A/N: its cheesy but come on, what did you expect? anyway, reminder that there IS a short epilogue after this, so stay tuned for that!! But other than that, this is technically the last chapter...


The room stills and goes tensely silent except for the sound of Jackie's sobs. No one can do anything but watch uncomfortably as she makes her way over to the couch and slumps down onto it, burying her face in her hands as she continues to cry. "I'm sorry," she manages to say to Carolyn between sobs, "This wasn't how tonight was supposed to go at all. I just wanted to have a nice dinner to show you we're responsible and now everything is ruined."

The rest of the room remains awkwardly still, unsure of how to respond. After all, she spoke an unfortunate truth. The evening appears to be ruined, as well as their chances of keeping Betsy. Things have only gone from bad to worse, and the light of hope seems dim. There are few words - if any- to be said right now that can do much to ease Jackie's aching heart.

Hyde finally moves, going over to sit next to Jackie. He gently puts his arms around her the best he can. "Hey, it's okay," he tries to comfort her, knowing full well it's not okay.

"No, it's not, Steven!" she cries. "This didn't go well at all and now we're going to lose Betsy forever!" She shakily gasps to catch her breath, slowing her tears so she can talk more clearly. "Just as I'm finally feeling happy, like my life has meaning, it's all going to get taken away from me again. Being with Fez didn't make me happy, being successful in my career didn't make me happy- none of it. But raising Betsy with you did, it made me feel whole again," she admits.

Hyde swallows around a lump in his throat. He's been feeling the same way, if not more so. But to hear her say that...well, it reminds him of just how worn and broken her spirit had truly been- and of just how much she's healed.

"And what do I have to show for it?" Jackie continues. "A burnt piece of meat and a half-naked toddler." Her chin trembles and she starts to cry again.

Pulling her closer, Hyde soothingly runs his hand down her hair. There simply isn't anything he can say to fix the problem, no matter how much he wishes he could.

Suddenly, Betsy flings herself toward the couple, grasping onto Jackie. "Please don't cry, Mommy!" the toddler consoles. It's obvious she's now crying as well, as if the very sight of her surrogate mother being sad pains her just as much. "I love you," she adds, worried the outburst may have been caused by her own actions.

Jackie lets out a half sob half laugh and desperately pulls the child up into her lap. "I love you too, baby," she says through her tears, kissing Betsy's cheek. "You mean the world to me." Hyde opens his arm so that he can include both Betsy- his sweet, sweet child- and Jackie in his embrace, wishing more than anything that he could hold onto them forever. As he does so, his own eyes grow a bit misty against his wishes. He doesn't want to say goodbye; not now, not ever.

Carolyn watches the whole scene, taking in the sight of the small family holding each other tightly as if they intend to never let go. She looks over at their band of friends next to her and sees that they're struggling to hold back tears as well. Fez sniffles and Donna blinks rapidly. Eric looks both uncomfortable and touched.

From amidst the crying girls, Hyde looks over at Carolyn, feeling a whirlwind of emotions including anger, sorrow, and despair. Most of all, however, he feels desperation. Having grown up in a house where hiding heartfelt emotions are necessary and asking for help or mercy is unheard of, he's far from a man of emotional speeches- let alone pleading. But he's at the end of his rope, so he opens his mouth to tell Carolyn just how much Betsy means to him and Jackie, to tell her he's come to love these two girls more than anything else in the world and losing them would surely kill him. However, he doesn't get the chance because suddenly his best friend steps forward and speaks for him instead.

"Mrs. Rockwell, you can't take Betsy away from Jackie and Hyde," Eric professes, using his hand to gesture to the mentioned family. "I don't think you understand how much they all care about each other, because if you did you wouldn't even be considering taking Betsy away from them right now. It wouldn't be right."

"Forman-" Hyde starts to say, about to ask him what the hell he's doing, but he's promptly ignored.

"I know they're not perfect, but they're all each other's got," he continues. "They're a family now, don't you get that? Neither of them had great families growing up, but they managed to form one of their own despite that. Look, I've known both Jackie and Hyde for almost my entire life and I've never seen them this dedicated to something. I've never seen them grow so much as people throughout their whole lives as I have in the past months since they got Betsy. You just can't take her away from them," he finishes, his voice soft and sincere.

