1 - Sandy

1984

Jackie chewed the side of her nail as she paced back and forth in the living room of her and Steven's apartment. They only had a few months of college left, she was so close…

Steven had promised four years ago that he would propose once they were out of college, if they were still together. She hadn't talked about marriage or pressured him into anything marriage-related in all those years for fear of them breaking up again.

But this… He was sure to leave her. She was going to be alone forever if he left her now.

Jackie's heart hammered in her chest as the door unlocked and Steven entered. He set his keys on the rack and said, "Hey, I was thinking for dinner we could- Jackie, what's wrong?"

Tears had started leaking out of her eyes. She couldn't control them, so she just let them flow. Steven wrapped his arms snugly around her and let her cry.

"Hey… What's going on?" he asked softly, running his fingers through her hair.

"I-" Jackie broke down sobbing. She couldn't do this. He was going to leave her, he was going to bail. She didn't want to lose him over this.

He guided her to the couch and kept holding her as they sat down. "It's all right, take your time."

She had to tell him. She knew that, she was just so scared.

When she stopped crying, she wiped her eyes and looked up at Steven. He looked concerned. "Steven… Steven, I'm pregnant."

His face went blank. "You're what?"

Dread settled in her stomach. This was the beginning of the end. "Pregnant. I took four tests. All positive."

"Huh," he muttered. He looked down at her stomach. "It's mine, right?"

Jackie smacked his shoulder. "Why would you even ask that?"

He laughed. "Just teasing you, grasshopper. You're making this seem like a death sentence."

She gave him a confused look. When he didn't explain, she asked, "What?"

"I mean, it's a lot sooner than I would've liked, but we'll make it work. And the idea of raising a kid is… well, it's terrifying."

Jackie squawked indignantly.

"Not because of you! I just don't wanna screw our kid up like my parents screwed me up."

Jackie softened. She cradled the sides of his face. "I love you just the way you are, no matter how 'screwed up' you think you are. And our kid is gonna love you too, I can feel it."

Steven kissed her softly. When they parted, he was smiling.

"So I guess you're not leaving me because of this?" she asked.

"Why would I leave you?" Steven's smile dropped. "Is that why you were crying? You thought I was gonna ditch you and make you raise a kid on your own?"

Jackie averted her gaze. "Maybe."

"That's ridiculous. I love you, I'm sure as hell not leaving you over this. We'll talk to the Formans and get everything ready. I think we can do this."

"Me too." Jackie hugged him tightly. He hugged her back.

Now that the nerves had worn off, she was really excited. She had always wanted kids. This was a bit sooner than she would have liked, but she was happy nonetheless.

"So, what was your idea for dinner?" Jackie asked.

"My idea for… oh, yeah! I was gonna make that lemon chicken dish you like."

"What about Mrs. Forman's pork chops?" Jackie gave him one of her cute looks that she knew he couldn't resist.

He sighed. "These pregnancy cravings are gonna be a pain in my ass, huh? I'll be cooking all sorts of weird food."

"And you'll do it because you love me."

He smiled. "Damn right." He kissed her quickly. "I'll go get some pork chops."

Hyde was lying in the grass with Jackie snuggled close to his side. And, he supposed, their growing kid in her stomach.

Jackie's finger was pointed toward the night sky, tracing over constellations and telling him their names. "There's Draco… and Cassiopeia…"

"Oh, I know that one. The beautiful queen who was full of herself," Hyde said. "The one that reminds me of you."

Jackie grinned. "Aw."

Hyde stared at her for a moment. "Hey, Jackie."

"Yeah?"

"Will you marry me?"

Jackie sat up quickly. "What?"

Hyde sat up and pulled the ring out of his pocket. He'd bought it a few months ago. "Will you marry me? And I'm not asking 'cause you got my bun in your oven. I was planning to do this anyway when we graduated, I just decided to do it a little sooner."

Jackie smiled and put her hands over her mouth. "Yes! Oh my God, yes!"

Hyde smiled and put the ring on her finger. She kissed him enthusiastically. He kissed her back, feeling truly happy for once in his life. He was marrying the woman he loved more than anyone else in the world and they had a kid on the way. He had to admit, he was excited to start a family with her.

Hyde sat anxiously in the waiting room at the hospital, next to Kelso. Somehow, Brooke and Jackie were in labor at the same time. Their rooms were right near each other, making it pretty convenient for all their friends to wait.

