Chapter 26

Jackie woke Christmas morning smiling up at Steven who was just laying there with a grin on his face "Merry Christmas Puddin, why are you just laying there smiling like that?" She began to sit up

"I am happy, really happy. Soon we are going to have our own place, this little guy is going to join us, and hopefully soon I can claim you as my wife" He sat up and turned her head to his and gave her a deep kiss.

"Well let's get everything else done first, but right now your son is using my bladder like a trampoline" Steven laughed and helped her off the bed

"I'll wait for you and we can go downstairs, it sounds like at least Kitty is up" he laid back down in bed

Jackie passed Eric on her way to the restroom, "Is Steven up yet?"

"He's awake, but he's laying down still, why?"

"Ok is he dressed?"

"Yes, again why"

Before she got an answer Eric was opening the door to their room and jumping up and down on the bed right beside where Steven was laying down.

"Get up its Christmas, I want my presents!" Eric said while he kept jumping

"Eric what in hell are you doing?"

"Just preparing you for Christmas yet to come" at that Steven took and grabbed his leg causing him to fall to the floor with a thump.

"OUCH"

Jackie came back in to see Eric laying in the floor holding his head and Steven laughing at him "What did you two do?"

"Well I was in here acting like your son will be in a few years jumping on the bed to get him out of bed on Christmas morning, I did that once to dad when I was little"

"Yea I bet you did that only once to Red, I am sure that was the start of the Christmas foot in ass tradition?"

Eric was still laying on the floor, "Steven help him up and lets go down stairs I am hungry and I want to see what Christmas present you got me"

On the way down the steps, Steven couldn't help but think Christmas was never much growing up, not really jumping on the bed with Edna and Uncle Whoever. He bet Jackie didn't get to jump on her parents bed either. Next year Jackie and him would start their own Christmas traditions and they would copy from the Foreman's.

Breakfast was only Jackie, Steven, Eric and the Foreman's, Kitty was busy getting Santa pancakes "Fez said he was going to Chicago with Brook and Betsey since Michael has to work today."

The younger three at the table exchanged looks. Bob said he would maybe come by later, poor Bob alone Christmas."

"He'll be fine Kitty"

"WB and Angie should be over shortly"

"Just think you two and starting your own family next year, but you still have to make sure to come over here too" Kitty told Jackie and Steven "And Eric even moving away know that you always are welcome home for the holidays"

The three looked at Red for his response to contradict Kitty, "Yea you better be here on the holidays or I'll just have to listen to her cry and that's know fun"

"Oh Red you know you love our house full"

After breakfast everyone went into the living room to exchange gifts, Steven and Jackie got Eric a book about Star Wars they figured it would be easier to travel with and he could read on his way back to Africa. Red and Kitty had got Eric a new pen and pencil set, since he wasn't going to need a rain coat in Africa, Jackie got a spa day to go with Kitty before the baby was born, and Steven got a few new sweaters. The big gift was that the three had gone in and got Red season tickets to the Packers for the next year, originally it was just from Jackie and Eric, but they shared with Steven what they were doing and he chipped in . And they got Kitty a gold necklace that said 'Mom'.

After they had finished Steven got up and brought Jackie's gift over, she eyed the box knowing that she had got jewelry from him the day before, trying to figure out what was in the small long box. She opened it and found a charm bracelet with several charms, a disco ball, something that looked like pom poms, a record, and a dollar sign symbol. "Ok Steven do these have meanings?"

"Yea, the dico ball is from when we went to prom, pom poms are for when you used to cheer, the record is sort of for the record store, and the dollar symbol is sort of a thank you for keeping the finances in order, figure we will add to it when the little guy gets here and such"

"I love it, thank you" she started to put it on and he reached over and helped her "Now you are just going to have to get up to go to your gift." She pointed at the biggest wrapped gift next to the tree. He walked over and tore the paper off revealing and new stereo system.

"Babe this is great"

"Yea it play records, 8-tracks, cassettes and has a radio, I figured it would be nice to have at the new house"

Eric walked over to look at the stereo, "Well you don't have any furniture but you have a stereo, I think you are set"

"We are going to be going out for furniture this week with WB."

Later after everyone had gotten dressed, WB and Angie came over.

"Son I wanted to get you furniture for the house but I wanted something just for you" WB handed him an envelope, Steven opened it not sure what he was going to find.

"A ticket to Eric Clapton in Chicago in two weeks!"

"Yea I thought maybe me and you could have a father son outing"

Eric was looking at the tickets, "Fifth roll center, Dude you have the best dad ever" he looked over and saw the hurt expression on his dad's face, "Ok how about coolest dad ever?"

Steven looked at Jackie, that would be probably a night away from her right after they move into their house, leaving her alone. Angie could tell the look he had on his face looking at Jackie, "I thought you could bring Jackie with you to Milwaukee and Brook could come up, while you guys went to the concert, we will have a girls night"

"Jacks that sound good to you?"

"Yea that sounds like fun"

While Christmas morning was going on like almost normal in Point Place, Donna reluctantly took the phone from her mom to talk to her dad. She still didn't know what to think of what her mom had said or what to think of Jackie and Hyde's present.

"Merry Christmas Pumpkin" Bob was trying to be cheerful

"Merry Christmas dad" Donna said rather flatly

"So are you enjoying the California sun?"

"Not really we are in San Francisco and it doesn't seem to come up here, its cold and wet"

"Well we have a fresh blanket of snow, so trying to take in the last winter living here"

"Are you never going back to Point Place after you move?"

"I'll visit I have promised Jackie I would stay in touch, I plan to come back for the wedding, but I don't know if they have set a date yet"

"Wedding? Who is getting married?"

