A/N: undefchem, you're so incredibly generous. Thank you so for the much needed help. =) And I'd like to thank Nicole for making a gorgeous fanart for Crazy Love, you don't know how much I appreciated that.  Next chapter will probably be last, thanks again for everyone sticking with me the last few months. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have.





You can take all the tea in china
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail right around the seven oceans
Drop it straight into the deep blue sea


~^~
For the next week Hyde tried keeping a distance from Jackie, his patience wearing thin and she was being shameless with what she chose to wear to bed. He stayed in the kitchen most of the time, feigning interest in his homework and watching Vera in the living room upstairs instead of the basement. Usually, he could handle himself. He lasted five and a half weeks with the limits given, kissing, touching, finding creative ways for relief. On Eric and Donna's wedding night though, when she had the negligee on and instead of cuddling up to his side to go to sleep, she made herself comfortable on the other side of the bed. Sheets thrown off her body, legs spread, fingers dancing across places he hadn't had the pleasure of touching since that afternoon, but that night was different, he was frozen in his spot.

She was relieving herself. Right next to him. And he couldn't do a damn thing about it. Well, that was a lie, he could, it was just the hottest thing he ever had the pleasure of being in the same room with and he wanted to cherish the memory. Finally, on the day he would have been able to show her what she was missing, Vera had a crying fit and the whole gang decided the basement was the It Spot again. All through the week, everyone had some sort of freaking radar that alerted them to flock around him and Jackie every time they were alone. He was about to change all the locks and call it a day but decided Red and Kitty wouldn't appreciate that. As a last resort, he made plans with Roy to get him one of the better rooms at the Holiday Hotel, he was desperate and Roy was cheap. It was perfect. Hyde hanged the phone up, scribbled on the notepad and shoved it into his pocket as Red entered.

"You look guilty, what'd you do?" Red asked, immediately suspicious.

"Uh," Hyde looked around the kitchen, "I…drank your beer?"

Red checked the fridge, "There's one left."

"Yeah, I dropped that one." He grinned.

Red slammed the fridge door, "Well, you're going over to Bob's now and stealing his."

"Okay." Hyde grabbed his jacket and went for the door, "Oh, and Jackie's doctor just called, she has a check-up appointment on Sunday. And Roy called me in for work too so we have no one to watch Vera."

"And?" Red raised his eyebrows.

"And we have no one to watch Vera." Hyde repeated.

Red sighed, "Fine, I'll let Vera watch the Packers get slaughtered with me."

"Thanks, Red."

"She spits up on me again, you're doing my laundry." Red added.

~^~

Hyde stared at the bottle slowly rotating round in the microwave, the Formans' got one for Christmas and he was still curious about how it worked. The manual said it used radiation, and one thing he knew about radiation is that the government had a whole secret lab testing animals with radiation to see how long they would live. Hyde didn't think it was such a smart idea to use that to warm up food.

He pressed 'stop' on the humming machine and took the bottle out quickly, now that he thought about it, he didn't want Vera's food warming up in there, either. Unscrewing the top, he was about to pour the poisoned liquid in the sink when Jackie came in with Vera, "Steven, what's taking you so long?"

He contemplated his answer, he looked at the bottle with the defected milk in it and shrugged, "The milk looks weird, I was just going to change it."

"There's nothing wrong with the milk, Steven, it's breast milk." Jackie patted Vera's curls back and took the bottle from him, "And if you think the microwave did something to it again, I'm going to kick you."

"Jackie, I'm tellin' you, a whole plate of food warming up in less than two minutes? Something ain't right."

She rolled her eyes and turned back, heading for the basement. "Steven, don't you think we'd all be dead by now if the radiation was poisonous?"

"That's the thing, radiation works slow, you think you're fine, and then bam. Dead." He followed her down the stairs and plopped into his seat, "The government knows America's getting lazier and lazier, so what better way but to give us a machine the cooks our food for us in just a few minutes?"

