A.N. The response to the last chapter was wonderful – thank you all! Hope you enjoy this one (it's one of my favourites).

Chapter 6

September 28, 1980, Chicago

"So, how is he?" Eric asked in hushed tones.

"Eh, no better, no worse," Fez replied with a shrug. "At least he's out of his room today. That's an improvement."

"I can't believe how hard Hyde is taking this," Eric said, throwing down his duffel bag holding a week's worth of laundry.

"Tell me about it," Donna agreed. "When he and Jackie broke up after Chicago, he wasn't this depressed about it."

"Yes, but in fairness he did have stripper sex to distract himself with," Fez pointed out. "And his beer and pot intake tripled, which gave him artificial happiness. But now he is so sad he cannot even medicate himself out of it."

As the three friends approached the kitchen entrance to the basement, a haunting lament wafted from below.

"Oh my God," Donna breathed. "Tell me that's not what I think it is."

"I'm afraid so," Fez replied, shaking his head. "Country music. I did not mind it so much when it was Johnny Cash, but now he plays an endless loop of Willie Nelson. I tell you, if I hear one more song about how there's no gettin' over you, I am going to frickin' lose it."

"Damn it, we've got to do something about this," Eric declared. "What we need is to get a hold of Jackie. If we could explain about the orange juice and my mother's insane alcoholic subterfuges, maybe she could forgive him."

"You know we've been leaving phone messages for her at the TV station for two months now," Donna said. "She hasn't answered any of them and she hasn't told any of us her private number or even where she's living."

"Yes, she has really shut us out," Fez said sadly. "I mean, I could understand why she would do that to Donna but how could she turn her back on what we had? We lived together for a year! We were the Jackie and Fez show! Did all those times I peeked on her in the shower mean nothing to her?"

"She thinks we set her up for date-rape," Donna said. "That's not an easy thing to get past. And what do you mean you could understand her shutting me out in particular?"

"It's OK, guys. I talked to Kelso the other night and he said that he's asked a cop buddy to find out her address. Then he'll go and explain the whole cock-up to her."

"Eric, that is a wonderful idea," Fez approved. "With those melting brown eyes and perfect bone structure, how could Jackie resist him?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. What say we move this awkward moment down to the basement?"

The three friends descended the stairs to find Hyde sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the television. This would not have been so disturbing if it had been switched on.

"Hello, Hyde," Donna spoke in soothing tones. "It's your friends, Donna, Eric and Fez."

"Hey, buddy, how's it going?" Eric asked gently. Hyde remained silent, not turning his head to look at them. "Do you think he can hear us?" Eric whispered to the other two.

Suddenly, Hyde spoke in a weak voice. "Foreman, is that you?"

Eric jumped. "Yes! Yes, Hyde, I'm right here!"

"I can't see you. Come closer." Eric sat down on the other end of the couch. "Closer," Hyde rasped. Eric sat right next to him.

"I'm here for you, Man – OWWW!" Eric cried in pain as Hyde unleashed a lightning bolt frogging to his arm. "What the hell?"

"That's for talking to me like I've just had a frickin' lobotomy," Hyde said.

"Oh Hyde, it is good to see the angry red light back in your eyes," Fez cried.

"Yeah, well you guys have got to quit with all this damn tiptoe-ing around me," Hyde growled. "So I fucked up my life – again. That doesn't mean you have to treat me with kid gloves. Just stop being so damn gentle all the time."

Right on cue the back door to the basement was flung open and Kelso charged in. His normally goofy expression was replaced with one of deadly intent. It took but a moment for him to zero in on his target. With the roar of an enraged beast he launched himself at Hyde.

The three friends were shocked into immobility at the bizarre spectacle of Kelso attempting to beat the daylights out of Hyde, but they knew their assistance was not required. It was not long before Hyde had recovered from the surprise attack and was sitting on Kelso's head.

"Alright, so maybe you guys can treat me just a little gentle," Hyde amended.

"Get off me, you dirt-wad," a muffled voice came from underneath Hyde's posterior.

"Not until you tell me why you want to murder me," Hyde answered.

"I just came from seeing Jackie," Kelso spat out. "I'm sure you can guess now why I'm kicking your ass."

"With what? Your nose?" Eric commented.

"Shut up, Foreman! Kelso, you've seen Jackie? How is she? Is there something wrong with her?"

"Oh sure, play the innocent," Kelso stood up as Hyde released him from the butt-lock. "I can't believe you would do this to her, Hyde. And after the way you tore me a new one because I wouldn't step up when it happened to me. God, you give hypocrisy a whole new meaning."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hyde was growing increasingly angrier.

"I'm talking about the letter Jackie wrote you," Kelso shouted in his face.

