A/N: Two chapters today instead of one...my way of apologising for the late update. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for the reviews, they're awesome and I love hearing what you all think. Next chapter up in a few days x
Pulling his jacket tight around his body, Hyde quickly made his way to the school parking lot. The air had an icy chill and the thought of eating lunch in the Camino was in no way appealing but Hyde had little choice. He was respecting Kelso's wishes and staying out of his way so the school cafeteria at lunchtime was off limits. As was the basement between three and five and the Hub on Friday nights. Eric had delivered the new, revised schedule yesterday and at first Hyde had protested the change in rules. The Hub should've been common ground, but Eric had convinced him to play along assuring him that in time Kelso would calm down. But for now Hyde had to play by his ex-best friend's rules and suck it up.
Once in the car, Hyde flicked on the radio and pulled a peanut-butter sandwich Mrs. Forman had made him out of the glovebox. Chomping away at his basic lunch he tried to shove his feelings of loneliness aside and concentrate on the bonuses of his new man-alone status. The biggest bonus, he'd decided last week, was that his stashes were lasting a whole lot longer now they were only split three ways. Fez, of course, was still on Kelso's side, and was refusing to speak to Hyde until Kelso allowed him too. Hyde wasn't sure if Fez's anger was completely down to Hyde's betrayal of Kelso or because the foreigner was jealous that Hyde had nailed Jackie. Whatever the reason, the circle was now comprised of Eric, Donna, Hyde, and a whole lot of film. They weren't as much fun as they used to be, but hey, there was plenty of them so that had to be a good thing right?
A knock at the window startled Hyde and he turned to see Jackie growling at him to let her in. Her lips were turning blue and her teeth were chattering which he found amusing, but as she was carrying his child he unlocked the door and let her in.
"What's up, Jackie?" he asked as a cold blast of wind shot through the car. "Thought we agreed not to talk at school?"
Jackie slammed the car door before rubbing her gloved hands up and down her arms in an attempt to warm up.
"Yeah I know," she said. "But no one will see us out here so we're safe."
Hyde followed Jackie's gaze out over the parking lot. There wasn't a person out there, only rows and rows of parked cars. Everyone was passing the lunchtime inside the warm cafeteria. Well all those who had friends anyway.
"So, are you ready?" Jackie asked, her eyes wide and slightly glassy from the cold.
"For what?" Hyde asked.
"Steven, we talked about this last night. We have to go to the mall and pick you out a suit for dinner tonight. I can't go after school because I have cheer practise. So come on, get this car started, we only have an hour."
Hyde held his sandwich in his hand, and stared at her. "Dinner's tonight?"
Jackie nodded. "Yes it's tonight and you're not wearing you're scruffy jeans to my house. My parents are already going ballistic over the baby so when they meet my child's father I don't want them frisking him when he walks in. You need to look presentable so that they're not completely destroyed."
Hyde's head fell back on leather seat. Dinner with the Burkharts and the Formans. Tonight. Jackie had told her parents about the baby a few nights ago and Hyde had told the Formans at the same time. Surprisingly, he still had a roof over his head, but unsurprisingly Red hadn't stopped yelling since he'd found out. There was the odd time Red didn't yell though, like when he had food in his mouth. During those times he would just stare at Hyde with menacing eyes probably cursing him to hell in his head. Between Red and Kelso, Hyde's life well and truly sucked right now.
And dinner was just gonna make it worse.
"Jackie, did you even try to talk your parents out of this thing?" he asked with a sigh.
"Of course I did! Do you really think I want to watch them interrogate you until you throw grandmother's china all over the dining room? There's no getting out of it, Steven, no matter how much we'd both rather poke needles in our eyes. By the sounds of it Mrs. Forman is eager to talk to my parents too so we're just going to have to grin and bear it..." she smiled sweetly and added, "with you in a suit."
Hyde tossed his half-eaten sandwich out the window and started the car. "Man, this is gonna blow," he said, partly in reference to the dinner, and partly in reference to shopping with Jackie.
"Yeah, I know," Jackie said quietly. "But hey, we have each other right? And if you behave I promise I won't kill you."