"Ugh." Jackie tilted the bottle for Vera to drink and crossed her legs, "What do you think the Hub uses to cook your burgers?"

"They better be using the damn grill." Hyde suddenly checked his watch, "Oh yeah, I kind of told Red you had a doctor's appointment in an hour so if he asks, you're going for a check-up." He nodded, "And I have work."

"But I don't have an appointment. And you have work?"

"No, that's what we're telling him. We're going to the hotel, though."

Jackie blinked at him, "Because?"

"Because it's officially been six weeks seven days ago and damn it all to hell if we're going to be interrupted again."

"Aw, Steven." She leaned over and kissed him, "Wait, what about Vera?"

"Red's going to take care of her. I didn't tell him when we'd be back so we have the whole day."

"Presumptuous aren't we?" She grinned.

"So easy you forget."

"Ah, yes, you're going to show me though, right?" Her eyes twinkled with desire and he mentally checked off the things he would be showing her later.

"Damn straight." He lounged further in his seat confidently as Jackie gave him one of her flirty smiles and turned her attention back to the hungry baby. She turned Vera over to him and laid a quick peck on his lips, "I'll go get ready."

~^~
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

~^~



"Why won't this kid quit crying?" Red rubbed Vera's back as she wailed, flailing her arms and trying to kick her way out of Red's arms. Kitty had just came home from work and he tried passing the screaming baby over to her care.

"Uh uh, you know how to handle her when she's like that, I need a shower. Where's Jackie and Steven?" She swung her coat over the couch arm and crossed her arms.

"Steven has work and Jackie has another damned appointment," He gave Vera a pacifier, which she promptly spit out and continued her screeching, "And she should have been back by now, what's that doctor's number?"

"Oh, I have it on the note pad in the kitchen somewhere," Kitty hurried in to get it.

Red bounced the baby on his knee, trying to calm her down while dangling one of her toys in front of her. She paused and looked at it before her face crumbled and she started to cry again. Red sighed and dropped his head on the back of the couch.

"Well, that's strange. Dr. Gillan said he didn't have an appointment scheduled with Jackie today, are you sure she said that?" Kitty sat on the arm of the couch and brushed Vera's hair back.

"Those scheming commies." Red muttered, "I knew Steven was up to something, he seemed too happy about going to work."

"Let's not jump to conclusions, Red, maybe Steven's really at work." Kitty shook her head, "Oh, who am I kidding?" She sighed and went for the phone again, Red and a crying Vera in tow.

Dropping the phone back on its handle, Kitty rolled her eyes. "According to Roy, Steven's boss, Steven isn't working but he and his 'lady friend' are occupying one of the rooms."

"That lady friend better be Jackie, you remember what happened last year." Red tsked.

"Hey there!" Bob came in through the sliding door, "Aw, Red, you're making her cry again." He reached out to hold Vera.

"Here, you try and shut her up." Red handed her over and she immediately stopped crying.

Red heaved a sigh, "Figures."

"Babies like me." Bob smiled and rocked her to sleep, "Where's her parents?"

"They're grounded when they come back." Red sat at the table and crossed his arms.

"Red, we can't ground them." Kitty said.

"And why the hell not? They're living under our roof with a baby, they need to learn how to take care of their own responsibilities."

"You're right, and I think they have. I mean; Steven's at work most of the time, Jackie's almost always exhausted, a little break should do them well." Kitty checked her watch, "And if they aren't back here within the hour, you can ground them." She laughed.


~^~
You can't stop us on the road to freedom
You can't keep us 'cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor bent on chivalry

~^~




Jackie twirled in the mirror as she fit the teddy against her, she wondered if she should wear it or just wait for Hyde with what she was already wearing. Nothing. She smirked at her reflection and threw the silky material on the chair. The full-length mirror was brightened with the fluorescent glow from the hotel bathroom and she made a face at it, it lit up places she didn't have time to scrutinize at home. She spotted a faint red line on the bottom of her stomach and gasped, was that a stretch mark? She twisted again and licked her finger and rubbed it, hoping it would come off. No such luck, she was only making it redder and more visible.

