Chapter 10 Face To Face

Eric Forman felt terrible. As if he had committed an act of betrayal. He told her she could stay for as long as she wanted and now she was probably crying on the bed after Donna talked to her. Shouldn't there have been some kind of adjustment period? She didn't want to go home she had just told Hyde that on the telephone. He knew this wasn't a permanent living situation, he just didn't want it to seem like they were kicking Tiffany out. That wasn't true. He enjoyed having her here, she wasn't rude and apart from some minor skirmishes with his Wife, her visit went well. She was a like a big sister to Megan, She went to school, did all her assignments, gave up on that Adam kid, and most importantly to Eric she didn't seek out Cocaine-or worse. He felt like he was pushing her out the door after he promised she could stay for as long as necessary. He didn't want to be one of those lying hypocritical adults. He couldn't concentrate on his work despite the fact that his percentage would be buying Megan a new wheelchair. The insurance wouldn't pay for the whole cost because he made "too much" money.

"Hi, Eric!" Tiffany said happily as she came down the stairs.

"Hi, Tiffany, you aren't mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you, Eric?"

"Because after I told you, you could stay here for as long as you needed to. And you told Hyde you weren't ready to come home. Your Mom called Donna right back to SEND you home."

"It's time. I want to go back to my real school, even though, I don't really want to go home." She sat on the arm of the sofa.

Eric put on his computer screensaver; it was one of Megan's drawings that he scanned into the computer. It was a dark blue wash with silver stars and multiple moons.

"When you get home, I'd like you to do a favor for me."

"What?"

"It's only you and I here now, no parents, no little kids, and no Donna to run to Jackie-I want you to give Hyde a chance, a real chance. You said you don't know if you like him as an adult. Well, the only way you are going to know that is if you try. Meet him halfway?"

"I'll try, Eric. It's going to be very hard. I better go upstairs and finish packing."

She was a good kid; she just needed to be pointed in the right direction. Eric didn't know if this surprise party idea was going to fly. From what he understood Hannah wanted to throw Hyde a party because he was hurting from Tiffany, but he found out about the party when he and Jackie overheard the twins discussing it and Hunter didn't want to go to the party and told his Father "he was wrong" for disowning Tiffany and he was sure there were other things said that he and Donna did not know about. Then of course when he was trying to watch "Return of the Jedi", Jackie had called Donna back, after Hyde's bittersweet (more bitter than sweet) call to Tiffany, saying that she and Hyde both wanted Tiffany home, and that the party was going to be for Hyde and Tiffany. Jackie did invite them for taking such good care of her oldest daughter, but Donna thought they needed this time alone as a family and they would see each other at the next gathering, they always did. She also didn't want to fly all the way to Pennsylvania with a handicapped child just to go to a three-hour tops party. Eric did agree that the Hyde's needed their family reunion to be private. But he could've easily gone to the party too, especially if Tiffany needed a shoulder to cry on or if Hyde needed a smack upside the head.

"Hi, Daddy, we're home." Megan wheeled herself in with a box on her lap.

"Hi, lollipop," He kissed Megan on the forehead, "Where's your Mom?"

"Parking the van over and swearing in the car."

"Oh. What was she swearing over?"

"The guy across the street who thinks it's funny to park in front of the house, when we have the special handicapped permit space."

"Your Mom will kick his butt."

"I already did, Eric," Donna came in, flustered, "He thinks just because we have a driveway and a garage we should always park in the back and that we don't need our sign in the front."

"You could turn him in, Donna." There was a six hundred dollar fine for parking in a residential handicapped space.

"I told him the next time he does it, I will turn him in. He called me a bitch and walked away from me."

Eric had the I'm-going-to-kick-his-ass-for-calling-my-wife-a-bitch look in his eyes.

"Now, don't you go over there to make it worse, Eric. Actually, you have to shower and change into something nice."

"Why where are we going?"

"Jackie has too much money and rented a private jet for all of us. She wants us to attend the party, even though, I told her they should have that private time as a family, but she said we're part of the family, too, and she's nervous that if we aren't there it might be harder for Hyde and Tiffany to interact with each other."

"Mommy got me a pretty dress, Daddy!"

"Remember Eric not one word to Tiffany about the party, okay?"

"I can keep a secret, Donna. And I'm sure you'll be wearing the prettiest dress there, Megan." He kissed her on the cheek.

"AHEM, Eric." Donna called out with her hands on her hips

"You two will both be wearing the prettiest dresses there." He kissed Donna on the lips and Megan on the head before heading upstairs.