"What letter?"

"What letter! What letter! Wait, hang on – what letter?" Kelso was arrested in his righteous indignation. "You mean – you didn't get it?"

"Jackie wrote me a letter? I haven't really been reading my mail these days, but if I saw her handwriting, I would have – "

"Where's your mail?" Kelso interrupted. "Oh Man, I've got to see this! Fez, go find Hyde's mail." Kelso turned to Eric and Donna and whispered "Get set for the best burn in burning history."

"Here it is," Fez called as he came out of Hyde's room with arms overflowing with unopened correspondence. Hyde grabbed it from him and started frantically sorting, looking for Jackie's distinctive loopy handwriting. "I can't see anything from her."

"Yeah, she said something about typewriting the label so Mrs Foreman wouldn't get to it first," Kelso said.

"She has a keen insight into my mother's character," Eric said. "Hey, Hyde, open this one. That's the kind of quality stationery Jackie would use."

Hyde frantically tore the envelope open and unfolded Jackie's 'impersonal' letter.

To Mr Steven J. Hyde

This letter is to inform you that on the night of June 18 you did impregnate one Jackie Burkhart by a totally scummy trick which I will never forgive you for.

I understand that you will probably attempt to deny that the child is yours and I cannot stop you from thinking your usual paranoid thoughts. However I wish to state for the record that you are the only man I have slept with in a longer time than I am comfortable admitting. Not that it matters whether you think the baby is yours or not anyway because I am not expecting anything from you. I am letting you off the hook in regard to all things present and future baby related and intend to raise this child entirely by myself. I am just writing to let you know as a matter of courtesy.

If you have an objection to any of this, my contact details are on this letter. If I don't hear from you, I will take that as your agreement that it is best you have no further involvement in my life or my child's.

Yours sincerely

Ms Jaclyn B. Burkhart

Hyde went through a variety of reactions as he read the letter; shock, indignation even a moment of some strange warm feeling. But the last paragraph obliterated all emotions but anger. "Doesn't think I'll have any objection? What the hell? How could she think I wouldn't want to be involved in my own kid's life?"

"WHAT???!" Donna, Eric and Fez cried while Kelso looked on smugly. As they devoured the letter they had plucked from Hyde's nerveless grip, their jaws dropped.

"She thinks I wouldn't believe the baby is mine? Where the hell does she get off telling me what I think? Just because I burned her a couple of times about being passed around the group – she must have known I didn't mean it."

"Hyde," Donna interrupted urgently. "Did you see the date on this letter? She sent this two months ago."

"Shit," Hyde cursed. "So what? She doesn't hear from me for two months and she thinks it justifies every lousy prediction she made about me?"

"Yeah," Kelso agreed. "That's kind of why I went Chuck Bronson on your ass back there."

"Kelso, did you explain about the whole spiked orange juice thing to Jackie?" Eric asked.

Kelso scratched his head. "Well, you know I was leading up to that but then I saw the pregnancy book on Jackie's coffee table and I noticed how much larger her breasts are.."

"Ooh, how much larger?" Fez asked eagerly.

"They are sweet, Man," Kelso said. "They've gone from grapefruits to rockmelons."

"Nice."

"Focus, Kelso," Hyde growled.

"Yeah, well having seen Brooke through her pregnancy I knew the signs and then the story came out, which kind of made me forget about the whole juice thing. When I told Jackie she had to tell you about the kid, she told me she already had in a letter but you obviously didn't want to have anything to do with it."

It was a full five minutes before Hyde could say anything worthy of a G rating. When he finally calmed down, Eric asked tentatively, "So, what are you going to do, Man?"

"Do? Do? I'm going to go to Chicago and tell Jackie just how frickin' involved I'm going to be in this kid's life, and hers for that matter! Give me that letter." He almost tore it out of Fez's hand. "And turn that damn country music off! Bunch of pansy-assed whiners!" With that, he slammed the door behind him.

"OK, I'm going to take that last comment as a good sign," Eric decided.

…………………………………………………………………..

It had been an eventful two months for Jackie. In it she had come to terms with the prospect of single motherhood, successfully hidden her pregnancy from her work colleagues and become better friends with Brooke and Bernard. So when Michael had burst into her little Chicago world dragging with him all those Point Place memories, she had not been thrilled to see him and had even tried to shut the door in his face. However, there was a reason why she and Michael Kelso had stayed together for 4 years in spite of his obvious shortcomings. She knew that even though he had hurt her countless times, it was never deliberate. When it came down to it, Michael was nothing more than a big scatterbrained dog who had a bad habit of jumping up on people, especially if they were female. She knew he was incapable of the necessary forethought to predict how the events of that going away party would hurt her, so in the end she had allowed him into her apartment.