She groaned and snatched a magazine off the nightstand to fan it before Hyde came back. He was downstairs making sure their room was free with Roy and the longer he took, the more she noticed how much her body changed. Sure she shed most of the baby pounds and her stomach was mostly back to normal but she had more meat on her thighs and butt and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. She brushed her hair for the hundredth time and rubbed some coconut-scented lotion over her legs and arms again. She sighed and laid down on the bed to wait, for someone who couldn't wait to get in her bed, he was certainly taking his time. Stretching out she closed her eyes and sooner or later, drifted off to sleep.


~^~
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

~^~



Hyde checked his watch again as Roy ran through the list Hyde made for him, he didn't want any interruptions and wanted to make sure room service didn't come or any of the other help.

"Does that include food service?" Roy asked, waving the paper at Hyde.

"It includes everything." Hyde griped.

"And if there's a fire?"

"Won't the fire alarm go off?"

"That's true. How about a fire drill?"

"Roy, we haven't had a fire drill in a year. The only, and I mean the only, interruption I want is if the Formans' call about Vera. That's it."

"How about if the Formans' just call?"

"No."

"Okay, I got it."

"Roy, I'm serious."

"I got it. No interruptions. Not even for a fire."

Hyde rolled his eyes and took the key, which was really a slide-card, from Roy and made his way up the stairs. The elevators took too long and he wasn't really ready for getting stuck anywhere when a lingerie clad Jackie was waiting for him. He got to their room number and slid the card in, nudging the door open he looked around the dimly lit room to find Jackie stretched out on the bed naked. And sleeping. Groaning, he closed the door quietly and locked it, slipping out of his t-shirt and jeans, he kicked his boots off and crawled onto the bed.

She'd been exhausted ever since Vera and he mostly respected that, but this was their time and a seven-week wait was just un-called for. He moved her hair over and licked lightly along her earlobe and down her neck, stopping to suck and nibble as she stirred awake. He caught her lips quirk in a smile and he made his way down further, flattening his tongue against her taut nipple. Her body arched up to him and he rolled his palm around the other as she sighed his name. He moved backward and kissed down her stomach, licking her bellybutton before slipping his hand between her legs, spreading them and moving one behind his shoulder.

He circled his tongue around her, enjoying how she panted softly and grasped at his hair, he grinned and pushed his tongue further into her slick heat. Her scent overtook him and he buried himself between her thighs, making long strokes with his tongue, eliciting strangled cries from Jackie and making her heel dig into his back. Her body tensed and stiffened against him, waiting for him to continue. "Now," She moaned, "Please…"

Hyde flicked his tongue over her clit, making her hips buck off the bed and throw her head back at the sudden contact. He crawled up to her and captured her mouth with his, she groaned into his mouth and bit down on his tongue to send her message across. Reaching down between her legs again, he moved one up and held the back of her thigh firmly as he thrust into her slowly. He wanted to relish the feel of her, the wait building up tension he never knew, her hands roamed his back languidly, her nails dragged further down and sent shocks through him.

He felt the vibration of her moans against his neck and her clench around him tighter, his breath came harder as she stretched her legs out and hooked one across his hip and rotated against him deliberately. She trailed wet kisses up his jaw line and sighed into his ear, "Steven," Her voice cracked and she rocked her hips against his impatiently, he nudged her chin up and kissed her before he pulled out and thrust back into her harder, grinding and repeating the action, he slid his finger over her clit and rubbed his thumb around it softly as they moved against each other faster and more erratic by the second. Jackie panted and moaned his name, her head thrown back and her mouth open as a silent scream escaped from her parched throat.