Hyde knew Jackie only had the best of intentions but he wished she didn't invite Donna and Eric to the party. He understood why she did it, that maybe it'd be easier for him and Tiffany if other people were there. Still, he thought, she had way too much money to able to rent a private jet. He also didn't think it wise that Tiffany get in that wealthy class mindset again. Jackie relinquished her rights to Brad's jet on his insistence that kids just should not have access to such things. It spoils them to the point of losing common ground with regular people. Of course Tiffany was going to come into quite a nice sum on her eighteenth birthday that she could easily buy a private jet of her own and another penthouse apartment or mansion. He could only hope she wouldn't let the money go to her head. That was why Hyde liked this simple country cottage and was happy when Jackie sold her apartment, she could've subletted, but she didn't need the aggravation and it would've kept Tiffany tied to that place and she never would have been able to accept another place as her HOME. 'Lot of good that did' he thought as Hannah walked in the living room to show him her sky blue dress with the bow on the back wearing matching sky blue Mary Jane's. He remembered how Tiffany hated dressing up for formal occasions.

"How do I look, Daddy?"

"Very pretty."

"When are you going to get dressed up?"

"When your Mother---" He looked at his watch and then at the digital clock on the TV set. "Steven! Come on!" Jackie called

"Right now, Hannah. Is Hunter dressed yet?"

"I don't know."

"That means he isn't-Hunter," Hyde called out "Get dressed."

"Steven! You too!" Jackie yelled again

"Coming, dear."

Hyde had mixed feelings about seeing Tiffany again.

Tiffany was going to miss living here. Eric was different than Hyde. Hyde shouted even when he didn't think he was, Eric rarely shouted. Hyde never considered her feelings about issues that affected her, Eric was guilty over her having to leave earlier than she thought and assumed she was angry with him over it. Eric stopped smoking pot because he couldn't have anything-addictive illegal or even legal as part of his life long rehab program; Hyde was a card-carrying member of NORML. Eric liked Star Wars and could be silly even if he had to go meet clients in a suit and tie, Hyde didn't like Star Wars after the fourth film (ANH) and was never silly apart from when she and the twins were little. Eric was the man that she wished was her Dad, when she wasn't fantasizing about her being older or him being younger so they could go out, Hyde was a Dad on paper only. Eric would NEVER disown a child. Hyde did. And Megan wondered would Hannah and Hunter ever be disowned if they crossed a line? She closed her suitcase shut. She was even going to miss Donna's orders because after awhile she softened a little and wasn't as militant. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"It's me, Donna,"

'Damn'

She opened the door. "Megan would like to see you, she has a surprise for you."

It was actually Megan's idea. Donna loved watching her mind take shape.

"Okay."

Megan was also a better sister figure than her actual sister. Hunter was a cool brother because he didn't interfere and the respect was mutual because she didn't interfere in his life, either. But Jackie was a BETTER Mother than Donna. Even if her Mom did shop too much and talked idle chatter most of the time. Megan was a sweet girl she didn't have to buy her anything. Hannah could take lessons from her best friend that was for was certain.

"Come on, Steven, don't move, I'm almost done. You always clean up nicely." Jackie said as she straightened his tie.

"Yeah. Are you done yet?"

"Yes. You look so handsome. You underestimate how good looking you are in a suit."

She turned him around so he could look in the full-length mirror.

"We do make a beautiful couple. Now, when ARE you going to get dressed, Jackie? And if you don't mind, I'd like to watch."

"Right now, I had to make sure you and Hunter were dressed-Hunter, are you dressed yet?" Jackie yelled through the door.

"He's getting there, Mommy!" Hannah called out

"Good! And to answer your question no, I don't mind. You see a woman such as Donna would mind because apart from our spa week, she just doesn't take care of her skin and body like I do. I want you to see YOUR WIFE with the lights on. Care to unbutton my blouse?"

He coughed and smiled, "If I do that, this suit you spent twenty minutes getting me into, is going to be on the floor along with your rumpled clothes."

"We'll save that for later. Still want to stay?" It was certainly hot in here! And she wasn't due to have a hot flash for another five years or so.

"You bet." He sat on the hope chest.

"I bought a new dress---" She went to the small closet, her 'Diva Room' had the walk-in closet

"Why? You have many dresses." And skirts, and shoes, and belts, and purses, and blouses, and jewelry, but that was Jackie.

"Steven, you've seen me in all of those! But you haven't seen me in this!"

It was a white silk and chiffon dress, with spaghetti straps, with a swirl of blue on the bottom on the diagonal to represent the sea.

"Nice. It'll look better on."

"Close your eyes or look away."

"I didn't stay here only to close my eyes or look away."

