall. She hadn't relived this moment out loud since right after it happened, and it was more difficult than she could have anticipated.

"He raped me." She looked at the ground and wiped her tears away before going on "And that's how I got pregnant."

Everyone in the room looked at Jackie with immense amounts of sympathy. They had all been through a violation in one way or another. Jackie looked around and felt, for the first time since it had happened, that she was understood. These women had been to hell and back, just like her, and it gave her the courage to continue.

"I just feel like whoever he was, he took a part of me away." she sounded like a sad little girl.

"What did he take away?" Joan asked softly.

"He took away my sense of trust and control. Plus I have been having terrible nightmares every night since it happened." she paused "But more than anything, I feel like he took away my ability to feel safe."

"When was the last time you felt safe?" Joan asked gently

"Safe? Really safe?" Jackie thought back for a moment as one memory in particular washed over her "I guess I haven't felt really safe since 1979."

May 12, 1979

Jackie reached her hand out of the passenger side window of the el Camino, as she let the warm breeze flow through her. She opened her eyes and looked to her left at the man she loved with every fiber of her being. It had been a rough couple of months for her and Hyde. They had broken up and gotten back together. Jackie was ecstatic, even though she knew they still had their share of problems. It still hurt her that Hyde couldn't see a future with her. All she wanted was to spend the rest of her life loving him, but since she loved him so much, she was trying to just live in the moment, and at this moment she was really happy. A brilliant smile crossed her face as she stared at her sexy boyfriend, eyes covered in shades of course.

"What?" Hyde smiled as he peeked over at his girlfriend and caught her staring.

"Nothing." Jackie replied mischievously. "You're just so cute, puddin pop."

Hyde smiled despite himself "Jackie, I am not cute. I'm sexy."

"Yeah well, that too." she giggled as he pulled her closer to him.

"So are you going to tell me where you're taking me?" she asked as she nibbled at his ear.

"Not a chance doll." Hyde smirked as Jackie began to pout.

"That's cool." she replied ambiguously.

"Oh no, don't try to use Zen on me. It won't work. I taught you everything you know."

Jackie just smiled to herself as she answered back aloofly "Whatever."

Hyde smiled down at his girl. Man he was whipped.

A little while later Hyde pulled the car up to a secluded area by the lake. Jackie looked out her window to the water as she and Hyde got out of the car.

"The lake? But Steven, I don't have my bathing suit." she scrunched up her nose.

"I don't see anything wrong with that." Hyde spoke smoothly, eyeing his girlfriend's body hungrily.

"Steven!" Jackie tried to sound shocked, but couldn't help but giggle. "Fine. You first baby." she said in a husky voice.

Hyde excitedly began to strip his clothes "Anything for you doll."

After Hyde was completely stripped, He stood before Jackie naked. Her eyes trailed his fantastic body. Every time she saw Hyde naked she felt a heat course through her entire body.

"Ok, your turn." Hyde smiled at his obvious effect on her.

"Ok, get in the water first." Hyde did as he was told. He watched from the water as Jackie slowly pulled her clothes off, wiggling and jiggling to entice him. After her clothes were peeled off, Jackie ran into the water and pounced on Hyde. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as they kissed passionately, not noticing the clouds that began hovering over them. As Jackie savored the feel of Hyde's tongue in her mouth she felt a drop of water hit her cheek, not from the lake, but from above. They broke the kiss and looked up at the sky as it began to rain.

"Oh my god Steven, It's raining!" Jackie began to pull away from Hyde.

"Hey, where are you going?" he asked as he pulled her to him tightly.

"Steven, It's raining. We could get struck by lightning or something!"

Hyde simply smiled as he held her tighter "Don't worry doll. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Promise?" she asked, sticking out her bottom lip.

"I promise." Hyde answered sincerely as the two relished in the feel of the warm lake water and the cold raindrops combined with the feel of the other's body. It was a beautiful day. A perfect day. And Jackie had never felt more secure in her life.

Jackie smiled brightly as she thought of that day. It wasn't just the last time she felt safe, but probably the last time she felt truly happy.

