Chapter 8

Jackie sat on her couch admiring her newly pink polished toenails. She was babysitting at her friend Megan's tonight and it Jackie's surprise both kids had played hard and gone straight to bed. Jackie's mismatched eyes glanced at the clock on her friend's wall briefly before returning to her feet. Megan had called earlier to tell her that her date was going well and to ask Jackie if she wouldn't mind watching her son for a couple more hours. Jackie had agreed but she was definitely going to want juicy details on Megan's mystery date. Luckily for her, Jackie only had another forty-five minutes to wait before she could pump her friend for all the details that she could possibly want. "Its open," Jackie called jumping up to quickly straighten her friend's coffee table at the sound of the doorbell.

" I come in peace," Steven Hyde said poking his head inside the apartment. "Will your friend eviscerate me if I dare to come inside her sanctuary?" he asked pretending to look worried. Jackie gave waved him inside with a soft chuckle. "I got Megan's info from that list you gave me. I hope you don't mind," Hyde said closing the door behind him

"Nope. And for the record, as long as you play nice Megan won't bite," Jackie informed him with a grin. "So what brings you to Chicago? We weren't expecting you until next week," she added going to the kitchen on the pretext of getting something for them to drink. She opened up the refrigerator and leaned in slightly to hide her face. Her hormones were starting to act up again and all he'd done was enter the room and say hello for crying out loud, she told herself angrily. That's it, she decided. She was going to ask Megan to set her up on that blind date she'd offered. Perhaps Megan was right, Jackie thought. Maybe she was just ready to start dating again was all.

" How nice do I need to play?" Hyde said glad for the fact that not only was Jackie's back turned but that his sunglasses hid the fact that he was busy checking out her rear. "Actually, I came here to see you," Hyde said as Jackie came back with a soda for him.

"What for? You've got my number now you could just give me a call," Jackie said giving him a puzzled frown. If she didn't know any better she'd think he was nervous. Steven Hyde nervous? As if she thought to herself derisively. If he was nervous, he must have really bad news to tell her but then again if that were the case he'd be guarding his shins.

" Well, its not something we could really talk about on the telephone," Hyde admitted reluctantly. "I was wondering if you want to go out sometime?" he blurted out, almost wincing at the tone in his own voice.

"Huh?" Jackie said thunderstruck. "With each other?" she asked incredulously.

"That was the idea," Hyde said sipping his drink already resigning himself to her refusal. Jackie leaned back against the sofa completely speechless. "Well, you want to go on a freaking date or what?" Hyde demanded.

"Yes," Jackie said so quietly that Hyde thought for a moment she hadn't answered. "But I won't," she added looking down at her soda.

"Why not?" Hyde said in confusion. Wasn't that how it was supposed to go? Boy meets girl, boy likes girl then boy and girl go out.

"Steven, we can't afford to start all that drama again," Jackie said swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat. "We've got a kid now," she reminded him. "We could try to be friends though," she suggested with false enthusiasm.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Hyde said pulling his shield of zen around him to mask his true self. "Friends, huh?" he asked looking at Jackie. "I guess we could try that," he said clinking his soda can against hers.

"So give me details!" Megan squealed almost as soon as Jackie came back in a couple weeks later from her date. Jackie gave her friend a small smile and hurried to sit beside her on the couch. "Where did he take you?" Megan asked excitedly.

" He took me to that new restaurant on 23rd," Jackie said proudly. "We had a nice dinner and he even agreed to dance with me. I mean it was kind of hard to understand him at first because of his accent but I actually had a good time," she admitted pleased by her friend's exuberance. "I guess Russians aren't so bad after all," Jackie joked.

"Please tell me you guys are going out again!" Megan said eagerly. Jackie gave a smile and a small shrug. "Details!" Megan demanded giving Jackie's shoulder a playful slap.

"We're going out again, tomorrow night. He wants to take me to the symphony," Jackie said smiling shyly at her friend. "He gave me a kiss," Jackie said looking up at Megan shyly.

"Good! Go out have a good time. Enjoy the whole man woman thing. Don't worry I'll watch the kids all you want," Megan said giving Jackie a big hug.


"What's up your butt?" Eric asked Hyde a few weeks later as Hyde was storming around the garage grabbing tools.

"Nothing, Foreman," Hyde snapped opening up his car hood. "I mean it, Nothing's wrong so leave me alone!" he snarled until Eric backed up moving his arms as if warding off an attack. Eric shook his head and went back into the house.