Hyde bit down on her shoulder as he tightened and felt her heated walls clench around him, milking him and sucking him into her further. He found her mouth and kissed her thoroughly, savoring her taste and the moment. His voice was hoarse and scratchy and he was still short of air as he whispered against her parted lips, "'Love you."
She smiled and pulled him in for another kiss.

~^~
You can't stop us on the road to freedom
You can't stop us 'cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor intent on chivalry

~^~



Kitty took another look at the ticking clock as it struck twelve, "Yep, they're grounded." She hefted Vera higher on her shoulder and made baby faces at her, "Isn't that right, Vera? Are mommy and daddy grounded? Yes they are." She kissed her chubby cheek and laid her down in the bassinet in her and Red's room, "Don't worry, this is just like their room. Just warmer."

"Kitty, if she cries I'm extending their punishment." Red turned down the sheets and pointed at the wide-eyed baby.

"I don't even know how to punish them now." Kitty shook her head.

"I'll take care of that." He patted his pillow, "They will regret this."

Kitty laughed and shut the light off, "I'm sure they already will once they know we know."

~^~

Unlocking the door to the basement, Hyde and Jackie quietly snuck in. It was past midnight and they weren't sure on the whole what and where of their story yet. Flicking the light on, Jackie quickly scanned the room, "Where do you think they put Vera?"

"She's probably in the room with them." Hyde said, shaking off his coat.

"I'll go get her." She made a dash for the stairs and Hyde pulled her back, "Jackie, they aren't deep sleepers, I don't feel like explaining why we left our daughter with them while we shacked up in a hotel right now."

"Shacked up?" She asked, eyebrow lifted.

"You know what I mean." He took her hand again, "Let's just go to sleep."

"But I miss her." Jackie pouted.

"I do too, we'll see her in the morning, come on." Hyde slid his arm around her waist and steered her toward their bedroom. He missed Vera more than he cared to admit, this was the longest they've gone without seeing her, let alone holding her. He reconsidered letting Jackie get her from the Forman's bedroom but decided a half peaceful sleep in their own bed would be nice too.

She sighed and let him lead her toward the bed, "First thing in the morning, I'm getting her."

"I'm sure they'll bring her down anyway," He held the blanket up for her as she tucked herself under his arm and kissed him goodnight.

"Steven?" She blinked up at him and scooted a little closer, bringing his face to hers.

He raised his eyebrows questioningly and she smiled, "Thank you."

Hyde leaned over her and kissed her, "Anytime."

She laughed, "I'm sure."

~^~
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

~^~



"Steven, what are you doing home so early?" Jackie had just come back from Donna's apartment, hiding a couple of wedding magazines behind her as she came through the door and hoping to stash them away before Hyde came home. To her surprise, he was on the bed reading aloud, Vera next to him, with a set of books. Colorful books.

"I got out early." He tried to slide the books away from Jackie's line of vision but she was too fast. Picking one up, she scrunched up her nose, "Steven, these are children's books."

"Yeah?" He didn't think he'd have to deal with telling Jackie just yet but Kitty talked so much about how her and Red had done…things, in the same room when Eric and Laurie were babies that he wanted to fill Vera's head with other information lest she turn out like Laurie. No way in hell was that going to happen. He didn't exactly know how he came to that reasoning, but there was a bookstore at the University and he had to match up some textbooks he got illegally downtown with the real ones and sooner or later came across the kids' section. He didn't have time to really check the books out; he just grabbed a few and paid for them so no one would recognize him.

It's only then that he got home that he realized he just spent some thirty dollars on books Vera can't even read yet. And that they were Walt Disney books. When Vera woke up crying, Jackie wasn't home to feed her properly so he had to use the bottle, which she drained in a matter of minutes and still seemed fussy. He propped her up on a couple of pillows with him and picked one of the books up and started to read, she blinked up at him calmly and he continued. To hell with going pansy, he found a way to shut another girl with Burkhardt blood up and it was worth it. He looked up at Jackie, realization dawned on her face and he prepared himself for her attack.

