Jackie's Chicago apartment- the following night:
"Stevie's fine Mrs. Forman. He fell asleep not too long ago actually. He was watching Scooby Doo and he just fell asleep." Jackie was laying on her bed with a copy of Cosmo on her lap and talking on the phone with Kitty. "Work is good. It's getting a lot easier. Miss Landon's going a lot easier on me after I got Robert Plant to appear on her how." Jackie had to pull the phone away from her ear as Mrs. Forman yelled in her ear from the excitement. "OOOh Jackie, Robert Plant, he is so cute. I saw him in that cooking show once and he's a real cutie." Jackie begins to laugh. "Um, Mrs. Forman, I think you're confusing him with someone else. Robert Plant is the lead singer for Led Zeppelin." "Led who? Oh is that that silly band that's in all of Steven's shirts?" Realizing she had mentioned Hyde's name Kitty quickly apologizes to Jackie. "Don't worry about it Mrs. Forman, it's not that big a deal." Mrs. Forman kept apologizing and then she asked Jackie a question that made her heart freeze. "He wants to talk to me?" He wants to talk about Stevie. Oh my God, I can't do this yet, not over the phone. "Here's standing right next to me, he would really like to talk to you Jackie" she heard Mrs. Forman say, but all she heard was standing right next to me. The rest of the sentence went unheard. She could picture him in the Forman's kitchen waiting for to be given the phone with his unruly curly hair, concert tee, boots and signature sunglasses. For a split second Jackie closed her eyes in order to picture him but then realized what she was doing. No, he hurt you remember? You can't think of him no matter how sexy you remember him to be. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea." "Why not?" Jackie became speechless. Hyde must have taken the phone away from Mrs. Forman knowing that she was going to say no. "Jackie, why would it not be a good idea?" "uh..um.." What is wrong with you? Say something! You're not a little girl anymore, you're an adult so act like one...SAY SOMETHING!! "Hi Stev...Hyde" She closed her eyes as she said his last name. Hyde? She had never called him Hyde before, she didn't want to be like everyone else. "Hi Jackie." Awkward silence followed. Jackie took in the sound of her name escaping his lips after two years and on the other end, Hyde was absorbing the smooth rhythm of her breath. "How have you been?" he asked finally breaking the silence. " I've been pretty good, working hard, you know the usual." "And taking care of Stevie I hope." Her heart stopped. It seems to be stopping a lot this week. Be cool Jackie. Don't let him get to you. "Yeah of course." In the Forman's kitchen, Hyde runs his hands through his curly hair, the way Jackie had too often done in those days they were together. He used to think that he forgot the sound of her voice, but hearing it once again made him realize that her voice had been the one that haunted him in his sleep as the voice of the angel he let go, the angel that could have made him happy for the rest of his life. "Jackie, why did you.." He was caught off when Jackie began to talk "Listen, can we not talk about this over the phone. We can talk about it when I go over for Christmas but I think my decision and anything relating to my son is too important to talk about over the phone." Silence. For a few seconds Jackie considered hanging up the phone. A huge part of her wanted to hang up to prove to him that she was strong and she didn't need him, but the other part couldn't bring herself to do so. It had been so long since she heard his voice that she didn't want to hang up. She heard him take a deep breath before saying "Just so you know, I'm not mad at you for leaving. But I am mad that you didn't give me a chance to be his father. That he had to grow up like me. I know how hard that is Jackie, and I'm mad he had to go through that." She heard a click on the other end of the phone followed by a dial tone. She stared at the handle for a few minutes before slowing placing it back on the receiver. In two weeks her son would meet his father and the days seemed to be going to fast, not allowing her any time to prepare for what would happen.
The Forman's Kitchen:
Hyde stood in front of the phone he had just reluctantly hung up for a few seconds before turning around. Much to his surprise Kitty was still in the room, sitting by the table, beckoning him to sit by her so they could talk. In the seconds it took him to reach the table a million thoughts started racing through his head. In only two more weeks I'll see her again. In only two more weeks I'll meet my son. She sounded the same, but different. She sounded so mature. So independent. From him. She sounded like she no longer needed him. Like he was just some stranger who couldn't offer her anything but endless tears. "So I was thinking of going to the mall tomorrow to buy Stevie and Jackie something for Christmas, their gifts are the only ones I'm missing." Hyde looked up. The thought of buying them a Christmas gift hadn't even crossed his mind. All he was able to think was his son, the son and the woman he had failed. "Steven?" "Huh?" "I asked you if you would like to come with me." "Yeah...sure, I'll go. " Kitty watched him walk out of the kitchen and making his way to the basement. Though curious to know what Jackie had told him, she knew that this time she really needed to butt out and let them solve their own problems. They're not kids anymore Kitty. You can't help them with everything anymore. The thought of not being needed as much crushed her, but she knew it was bound to come sooner or later.