"We broke up about a month later." she said sadly as she finished telling the story.

"Oh I'm sorry Jackie." Joan paused for a moment "Do you still talk to Steven?"

"Yeah I do. I'm actually staying with him for a while. He was even nice enough to be my breathing coach." Jackie smiled at the thought of her new found 'friendship' with Hyde.

"Does he know what happened?" Joan asked curiously

"God no! I told him I got inseminated." Jackie replied emphatically.

"Why didn't you tell him the truth? Maybe he could help." she suggested.

"No I can't do that. I just know he would look at me different, like I was broken or something. I just can't let him know the truth." She said adamantly.

"You know Jackie, there is no shame in asking for help." Joan spoke with reassurance.

"Isn't there?" Jackie asked sadly.

After the meeting Jackie made her way home to Hyde's place. She pondered everything Joan had said. Would it be so bad if Steven knew the truth? She knew that Hyde would be there for her, but there was just no way she could tell him. He would think she was weak and that she asked for it. That is what she believed herself, after all. Jackie thought about the ultrasound she was having tomorrow. She felt nervous and excited all at the same time. She couldn't wait to finally find out the sex of the baby, but she felt sad too. Normally this would be a moment shared with someone else. Jackie felt incredibly lonely at the thought of going alone.

Hyde sat on the couch with the tv on, although he was not paying attention to it. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Jackie. She seemed so sad lately. Of course she was happy about the baby and being back home, but Hyde could tell something was off. She continued having nightmares every night, but whenever he asked what they were about she would claim that she didn't remember. Plus, there was something missing in her. That bubbly spirit she normally possessed was gone. Hyde had a feeling he was responsible for that loss, and it pained him to no end. He knew he had no real hope of getting her back, but all he wanted to do now was prove to Jackie that he had changed. He wanted to make up for all the pain he had caused her. He just wished she would open up to him a little more. Just then the door to the apartment opened and Jackie walked in. She looked beautiful, but worried. Hyde smiled and walked over to her.

"Hey, where you been?" He asked sweetly.

"Hey. I uh…" she couldn't tell him where she really was "I went for a walk." she lied.

"Oh that's good." He looked into her sad eyes "Hey what's wrong?"

Jackie just began balling. Her hormones were running haywire, and on top of her other problems, it just became to much to keep in.

"Hey. Hey. It's okay." Hyde pulled Jackie into a hug as he gently stroked her hair.

"Oh. I'm. Sorry. It's…I…just…" Jackie couldn't string together a coherent sentence.

She thought about her doctor's appointment and felt desperately alone. She felt Hyde's warm arms encompassing her and an idea popped in her head.

"Hey Steven…could you maybe…I mean I understand if you say no…but I was just thinking…if it's not too much trouble…"

"Jackie, what do you need?" He asked sweetly, cutting off her rambling.

Jackie looked up and panicked "Never mind. It's nothing."

"Jackie…"

"No really, it's fine. You have already put up with so much of my crap. I can't ask you to do anything else." She pulled away and wiped her tears.

"Honestly, Jacks, it is not a problem. Okay? Just tell me what's up." He replied genuinely.

Looking up at his beautiful face as he comforted her tenderly, Jackie's heart melted. "It's just…my ultrasound is tomorrow and I was wondering…" she trailed off.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Hyde asked hopefully.

"I totally understand if you don't want to.."

"No I want to." He replied simply.

"Oh…okay…my appointment's at 12:30."

"I'll leave the store and meet you there." Hyde smiled. He was so happy that Jackie was letting him in.

"Thank you Steven." Maybe Joan was right. Maybe it was okay to ask for help.

The next day, Jackie and Hyde sat quietly in Dr. Green's waiting room. Hyde watched as Jackie nervously flipped through a magazine. He took her hand in his and looked her in the eye. "It's gonna be okay, Jacks."

Jackie felt tingles all down her body. It had been so long since Hyde had held her hand, and Jackie didn't quite realize how much she missed the simple gesture.