"Aww!" Jackie's smile could light up a Christmas tree and she pounced on him, kissing him with a loud smack. "You're reading to Vera!"

He sighed. "Just to drown out any other noises she might have heard in the crib. Nothing else."

She grinned and laid another kiss on him, "You're so sweet."

Hyde groaned and threw the book on the other side of the bed and pulled her in for another kiss, a set of glossy magazines catching his eye by the door and he paused, "What are those?"

Jackie's eyes were still closed, awaiting his kiss when he stopped. "What are what?"

Hyde bent over the bed and read it upside down, "edirB nredoM" He tilted his head, "Jackie, those are wedding magazines."

"Yeah?"

"Why are you reading those now?"

"Donna had some left over, I mean, some of them are out of date and blah, but if I combine some of their decorations with what I already had in mind—"

"Yes, but why are you reading them now?"

"I need to plan, Steven." Jackie shrugged, "I'll just spend spring and summer setting things up mentally if we have to wait."

"Spring and summer?"

"Yeah. Oh, and while I was at Donna's she suggested getting a part-time job at UW since they have openings for cashiers. I was about to tell her no, you know, because of Vera, but she said there's a daycare center right next to it and I can check on her anytime." Her words were rushed out and her eyes scanned his face for any sign of emotion. She pressed her lips together and forced a smile, "What do you think?"

"Jackie, we're not putting Vera in daycare."

"Okay…Red and Kitty could watch her for a couple of hours…?"

Hyde took a deep breath, "Red and Kitty can't take care of Vera all the time, Jackie. I have school and work, I…"
"Oh, so you go to work and school but I get to spend all my time at home?"

"That's not what I meant, Jackie, what the hell, I thought you wanted to stay with Vera?"

"I do! I just, Steven, I'm here all day, everyday. And if I get a job too, we can maybe get an apartment sooner…"

"Well, we would have had been closer to it if you didn't shop so damn much."

She gasped, "I shop for necessities now."

Hyde leaned over and plucked a blouse from one of her drawers, "Necessary?"

"None of my old clothes fit right and I can't wear my maternity clothes! That's not fair, let's see you give birth and still maintain your perfect figure. Hmph."

Hyde shook his head; she still managed to go fishing for compliments even when they were arguing. "Jackie, you're fine, and you can get the same clothes for half the price."

"Half the price, Steven? Half the price?!" She stood up, running a hand through her hair, "I am not a 'half the price' girl, Steven!" She huffed and sat down, picking up one of the discarded children books to distract herself from his outrage. Turning to the back to read the summary, she caught the price at the bottom and gasped. "Steven!"

Hyde groaned and fell back on to the bed, "What now?"

"I so doubt you needed to spend this much on a kids book." She raised an eyebrow mockingly.

"Hey, that's different." He didn't want to say it was 'educational' because what the hell's that about? Screw education. Damn formalities. "It's to clear her head of anything she might have heard when she was in there," He poked her stomach, "You said that she could hear if we talked to her, right? I don't want none of that getting in her head."

She looked deep in thought for a few minutes before she nodded, "Okay, fine, it's different." She dropped her head on to his shoulder, "You fed her, right?"

"Damn, knew I was forgetting something." He smirked.

Rolling her eyes, she leaned up to kiss him, "I'm still using those magazines to help me plan."

~^~
You know she's alright
You know she's alright with me
She's alright, she's alright (she's an angel)

~^~



"Oh my god, Donna, you would not believe what I caught Steven doing yesterday." Jackie plopped down on the couch in the basement and turned to face Donna, "Guess."

Donna looked up from her magazine slowly, "Uhm, Jackie, I don't think I want to know."

"Ew, Donna, come on! He isn't Eric." Jackie laughed to herself before turning serious again, "He was reading to Vera!"

