Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews and compliments, guys. I love all the feedback. In answer to Amy's question, the Sinatra song in Chapter 11 is from the musical "Can Can" with Frank Sinatra and Shirley Maclaine – I believe it's an old Cole Porter song. Sinatra also does a souped-up swinging version but don't go mistaking that version for the one in my story.

"Well now, do we finally get to meet the guy who has braved fire and brimstone to date you?" Eric asked Jackie jovially.

"Chip, this is Eric," Jackie introduced. "He's one of my friends I was telling you about."

"The moron or the geek?" Chip asked.

"Kind of hard to say," Jackie replied. "It's a really close call."

"I'm the moron," Kelso announced, as though offended anyone could mistake another for him. He strode towards the handsome dude with the great hair and his arm around the girl Kelso still pined for.

"Yeah, don't worry, Kelso, no-one's going to debate that," Hyde cut in. Jackie felt a thrill of anticipation at the tension in Steven's features when he looked at Chip, but she hid it under the zen she had recently perfected.

"Hey, Steven. This is Chip."

"So, you two are dating, huh?" Steven asked, sipping his beer.

"Yeah, well, Chip's been after me for a while now so I decided, what the hell."

"That's cool," Hyde replied. Anyone else would have accepted his words as indifference, but Jackie knew Hyde too well to be fooled. Her hopes soared and she quickly ditched Chip to run and find Donna.

"Donna! Donna! You will never believe what happened," she cried excitedly, dragging her friend into a corner. "I turned up here with Chip and introduced him to Steven and Steven was like all 'that's cool' but I could tell he's not cool with it. Donna, I made Steven Hyde jealous!"

"What? Start again? You're here with Chip? What about Trevor? And why do you care if Hyde's jealous if you've already got a boyfriend?"

"Trevor's just my friend, Chip is a blackmailing turd and Steven is my one true love – get with the program, Donna!" She sighed romantically. "It's all coming together."

"You are nuts," Donna declared. "Now if you'll excuse me, Eric and I are engaged in a Veterans Day War. You make sure you end up at my Dad's barbecue, not Red's." So saying, she strode away to find some sparklers to stick in her Dad's hot dogs.

Jackie was just returning to Chip's side for the purpose of flirting with him in front of Steven when a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

"There's my little Flapjack," Trevor boomed out from behind her. She spun around in amazement to find him beaming at her.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"What? Donna said I should come," he answered in an undertone. "Where is she, anyway?" He looked around eagerly for the hot redhead.

"I never said you should come," Jackie said, her voice raised in anger. She did not notice that she had the attention of everyone at the barbecue. "I'm here with Chip."

Trevor noticed Chip for the first time and gave an exaggerated start. "What? You dare to steal my love away from me?" he cried. "And you, Jackie! Oh what a fickle creature is woman."

With a groan Jackie realised Trevor's unpredictable sense of humour had kicked in. To make matters worse, a sense of mischief was one thing Trevor and Chip had in common.

"Sorry, my friend," Chip said with a grin. "I guess the better man won."

"We'll see about that!" Trevor started to take off his jacket in simulated fury. "You'll take Jackie away from me over my dead body. En guarde!" He raised his fists threateningly.

"Trevor, stop making an ass of yourself and get out of here," Jackie ordered.

"Don't worry, cupcake, I'll handle this," Chip said, raising his fists. He and Trevor had had their share of mock fights fooling around at rehearsals, so he was sure they could carry this off convincingly. "The winner takes Jackie," he announced.

"Deal."

Kelso's face lit up at these words. At last, his chance to win Jackie back!

"Yes! I'm in!" he yelled.

"Huh?" Trevor and Chip said – this wasn't part of the plan.

"Winner gets Jackie – so, should we work this like I fight the loser of you two or should we just all go at it in a free for all?"

"Michael, what do you think you're doing?" Jackie asked shrewishly.

"Stay out of this, Jackie, this doesn't concern you," Kelso answered.

"Aii, wait for me," a foreign accented voice called from behind the ring of spectators that had formed around the three boys. Fez elbowed his way to the front. "If Jackie is the prize, I want to play too!"

"Fez, you don't even know how to fight," Hyde pointed out.

"Do not underestimate the lure of an end to a lifetime of sexual deprivation," Fez said seriously. In truth, the way Fez's eyes were rolling back in his head was giving Chip second thoughts; he was very fond of the way his face was arranged and did not like endangering it.

"Look, this fight is just between Trevor and me," he snapped. "Cretins and foreign perverts need not apply."

"Hey!" Jackie stepped forward indignantly and struck the first blow of the match – right across Chip's cheek. "Don't you dare talk to my friends that way!"

"Crap!" Chip exploded. "Forget this shit. It's not worth having my face slapped just to nail a bitch like you!"

"Oh no," said a voice behind Chip. Suddenly a hand spun him around and before he knew it a fist with the force of a freight train crashed into his jaw. As the evil Chip laid slain at her feet, Jackie raised worshipful eyes to her knight in shining armour, rubbing his bruised knuckles – Steven Hyde.