Chapter 3

Kitty was in love with the huge Burkhart kitchen, state of the art appliances, top of the line pots and pans. She knew she still had to wait for Jackie to open up about the baby, and went about helping the girl cook dinner. Once it was in the oven, they started on the cookies. Jackie made sure that they wouldn't be fixing the same cookies that she had tried to fix for Steven when his sister started dating Michael. Right as dinner was almost done Red knocked on the door, Jackie went to answer it.

"Glad to see you are keeping this door locked, you need to make sure it is locked at all times, even when you have someone here" Red said as Jackie opened the door.

"Yes Sir, you are just in time, dinner is almost done" Jackie showed him to the kitchen.

Red took a seat at the kitchen table, as Jackie and Kitty worked to put everything on the table. Red couldn't help but notice the sparkle in Kitty's eyes that was missing this morning.

"So Jackie we really didn't get to talk while fixing dinner, how was your day?" Kitty broke the silence.

"It was ok I guess, I stopped by Grooves, ran into WB" Jackie answered

Red couldn't help but wonder what WB was thinking of all that was going on. He made a mental note to call him tomorrow from the shop.

Red asked, "did you talk to anyone else?"

"Not really just some new guy Randy that started working, Steven was busy in the office so I just left"

Dinner went on and Kitty couldn't help but brag over Jackie's abilities, before they left they both made sure to hug the girl and Red reminded her to make sure the doors were all locked.

Jackie got up and went to her room and got ready for bed, tomorrow she had a doctor's appointment, she wished she would have been able to tell Red and Kitty and see if Kitty could go with her, she was 3 months along now and each appointment was alone. She knew she would be needing to find her own place soon and wondered if she should stay in Point Place or somewhere else away from the heartache. Chicago was out she didn't think she could ever step foot in that city again.

WB got back to his place in Milwaukee, and greeted his daughter, his drive back from Point Place he could think of what he was going to do with his son. He had missed so much of his life already, would he accept the fatherly advice, or more of what he wanted to bring down on him the fatherly discipline.

"So dad did Steven have the missing reports? I can't believe they are so late" Angie asked her dad as he sat down pouring himself a drink.

"No, apparently he's been gone to Vegas for a month"

"Wow, I never thought Jackie would be a Vegas girl, or that she would let Steven be away from his store that long"

"Well I am not sure that Jackie was with him, she was walking out of the store when I got there and she didn't look too happy, and your brother well he was stoned when I talked to him, actually yelled at him, not sure how much of what I said sunk in though."

"Maybe I should check on Jackie, if they broke up that would explain why the books are not done, she had been taking care of them for him."

"What makes you say she was doing the books? From what I know the only one that he had working for him was that useless hippy Leo, but he just hired a new guy, some pretty boy I never saw before."

"Well for one the handwriting was too pretty to be a guys, or even Donna's, and she called me a few times in the office to ask some accounting questions, ever since that time I went with Kelso to her show we have been getting along and talking more. I know she got a job offer in Chicago a little over a month ago, but I actually haven't heard how that went. I guessed she turned it down"

About that time the phone rang, WB got over and picked it up, "WB here"

"WB this is Red, I hear you talked to that son of yours today"

"Yea not a long conversation, I have been missing reports and paperwork for the store for the month, he told me he had been in Vegas for the last month, but I didn't get much more details than that, was too upset over the way he was treating the store I handed to him to run."

"Well I am in the shop right now so I could have the privacy needed for this call, plus I need time to calm down before I go home and put my foot up his ass. I guess you didn't hear what dumbass move he made when he was in Vegas?"

"What did he do? I saw Jackie coming out of the store and she didn't look happy, what did he do?"

"Dad who is that? What did Steven do?" Angie couldn't help but want to know what was going on.

"Hold on Red, maybe just tell Angie and me at the same time. Angie get on the other phone in the kitchen"

Angie walked into the kitchen grabbed a stool and picked up the phone and sat down, "I'm here"

Red took a deep breath and started on the last months events from the job offer, ultimatum, Chicago to Steven being gone for a month, when he finished at the point when the stripper showed up at the house announcing they were married Angie and WB both went "WHAT?!"

"Yea my thoughts exactly, he accepted her and took her to the basement"

Angie interrupted she could feel her stomach in knots, "Where is Jackie? How is she handling this"

Red sighed, he knew that Donna hadn't gone and checked on the girl, and even if she had Kitty she still needed a friend closer to her own age. "She is at her parents' home right now, I am afraid she is going to run and leave town right now, but I am worried about her doing that, she is so young. Not to mention what it would do to Kitty"

WB could sense Angie's feelings and wanting to check on the young girl, "Angie why don't you take a week and go to Point Place and check on Jackie. Maybe check on that brother too, maybe you can get the paperwork straightened out. Also I want to know if he was paying his bookkeeper, he owes that girl a lot more than what he has dealt her. Without her those books would have been a mess and he wouldn't have that store. Red thanks for the updates, I am going to guess it is going to be best to call you at the shop during the day?"