"Okay," She unbuttoned her blouse, "Let me know when the room gets too hot for you."

"It's already hot for me, Jackie." Man, if there weren't two kids in the house, he'd have picked her tiny body up and placed her on the bed for a wild night.

"Most Husbands think their Wives are past it after a certain age." She unzipped her skirt and threw that on the floor next to the blouse.

"I'm not most Husbands and you are very beautiful." He got up to kiss her, never wanting to stop.

Megan reminded her Mother while they were out shopping that Tiffany did not have anything to wear for the party, except the 'forbidden' outfit she brought. Donna might have paid for it, but it was Megan who picked it out. Tiffany didn't know what to think when she saw a box with a green bow on Megan's bed.

"You didn't have to buy me a present." She didn't think she deserved one.

"Open it!"

"Okay," she sat on Megan's bed and opened up the box, "This is pretty. Thank you." She kissed her on the cheek.

"Try it on."

It was a purple dress with a slight v-neck, knee length, and purple chiffon on the bottom half.

"I will when I get home."

"No! You have to wear it now!" Megan slightly panicked

"Why? Oh-are you guys taking me out to dinner before I leave?"

"I can't say."

"Okay," She smiled, "I'll put the dress on."

"I have to get dressed, too. Will you help me with my tights?"

She looked at her almost humble, "Sure. Why didn't Donna just buy you knee highs?"

"She accidentally grabbed the wrong package." And Megan didn't have the heart to tell her. She never wanted to be the family's burden.

"Sure, I'll help you get ready."

Megan smiled; this was going to be the best party ever.

"I don't believe my Mother," Tiffany said displeased when she found out Eric, Donna, and Megan were accompanying her back home on a rented private jet.

"I know and we were just going to go out to dinner!" Megan fibbed; she hoped she did her "part" correctly.

Eric did feel slightly uncomfortable about lying under a pretense. Who was to say she'd want a party?

"I know, Megan. I don't see why you have to COME BACK WITH ME. I'm not a child. This was probably HIS idea."

Donna tried not to be angry at yet another anti-Hyde comment coming out of her fresh mouth, Tiffany didn't know about the party. Tiffany kept talking about respect well it was something that Hyde also deserved. She would never give Megan a chance to be that disrespectful to her or Eric. It might not have been politically correct but Donna thought Tiffany could use another slap across the face.

Much Later

Jackie was fixing her hair in the lavish ladies room of the Beaumont Inn. Hannah sat on the square stool, digging her shoes into the carpeting of the seating area.

"I want you to be nice to Tiffany." Jackie instructed

"Okay." 'But she's still mean, Mommy!'

She couldn't wait to have her family back the way it was, better than the way it was. She understood Tiffany wanting to know her roots and where she came from, but she couldn't comprehend how she was turning Steven into the "evil" step Father who never harmed her, never gave her just cause for rebelling against him. Maybe, she had unresolved feelings towards Brad and that was understandable given that she was still little when he died, but to make Steven out to be the enemy was wrong, just as it was wrong from him to disown her. Jackie hoped tonight would go well. This day was more important than her wedding day.

"Come here," Jackie took out a retractable hairbrush out of her purse, "I'll fix your hair, Hannah."

Hannah liked how her shoes went from the soft rug to the shiny linoleum.

"Tiffany better not be mean to Daddy!" She blurted out

"Don't you worry about that. Everyone is going to be on their best behavior tonight."

Facing The Music

Tiffany was starting to piece it all together, when the taxi van did not take them to the cottage from the airport but went in the opposite direction. Was her Mother, who could be a little corny and overly sentimental, planning a party? She didn't want that, but she knew if she bitched out loud about it Sgt. Donna might have slapped her upside the head. She thought about what Eric told her about meeting Hyde half way. She supposed it was true and good advice to give. But what if she still didn't like him as an adult? Where was it written that you had to verbally accept your stepparents? Hannah was going to be clingy with her Father to prove how much she LOVED him, Hunter would sit in a corner anticipating the evening to be over, and her Mother would want everything to be unrealistically perfect in one evening.

"Can I say 'surprise' now?!" Megan beamed, bless her for being so innocent and accepting

"I think Tiffany already knows, dear." Donna replied

"Just take it one step at a time," Eric said when she helped her out of the taxi, as Donna helped Megan get out, as she didn't want the driver to. "I will, thanks Eric."

