A/N: okay so i was kinda unsure about the first part bc its a little ooc, but like its supposed to be. idk how to explain it lmao. anyway we're getting kinda close to the end of this story o_o


When Jackie wakes up the next morning, she finds that she and Hyde are no longer on opposite sides of the bed trying not to fall off. Instead, she wakes up in the middle of the bed with Hyde's arm draped over her, keeping her flush against his warm body. The feeling is so familiar, so comforting, that at first, Jackie thinks she woke up in the past, or that this is all a dream, but then she remembers the conversation last night. She smiles at the thought. Finally, finally, she thinks they can heal now, that maybe they already did. They both had needed to hear those words, those apologies, and they now have peace about the situation and can move forward.

Hyde stirs behind her. "Good mornin'," he mumbles.

"Good morning," Jackie replies, trying to sound like she just woke up as well and hasn't been laying there enjoying the feeling of his arms around her.

"Looks like you were wrong about the whole 'not making it weird' thing," he jokes as he removes his arm from her waist. She immediately misses its warmth. "Sorry about that," he adds in case she had been uncomfortable. "Old habit."

Jackie gets up and puts her robe on. "Nothing to be sorry for," she shrugs, smirking at him before exiting the room, leaving his still-groggy brain to short circuit at what her words could mean.

Fez is already gone, Jackie notices, and she's glad for that. She didn't want to have to deal with the awkwardness of him seeing her and Hyde walk out of the same bedroom, and then having to explain that nothing happened. A part of Jackie wonders if he planned the damn thing. If he did, it worked, she supposes. That's another reason she's glad he's not here; she wouldn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing his little idea worked.

Walking into Betsy's bedroom, she finds the toddler awake and trying to climb out of the crib by herself, something she's been doing a lot lately. Jackie rushes over to assist the child and help her down the rest of the way. "Betsy, I told you before, you're not supposed to climb out of there by yourself."

"But I wanted out," she reasons innocently. If she wants out, why shouldn't she just get out?

"Yeah, well, you just have to wait for one of us to come get you." Jackie carries her into the dining room and sits her down. "Now let's get you some breakfast."

Walking into the kitchen, Jackie gets out some cereal and yogurt for Betsy and herself. She brings the food back to the table and just as she's taking a seat Hyde walks into the room. She looks up and notices how he appears to freeze at her sight, staring with an expression on his face she can't quite read. "You good?" she asks in amusement.

He clears his throat and shrugs it off as he tears his eyes away. "Yeah." On his way over to the kitchen for coffee, he walks past Betsy and ruffles her hair. "Mornin' Bets."

A minute later, he joins them at the table with a cup of coffee. Throughout breakfast, Jackie catches him watching her, his blue eyes set in a soft gaze. She'll raise an eyebrow at him only for him to shake himself from it and give her a small smile before looking away. The actions are uncharacteristic for him and she can't help but be curious as to what's going on in his head. Luckily, she doesn't have to wait long for an answer.

After breakfast, Jackie goes into her room to finish getting ready for the day. Sitting down in front of her vanity, she begins to put on her makeup. She's in the middle of putting on her mascara when Hyde appears in the doorway, watching her with that same soft look on his face. They make eye contact in the mirror, blue meeting brown. "Are you gonna come in and say something or are you just gonna keep staring like a psychopath?"

Clearing his throat, he almost hesitantly walks further into the room. Yeah, so that's weird, too. "Sorry. It's just that I...I need to tell you something."

Her heartbeat picks up, but she doesn't let it show. Instead, she continues to casually apply mascara to her eyelashes. "Yes?"

He takes a deep breath. "Jackie, I think I might- I think I might still be in love with you."

Jackie freezes, hand raised while holding the mascara wand. She hadn't expected him to be so straightforward, but then again he's really been trying to improve his communication skills in their relationship. Still...

