Chapter 12

Halloween, 1979

She was dressed as a scarecrow. Cute jeans, one of Eric's old flannels from high school, and a white shirt that Kitty had painted a pumpkin over the belly. She had helped Laurie at the salon a few hours today, and went job hunting with Eric, and helped him apply to a community college.

"Aunt Jackie!" Betsy had squealed, toddling over to her in the driveway.

"Hi, baby! Are you ready to go trick-or-treating?" She asked, and the tiny blonde nodded enthusiastically. "Daddy said that Uncle Fez pulled someone's pants down one year!"

Fez grinned sheepishly. "No, sweetheart, that wasn't quite what happened." He glared at Kelso.

Brooke was in Chicago, with her mother, who had insisted on a trip, which resulted in her missing her baby's first real Halloween. Betsy was three now, and a spit fire, at that, just like her father.

Kitty stood in the doorway with her camera.

"Okay, guys, this is for Brooke, since she's missing a holiday! One, two, three, cheese!" She laughed, as the four posed for a picture. Betsy was dressed as a pumpkin, her face painted orange, and she was wearing a homemade costume from Kitty.

"Thank you, Miss Kitty." She finally got out, after stumbling.

"Oh, you're so welcome, sweet heart." She kissed the girl's forehead, and plopped the first piece of candy into her basket, straightening her cute, green hair bow.

As they walked down the street, Fez and Betsy went candy-finding, and Kelso and Jackie stuck behind.

"Hey, Michael?" She asked finally, running a hand over her swollen bump.

"What's up?" He asked her, watching with pride when Betsy politely thanked the elderly woman that had just placed candy in her basket.

"How scared were you when you found out Brooke was pregnant?" She asked. He laughed.

"I thought it was the end. But, watching her grow, seeing yourself and how much better they could be. Their personalities..." He trailed off. "I think you're gonna be fine. This baby has a ton of love surrounding her, just like B. Even if Hyde ain't gonna answer your calls, we're here for you, Jackie." He reassured her.

She smiled wide.

"Just think, that's gonna be your baby one day." He pointed as Betsy and Fez sang the trick or treat song.

"Yeah."

November 1984

Tyler toddled up to him in the waiting room, and sat down beside him with a book. It was just her and Kitty, but Kitty looked exhausted.

She handed him a car seat. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Donna is working on her newest article. This one is very important. Brooke is with a client and already has Betsy, Kelso is on duty, Laurie and Fez- anniversary." She deadpanned. "Jackie would kill me. But Jackie is sleeping, so she's all yours. Red, honey, lets go. Steven is on duty."

He stood begrudgingly. "Anything happens with her, you call." He told him, letting Kitty drag him away.

"Hi, 'Teven." She waved at him.

"Hey, kiddo." He lifted her up, propping her on the old couch beside him. She sat beside him.

"Mimi brought me a book, but... I readed them already." She tossed the book on the coffee table, but it missed, and fell to the floor. "I miss my Mommy." She sniffled.

He placed her in his lap.

"I miss your Mommy, too, kid." He told her, truthfully. He took his shades off, folding them up, and putting them on the table beside her. "'Teven, can you tell me a story?" She asked, leaning against him, and resting her head on his chest.

This time, he forced himself not to stiffen, even though his entire body told him to. He had dug his own grave in the situation, and Tyler just needed affection. She was over-loaded, overtired, and needed someone. He placed his feet up on the table. He wasn't good enough to be this baby's father.

Not then, at least. But, he even wondered if he was good enough now.

"Hmmm." He started out, thinking. "Once upon a time, in a far away land, there was a little girl named Stephanie." He told her. She nodded in approval. "I likes that name." He laughed, throwing his head back. She really did look like him, and kind of even acted like him. But she had her mother's personality. She giggled back.

His hand came up to stroke her hair, and she laid her head on his chest. "Anyways, Stephanie was a girl with beautiful dark hair that... fell around her face in these waves. And she had two different colored eyes, and a perfect smile." He rambled on about this Stephanie chick, when really he was describing Jackie.

"Was this girl a princess?" She asked him. He furrowed his brows. "Do you want her to be?" He fired back. She shook her head. "It's always a princess."

"No princesses." He assured. "Anyways, the girl was the most beautiful person that Jack had ever laid eyes on."

"Who is Jack?" She sassed, and a smile tugged at the sides of his lips. "Damn, kiddo, you're impatient." She giggled.

"Anyways, Jack was a boy who grew up on the bad side of town. He lived with his friend Patrick."

"But what did he look like?" She urged.

"Jack wasn't very tall, with curly hair, and he wore these big sunglasses." He told her. "Better?" She nodded, not moving.

"Anyways, Stephanie was a spoiled rich girl, and always tried to get Jack to do better. But Jack believed that Stephanie was being bossy, and he didn't like that." He explained to her. He described in detail the water tower, and their friendship, dumbing it down to a four year old level.

The doctor walked in the room. "Are you Jackie Burkhart's family?"

"My name is Tyler Rose Raina Burkhart-Hyde." The four year old piped up. Hyde stiffened. "Look's like we've gotta cut the story short, kiddo."

"Can I go put her in with Eric Foreman?" He asked, not really being able to read the doctor's face. Foreman's brow furrowed in confusion, but Hyde coughed. "I'll be right back."

"She's awake." The doctor finally said to him.

October 1979

He knocked on her door, just like he'd done a million and six times in the past. He shifted to his other foot. The door swung open to reveal Bob Pinciotti wearing a turquoise track-suit with a gaudy gold watch and matching chain. Some kind of god-awful trend he was trying to start. "Hey, Mr Pinciotti." He greeted, suddenly feeling blanketed by the awkward.

But, Bob just smiled. "Eric, nice to have ya back, son." He welcomed him inside. "Donna told me she was expecting you, but she's still at her internship. They're really workin' her like a dog." He shook his head, offering him a beer. He politely declined, and sat down on the wild blue couch.

"They're exploiting how badly she wants what she's doing, but..." He trailed off, a dazed smile on his face. "Donna's badass. She'll get there, and she can handle it."

She burst in through the front door, and into the living room. "Ugh, I absolutely hate the guy that I am interning for!" She groaned, unwrapping the scarf from her throat. She looked apologetically at Eric. "I'm sorry I'm late."

He shrugged, grinning. "Is it important to you?" He asked. She nodded, confused. "Yes."

"Then, it's cool." He stood. "Lunch on me, ladie's choice." He told her. "How about, you take me to the burger place that's like a grown-up hub. And, I'll go shower because I just had to scrub dirty floors."

"Erm- aren't you a journalism intern?"

She laughed. "Apparently, no I'm not."

The Vista Cruiser drove the same as he remembered it. Jittery and slow, and couldn't make quick turns. However, the souls it once housed were different. Donna sat as close to the end of the bench seat as she could, almost as if they were magnets with the same poles. "So, let me address the elephant in the room." He started, thrumming his fingers against the steering wheel nervously.

"Eric-"

"No, let me explain. You stayed, and I left. And, that was uncalled for. The letter was shitty, and I should have called. And..." He thought about what else to say. "I felt I wasn't for you. I felt you needed to attack your dreams head on, and maybe you needed to not be held back by me."

She swallowed. "I think you were right. But you could have done it better." She was dry about it, and smiled weakly.

"So, truce?" He asked sheepishly. She rolled her eyes. "Friends." She nodded. "No truce."

He smiled.