Title: Aftershock – Interludes
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Jackie and Hyde buy a house.
Notes: I am so sorry for the long wait.  I honestly thought that after Aftershock was finished I'd finish at least one of these interludes in a couple of days.  That didn't happen.  There will be more, I just don't know when.  But it's always nice to know there's a happy little world waiting for me to play in. 

Many thanks go out to Annie, who knows exactly what it takes to make a story better.

~*~ Home is Where the Heart is ~*~

"Thanks for doing this for me Mrs. Forman." Jackie said as she sat on the doctors table.

"Honey, does Steven know you're here?" Kitty asked, the concern noticeable in her voice.

"Yeah, I asked him not to come.  He's waiting at home."

Home.  She wasn't used to saying it yet.  For so long it was either Donnas house or her dorm room or Stevens apartment.  Now they had a place together, no room-mates or parents.  Just the two of them.

Hopefully.

~*~

"Well…do you like it?" She bit her lip nervously.  It was one thing for them to sit around and talk about moving in together, but buying a house was an entirely different matter.

He looked at the small stucco bungalow and wondered what Jackie wasn't telling him.  She had that twitchy look; the one she usually gets when she's nervous or excited.

"So…" She prompted.

"Well, gee Jackie, it's hard to tell when I've only seen the outside."

"What? Oh…yeah…you probably want to go inside, take a look around." She winced at the high pitched laugh that just escaped her lips.  Digging the keys out of her pocket, she walked up the three stairs and onto a small porch.

"It's not much," she continued to babble as she placed the key in the lock and turned the door handle. "just two bedrooms, kitchen, dining room and a living room.  But we could fix the basement up if we needed any extra space."

Hyde stood on the porch and watched as his girlfriend continued listing the features of the house.  She had wandered through the living room and into the kitchen before she noticed he wasn't there.

"Steven!" She said as she came back into the living room. "Are you coming or not?"

He took one step over the threshold and looked pointedly at Jackie.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"What's going on Jackie?  I thought you wanted an apartment close to the school."

"I changed my mind."

"Changed your mind on the apartment part too?"

"A friend of my mom said it was a nice place." She said innocently.

"So you want to rent a bigger place, that's farther away from school, because your mom's friend said it was 'nice'?"

Jackie straightened her shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "Steven, I don't want to rent it.  I want to buy it."

"Hate to break it to you Jackie, but you don't have a job and I can't afford a down-payment right now."

She rested her hand on his arm.  "No, -I- want to buy it.  For us."

Hyde tilted his head in confusion, "And you plan on doing this…how?"

"I have money." She said simply, hoping that was all the explanation he would need.

"Jackie," His tone reminded her of when she was young and her dad wanted her to come clean about something. "What aren't you telling me?"

She took a deep breath and glanced around the room.  For weeks she had been rehearsing what she would say.  It seemed so simple when she was standing in front of the mirror; be firm, but not unbending.  Let him know she was willing to talk it through, compromise if needed.

He might listen.  Maybe.

"Apparently my dad knew he was getting into trouble before they arrested him, so he started transferring money into different accounts.  One of them was my trust fund.  Since it was in my name, and held in trust until I turned 21, nobody could touch it."

"Except you, in two weeks."  He rubbed his temples as the implication of her words settled over him.

"Yeah.  Happy Birthday to me."  She walked over and took his hands into her own.  "Look, Steven, we know one day we're going to get married, buy a house and have kids.  Let's just start the house part a little early."

Hyde looked over her shoulder and studied the inside of the house.  It was nice.  Needed a paint job and maybe some new carpet, but who ever had lived there before had obviously taken care of the place.  But for Jackie to buy their first house was just wrong.  Buying him boots and clothes was one thing, but a house was a totally different matter.

"Jackie…" He started.

"Oh no…don't start the macho 'I'm the man so I need to provide for you' crap."

"It's not crap." He mumbled under his breath.

"Yeah, it's crap." She said as she thumped him on his chest.  "Steven, this is a wonderful opportunity for us; most couples have to save for years before they can afford a house.  And, think of all of the money we'll save for your college tuition."

He looked at her sharply; ready to launch into his speech on post-secondary school, until he saw the glint of amusement in her eyes.  It was a long standing argument that had turned into a joke between them.  She would try and talk him into attending college with her and he would try and convince her that governments use the university experience to brainwash young minds.

"If it makes you feel any better; it probably isn't even Daddy's money we're using."