"Because no one's ever come close to making me feel the way that you make me feel," he explains. "And I know that I fucked everything up before, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes for another chance with you. I don't deserve it, but I want it. I understand if you're never gonna be ready to take another step with, you know, us. But after our talk last night, I really think that can make it work, for real this time. I just wanted you to know that in case, someday, you ever consider giving us another chance."

If only he knew that "someday" has been every day lately. She wants to tell him just that and more; she wants to tell him that she wants to kiss him until she's out of breath, that she's been wanting to hear him say those words for two years now, but something holds her back. Right now, things are great: she has Betsy and Hyde in her life and she's so happy, genuinely happy. She can't help but think about how this is when things usually go wrong- this is when she's usually reminded that life is painful and doesn't end happily ever after.

Looking down, Jackie screws the mascara wand back into the bottle. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before turning around in her chair to face Hyde. "Okay. Thank you for telling me that, Steven. I'm not sure of what's...happening between us, but I do know that I don't want to rush into anything. I just..want to take things slow."

He looks visibly relieved at her words as if he'd expected her to flat-out reject him or scream at him that he's crazy to even think that she might feel like giving him another chance and taking him back. She hadn't said that at all. "Yeah, of course. We can go however slow you want. I just had to tell you."

Jackie gives him a genuine smile. The very fact that he's being so understanding about it says more than anything, only confirming her intuition that he's truly improving upon himself. "You know, I used to think that we were broken to the point where we couldn't be fixed. But I don't think that anymore."

Week Four

Day Two

"I think the ducks are getting fat because of us," Hyde comments while they're all at the park feeding the ducks as usual. He and Jackie are sitting on the grass near the pond, keeping an eye on Betsy who's closer to the water. "They eat more bread than we do. We probably spend more money on groceries for them than for ourselves."

Jackie hums in agreement as she tosses the last slice of bread in her hands towards the pond where it is immediately gobbled up by hungry birds. "You're probably right, but I doubt Betsy will let us stop at this point."

They watch as Betsy feeds one of the ducks right out of her hand, most of the animals have gotten comfortable enough around her so that they're no longer scared. The toddler giggles at the funny sensation of the bird's rounded bill nibbling away at the food in her hand. Once the bird has finished the last crumb, she clumsily pats the bird on the back, feeling its soft feathers. In response, the duck cocks its head, confused as to why the child stopped magically supplying food. Unimpressed, it walks away to look for something else to munch on.

With all the grace of a two-and-a-half-year-old, Betsy runs up to the people she's come to recognize as her parents. "I need more," she informs them, hand out in readiness.

"That was the last of the bread. Sorry, honey," Jackie tells her.

"Yeah and trust me, that's a good thing," Hyde says. "Pretty soon those birds won't even be able to walk."

Betsy frowns at them, her lower lip sticking out. "But I wanna feed them more!"

Jackie shrugs. "Well, not today, okay?"

Still pouting, the little girl walks over closer to where Hyde's sitting, stopping right in front of his face where she's nearly at eye-level with him. She just stares at him with those big sad eyes of hers hoping he'll cave and give her what she wants.

"If you think that's gonna work on me, you're wrong," Hyde says, staring back.

Jackie rolls her eyes, smirking. "Oh, please. It usually does work on you. All she has to do is give you one look and your hard-ass attitude turns to mush. The only reason it's not working right now is that you physically can't give her what she wants at the moment."

Hyde glares at her. "Not true."

"Yes, true."

"No, it's really not."

"Yes, it is. You just don't want to admit it because 'Steven Hyde: Big Softie' would ruin your reputation."

"I don't care about my reputation. People can think whatever they want."

"Uh-huh. Well-"

"So no more bread?" Betsy interrupts their banter, a common occurrence now.

Hyde sighs. "Nope, no bread. You gotta let it go, Bets."

Betsy lets out a whine and wraps her arms around Hyde's neck, pouting against him.

"Okay, guess we're doing this now," he says in response. "You know, if you're gonna pout then maybe we should just go home."