As Jackie hemmed a pair of Brooke's maternity slacks to suit her shorter legs, she smiled in memory of Kelso's reaction to her pregnancy.

Jackie, Hyde might not be man enough to do the right thing by you but I am.

Michael, why are you down on one knee? Are you trying to look up my skirt?

No – well, partly. But Jackie, I want to marry you and take care of you and the baby.

Of course she had told him to stand up and stop being such an adorable dumbass, but she had been touched nonetheless. But now she could not help feeling a little worried about that determined look in his eye when he had left, vowing to kick Hyde's ass for abandoning her like this. He had not believed her when she insisted she didn't want Steven's help. As she reflected on the possible repercussions from Michael's visit, a pounding fist resounded against her front door. She had a sinking feeling those repercussions were now on her doorstep.

"Jackie, open this door right now," Hyde shouted. His demand sparked off Jackie's temper. No word from him for two months and now he turns up telling her what to do! Although her letter said it did not expect to hear from him, there was still a tiny remnant of the old Jackie in her that hoped he would prove her wrong.

Jackie flung the door wide. "Why, if it isn't Steven Hyde! What brings you to my fair city? Some beer-swilling festival I don't know about?" Hyde did not answer but raked his eyes over her body, seeking signs of change. Her waist did not seem much bigger than he remembered, although Kelso had been right about her breasts. "Hey, buddy – my eyes are up here."

"What brings me here?" Hyde repeated. He held up her letter. "You write me this – thing – and then wonder what brings me here?"

"Oh, so you came in response to my letter and it took you two months to get here? What, did you crawl here or something?"

"I only opened it today," Hyde answered. "If I had known – God, Jackie, how could you think I wouldn't want to be involved?"

Jackie shrugged. "Must be the years of watching you dodge commitment and responsibility."

"I would never dodge this kind of responsibility," Hyde swore. "What kind of man do you think I am?"

"Yeah, I don't think you really want me to answer that question."

"Look, Jackie, I can see that after what you think I did to you your opinion of me might have suffered a bit but – "

"Might have suffered? That's putting it mildly! I already knew you were capable of betrayal and cruelty but I never would have pegged you for a rapist. Because that's what it is, Steven, when you deliberately get a girl so drunk she has no defences against her own…"

"Dirty urges?" Hyde supplied.

"Don't think you can smirk your way out of this one, Hyde. I meant what I said in that letter – this baby is mine and I'm raising it without any input from you."

"Hey, that kid is just as much mine, you know. I've got some rights here."

"Actually, you don't," Jackie replied icily. "The baby will be born illegitimate, which means that the only rights you have are what I choose to give you which I'm thinking will be, oh let's say, none!"

"Jackie, you can't do this!" Hyde said, switching from indignation to pleading. "What happened that last night, it isn't what you think."

"Let me guess – you didn't know the juice was spiked and it was just an amazing coincidence that you were supplying me with large quantities of alcohol on an empty stomach at the same party where our 'friends' were betting whether you'd get me to sleep with you or not?"

"Well… uh…yes," Hyde said unconvincingly. "Jackie, I swear I didn't know! You see, Mrs Foreman has this special juice and that's what I served you. But I give you my word I didn't know it was vodka making it so special."

"Steven," Jackie sighed. "Do you really expect me to believe that? I swear, this is no different than that time you told me you loved me to try to make me forgive you. You'd say anything to weasel your way out of trouble."

"Jackie, I wasn't lying – I never would lie about something like – "

"Save it, Hyde," Jackie broke in. "Your actions from this past year speak louder than words. There is nothing you can say to make me believe I was ever anything more than a sexual convenience to you, one that could easily be replaced by the first trashy stripper you drunkenly stumbled over."

Hyde was stunned, as much by the closed off expression on her face as by her bitter words. With a sinking heart he realised he had turned her into the same jaded person he had been after his parents deserted him. Jackie had redeemed him from his cynicism with her love and now he had repaid her by squashing all of the 'hopeless romantic' in her.

Jackie took advantage of his shock by planting her hand on his chest and pushing him backwards. "Goodbye, Steven. Let's have our next catch-up at our 10 year high school reunion." Before he knew it, Hyde was facing the other side of Jackie's front door.

"Oh yeah?" he shouted defiantly. "Well, that's all you know! You won't even be at my reunion because we graduated in different years!"

"I know!" Jackie called from behind the door, and Hyde could swear he heard her eyes rolling.

"Damn," he swore softly. "This isn't over, Jackie! I'm not giving up."

"But you do it so well," was her final snark before he heard her heels click-clacking away from the door.