"Well, that was unpleasant," Eric proclaimed to the group gathered in the kitchen. " He won't talk about what's bothering him but I'm pretty sure he was going to kill me if I didn't leave," Eric said sitting down at the kitchen table beside his father.

"That's because he's a man," Red said giving his son an exasperated look. "We don't talk about our feelings, we either fix or break things until they go away," he added returning his attention to the paper.

"He's probably upset about Jackie's new boyfriend," Brooke said with a shrug. "What?" she asked in confusion as Eric, Donna, Fez and Mrs Foreman all gasped. "What did I say?" she asked the group warily.

"Jackie's dating again. Well, that would do it," Mrs Foreman said throwing her kitchen towel on the counter and putting her hands on her hips.

"Ivan's really nice," Brooke said trying to reassure the group. "Micheal, you met him he's the really big Russian guy who bought your club," she said feeling uneasy at the tension growing in the room.

"Oh my god!" Kelso said in shock. "I hope Jackie doesn't tell him that we ever did it or he might break me in half. The man is huge!" Kelso exclaimed with wide arms. "He's like six Donna's and three Bob's kinda huge," he exclaimed looking impressed. "Except he's all muscle," Kelso said grabbing a soda from the fridge. "Oh and hair. He's really scruffy and burly," Kelso added for emphasis.

"Ivan's a gentle giant," Brooke assured Eric and Donna. "He's well read, he's educated and treats her well," Brooke said with a puzzled smile.

"What is it with all these foreigners? I mean first its Fez and now its this Ivan kid, "said Red Foreman forgoing his newspaper. "Why can't she date someone native to this country? Is it necessary that she outsource?" he wondered outloud.

"Her and Steven have a daughter. They should be together not her and this Ivan fellow. Its just all wrong. It will throw off my entire Christmas plan," Kitty said shaking her head furiously.

"What's wrong with Foreigners?" Fez said offended. "All of your ancestors were foreigners at one time. We are people too," he added storming out of the kitchen in search of candy.

"Poor Hyde," Eric said shaking his head solemnly. At Donna's quizzical look, he added,"He was trying to get Jackie back. This kinda puts that plan on hold."

"Red, you have to fix this," Kitty demanded ignoring Mr. Foreman's incredulous expression. " Steven was ready to fix things, we were halfway there. Now you have to get rid of this Ivan fellow. Maybe you could give him Laurie's number," she added not noticing Donna and Eric's snickers.

"Kitty. Let it be, probably nothing's going to come of it. I like her and everything but the Loud one will probably chase off this new guy soon enough. So how about some more pancakes?" Mr. Foreman said. Mrs. Foreman gave him a pointed look before huffing out of the room. "Oh Damn it," Red said with a groan.

"Good luck, Dad," Eric said with good cheer.


"Coming," Jackie called easing out from Ivan's arm carefully. In his sleep he said something in Russian and rolled over, thereby releasing Jackie. She grabbed her housecoat and put it on as she hurried to the front door.

"Are you trying to make my life difficult missy?" said Red Foreman entering Jackie's apartment and eyeing her messed up hair with a critical eye. "You know, that I will not get any rest until you and Steven are back together and married. Yet you date other people, why?" he demanded crossing his arms.

"Excuse me ? Steven and I are not getting back together," Jackie said shooting a look towards her bedroom door. "We never were and for the record, I've got company," she said blushing. Mr. Foreman made a disgruntled face. "Mrs. Foreman sent you didn't she?" Jackie said with a knowing smile.

"She just wants all of her chicks happy. She's a mother hen," he admitted sitting on her couch. "She just wants everyone to have happy endings like in some kind of damn fairy tale," he added.

"Maybe she could set Steven up on a date," Jackie suggested sitting beside him. Her insides were churning at the idea of him with another woman but she was pretty sure that she could handle it since she'd had to watch him and Sam together.

"Would you really want that?" Red asked her knowingly. Jackie sighed and reluctantly shook her head. "Then why suggest it?" he asked.

" First, he's the father of my child and I want him happy. Second, its only fair and Thirdly; its a solution to your problem with Mrs. Foreman," Jackie said in a low voice.

"You still love him," Mr Foreman said in a rarely used gentle voice.

"Yes, I think I always will but I want him happy. Despite all the pain we've caused each other I hope that he gets that. I'm just not willing to put everything on the line again. This time I can't afford to have my life dashed to pieces. Steven's a big kid. Ivan and I are still getting to know each other but he's a grown man and he has a grown man's ambitions. I need that," she admitted leaning her head against Mr. Foreman's shoulder.

"Kitty is going to kill me," he prophesied gloomily.