Kelso wasn't allowed in the delivery room after his last kid, Tommy, was born, so he was waiting it out. Hyde had passed out and been told to wait until the delivery was really starting.

Jackie had gone into labor at one in the morning. It was nearly noon and he hadn't eaten a thing all day, can you blame him for passing out at the sound of his fiancée screaming bloody murder?

Mrs. Forman had forced one of the sandwiches from the hospital cafeteria down his throat, so he didn't think passing out was on his agenda anymore.

"Man, I can't believe Jackie's screams made you pass out," Kelso said.

"Shut up." Hyde frogged him three times. He needed an outlet for the nerves building inside him.

"I can't believe you two dumabsses have babies on the way," Red said from the seat across from them.

"Hey, I already have two kids. It's a little late for you to be concerned," Kelso said.

A nurse came into the waiting room. "Mr. Hyde, the baby's coming!"

Hyde bolted up from his chair and followed the nurse to Jackie's room. She was screaming and clutching the bed with a white-knuckled grip. He stood next to her and she took her hand off the bed to grasp his.

"Don't you ever leave me alone to do this by myself again, Steven James Hyde!" she yelled, nearly breaking his fingers in her death grip.

"Sorry, sorry!"

"You're almost there, Miss Burkhart! Just a few more pushes!" the nurse said.

Hyde let Jackie squeeze his hand harder than she'd ever squeezed anything as she screamed. This was easily one of the most terrifying moments of his life, yet also one of the most exciting.

Jackie screamed as she gave one final push and a baby's cries filled the room. The nurse held the blood and goop covered baby and said, "Congratulations! It's a girl!"

Jackie and Hyde beamed at each other.

After they cleaned off the baby, the nurse handed her to Jackie. Jackie held her close to her chest. Hyde wished he'd brought a camera.

"Cassiopeia," Jackie said quietly.

"What?" Hyde asked, not taking his eyes off the baby. He couldn't believe he and Jackie had made that tiny girl.

"I want to name her Cassiopeia."

"That's… perfect. Cassiopeia…" he took a moment to think of a middle name, "Sandy."

Jackie looked up at him. "Why Sandy?"

"Springsteen's 4th of July, Asbury Park was on in my car right before you told me you were pregnant. Sandy is the alternate title."

Jackie smiled and looked back at their baby. "Cassiopeia Sandy Hyde."

Two months later (1985)

Hyde was lying in bed with Jackie in his arms. It was around 10 PM. He was just about to fall asleep when the sound of crying came from the bassinet in the room. "Dammit," he muttered. They'd just put Cassie down. "I got it."

"Thank you," Jackie whispered back.

Hyde picked Cassie up and rocked her gently. He'd gotten good at holding her and calming her down. He hadn't found the trick to getting her to sleep, though.

He took Cassie out of their room and started walking around the house. The motion usually made her stop crying.

Cassie was difficult, and they were both still learning how to do the whole 'parents' thing. But Hyde really liked it, despite how tired he was all the time. He loved his soon to be wife and he loved his daughter.

She still hadn't stopped crying. He decided to try something new, and he started singing, "Sandy, the fireworks are hailing over Little Eden tonight…"

After a few lines of the song, she started to calm down. She was quiet by the start of the first chorus.

He kept singing, because he was happy it was working. "Hey, Sandy, girl… My, my, baby…"

He turned around to start another lap around the living room only to see Jackie at the bottom of the stairs, smiling softly. He stopped singing, slightly embarrassed to be caught. Jackie walked over to him. "You're adorable, you know that?" she whispered.

"You may have told me once or twice." He looked down at Cassie. "Would you look at that, she's finally asleep."

Jackie grinned. "You must have a magic singing voice."

"I doubt that. Let's get her to bed, though." Hyde carried her up to their room and laid her back in the bassinet, where she slept peacefully.

Jackie wrapped her arm around him as they watched their daughter. She was so small. Every time Hyde looked at her, he was amazed that he and Jackie had made that tiny human. Jackie looked up at him. "I love you. And I love our daughter."

"I love you and our daughter too." He kissed her softly on the lips.

Jackie didn't think she could be any happier. She was seated at the head table next to Steven, who looked so foxy in his wedding tux. She looked beautiful in her long, flowing dress, which Steven had told her several times that day.