They have each other? She had said it again and just the thought left an uneasy feeling in Hyde's gut. He'd lost Kelso and Fez and was only just hanging onto Eric, but he had Jackie of all people? A few months ago he couldn't stand being in the same room as her and her incessant whining and now he was talking to her everyday. Now he was going to the mall with her and having dinner with her and her parents.
Her place in his life confused him and he had no idea why.
Once they were in the mall Hyde gave Jackie the rules. Black suit, no colourful ties, and no shiny shoes. To his surprise she was happy with that so finding the suit was pretty painless.
"You scrub up surprisingly well," Jackie said as she brushed her hand across Hyde's shoulder and viewed his appearance in the mirror. She was smiling and Hyde found her smile made him smile. Being with her was becoming more and more confusing.
"I know," he said, trying to avoid looking at her as she held different ties up in front of him. He shook his head at the ones he didn't like but when she held up a silver and black bolo tie he nodded. "That one," he said.
"I would've preferred the purple one," Jackie said as she lifted the collar of his shirt and placed the leather tie around his neck. "But I guess this will work. Mother does like Latin American things after all."
As she stood in front of him fussing with his clothes Hyde couldn't help but notice the bump that kept pressing into him. It hadn't seemed real before - the pregnancy. Sure he knew a baby was coming and he knew it'd created all kinds of problems in his life, but to look at Jackie you'd never have known. Hence why she was still hanging on to her place at school. But now, to someone who'd gotten to know her body as intimately as he had over the summer, the changes were starting to appear. Her chest was bigger, and her usually flat stomach now protruded.
Ever so discretely Hyde's hand lightly skimmed over the bump. "Gettin' bigger huh?" he stated, looking down at her.
Jackie's eyes widened and she stepped back in shock. "Steven! Don't do that here!" she growled, looking around the quiet menswear section. "You'll make it obvious!"
"It's gonna be pretty obvious soon, Jackie. You can't hide it forever y'know."
Jackie hurriedly pulled his suit jacket off ready to take to the counter, her cheeks flush in what he could only describe as cute embarrassment. "Well I'm fairly sure I can hide it for another month at least, and that's what I intend to do. So if you wouldn't mind not groping me in public I'd very much appreciate it."
Hyde rolled his eyes and unbuttoned his shirt. "I wasn't groping you. I was feeling my baby, and newsflash, it's growing. Get used to it."
Jackie frowned and reached a hand out to take the white shirt from him. "Oh I am getting used to it," she said angrily. "If anyone needs to get used to it it's you."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Hyde walked into the changing room to change back into his jeans.
"What it means," Jackie explained from behind the thin door, "Is that while you're busy hiding in your room or mine from Michael I'm out there planning for the birth of our child."
"I'm not hiding from Kelso, I've givin' him space to cool down."
Jackie held her hand over the top of the door and Hyde gave her the pants. As he slipped his jeans back on he wished he was anywhere but here with her talking about this. Eric and Donna were constantly on at him about making amends with Kelso but it wasn't gonna happen anytime soon and he just wanted everyone to drop it. In time Kelso would calm down and Hyde was sure they'd just settle back into their old roles but for now active avoidance was the best course of action.
"You're hiding, Steven. And it's stupid. You two have been friends forever and your feud is making the rest of us uncomfortable. You need to talk to him."
Hyde swung the door open and stared down at Jackie. "What do you mean my feud? From what I remember, he was hatin' you just as much as me."
Jackie shrugged and started walking to the counter, Hyde a few steps behind her. "Unlike you, I talked to Michael...explained what happened over summer. It took a few visits n calls but he's okay with me now. In fact, he even offered to help me pick out toys for the nursery."
Hyde bunched his hands in his pockets and bit his tongue. Of course Kelso would forgive Jackie. She was small, and pretty, and her growing chest wouldn't have gone unnoticed by a perv like Kelso.
"Well isn't that just peachy," Hyde snarled as Jackie set the suit down on the counter. Before she could open her mouth Hyde turned and began walking to the door. "I'll be waiting in the car," he called back to her, trying to conceal just how pissed off he was that once again he alone was the bad guy.
...
By the time Hyde arrived at the Burkhart's that night he was even more pissed off with Jackie. It'd taken a few stern words from Mrs. Forman to even make him put on the new suit she'd bought for him that afternoon, so determined was he to make her night miserable.