"I know. Thanks." She smiled back at him.

Once her name was called Jackie and Hyde made their way to one of the back rooms where Jackie changed. She insisted that Hyde turn around, but that didn't stop him from peeking. He was a man after all. As he looked Jackie's nearly naked body up and down, he was awed. Hyde never thought he would find pregnancy sexy, but on Jackie it was. She was the most beautiful sight he had ever beheld and his heart skipped a beat. Jackie laid back on the chair as Hyde took a seat next to her. A few minutes later Dr. Green came in and smiled at Jackie.

"Well hello there Jackie!" he spoke cheerily.

"Hi Dr. Green! This is Steven." Jackie gestured to Hyde "He's a friend."

Friend. That word left Hyde confused. In a way, he was glad to have a friendship with Jackie, but it was still hard. He knew he would never think of her as just a friend, never.

"It's nice to meet you Steven." Dr. Green reached out his hand to Hyde.

"It's Hyde, actually. And it is nice to meet you too." He shook hands with the doctor.

"Okay so are we ready to see your baby?" Dr. Green asked gingerly.

"Yes!" Jackie shouted with glee.

Dr. Green pulled Jackie's gown up and tucked a large blue paper towel into the top of her underwear. He grabbed a bottle and stood over Jackie's enlarged abdomen.

"Okay, so this is going to be a little cold."

Jackie just nodded her head as the doctor squeezed some clear goop onto her belly. Jackie giggled and Hyde looked at her strangely.

"What?" He asked with a smile.

"It tickles." Jackie replied.

Dr. Green turned the monitor on and spoke gently "Ready?"

"Ready." Jackie answered.

All of a sudden the room was filled with a swooshing sound. Both Hyde and Jackie were stunned.

"What's that sound?" Jackie asked the doctor.

"That, my dear, is your baby's heartbeat." He smiled down at her.

Jackie felt saline stinging her eyes as she looked over at Hyde.

"Oh my god Steven." she gushed.

Hyde was blown away by the sound. He thought to himself that this might be the greatest sound in the world. He smiled and held onto Jackie's hand again.

"Okay, now turn your attention to the monitor." Dr. Green broke Hyde and Jackie from their stare

"That's the heart." he began pointing at the screen "These are the hands and feet. And that, right there, is the penis." He smiled as Jackie's face lit up.

"Congratulations, you are having a baby boy!" Dr. Green exclaimed.

"Wow, a boy. I knew it. I just knew it. Steven can you believe this?" she looked over at Hyde as his mouth hung open.

He was speechless. This was all so amazing. He looked at the monitor at the sight of a beautiful baby boy, and then he looked at Jackie. He wiped a few tears from her face and smiled down at her.

"It's amazing." he said simply.

After the appointment, Hyde and Jackie headed for the Forman's house to give them the news. As they pulled up to the house, they spotted the Vista Cruiser in the driveway. They walked through the sliding glass door to find Eric and Donna, home for the weekend, seated at the table with Kitty. Donna looked over at Jackie and quickly jumped up and pulled her into a fierce hug.

"Oh my god Jackie! I can't believe you are here and you're pregnant! How could you not have told me!"

Jackie couldn't breathe because Donna was hugging her so tight "Can't…breathe…lumberjack…suffocate…"

"Okay Donna, let the poor girl breathe." Hyde pulled the redhead off of Jackie as she caught her breath.

"Sorry Jackie. I just can't believe you didn't tell me about this." Donna sat back down and looked sad.

Jackie walked over and took a seat next to her. She put her arm around Donna and sighed. "I know. I am sorry Donna. I wanted to tell you in person."

"It's okay. I just can't believe your having a baby!" she smiled widely.

"I know! And a boy no less!" Jackie shouted happily.

"Oh my goodness, it's a boy! A grandson! I am so happy!" Kitty hugged Jackie tightly "I'm just going to make you some Belgian waffles to celebrate.

As Kitty began to fuss about the kitchen Eric spoke up "So devil, When is this antichrist child due to be born?"