"About government conspiracies?" Donna asked, sarcastically.

"No, he picked up kids' books and he was reading them to her!" Jackie squealed, "I knew I'd turn him."

Rolling her eyes, Donna laughed, "You didn't turn him, Jackie."

"Turn who?" Kelso threw the door open and took a seat across from them, "Man, it's hard to cut class at the academy. They have security locks on all the freakin' doors."

"Steven. I turned him soft." Jackie smiled proudly.

"No she didn't, she thinks just because she caught him reading to Vera that—"

"Wait, Hyde was reading to Vera?" Kelso tried to control his laughter, "I'm so throwing that in his face later."

"No! Michael, I promised I wouldn't tell anyone. And he said he was only reading to her because…uh, well, Kitty made him." Jackie nodded.

"I thought he was just trying to make her smart." Kelso said.

"Oh, yeah, that too." Jackie frowned, trying to change the subject, "Why are you cutting?"

"Chicks, they said my studliness distracts them in class." Kelso propped his feet up on the arm of the couch, "Well, not the nerdy chicks. Wouldn't want them after me anyway, brainy types. Eugh."

"So you're saying all the geeky girls are off-limits? How about if they're hot but still geeky?" Jackie asked, curiously. She was starting to understand why Hyde wanted to read to Vera now.

"Well, they're smart, so they know not to get too close next to me. Besides Brooke, that was a fluke. I still don't know why she stormed way when I suggested Vegas to get hitched."

Jackie suddenly hopped up and rushed for her room.

"Jackie, what are you doing?" Donna asked, amused.

"Reading to Vera!"

~^~

"Steven?" Kitty lifted a brow at Hyde, who was trying to hide a stack of magazines at the bottom of the recycle bin.

"Yeah?" He dusted his hands off and turned to her.

"Are those Jackie's magazines?"

"Yeah,"

"I thought she wanted those."

"She does."

"I thought you wanted to live to see Vera graduate."

He sighed, "Mrs. Forman, she doesn't even need those yet."

"Well she wants them…" Kitty dug them out and handed it to him, "Okay, let me put it to you this way…besides caring for Vera all day, what else does she have to do?"

'Me' He thought amusingly, "I don't know, she can do whatever she wants."

"Except plan for the wedding you proposed?" Kitty crossed her arms.

Hyde sighed and turned for the house, "Okay, I'll put the magazines back."

Kitty called after him, "And stop hiding Vera's ribbons!"

~^~

Jackie scanned the bedroom one more time for the magazines, looking under Vera's crib and the tiny closet next to their room and nothing. She checked the couch in the basement one more time and gave up, sighing and plopping down on the tattered cushion. She felt paper crinkle under her and pulled the wrinkled magazines out, cheering a quiet victory she retreated upstairs to go hit Hyde with them.

The living room was vacant except a solemn Red cursing the TV and rolling his eyes. She looked at him and then at the glossy pages in her hand, she sat down on the couch and waited patiently for him to notice her. Finally, after three more minutes of the football game, a commercial popped on.

"What do you want?" He glanced back at her, "Don't tell me you like football, now."

"Oh, god no." Jackie laughed, "Can I talk to you?"

Red grimaced, "Do you have to?"

She nodded fervently, "I need your opinion on something."

He looked at the magazines in her lap and shook his head, "I don't talk about weddings."

"Well, see, that's the thing. Steven is avoiding talking about the wedding when he's the one that proposed! And you, you're married for like, fifty years now and you still don't like talking about it and why can't I make him talk about it?!"
Jackie huffed and slouched in her seat, out of breath.

"First of all, it only feels like I've been married fifty years. Second, men don't talk about weddings. They're pansy." Red nodded, hoping that would shut her up.

"So why did you propose?" Jackie crossed her arms defensively.

"Kitty held me at gunpoint."

Jackie didn't laugh.