Before Carolyn can respond, Donna steps forward as well. "Eric's right, Mrs. Rockwell. The only reason we're even here tonight is because we believe they've already done their part and we wanted to ease their burden a bit. They've done practically everything else themselves up to this point because that's who they are; independent people, where relying on themselves is practically all they know. We just wanted to help them out a bit." She crosses her arms in conviction and speaks even more confidently in her next words. "They belong together and I fully believe Jackie and Hyde have proved they're worthy of raising Betsy. You might not see it from your narrow perspective, but as one of their closest friends I can tell you that I sure do. They've conquered their biggest flaws and jumped through hoops to make this work. They've had to adjust their entire lives for this. Their relationship has been tested and their personal lives have been completely reconstructed to make a good life for Betsy together."

Carolyn raises her eyebrows at Donna, surprised by her heated, long-winded speech.

Donna sighs before softening her tone a bit, while still sounding firm. "Brooke and Kelso's deaths have been hard on each of us, but Jackie and Hyde pushed through to fulfill their wishes and not let them down. They did something I'm not sure anyone else would've been able to."

Fez decides it's his turn, stepping up with a stern look on his face. "Kelso was my best friend in the whole world. He specifically said he wanted Betsy to be with Jackie and Hyde if anything happened to him and Brooke. Jackie and Hyde have proved they are willing to do whatever it takes to live up to that. It would be a shame to insult them by saying the opposite. It would be disrespectful to Kelso and Brooke." Having said his peace, his face softens again and he steps back. "That is all, thank you."

There's another tense silence as Carolyn looks from one person to the other, absorbing their words fully. She clears her throat. "Well, then, thank you all for that input. I think we can all agree that tonight was a disaster, and I believe I've seen enough to make my decision." Everyone looks at her, waiting to hear what she'll say next, afraid of what's coming. "You're inexperienced and can be rather immature at times. Not to mention somewhat irresponsible," she says, and Jackie hangs her head.

Here it comes.

"But you're learning, as all new parents must do. Furthermore, you have more dedication and determination than I ever expected," she continues, looking almost reluctant, "You clearly love each other very much, and love Betsy as if she were your own. Betsy appears to love you very much as well, and understandably, recognizes you as her parents. I suppose it would be wrong for me to take a second pair of parents away from her. No, I- I couldn't do that to her.

"Wait, what are you saying?" Jackie asks in disbelief.

"I'm saying," she sighs, looking at the ceiling, "I think Michael made a good decision in choosing you two to be Betsy's parents, and I'm not going to change it. I didn't understand it at first, but I do now. You all belong together." She gives them a sad but genuine smile.

"Wait, really?" Jackie gasps.

"You're serious?" Hyde asks at the same time.

Carolyn nods. "In fact, I already came to that decision before today. I may have been a bit...hard on you, and I apologize for that. It was only because, well, it's hard on me. It's hard enough to accept that my beautiful daughter and son-in-law are gone forever and have left my granddaughter an orphan." She blinks back tears as she struggles to keep her voice even. "But it's even harder to accept that she's already comfortable- happy, even- with another set of parents. She's found another family- not better, but beautiful just the same. I have accepted that now, though, and it's for that reason I think she should stay with you."

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" Jackie exclaims, "Steven did you hear that?" She's smiling from ear to ear.

"Sure did," he grins, eagerly placing his hands on either side of her face to pull her into a brief kiss. He then kisses Betsy on the head, who's once again reflecting the energy of the room and is smiling excitedly.

"I'll be on my way then," Carolyn announces. "I'm sure you'll all be wanting to celebrate and such. But I'll be back to visit my granddaughter soon."

"Of course," Jackie invites. "You're more than welcome to."

"Just leave the cooking to me next time," she jokes with a wink as she heads out.

As soon as the door shuts behind her, Eric, Donna, and Fez excitedly gather around the little family on the couch. The moment feels surreal and everything seems to move in slow motion as hugs are given, cheers are whooped, and congratulations are said.

Jackie's crying again, but this time she couldn't be happier.


A few hours later, the gang is celebrating at the Forman's. They'd decided to relocate over there when they realized how hungry they were and remembered dinner was inedible. And of course, they wanted to share the good news with Kitty and Red, who were overjoyed to say the least. Now they're all gathered in the Forman's living room with stomachs as full as their hearts.

"Oh, I'm just so happy," Kitty says in excitement. "My little grandbaby is here to stay."

"Hey, Forman," Hyde teases, "me giving her her first grandkid is just another reason why I'm the favorite."