Mrs. Forman seemed as happy as Jackie. She was a few seats down between Red and W.B., holding Cassiopeia. She and Red would be watching Cassie while Jackie and Steven had their honeymoon.

Steven took off his suit jacket. "I can't believe it's this warm in May."

"That's what you get for having a spring wedding," Eric said. "Our ceremony in late September was perfect."

"Shut up, it's my wedding day, not yours," Jackie said. "Besides, I've always wanted a spring wedding, and Steven let me have one."

"I figured you deserve it after I got you pregnant before tying the knot," Steven teased.

"Speaking of your child…" Donna started. "What's it like? 'Cause we've been thinking of having one of our own."

"It's great. It's exhausting, but it's wonderful," Jackie said. She leaned into Steven's side. "I love having a family."

"You were my family long before we had Cassie," Steven said quietly. Jackie kissed him, unable to contain herself. She couldn't wait to have him alone later that night. He turned back to Eric and Donna once they parted. "Having kids is great if it's with the right person."

"Yeah," Michael agreed. "Having kids with Brooke is the best. Even though it gets… tough. Y'know, with three kids and Tommy being deaf."

"You already know sign language, though, so it's not that hard," Brooke said.

"And I am at your house, like, all the time. Three kids are fine with three adults there," Fez said.

"I still think it's funny that you named him Tommy before you knew he was deaf," Steven said. He was referring to the album Tommy by the Who.

"The second he's old enough, I'm taking him to play pinball," Michael said with a nod. Brooke shook her head, smiling.

Jackie traced her index finger over the tattoo on Steven's ribs. They were lying together in bed in their hotel room. It was the second to last night of their honeymoon.

The tattoo depicted the Led Zeppelin symbols. Steven had gotten it during their first year of college. Her finger followed the curve of the Z in Jimmy Page's symbol.

"I was thinking of getting another tattoo," Steven said.

"Yeah? Of what?"

Steven showed her his ring finger, now laden with the small gold band that matched Jackie's own wedding ring. He pointed to space between his top two knuckles. "I was gonna get a little grasshopper right there."

"For me?"

"Yeah."

"I love that idea." Jackie pressed kisses into his jaw. "I love you."

"I love you too." Steven kissed her fully, but pulled away after a moment. "You know what's weird? Even though she's done nothing but cry and make us lose sleep, I really miss Cassie."

Jackie giggled. "Of course you do, she's our daughter." She ran her hand over his stomach and wrapped him in a half-hug. "Do you want more kids in the future?"

"You know what? Yeah, I do. Not too soon, 'cause Cass is really young, but in the future."

"If the next one is a boy, we should name him after you so he can be the fourth," Jackie suggested.

"No, no, no. We are not having a 'fourth.' Being a third was bad enough."

"Fine. I think it's foxy that you're a third, though." She ran her hand down his chest, trailing from his shoulder to his bellybutton.

He flashed a teasing smile at her. "Yeah? How foxy?"

"I'll show you."

Jackie watched from the stairs as Steven rocked Cassie. He had a record on, and he was singing the song to Cassie as he rocked her.

She was just about six months old. They were still learning how to be parents, but they seemed to be doing well so far. The Formans had been a big help, as well as W.B.

She approached Steven quietly. She didn't want to disturb him, he was so cute when he sang to Cassie. "All the leaves are brown… And the sky is gray… I went for a walk… On a winter's day…"

He looked up as she walked over. He turned Cassie a little and said quietly, "Hey, look, it's your mom. Say, 'hi, mom!'"

Cassie let out a string of meaningless baby sounds instead. Jackie smiled at her daughter. She held out her hands and Steven handed her over. Jackie cradled Cassie close to her chest and rocked her a little. "Guess what?" she asked, keeping her eyes on Cassie. "You're gonna have a baby brother or sister in about nine months."

"What?" Steven asked. "You're kidding."

Jackie looked up at him. "Nope. I'm pregnant again."

A small smile made its way onto his face. "All right. We can do this. It's gotta be easier than, like, raising twins, right? 'Cause she'll be over a year old by the time this one's born."

"Yeah. We've got this."

"We've got this." Steven leaned in and kissed her forehead softly. Then he leaned down and kissed Cassie's head.