He tried again, "It was the thing to do, she was there, I was there…"

Her expression went from blank to agape.

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that." He rubbed his forehead, "When you get to a certain point in your relationship, you do things you don't really want. I wanted to marry Kitty, don't get me wrong, I just didn't see the need for the huge ceremony and all the damn dumbasses showing up to watch us." Red looked up in thought, "Cake was good though…"

"So if Mrs. Forman suggested just getting married without the ceremony you would have proposed sooner?" Jackie asked, confused. Who would want to get married without a ceremony? Everyone's attention focused on you, gifts, cake, and more gifts. What, were men brain dead?

"Hell yeah." Red said, "In a heartbeat."

Jackie frowned.

"But I'm sure Steven won't mind, it's not up to him anyway." Red laughed, "Experience would be good for him. He needs to conform sometime. You know, he's lucky he lives in America, any other place they would have had his ass chained to a dirty brick wall by now. Damn commies." Red scowled.

"Okay, thanks Mr. Forman!" Jackie got up and hugged him, he tried pushing her away and she smiled, heading off to look for Hyde.

She still needed to hit him with the magazines he tried to hide from her.

~^~
You can take all the tea in china
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail it right around the seven oceans
Drop it smack dab in the middle of the deep blue sea
Because she's as sweet as tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

~^~



"Hey, Donna, you seen Jackie? I was supposed to meet her here after school." Hyde sat across from Donna at the Hub, stealing an onion ring from her plate.

"Yeah, she's in the bathroom. And she was telling me how you won't let her work." She cocked her head at him, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't say she couldn't, I just don't think it'll be cool to leave Vera with the Forman's everyday and who the hell leaves a two and half month old baby at a day care center?" He finished chewing, "And anyway, she agreed with me."

"Yeah because she didn't want to argue."

"Since when does Jackie not want to argue?"

Kelso sat next to them, setting his drink and food in front of him, "Hey,"

"Hey." Hyde turned back to Donna, "Seriously, Donna, just drop it with Jackie. She's not working."

"See? You won't let her." Donna pointed at him accusingly.

Jackie came back and scooted in next to Hyde, reaching up to kiss him before taking his soda and drinking some. "Hey guys."

Hyde threw an arm in back of her and sighed, "Jackie, you don't want to work, do you?"

Jackie's eyes widened and she shot Donna a glare before turning back to Hyde, "I don't know," She shrugged.

"I thought we already agreed that we didn't want to leave Vera alone with anyone." He wouldn't usually bring up obvious touchy subjects like this but he couldn't sit there quietly when Jackie was considering actually leaving Vera alone with other people. Red and Kitty were great but he didn't want to give Red another heart attack just yet.

"We aren't, don't worry. I'm not getting a job." Jackie took another sip of his drink and picked at the label on the root beer bottle.

"Hey, didn't you say you'd just mooch off Jackie anyway?" Kelso cut in.

Jackie rolled her eyes and Hyde frogged him, "I was kidding, you idiot."

Donna looked on, irritated. "Jackie, I have to go to the bathroom."

Jackie shrugged, "Okay."

"Jackie, I have to go to the bathroom." Donna repeated.

Jackie suddenly jumped up, "Oh!" She scurried away with Donna to the restroom and Hyde crossed his arms, put off.
"Why do chicks always need to pee together?" Kelso took Donna's onion rings and placed them in his burger.

"They're not really going to the bathroom, Donna's trying to convince Jackie to get a job and leave Vera at some center."

"I could take care of her." Kelso squirted some mustard on the buns.

"Yeah, I think not." Hyde looked over at the bathroom door, aggravated.

"What's wrong with Red and Kitty?"

"Nothin', man, I just don't want to ask them to take care of another kid when they just got rid of one."

"Well, they have you four, so they got rid of two and then gained three extra, along with Laurie. Wait, and Fez." Kelso squished the bun on top of his burger firmly.