"Jackie and Steven, he gave her the ring last night, said he couldn't wait till next week like he had planned"

"You mean Hyde proposed right after his wife left him?"

"Oh Sweetie, you missed out on a lot, and most of this was before you left, Steven was never actually married, that Sam was trying to con him out of money because she knew who his father was. And if you talk to him do not call him Hyde, that isn't his last name, it's Barnett, they found the original birth certificate with his last name, Edna never officially changed it."

"Wow I bet he is ready to kill Edna"

"Um, Edna and Bud were killed in car accident a few months after they left together the last time. Steven has done all he can to cut ties with either of them. He is not the same boy you grew up with"

"When did he find out all this information?"

"WB told him before you left, him and Jackie had started working things out and I didn't want to try and interfere, Jackie is pregnant, she was pregnant before Chicago, that is why she was trying to get Steven to decide on a future with her, she needed to make decisions about her future and if Steven was going to be there for her because he loves her and not about the baby"

"She kept that a secret from him? That bitch, and then she still gets him to lock himself to her anyway"

"Donna you don't get to say that, you don't know her, you wasn't a friend to her, if you were you would have known she was living in that house again alone, her mother left her and her father has basically disowned her, and that was before the baby. Her world was falling apart, she was scared and having to make grown up decisions while her boyfriend refused to make decisions. They had started talking, Steven had decided before that festival to make it up to Jackie, it wasn't about the baby. They are moving into a new house a little over a week from now. They are growing up, both working at Grooves."

"So where was Jackie hiding this last time?"

"Milwaukee with WB and Angie, WB told me last night that Jackie was having issues with her blood pressure and Angie wanted to get her out of Point Place, especially away from you and Steven."

This was not the cheery phone call she was expecting from her father on Christmas, how did she not know that Jackie was pregnant? And Hyde/Steven she didn't know what to think about him. She wondered if he has ever told Jackie or Eric about that night at the water tower, of if Jackie ever asked him about it. She needed answers and she wouldn't get them from her dad over the phone, she needed to get back and face these people.

"Dad I would like to see you before you move to Florida, I'd like to see the house one last time, maybe make things right with everyone, do you think I could come back for New Years? I may come back here or maybe finally move to Madison, I am not sure, maybe being in Point Place will help me find the answers for where I need to go in life." Hoping her dad wouldn't see through the lies.

"Pumpkin I think it would be great for you to come home for a few days, you know you will be able to visit me in Florida anytime you want, I'll talk to everyone so they can be prepared"

"No dad, I would like to surprise them, please don't say anything"

"Ok, I won't just call me with your flight information and I'll see you in a few days, Love you"

"Love you too dad, see you in a few days"

Bob felt he couldn't keep this visit secret from everyone, but he felt Red and maybe WB would help figure out what to do, he wasn't sure what his daughter was up to but hoped she wasn't coming home to cause trouble.

In Chicago Fez was visiting his wife in the rehab facility, Laurie greeted her husband and what felt like her only friend. "Fez, Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you my lovely wife, you look better each time I come to see you"

"I am feeling better, it was good to talk to mom and dad yesterday, how was everything?"

"Well Little Betsey was spoiled rotten, mainly by her godparents, Red had her napping in his lap last night. I talked to Jackie and Red, Kitty and Eric took your news pretty hard, Jackie said when they found them upstairs after the phone call you would have thought you had died, even Eric was worse than when he killed your grandma"

"Fez he didn't kill grandma"

"Ok when he thought he did. They want to see you and see for themselves you are alright, I don't know about Eric, he leaves right after the first of the year"

"Maybe they can come down next week before Eric leaves. Do you know how long he is going to be gone?"

"I think 3 months, he should be back right after the baby is born"

"How is Jackie doing?" Fez had been keeping her up to date with everyone at home.

"She has been doing a lot better, Steven had a couch put in the office at Grooves for when she gets too tired"

"It sounds like Steven is finally doing what he should have been doing all along"

"Um, I need to let you know that well the gang all know now that we are still married and I have been helping with you, I accidentally let it slip out last night, I think your brother was going to kill me. Jackie and Steven helped, he finally proposed last night so that took the heat off of me. Your parents still don't know, after how your brother acted I am scared to death how you father will act."

"Maybe we will get a chance to explain things first, do you want to be here next week when they come or should we wait?"

"Why don't we wait, you see your family on your own, and then maybe next time we all come"

"Fez, know they are your family too"

"Laurie, your brother is family and Red has threatened to put his foot in his ass almost daily basis that I have known them, I don't want to think of what he would do to me"

"I'll talk to daddy for you, you said that you two was getting along after Jackie's accident. By the way has anyone heard from Donna?"

"Bob was there last night but never has mentioned Donna, not since that last time she was in the basement before she left"

"Well I hope she stays away, I know I wasn't that great to everyone, but Donna seems to be worse backstabber of them all."

"I never told anyone what you saw that night walking by the water tower"

"I need to tell my brother, I should have when he came back, but that night seemed more like a hallucinations than anything. I should have never met those guys that night, I was just wanting to forget everything."

"Lovely, you are better now, and you will stay with therapy as long as needed, we can't forget things, but we can learn to deal with them"

"Thank you, I may have been drunk and not really in love when we married, but it was probably one of the best decisions I made in a long time."

"Well there is also the fact we forgot to file the divorce papers" Fez smiled at his wife, "Well if I won't see you next week I guess we will talk on the phone and I'll see you for your therapy session. You keep taking care of yourself in here"

"I will and I will talk to you in a few days"