December 1984

Three days had flown by in the blink of an eye, and Eric busied himself with signing his discharge papers. Hyde stood, holding Tyler in his arms, Fez at his side, who played patty cake with the girl in Hyde's arms.

Fez had been in and out of the hospital, switching off with Laurie as the two ran their successful business. Laurie was currently in the office. The beginning if the month started with a cold front.

"I get to start kinder- gardens next year, 'Teven."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh! That's what Mommy said." She nodded. She giggled when Fez made a face.

"Unca Fez, you silly." She chided. An involuntary smile tugged at Steven's lips.

"Hey, Ty?" Eric asked, not looking up from his papers.

"Yes, Unca Eric?"

"Remember how you asked where your Daddy was, and I told you I couldn't find him?"

She was crying. He heard her from the bottom of the playground. "Tater-Tot?"

"Is that your Dad?" Another little girl asked. She shook her head. "I don't have a Dad."

"Everyone has a Dad."A little boy spoke. She began to cry some more.

"That's not true. I have a friend with no Mom." Eric told the kids. "That wasn't very nice."

"But where's my daddy?" She whimpered, sniffling jnto his jacket.

"I don't know sweetie, I can't find him."

"Did he get lost?" She asked, wiping her eyes. He smiled sadly at her.

"Yeah, I guess he did."

"You said he got lost." She perked up. "Did you find him?"

"He's holding you."

Eric didn't look up. Steven froze, looking at the small child for a sign that she was mad, or sad.

"'Teven is my Dad?"

"Yup."

"Huh." She spoke. It wasn't filled with malice, or even confusion. Just a statement.

"Are you okay?" He asked her. Fez had scampered off.

"Do I have to call you Daddy?" She asked, a puzzled look on her face. Steven shrugged.

"If you wanna. If you don't wanna, you don't gotta." He assured. She nodded.

"Oh."

"Well, Mr Foreman, you should be all set. You all have a good night." The nurse smiled awkwardly, before scampering off somewhere else. Steven and Eric made their way down the stairs, where Donna stood.

"Auntie, guess what?" Ty squealed excited.

"What's up baby?" Donna asked, smiling at the young girl, who looked up at her innocently. Donna crouched to her level.

"Unca Eric finally found my Daddy." She told her. "This is the bestest day ever."

"Who is it?" Donna furrowed her brows.

"Is 'Teven!" She squealed.

"Oh, how lovely." She looked at Eric with a glare.

"Why are you doing that?" Eric asked. "Why the face?"

"Jackie is awake." Donna hissed.

"I know. And the doctor said-" Eric began, brows furrowed, but he was cut off by Kitty, who laughed nervously.

"She's lucid." Donna deadpanned. Steven cleared his throat awkwardly. Red laughed.

"Wow. You can just feel the awkward." He chided.

"Hyde was right." He covered Tyler's ears. "Jackie's gonna cut off my Richard while I'm asleep. We'll never be able to have another Bean even if we wanted to."

"Calm down, Foreman." Steven pursed his lips. "I'm sure she won't be that angry." His voice was an octave higher.

"Of course she will! I was under the assumption she would be like that forever!" He panicked.

"Unca Eric okay?" Ty asked.

"Uncle Eric is having big feelings right now. Uncle Eric wants to go home." He grinned manically.

"Foreman, chill, you're freakin' out my daughter." He told his brother. He couldn't help the smile on his face.

He could get used to saying that.

The lights were on in the room where they had moved her to for monitoring.

He lightly rapped his fingers against the door. "Hey, Doll." He spoke before he could stop himself. He winced, but she just swallowed.

"Don't call me that."

"Right, I uh-" He cleared his throat, looking towards the ceiling. "Sorry."

"So am I." She told him quietly after a moment.

"You have nothing to be apologetic for." He deadpanned. "I'm an asshole. I left you in a motel. I married someone else." He sat in the chair beside her, head down. She turned to look at him, wincing when she turned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm really sore." Her voice was strained. He nodded.

"I'm sorry I never answered your calls." He picked at the lint on his pants. "Ty is a good kid. And I left her just like Bud left me."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you when you came home." She sighed. He shook his head.

"I wasn't in a good head space last time I was here. Might not have done much good." He told her, before pulling a coin out of his pocket.

"Is this a sobriety charm?" She asked, examining the coin that he handed to her. "Are you sober?"

"From all except the green stuff." He shrugged. "Circles are necessary."

"I can't argue with you." She nodded.

"Look. I'm not asking for another chance from you." He confessed. "But, Eric may have told Tyler that I'm her father."

"How lovely." She deadpanned. He shook his head. "Don't be mad at him... We all thought you weren't gonna come back to reality."

"The man calls me the she-devil, and didn't expect me to come back? What happened to your hand?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. He laughed dryly.

"Don't worry about it, broke a glass." He cleared his throat. "I understand if you're mad at me. But I came in here because I want to call a truce... And maybe, when this mess is over, we can talk about what happened in Vegas." He confessed. She gave him a small smile.

"You're different." She told him.

"That I am." He confirmed.

"What happened to you while you were gone?" She asked him. He gave her a sad smile.

"When you're better, and Ty and I are settled... I'll tell you. Pinky swear." He told her, holding out his. hand with the extended pinky.

She nodded, in understanding.

"Fair enough."

January 1980

She waddled up the stairs of the salon, Laurie at her side handling the keys. By now, her belly was swollen to the point that she was five months pregnant. But she was so small that she looked even bigger.

She had taken to working as a receptionist for Laurie's small salon last month right after Christmas, and so far business had been through the roof. A horn beeped in the distance.

"Ah, two of my favorite ladies!" A familiar voice called. Jackie raised a brow.

"Don't you hate Laurie?" She asked, pursing her lips. "For divorce purposes?"

"Oh, we never actually got a divorce because Fez would have to leave the country." Laurie shrugged. "He's a cool friend."

"Right." Jackie nodded, eyeing Laurie suspiciously. The blonde grinned. "Friends."

Since Jackie had gotten pregnant, the two had squeezed their differences aside, and recognized that maybe the two weren't so different at all.

"I come back later with pie for Jackie!" He told them, honking his horn and speeding away. "I'll see you both at home!"

"Fez? Really? Fez?" She asked incredulously.

"I just... He's kinda foxy." Laurie admitted. Jackie giggled.

"Aw, Laur you're growing up." She chided.

Laurie smiled. "I guess we all are."