Eric rolls his eyes. "Haha. First of all, you're not the favorite, you're the second favorite- after Laurie. And second of all...yeah, you're right," he admits with defeat.

"Mrs. Forman, I was so sure she was going to say no," Jackie says, "I still can't believe she actually decided to let me and Steven raise Betsy!"

"Well of course she did. You and Steven are great parents, anyone can see that," Kitty states like it's obvious.

"Uh, I wouldn't say that exactly," Eric laughs. Jackie and Hyde glare at him. "What?"

"Eric!" Red scolds him.

"No wait, all I'm saying is that I never would have thought that from knowing them. Like if you would have told me just a year ago that Jackie and Hyde would make good parentsI would have suggested you self commit to the county mental institution," he explains.

"He does have a point," Fez agrees, "And do not forget, they lost Betsy at the Piggly Wiggly."

"For the last time, man, that wasn't us! It was Eric," Hyde says, exasperated. He reaches over to punch Eric in the arm.

Eric rubs his arm and pouts, tired of Hyde picking on him for his mistake. "Hey, it happened one time, alright? And you'd better be nice to me 'cause in a few years Betsy will be in my class at school and I just might fail her if you keep bullying me."

Hyde gives him a death stare in response. "You won't do anything of the kind if you know what's good for you," he warns and Eric shrinks back.

Donna laughs. "Well anyway, remind me not to let you take our future kids shopping," she jokes. Eric mockingly puts his hand over his heart as if hurt by her words.

"Or let him take any of Jackie and Hyde's future kids shopping," Fez adds with a smile.

The rest of the room lightly chuckles at that, but Jackie stays noticeably quiet, giving only an awkward smile. The casual mention of a future with Steven- a real future- is something she doesn't know how to respond to. They haven't talked about it yet; they aren't even officially back together. They've been playing house for a while, and now that Betsy being taken away is no longer a threat she wants it to be real. But it's been such a deep desire of hers for so long that now that it's within her grasp she's scared. What if they mess it up again? She's not sure she could survive it a second time.

"Well, I need some air," Jackie interjects, standing up to hand Betsy to Red, who gently places the child on his lap as she leaves the room. Kitty watches this curiously. She's seen enough in her lifetime to know something's up.

"Oh! Uh, Steven? Can you help me with something in the kitchen, please?" Kitty asks a moment later.

"Yeah, sure," he gets up and follows her through the swinging kitchen door. "What is it?" he asks her.

She turns to face him, placing one hand on the counter and the other on her hip. "Steven honey, please tell me you and Jackie are back together."

Hyde shifts uncomfortably. "Not exactly, Mrs. Forman. I mean, things have been really great between us lately. We've forgiven each other for the past and we're sort of together, but not officially? Believe me, I want us to be fully together, but Jackie's pretty hesitant about it. And I understand that," he explains. A shadow of doubt falls over his features as a new thought- or maybe a deep-seated fear- surfaces. "We originally agreed to get along just to convince Carolyn to let us keep Betsy and then we could go back to just tolerating each other, if even that. Maybe...maybe she still feels like that and doesn't know how to tell me."

"Oh, honey. It was more than just an act. I see the way you look at her, you still love her. And I see the way she looks at you, she still loves you too. Don't let yourself believe otherwise. So why the hell would you two ignore those feelings?" she inquires.

Hyde doesn't meet Kitty's eyes. "What if we mess it up again? Mrs. Forman, I don't think...I just can't lose her again," he admits. It would destroy him. And her, and he can't do that to her again. And of course, now there's Betsy to think about, too. He couldn't do that to either of them.

"Then don't," she replies, causing Hyde to look up at her confidence. "Listen, I know you're scared, but I think you've both learned enough from your past mistakes to make sure what happened before doesn't happen again. This whole Betsy experience, with all of its challenges, has shown that you two can make things work. So do just that."

Hyde is quiet for a minute, mulling over Kitty's words. Over these past many months with figuring out how to work things out with Betsy, he and Jackie have gradually made progress. Sure, there were some bumps along the road, even some setbacks, but they did it. They went from despising each other, to tolerating the other's presence, to friends, to something more. If that's possible, then, well, maybe anything is. Finally, he nods. "You're right, Mrs. Forman. I'm not going to lose her again. I won't let myself lose her again," he resolves.