"Yes at least while those idiots are in my house, I believe she is getting a job at a strip club here in town, and such. I still can't understand why he is keeping her around"

Angie was in her room packing her bags when WB walked in. "I can't believe he did this to Jackie, I know I don't know him that well but I really thought he loved her, I know she loved him."

WB sighed, he wondered what his son's life would have been like if he had been able to be a father to him from the beginning, "That is the problem, we really don't know him. From what I have heard from Red and Kitty and even some from Jackie, he didn't have the easiest life growing up, I guess he has built walls, and has not let anyone break through"

"I can't promise I would slap him when I see him, I have never felt for a guy the way Jackie felt about him, so I couldn't imagine the hurt. I will definitely slap Michael when I see him."

"When are you leaving?"

"First thing in the morning, I know where her house is, I went over there once and we had a sleep over not long after I moved back here. We learned we had a lot in common growing up, aside from the fact that neither of her parents was there for her, and still not. I think that is why she was pushing Steven, she was alone in that huge house and she hated being alone"

Jackie woke the next morning to the doorbell going off, Kitty and Red was never here this early as she looked at her clock. She rolled out of bed steading herself as the dizziness that came every morning with her morning sickness. She carefully looked out the window and recognized Angie's car, out front. After the week since the stripper showed up, someone besides Red and Kitty was checking on her, she figured she probably heard the news. As she opened the front door she was pulled into a hug right away, she had to pull her off and run to the bathroom, she would be so glad when she was passed this stage.

Angie followed her and knelt down beside her and pulled her hair back for her as Jackie hurled, "Jackie are you OK, has this been happening since Steven came back? I know these events have even made me a little sick to my stomach"

Jackie sat up and leaned her back against the tub and faced Angie. She knew she was going to have to tell her but she still didn't know how.

All of a sudden Angie could read it in her sad eyes, "Have you been to the doctor?"

Jackie could tell that Angie was putting the pieces together, "Yes, I have an appointment this afternoon, and Steven doesn't know, I haven't had the chance to talk to him to tell him"

"Dad said he saw you yesterday coming out of the store, and that Steven was pretty stoned"

"Yea I thought maybe if I caught him alone at work we could talk, every time I have been by the house, that tramp's car is there so I haven't gone in"

"Well I am going to stop by the store, may try to smack some sense into that bastard brother of mine, and then I am going to go with you to the doctors if that is OK, dad told me to take the week to stay with you and see if I can fix some of the mess he has made with dad's store."

Jackie could feel the tears start to flow, not sad but bitter sweet someone was wanting to be there for her. "just don't tell Steven, I don't know how or when but I am going to tell him myself, actually I haven't told anyone yet"

"Of course, it should come from you anyways, I am going to try and play dumb, that I don't know anything other than what dad told me when he got home yesterday, Red called last night and filled both of us in on the rest. Dad only known that he had been in Vegas for the last month leaving the store in Leo's hands"

"Right now I don't know what I would have done this past week without Red and Kitty"

"What about Donna? Or the others?"

"Well Michael is the one that had a big part of this mess, Eric is in Africa, who knows where Donna and Fez are, I haven't heard from anyone really since I got back from Chicago, minus the ass whooping I gave Michael when I ran into him."

Angie was stunned, they seemed like such a tight knit group, to let her go through this alone, even if they didn't know about the baby, and they still should have been there for her. "Well you have me and I am sure dad will give you any support you need, I think he really likes you, he knows without you there would be no relationship with his son, even after the smack down you gave him when you all first met. I think that and getting him in the suit for work he knew you was just what he needed"

Jackie began to pull herself off the floor and laughed at the memory of following Steven to his first day of work with lunch, his suit and a troll doll. "Sorry for the rumors I tried to start back then, I was pulling from my bitchy cheerleader days, and well Steven asked me to do it"

"Hey that was forgotten back when you worked on that cable access show, sorry for depantsing Michael on your show"

"Hey that is OK, someone is usually taking his pants off of him, not that he minds, normally its your brother. So would you like some toast or something for breakfast? I can't eat much in the mornings but luckily it passes by lunch time"

"Sure, so do you cook? I heard about the cookies you made when I first started dating Michael"

"Yes, can make toast! And well Kitty has been giving me cooking lessons, so I can make cookies, actually made some last night and I think we have some left…" Jackie was interrupted by the phone so she went over and picked it up. "Hey Red"

"how did you know it was me?" Red asked

"Well I am just guessing you drove by and saw a strange car over here, Angie is here going to hang out for the week check on the store and keep me company, and I see you drive by on your way to work in the mornings. My house is not the short cut from your house to the shop"

"You got me there kiddo, just checking, wasn't sure if maybe your mom was back or what"

"Thanks for looking after me, so you and Kitty coming over tomorrow night for dinner?"

"Yea I know she hates it, but she figures she has to cook at home a few times a week, but I'll let her know Angie is in and you're not alone"

"Thanks again Red, see you both tomorrow"

AU: This is one of the things I have never seen, a bond between Angie and Jackie, they both grew up in similar backgrounds, with the differences of Jackie's parents