Wisconsin Mall- The following afternoon:
This was her favorite place in this dingy ass town. Her haven. Hyde looked at all the store windows and couldn't help but to think about Jackie. Everything in there reminded her of her. The cheese shop where she had worked the summer her father cut her off for dating Kelso. He had enjoyed teasing her about the ridiculous Dairy Maid uniform she had been forced to wear though subconsciously having enjoyed the shortness of her skirt, the tightness of her top and the bouncy curl of her hair. Walking past the wedding shop he visualized her in a wedding dress while helping Forman pick out his tux. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and recalled the beauty that he had seen before him that day as she stood in front of him in a wedding dress. The urge to propose to her right then and there had ran through his mind at the time, yet months later he couldn't even bring himself to promise her a future together. He got out of his trance when he realized he was standing outside a toy store. "Mrs. Forman?" "Yes Steven?" "I can't do this." She looked at him confused for a while, almost bewildered. "What do you mean you can't do this?" He smiled a very sad smile, a smile he had only given once, two years ago, when he let her leave. "I..um...don't know what he likes." Kitty begins to laugh. "Well lucky for you, you have me here. And no one knows my grandson like I do." Knowing that she meant no harm by those words, he couldn't help but become sadder. At least you know him.
Chicago- 9PM:
Having dropped off Stevie at her cousin's house for the night, Jackie made her way to her apartment to tidy up. The previous night she had told Donna about her conversation with Hyde and Donna convinced Jackie to let her go over so they could talk about it. Less that 20 minutes after she got home, the doorbell rings. Jackie rushes over to the door and as soon as she opens it, she sees a tall red hear with a huge smile on her face. "OH MY GOD DONNA!" both girls give each other a huge hug to make up for the weeks they had gone without seeing each other. "Oh my gosh I can't believe it. It feels like I haven't seen you in months." "I know" replies Jackie. Both fill each other in on what their lives have been like in the weeks they were apart. "So Eric's going to go to Spain for three weeks, but because of college, I can't go, so I thought I could come down here on the weekends to help you with Stevie while he's gone." "Oh my God, yes! That's a fantastic idea. I'm so excited!! It'll be like we're seventeen all over again." They spoke for a long time reminiscing about the "good ol' day" and talking about their future plans. Donna then saw the perfect opportunity to ask Jackie about the conversation she had with Hyde over the phone the previous night. "I was so nervous Donna. It was like one second I was talking to Mrs. Forman and the next second I was on the phone with Steven and I wanted to be mad at him for everything he ever did to me. I tried SO hard but I couldn't because I'm no better than he is. I kept his son away from him for two years." Jackie's eyes began to fill with tears. "Jackie, NO. You're not going to feel bad about what you did. Hyde hurt you and you hurt him. That's how your relationship worked and it was unhealthy for both of you. I'm not saying that keeping Stevie a secret was the right thing to do, but you did it and your son turned out to be wonderful. Stevie is an amazing kid and you did that by yourself so don't cry, I need you to be strong for Stevie and for yourself." Jackie tried to keep herself from crying but was unsuccessful as memories of Hyde and her together when they were younger ran through her mind. "Donna...Would you think I was stupid if I told you I still love him?" Jackie wanted to get someone's approval, especially Donna's. At first Donna looked very uncomfortable and did not want to answer Jackie's question. Truth be told, she didn't think Jackie was stupid for still loving Hyde. She would have actually been surprised if she didn't still harbor feelings for Hyde given everything they went through together. But she didn't want to tell Jackie that she wasn't stupid for still loving Hyde because she wanted Jackie to be strong on her own and she knew that by saying no, Jackie would get some hope of getting back with Hyde. "Jackie," Donna sighs "you and Hyde went through a lot together and I always knew you still have feelings for him but I don't want you to get your hopes up about getting with back together with him. Hyde's changed just as much as you have so I don't want you to be disappointed if, when you see him again, he's not what you expect him to be like." "Donna,I don't think I could give him another chance. He hurt me so bad and I'll never forget that and if I were to give him another chance I would never fully trust him again. But I can't help loving him. And he's my son's father so it makes it so much more confusing." "Jackie. Steven might have helped make Stevie but he can't come claiming to be his father because for two years he wasn't there." Jackie was stunned at what Donna was saying. He is Stevie's father. He hurt you Jackie and you took his son away without him knowing. You can't be mad at him for not being a father to someone he didn't know even existed until about two days ago. Then it finally dawned on her that she never told Donna about Hyde being unaware of Stevie. Donna assumed Hyde knew about Stevie but wanted nothing to do with them. "Uh, Donna? I think there's something you should know that might make you change your mind about Steven." "What is it?"