"Oh Shut up you blow pop! And my angel is due in early April." Jackie replied haughtily.

"Oh well, if he is born on the first people might think the apocalypse is just an elaborate prank." Eric grinned at his wittiness.

Hyde frogged his arm "Shut up Forman."

Eric rubbed his arm "Damn Hyde." he smiled sneakily "So Jackie, have you thought of a name yet? Cause I have a perfect one…Damien!" he laughed and this time was frogged by Donna.

"Oww Donna!" he rubbed his arm again.

"That's what you get. You dillhole!" Everyone laughed. It had always been obvious who wore the pants in Donna ad Eric's relationship, but it never stopped being funny. The four friends sat together and began to catch up.

"So Jackie, I can't believe you got artificially inseminated. That is so independent of you." Donna said with pride.

"Thanks. I know it's crazy." Jackie replied. She still hated lying to the people she loved the most, but there was no other way.

"So have you been seeing anyone in Chicago?" Donna asked curiously.

Jackie failed to notice how Hyde perked up at this question and hung on every word she spoke with desperation in his eyes.

"Uh no not really. There was this guy who lived in my building, Mark. We only went out twice. We just didn't hit it off. Other than that, nothing."

She looked at Hyde nervously, but failed to notice his sigh of relief. But it was not lost on a certain skinny Star Wars geek.

"So how is the pregnancy going?" Donna asked her friend with concern.

"It's not too bad. Steven has been a real help. He's my breathing coach and he went with me to the ultrasound today." Jackie smiled at Hyde and he smiled back.

Eric stared back and forth between the two before speaking "So wait you went with her to the doctor's?" Eric was stunned

"Yes he did." Jackie answered for him "And he was nice enough to let me stay wit him." Jackie was gleaming at Hyde and Hyde was transfixed with her.

"Wait, she's living with you?" Eric could hardly comprehend these latest developments. He looked over at Donna who also had a stunned look on her face. Neither one of them had any clue what to say, but they both knew something was up with Jackie and Hyde. After a while, Jackie and Hyde were saying their goodbyes, about to head home when Eric pulled Hyde aside and Donna did the same with Jackie.

"So what's going on with you two?" Donna asked

"What? Nothing is going on Donna! Steven is just being a good friend." Jackie left out the part about the tingly butterfly sensation she felt every time he even looked at her.

"A friend?" Donna asked skeptically.

"Yes Donna…a friend…" Jackie wasn't even convinced by her words, but she couldn't acknowledge these feelings.

"So what's going on with you?" Eric asked Hyde.

"Nothing man, we're just…friends." Hyde replied knowing full well how much he wanted to be more than that to Jackie.

"Friends? I'm not buying it." Eric spoke simply.

"Whatever Forman. We gotta go." Hyde avoided eye contact. Eric knew him so well and if he prodded him any further, he would see what was really going on in Hyde's heart.

Hyde and Jackie said goodbye to their confused friends and headed home. Once they got into the apartment, Hyde cooked dinner for them. Afterwards, they sat together in front of the television, when all of a sudden Jackie let out a strange sound. Hyde looked over at her and noticed an odd look on her face.

"Is everything okay?" He asked nervously.

Jackie placed her fingers on her belly and smiled. "The baby's kicking."

Hyde had no idea how to respond. Jackie grabbed his had and placed it on her stomach.

"Here, feel." she smiled up at him.

Hyde felt the tiny little person inside her kick and he was in awe. The thought that Jackie was actually carrying a real live baby in her was incredible. He smiled and looked into Jackie's amazing mismatched eyes. The two stared at each other longingly for what seemed like hours before Jackie finally broke the connection.

"Well, I better get to bed." She stood and so did Hyde.

"Thank you for today, Steven. It meant a lot."

Hyde smiled sweetly, and Jackie thought she could die from happiness. "Anything for you doll."

Jackie smiled and went off to bed, where she would have, for the first time in months, a completely nightmare free sleep.

To be continued…

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. Please leave me a review. You guys have been absolutely great so far! Thanks a million!!