Hyde thought about that for a second.  "Yeah, it does."  He grabbed her by the waist and puller her closer. "I guess this means I'll officially be a kept man.  I told you it would work out this way."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, "Well, I'll need someone to provide for me while I'm going to class, so you're not off the hook yet."

He shook his head and leaned in to kiss her. "Foiled again."

Several minutes later Jackie broke away, "So you'll do it?"

"Jackie, I haven't made it past the front door."

She smiled, grabbed his hand and pulled him through the living room and into the kitchen.  They spent the next two hours looking through the rooms and sitting on the front porch, talking about if this was the right place for them.

It wasn't until Hyde looked at his watch and noticed how the time had slipped away, that he realized how comfortable and right it felt sitting there.  It reminded him of all of the times they had spent sitting in front of the Forman's house, during Jackie's last year of high school.  There were nights when Red and Kitty and Bob and Joanne would join them and they would spend the evening sitting around telling stories and gossiping about the rest of the neighbourhood.

He could picture the same thing happening here.

"So are we going to do this or what?"

Jackie whipped her head around and looked at him, a small smile started to form or her lips.  "Really?"

"Why not?" He shrugged. "The change of scenery will do me good."

"Ohmygod!" Jackie squealed and threw her arms around his neck.  She hugged him for a few seconds before planting a series of quick kisses on his cheek.  "Thank you."

Hyde took one look at Jackie's face and knew he made the right choice.  In the long run it wouldn't matter who had paid for the house, plus it would give them a place to call their own.  No more nights apart, or trying to sleep together on her uncomfortable dorm room bed. 

Just the two of them, alone. 

He was starting to like the idea more and more.

Jackie unwound her arms, stood up and reached for his hand, "Let's go back to my place and celebrate."

"Is your weird roommate going to be there?" He asked.

"I think so."

"Then…no." He said simply.  It was a well known fact that he didn't like, and didn't get along with Jackie's roommate.

"Fine, but I still need to grab my stuff."

He picked her up in a hug and kissed her soundly on the mouth.  "No you don't."

"Yeah.  I do.  Something to wear at least."

"Jackie, you're already wearing too much as it is.  Trust me, you don't need anything."  He said as he kissed her again.

~*~

And that's what brought her here; sitting on a cold doctors table waiting for Mrs. Forman to come back and tell her the news.  They had celebrated the entire weekend and well into the next week.  Only coming out for trips to the grocery store and a visit to the realtors office.  By the end of the week they had signed the papers and just had to wait for Jackie's birthday before they could move in.

It wasn't until after a hectic four weeks of packing, moving and unpacking; that Jackie realized something was wrong.  She had missed her period and didn't even notice.  And after an agonizing day and a half, she knew she had to tell Steven.

His reaction surprised her.  The stunned silence she expected, but once the shock subsided, his absolute support left her speechless.  He was the one that suggested going to Point Place and talking to Mrs. Forman at the hospital, rather than waiting in an unfamiliar clinic.  She even had to talk him out of coming with her.

Almost made her wonder which result would upset him the most.

There was a faint knock on the door and only a second pause before Kitty opened it and poked her head through.  "Ready?"

Jackie took a deep breath and nodded. "I guess so."

~*~

He was waiting for her when she opened the front door of the house.  She took her jacket off and hung it on the peg by the door.  Slowly she turned around to face him.  "Well – " he prompted.

"False alarm." She said, looking into his eyes to see if they would betray him.

He walked over to where she was standing and gently pressed his lips against hers. "Thank god." He muttered as he brought his arms around her.  "You Ok with that?" he asked, needing to be sure.

"Never so relieved in all my life." She said, her face pressed into the soft cotton of his t-shirt.  "I think Mrs. Forman was more upset.  Apparently she's given up on Laurie and Donna, which leaves you and I as her only source of grandchildren."

"Should we be flattered?"

"I'm not sure.  Seems like a lot of pressure."  She looked up and gave him a wry smile. "And she wants to know if we're coming for dinner on Sunday."

"She knew it was your night to cook?"

Jackie scrunched her nose and nodded.  "Pretty sure she feels sorry for me."

"Sorry for you?  I'm the one who has to eat whatever you burn."

"Steven!"  She laughed and thumped him lightly on the chest.  It wasn't her fault she couldn't cook; Mrs. Forman had spent many Sunday afternoons trying to teach her the basics, with no luck.

Hyde gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the forehead.  "So were good?"

Jackie nodded.  "Yeah, we're good."

"Now about that cooking thing…"

Jackie laughed and leaned into his embrace.  Things were back to normal.

The End