Kitty blew back into the house to find Eric and Jackie sitting in the living room watching Red play with Lexi and Doll house he made her. Kitty had to snicker a little for all the times Red gave Eric grief over his GI Joes.
"Eric, can I talk to you in the Kitchen?" Kitty asked
"Fine! Jackie, you might as well come too since it's about Hyde." Eric moaned
Jackie and Eric followed Kitty into the kitchen. Hyde was sitting in a patio chair in the driveway. Kitty said "I talked to Steven. He knows he acted like an ass. I want you two to forgive him."
Jackie broke in "Hell no! That ass hat treated me like crap and then tries to get me to leave your son for him. Kitty he owes us more than an apology."
Eric could tell Jackie was getting working up. "Mom, I will talk to Hyde but he has to prove before he gets anywhere near Jackie or Lexi again. If he so much as looks funny as at them then I will flatten him again."
Kitty was proud of her son for protecting his girls. However, Steven was her other son. She wanted them all to be friends again. She hoped it would happen.
Jackie went back to play with Lexi. She refused to have anything to do with Hyde. Well at least until Eric said he could apologize to her for being an ass three times. Then and only then could he get meet Lexi. Jackie may not have been her birth mother but no one was going to mess with that little girl.
Eric wandered outside and said "Hyde!"
"Forman!" the curly headed former friend replied
"You want to apologize then do it." Eric spat
"Where's Jackie?" Hyde threw back
"You have to deal with me first and if I agree to later you can speak to her. I can't believe you hurt her like that. By the way you mess with her or Lexi then you will wish you never met me." Eric paused and Hyde was about to speak when Eric stopped him "Don't you dare try to talk bad about Jackie either. I would be lost with her. Now I was told you were going to apologize."
Hyde managed to apologize and sound convincing. Eric didn't let him talk to Jackie for two weeks. Jackie was very cold towards Hyde when she spoke to him. He had pissed her off and she wasn't one to easily forgive. Hyde was forgiven eventually and became Uncle Hyde to Lexi. She was even slower to warm up to him than Jackie. She reused Red's old nickname of dumbass which Jackie thought was a good fit but Eric tried to get her not to use.
Fez refused to go back to New York but did find someone for Hyde. He left about two weeks after Easter. He agreed to return for Memorial Day weekend and WB would come with him. WB wanted to meet Lexi and see how Eric became the man he was told about.
After Hyde left, things quieted done for Eric and Jackie. The weekend after Easter was the first softball game. Brooke came to town just for the game. She was playing first base because of her height. Eric was in center because of his speed and he had learned to track the ball really well. Kelso was in right field. Red was pitching of course and Jackie was playing catcher. Jackie didn't want to run unless she had to.
Point Place Community Church was taking on the Catholics and Bob the first week. Opening weekend against the returning champs. Red got three ground outs in the first inning and Brooke's height was the key to ending the inning. With a shorter person on first then the ball would have pulled them off the bag to catch it.
In the bottom of the inning Brooke lead off with a single followed by Kelso's double. Bob walked Jackie. Red flew out to center and Brooke tagged up and scored. The next girl struck out and Eric stepped to the plate. Bob didn't think Eric was a threat at all and that was a mistake. Bob threw a fat one over the middle of the plate. Eric hit it perfectly down the line over the outfield who had also underestimated him. Jackie took off and was rounding third as Eric was halfway to third. Red waved Eric home because the outfield finally got to the ball. Eric stepped on home plate right after Jackie. The ball had just made it to the shortstop. Eric had hit an inside the park homerun and his little girl was jumping up and down and screaming with joy for him. Hell Red was proud of him and told him so when the inning ended.
Bob was the leadoff the next inning. Red got him to miss the first two but Bob hit the third one hard and deep into center. Eric jumped up on the fence and robbed Bob on what he thought was a homerun. Bob had started his homerun trot only to see Eric bring it back.
Red was even more impressed with Eric now. He was playing sports and playing well. Point Place Community dominated the game and won 15-5. Eric went 4-4 in the game. Lexi was very excited for her daddy. She was certain what was going on but Grammy said to cheer so she did.