Jackie tilts her head back to look up at the sky. It's been rather gray out, to begin with, and now dark clouds are moving in. "Yeah, maybe we should head back anyway. I don't want to get caught in the rain." It seems like most people had the same idea as Jackie notices that the park is mostly empty now.

"Noo!" Betsy pulls back to look Hyde in the face. "Not yet, Daddy," she pleads. "I wanna walk around the pond and look for turtles."

Taking in her desperate expression, Hyde gives in. "Alright, we can walk around once, okay? And then we're going home."

"Yay!" the child cheers, her mood lifting instantly. She gets up and heads over to the paved path that follows along the pond's edge.

With a sigh, Jackie stands up to follow after Betsy. As she passes Hyde, she leans over slightly to tease him in a low voice. "What did I tell you? Mush."

He just shakes his head in response, but he smiles as he catches up to them.

A few minutes later they're still walking around the large pond, Betsy failing to catch a turtle but still trying nonetheless. Jackie and Hyde follow a few feet behind her, walking beside each other along the paved path. They're walking close enough to each other that their hands keep brushing with each step they take. Eventually, Hyde makes the move to actually take her hand in his, gently threading his fingers through hers. Although they both act casual about it their lips can't help but curve into small smiles and their stomachs tickle with the flutter of butterflies. It's been a while since they've done this, let alone out in public, but it feels nice. Really nice.

The peaceful mood of the stroll changes when a light trickle of raindrops starts to fall down.

"Oh, no," Jackie groans. "I was afraid this would happen!"

"Jackie, relax," Hyde reassures her. "It's just a little rain. It's not like it's pouring."

As if in response to his words, the sky decides to spite him by immediately releasing a downpour of rain. The water comes down in sheets, instantly soaking the trio.

"NOO! MY HAIR" Jackie shrieks, running for cover under a nearby oak tree. The large tree's branches spread out to create a canopy with its leaves, keeping the ground below almost completely dry. Hyde scoops up Betsy and joins her under the shelter of the tree, setting the toddler on the dry ground. "'It's just a little rain. It's not like it's pouring'," Jackie quotes him. "Really, Steven? You jinxed it and now I hope you're happy."

Hyde starts smiling. He can't help it; he has a tiny brunette glaring up at him with water dripping down her face, clothes soaked and clinging to her skin.

"Are you really smiling right now, Steven Hyde?" she asks, annoyed. "That was sarcasm when I said I hope you're happy."

He doesn't respond though, he just smiles harder.

"WHY are you smiling?" she demands.

He barely manages to hold back laughter at this point. "I'm sorry, I just can't take you seriously right now. You look really cute when you're angry and soaking wet. You look like a wet kitten."

"Shut up," she says, but she can barely fight off a smile. He called her cute.

He raises an eyebrow. "Wait a minute- is Jackie Burkhart flustered? Now that's a first."

Jackie crosses her arms across her chest, trying- and failing- to regain her composure and not blush. She's drenched in rainwater and she can't tell whether the roaring sound she's hearing is the pouring rain or blood rushing in her ears, but she's totally out of her element. "I said shut up," she tries again, but she sounds even less convincing than the first time.

Hyde steps even closer to her and she struggles to keep her knees from giving out from under her. "No," he says, smirking. "Because you're not just cute, you're downright gorgeous. You're Jackie Burkhart, supermodel. You're beautiful and smart and talented. You're kind and magical and-" Suddenly his smile drops along with the act, his demeanor growing serious. His eyes search her face and he licks his lips before he speaks again, his voice a few octaves lower. "And I really wanna kiss you."

At his words, Jackie's face softens. Their faces are mere inches apart at this point and Jackie's heart is about to beat right out of her chest. She wants nothing more than to kiss him right now, but she wants him to do it. She wants him to show her how much he wants her. She doesn't want to let him know just how desperate she really is for him to kiss her. She swallows hard. "Then what's stopping you?" she asks, her voice a dangerously low whisper.