Hyde shook his head; "I'm not leaving her with them any longer than I need to."

"So, where is she now?"

Hyde rolled his eyes, "The Formans'. But this doesn't count; I'm picking up some beer for Red on the way back. Man, do you know how many cases of beer I'd have to buy if Jackie got a job just so Red won't kick my ass? I spent half my check two weeks ago with that hotel incident. And then you morons telling them you thought I was cheating on Jackie again." Hyde frogged him, "I forgot to do that."

"Hey, Fez heard Roy talking on the phone saying a 'Mr. Hyde' had occupied one of the rooms and I thought Jackie had a doctor's appointment." Kelso took a huge bite of his burger, the insides squirting out the other end.

Hyde laughed, "That's great."

~^~

"Jackie, I can't believe you. You found the perfect place, I mean, how many beauty shops need a cashier and are willing to hire on the spot like that?"

"They can't turn down the beautiful, Donna. And Steven's right, I don't want to leave Vera. I even miss her right now, and that daycare idea was crazy."

"Don't you like having your own money?"

Jackie sighed, nostalgically. "Of course, but all I have to really do to get money out of Steven only takes a few minutes."

"Ugh." Donna shook her head, "So you're his own personal call girl?"

Jackie laughed, "I can't believe you just said that, you lumberjack. And that sounds naughty." She smirked again, lost in thought.

"Jackie! I was kidding, you're such a freak." Donna sat on the broken heater in the bathroom and sighed, "So you just won't get a job then?"

Jackie shrugged a shoulder, "I mean, I want to get more money so we can move out quicker but I've been thinking…" Jackie smiled deviously.

Donna waved her hand, "And?"

~^~

Hyde checked his watch again, "Okay, that's the longest time they've been in the bathroom in history."

Kelso suddenly smiled, "So you think they're doing it?"

Hyde quirked an eyebrow at the thought and then glowered, "They're probably just talking about men being misogynists."

"How cool would it be to have that job?" Kelso laughed.

"Misogynist, not gynecologist." Hyde dropped his head in his palms and groaned.

The girls finally emerged from the bathroom and Hyde stood, "Okay, you ready?"

Jackie raised her eyebrows at him, "What's the rush?"

"Jackie, it's five o'clock, you've been in that bathroom for a half an hour."

Jackie grabbed her purse, "Oops! Sorry, girl talk." Kelso snorted and Jackie turned to glare at him before continuing, "Did you call Red incase he thought we snuck off again?"

"We'll tell him when we get there, the payphone's broken."

"Oh, that was me." Kelso raised his hand, "Yeah, who knew it wouldn't take plastic quarters?"

~^~
"So what were you two talking about that was so important you had to leave me with that idiot for thirty minutes?" Hyde stretched out next to Jackie on the bed as she made room for him and tangled her legs with his.

"What color theme we should have for our wedding in the fall." Jackie smiled, knowing he'd regret asking.

"And what colors are those?" Hyde asked.

Jackie paused and lifted her head from his chest to look at him, "What?"

"What colors did you decide upon after thirty minutes? It must have been some decision."

Jackie nodded, eyes wide, "Yeah, uh, um we, dark colors. To match the leaves and….Steven, you're laughing!"

Hyde stopped and started to chuckle again, "Jackie, you're so full of it. I know you like to talk about colors and all that crap but Donna's the one who called you into the bathroom, c'mon, what'd you really talk about?"

"Honeymoons…?" Jackie straddled him and smiled mischievously.

Hyde rolled his eyes but played along, placing his hands on her hips, "And?"

"And how I won't need to pack much." Jackie leaned in to him and started to pull his shirt up.

"I like the sound of that." He pulled her in for a kiss.

~^~
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like the honey, baby, from the bee
She's my baby, you know she's alright.....

There's a rose pressed inside a bible
That she reads on the balcony
She's sweet in slumber and I've got her number
For the beginning of the century.