Hannah and Hunter stayed behind their parents as they stood outside the entrance. Jackie held Hyde's hand as Tiffany chose to walk ahead of Eric and Donna trailed behind Megan who had no trouble wheeling herself. This was the longest walk Tiffany thought as she got closer to her Mother and Hyde. She thought she could be cool and not show emotion but her heart was beating so fast she thought it would explode out of her chest. She knew her Mother would break the ice first, it was she that came for a visit to Wisconsin to see her and they did talk on the phone every so often. This was the easy part.

"My baby!" Jackie hugged her, "You're home." She faced her to kiss her on the cheek, "That's a pretty dress."

"Megan picked it out."

Jackie purposely went away and nodded to Eric and Donna and told Megan that she had a "good eye for clothes."

Now there was no distance facing Hyde and Tiffany, after a few months, here they were again, face to face. She didn't know what to do or what to say. How do you meet someone half way when you DON'T know what to do?

"Hello, Tiffany." Hyde said first.

Hannah wanted to go inside her sister learned nothing! If she was mean to her Daddy again, Hannah was going to kick her in the shins. It'd be worth the punishment.

"Hi." She replied, unconsciously looking at the ground.

"I hope you're serving a lot of food at this shindig," Eric had to break the ice, he knew between Hyde's walls and Tiffany's stubbornness they could be standing there all night, "I hope you have lots of shrimp for my Kooky McShrimp lover." He pointed to Donna.

"I like shrimp, too, and I'm hungry!" Hannah said running over to Megan, but not without giving Tiffany a dirty look first.

"We're not having that." Jackie whispered to her.

"Hi, Tiffany." Hunter said

"Hi, Hunter," She hugged him, and of course he still squirmed, that didn't mean he didn't love his sister, "You look nice in a suit."

"Thanks, but after an hour this tie is coming off!" He replied like an older man.

Hyde thought it should've gone better as he opened the door to go back inside, Eric caught the swinging door.

"I want you to give her time, Hyde. She's a good kid." Eric whispered

"Thanks for the parental advice, Forman." Hyde sarcastically replied

"Donna, I want you to do me a favor." Jackie asked, as she and Donna were the last ones to enter the Inn.

"What?"

Jackie took her camera out of her purse. "When the time is right can you take a picture of all of us. I don't know what the future is going to hold for my family, I would just like one photograph of tonight."

"Sure." She didn't think the evening was going to go smoothly when she saw Hyde talking to Hannah and Hunter as Tiffany stayed in between Megan and Eric.

Jackie took out her small-mirrored compact she made sure to wear waterproof mascara tonight her heart breaking at the sight of her Husband on one side of the room and her daughter on the other.

"Do you want a drink, Donna?" Hyde asked her

"No. But you look like you could use one. I hope I'm not out place saying so, but Tiffany while she was good at our house is still one bratty kid. Of course, Eric doesn't think so."

"Your Husband lives in a fairyland. And no, Donna, it's not out of place, Tiffany is a brat."

"Steven!"

"It's true, Jackie. You don't have to worry I'm not going to kick her out of the house, but she's not making an effort to TALK to me at all."

"Well, honey, why don't you go over there and talk to her?"

"I got you some punch, Tiffany." Eric handed her the crystal cup.

"Thank you, Eric. HE'S bitching me out to Mom and Donna-how can I meet HIM halfway? How?"

"This is how," Eric walked over to Hyde, "Listen, man, are you ever going to go over and talk to your daughter? She just asked me how can she meet you halfway when you are over here talking about her?" He looked at Donna, he knew she had to be complaining on what a terrible child she is.

"He's right." Jackie said before her Husband or Donna could reply

"This place is huge surely you can find a private spot to talk to Tiffany in." Eric said

"Shut up, Forman."

"That's nice, but I'd rather you curse at me than at her."

"See Donna your Husband lives in an eternal fairyland."

'What's that supposed to mean?' Eric thought

Tiffany finished her punch and put the cup down on the long table. She was surprised to see Hyde coming towards her.

"You and I. Outside now." He said in a quiet voice so the King of Fairyland wouldn't use that against his parenting skills.

Tiffany looked at her Mother; she saw the hope in her eyes. She hoped this was what Eric meant by meeting each other halfway. She was scared but not afraid of him as they went outside the back door.

"Eric told me---"

'Oh brother'

"To give you a real chance and to meet you half way."

'Forman did?'

"That would be nice, Tiffany."

They sat on the stairs of the back entrance.

"I don't know what to say to you, Hyde."

"Why don't you start at the beginning?"

As far as he was concerned they had all night to get the point where they could at least be civil with each other.

"I don't know if I like you as an adult."

"You're not an adult." He corrected

"I'm a young adult-see there's no respect. You see me as a kid," She stood up, "I'm not a child. Were you a child when you were fifteen?"