That's all the encouragement he needs, all the 'okay' he was looking for. With both hands, he grabs her face and pulls her lips to his. The kiss is desperate but gentle, eager, but soft. It's everything all at once. Like something out of one of the fairytales in Betsy's Brothers Grimm book, but better. Jackie's arms fall from their crossed position and move to pull Hyde closer, grasping at his shoulders. They're close and they're together like this and they completely forget they're cold and wet. In fact, they feel warmer than they ever have before.

They both needed this more than anything.

When they pull away, reality and the world around them return, but everything seems a bit brighter than it had been before. Hyde's hands linger on Jackie's face and when their eyes meet they can see what the other is thinking: they don't regret this kiss and they're not going to. Not this time.

"Okay, I'm ready to go home now," Betsy announces, reminding them of her presence. She stares at them as she shivers, her hair and clothes soaked.

Jackie and Hyde share a laugh before turning to her. "Yeah, that's a good idea"


The small family walks across the parking lot of Jackie's apartment complex together, clothes and hair still in the process of drying. Betsy is between Hyde and Jackie, holding one of each of their hands. Jackie and Hyde swing the toddler between them now and then, making the little girl laugh.

"Hey, Betsy, I bet we can make you flip if we swing you hard enough," Hyde proposes.

"Yes!" she cheers, taking him and the idea seriously. "Do it!"

Jackie rolls her eyes, arms stilling. "No, Betsy. We're not doing that. Don't listen to him."

"Aw come on. What could go wrong?" he jokes.

"Please?" Betsy adds.

Jackie gives Hyde a look. "Steven, you see what you've done? You give her these bad ideas and she doesn't know you're joking."

"Who says I'm joking?" he deadpans.

"If you're not then I think we're gonna have a problem."

"Oh, we already have a problem."

"And what's that?"

"We stopped swinging this kid around!" Hyde reveals, nodding to the toddler in between them. "That's no fun for her. Come on."

Jackie shakes her head with a smile as she complies. They pull their arms back and then swing them forward, propelling the child between them and throwing her into a fit of giggles. They're just coming up to the building when a feminine figure steps out of the shadows.

"Oh, there you are," Carolyn Rockwell says. "I came by to check-in, but no one was around. I waited by the door for a while."

Jackie and Hyde cease the swinging and come to a stop. Shit.

"Yeah, uh, we took Betsy to the park," Hyde informs the woman.

She takes in their appearance. "I see you got caught in the rain," she comments.

"We didn't mean to, but yes.," Jackie explains. "We're coming home to dry up." She glances uncomfortably at Hyde. "We're sorry we kept you waiting, do you want to come inside now?"

Carolyn shakes her head. "No, I'm afraid I have an appointment I have to make. I just wanted to remind you two that, as I'm sure you're aware, the four weeks I gave you are just about up. I would like to come over for dinner this Sunday for a final evaluation and to discuss my answer about Betsy's best interests. I trust that's alright with the two of you?"

A lump forms in Jackie's throat. "Yes, of course. We can do that."

Carolyn glances between Jackie and Hyde. "Wonderful, I'll see you then. 7 o'clock." She walks over to give Betsy a warm hug and kiss. "I'll see you later, my dear."

Numbly, Jackie and Hyde watch as Carolyn walks off towards her car. "Do get Betsy dried off, I don't want my grandbaby catching cold," she calls over her shoulder before she walks out of hearing range.

Once she's out of sight, Jackie and Hyde turn towards each other, their wide eyes meeting one another's. Their faces reflect the fear they're both feeling. They've just been harshly reminded of the threat that's been facing them this whole time: having Betsy taken away from them. Only this time the threat means more; it means wrecking their newfound family that they've worked hard to build and become. Their little bubble of happiness may be popped for good, their sweet oasis lost forever. They're not sure they could survive their world falling apart once again.