Kitty smiles proudly and gives him a brief but secure hug. "Go get her, lover boy," she says, pushing him towards the door Jackie had exited a few minutes earlier.

"Oh, those two," she says fondly to herself, smiling after him.


Hyde finds Jackie sitting on the hood of his El Camino, looking up at the stars. Her head is tilted up towards the sky, the moon emitting a faint glow to her face, highlighting the serene expression on it. She looks absolutely beautiful and Hyde would swear he's falling in love with her all over again if he didn't think he's never actually stopped loving her. He takes a deep breath and walks over.

"Hey, co-parent," he says, giving Jackie a nudge as he pulls himself up on the car next to her.

"Hey."

"We did it," he says, stating the obvious. "We won Carolyn over with our amazing parenting skills."

She laughs lightly. "Yeah, we did it."

They sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes, both in their own heads as they lose themselves in the galaxy of stars above them.

"Jackie, do you remember what you said that night Betsy got sick and you came over to help?" Hyde asks, breaking the silence after a while. "You were wondering if you have what it takes to raise Betsy, to put someone else's needs before yours. You were afraid that you're too selfish," he explains, guiltily remembering that her insecurity had stemmed from some comments he had made to her at the hospital when they first learned Kelso left Betsy in their custody.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Everything that you've done for Betsy shows that you're not selfish, just the opposite actually. If it wasn't for your perseverance and willingness to make this work, no matter the cost, there would've been a totally different outcome today and I hope you realize that." His eyes bore into hers, gaze so genuine and full of admiration. "Anyway, taking care of Betsy with you has made me realize some things." He licks his lips, trying to find the words as his heart hammers in his chest. Zen, my ass, he thinks. Some things will always make him nervous. "Like how fearless you can be, or how caring you are...or how I'm still in love with you," he says seriously.

She looks at him in surprise at his bluntness. and Jackie swears her heart stops at his words

"I know last week I told you I thought I might still be in love with you, but I lied," he confesses. "I knew it then and I know it now; I am still in love with you. I never stopped. I just...tried to pretend that I wasn't. And I did it in an awful way, I know, but it's true."

"Steven-"

"I don't know if it's the same case with you, because I honestly doubt you could love me when I was acting the way I was, but I think that maybe you could love me again. Maybe you've even already started to, if how ."

Jackie's brown eyes are wet with tears as she's tempted to tell him just how right he is, but she doesn't allow herself to give in to her emotions yet. "But Steven, what if..." she doesn't finish her sentence, too afraid to voice her fear aloud. But he knows them just the same, because he shares them.

"I know you're probably scared to try again, 'cause I am too, but we can't let that stop us anymore because if you've taught me anything over these long months it's that we have to believe in ourselves and keep trying. Hell, after what we've been doing, I think we can do anything we put our minds to." He takes a deep breath before continuing, "Jackie, I want to be with you. I want to make this work. I'm sorry I didn't fight for it before, but I'm willing to now. So what do you say?"

At his confidence, the fear-built walls surrounding Jackie's heart come crumbling down. A huge smile spreading across her face as she brings her hands up to cover her mouth excitedly. She can't believe she just heard those words from Hyde. She'd imagined this scenario a million times, and now that it's happening it feels surreal. "Oh, Steven," she breathes, "yes. Yes! I want to be with you too."

"Really?" he asks in disbelief.

"Yes!"

"Are you sure though? Like, really sure? 'Cause I'd understand if you're not-"

"Steven," Jackie stops his uncharacteristic rambling with a laugh. "Yes, I'm really sure. I love you," she admits, finally letting him know she feels the same.

He stares at her softly, his expression showing his surprise and amazement at hearing those three words from her. Clearly, a part of him had truly believed he'd never hear those words from her again. But now he has. "I love you, too," he says, voice tender and full of love.

She's looking at him and he's looking at her as they both realize the significance of what has just been said between them, the words that have been exchanged. It's not a panicked moment, though, it's peaceful, like all the right pieces have just fallen into place, like everything is as it should be. They're basking in it, and Jackie breaks out in a smile, causing her eyes to twinkle at him the most perfect way.

With that, Hyde reaches out to cradle her face in his hands and pulls her in for a kiss. It's soft, but desperate. They're both smiling now, and laughing, and gasping for breath by the end. It's downright magical, straight out of a fairytale.

And as she brings his lips back to hers, Jackie thinks to herself, Maybe happy endings do exist.