"In retrospect," God he sounded like Forman, "Yes."

He motioned for her to sit down, "This is why I don't know if I like you- and other stuff that you should know about, because Mom tells you everything."

"Do you still want to change your name back to Worthington on your eighteenth birthday?" He asked

"Would that make you feel lousy?"

"Of course it would."

"You are so selfish Hyde thinking it's all about YOU. HELL-O I'm NOT YOUR KID. Don't you get it?" She stood up again, "I don't have an identity! YOU took away MY APARTMENT AND MY PLANE."

Hyde looked at her with I-can't-believe-it-eyes "So this is all about material possessions?"

"No! For someone supposedly so smart and on the edge, you're a very stupid man. I'm the odd one out."

"I will not sit here and have you call me stupid."

"What are you going to do disown me?"

"No." That would have hurt his Wife and Jackie didn't deserve that.

"I can't believe it! I'm sure my Mom told you, but knowing you, you probably pushed it away where you wouldn't have to think about it, Hyde. You're erasing my history! It's not about material things. It's about you turning me into a Hyde while trying to erase who I really am. My REAL Dad was not a very nice man but he was still MY DAD and you don't care about that."

She didn't want to cry.

"I was not trying to erase your history. And for the record the apartment and airplane did NOT belong to you. I'm not telling you to forget about Brad. I adopted you because I love---"

"Oh you wanted to make it past tense! I could see it in your eyes. You want to say 'because you loved me' not 'because you love me'."

"It's hard to love someone whose being hurtful towards you. Tiffany, you've hurt me almost as worse as MY parents. Not to mention the grief you put your Mother and sister through."

"I wish you were like Eric."

"I'm not Forman."

"You don't have to tell me twice. I don't know if I like you as a TEENAGER. Happy? It's like you fell out of flavor."

"I wasn't the one who changed."

"You make it hard for people to like you, Hyde."

"I don't care anymore if you hate my guts or not. It's up to you to want to get to know me better. Because this bickering back and forth is getting us nowhere."

Tiffany stood up again, "I'm going to be honest, Hyde, I hope you can take it."

"Say whatever you have to say."

"That's funny from a person who usually keeps it all inside. But okay, I don't know if you're worth getting to know better."

Tiffany went back inside, leaving Hyde alone on the back stairs. He took off his glasses and placed them beside him, just this once he'd let himself cry in public.

"Steven-Tiffany ran into the bathroom---what happened?" Jackie let the door close behind her as she noticed her husband crying.

He let Jackie embrace him; she was the most magical woman he knew.

"I'm so sorry, She directed his head to her shoulder, "I love the both of you and hurts me to see the two of you not get along."

'F***. I cried for five minutes, that is NOT acceptable' "I'm okay, Jackie." He kissed her and then wiped his eyes and put his glasses back on.

"No, you're not."

"I bet she's talking to Forman, well if they want to take her back to Wisconsin that is fine by me."

"No, she's not talking to Eric, she ran to the bathroom CRYING and no, she IS NOT going back to live with Donna and Eric. This couldn't be resolved overnight, Steven, but we are going to have dinner in ten minutes and as God is my witness we are all going to be civil in there."

"Who can eat, Jackie?"

"You what?!" Eric nearly dropped his cheese and cracker plate. When he saw Donna go in the ladies room after Tiffany he knew it wasn't going to be good.

"You heard me."

"How could you say that to her, Donna?"

"Because she deserved it. If we acted like that with our parents-you know Red would have killed you."

"That was no reason to call her a selfish bitch," He whispered, "Are you going to do this to Megan when she becomes a teenager?"

Eric walked away from his Wife and went to see if Megan needed anything. He couldn't believe that she did it. He was going to have to apologize to Hyde and Jackie it wasn't right. She was just a kid for Christ sake.

Eric walked over to Jackie who looked like the quintessential woman of elegance, who was hurting on the inside. She had to be strong for Hannah and Hunter but Tiffany wanted to be left alone in the bathroom and her Husband wanted to sit outside alone for a while.

"I'm sorry-"

"Is this about Donna calling my daughter a selfish bitch? Tiffany told me before she kicked me out of the restroom."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, she had NO right to say that."

"Don't worry about it, Eric. Will you see what's keeping Steven? Dinner will be served soon, and I want to check on Tiffany."

"Okay."

"Hyde?" Eric went out the back way because he remembered that's where he and Tiffany went to talk. "Hyde?! Oh F***."

Hyde had collapsed on the stairs with his left hand on his right arm. Eric checked for a pulse. He reached in his pocket for his cell phone.

"I need an ambulance! I think my best friend had a heart attack---"