Miserable. Yeah, Jackie deserved to be as miserable as he was. He'd decided that that afternoon when he was holed up in his bedroom listening to Eric, Fez and Kelso talk about the benefits of being high while one was nude ice skating. How the hell had she managed to convince Kelso to forgive her while leaving Hyde high and dry confined to a tiny bedroom everyday for three hours? He would make her pay for that, and tonight was the perfect setting.
Kitty admired the Burkhart's grand estate for the 70th time in three minutes before pressing on the doorbell.
"Oh, Red, isn't it just gorgeous?" she enthused, lightly touching the top of a round buxus next to the door.
Red took yet another opportunity to snarl at Hyde before turning to his wife. "I wonder how gorgeous it'll be when we're being thrown out of it 'cause of this dumbass?" the old man said, nodding in Hyde's direction.
"Now, now, Red." Kitty placed a calming hand on Red's chest. "You promised to be civil tonight and I'm sure the Burkharts will be the same, so let's just put our happy faces on and enjoy the evening." She smiled up at Red, then the smile quickly faded. "But we can't be too happy, we don't want them to think we don't care that Steven impregnated their teenage daughter."
"Kill me now," Hyde groaned under his breath.
"Believe me, I would if there was some kinda guarantee Kitty wouldn't cry and call the police on-"
Red's words were cut off by the door opening and a warm greeting from the housekeeper Hyde had come to know was Rosa. The friendly woman took their coats before showing them through to the lounge, Kitty admiring every painting, trinket, and piece of furniture she passed along the way. As they entered the lounge Jackie quickly jumped up and rushed over to them.
"Hello, Mrs. Forman, Mr. Forman," she said with a smile. "Please come in and take a seat." Hyde followed as Jackie led them to the long, cream couch, trying hard to avoid looking at Jackie's father. Jack Burkhart, while not a big man was nonetheless a commanding presence and made Hyde even more nervous than Red. Jack stood up from his leather lounger on the other side of the room and briefly greeted his guests. When he shook Hyde's hand his grip was firm and his eyes were piercing. And Hyde wanted to bolt right then.
"Please, sit down," Jackie offered, after introductions were over.
Hyde took a seat next to Kitty and was unamused when Jackie squeezed herself in-between him and the arm of the couch. Her hair was down tonight, tumbling in loose curls down her back, and it smelled like vanilla. Hyde tried to ignore her delicious scent, and how pretty she looked in her pink and white dress, but her elbow digging into his side was making it hard.
"You look nice, Steven," she whispered as Red, Jack and Kitty chatted about the lack of job prospects in Point Place.
Hyde ignored her and cleared his throat.
She elbowed him again. "Don't you think I look nice?" she asked.
"Whatever." Hyde shrugged and leaned back in his seat only to be elbowed on his other side by Mrs. Forman.
"Sit up straight," Kitty whispered under her breath.
Just as Hyde straightened his back, Jackie's mother breezed into the room, champagne glass in hand, breathtaking smile on her face. Red and Hyde immediately stood to greet her.
"I'm Pamela," she said taking Hyde's hand, "so you must be my little grandbaby's father?"
Hyde nodded dumbly as he stared at the older Burkhart woman. "Ah, yes, yes I am."
"Well aren't you cute?" Pamela pinched Hyde's cheek and laughed, causing Hyde to grin like a child. A tug on his jacket from Kitty pulled him back to reality and he sat back down as Pamela greeted Red. Red's face was a picture of delight, prompting Hyde to laugh and Jack to look even more annoyed. A tug on Red's jacket from Kitty ended the introductions and everyone sat down.
Holding a tumbler of whiskey in his hand, jack stood up and moved to a spot by the fireplace.
"Now we're all here," he started, glancing at his wife, "I'd jut like to state how thoroughly disappointed I am by this turn of events." Hyde felt Jackie tense next to him as his own palms went sweaty. "Babies having babies is what this is and I'd like to know how you both think you're going to support yourselves."
This was the time Hyde had planned to make Jackie miserable by telling her father he had no intentions of getting a job and had hoped to cruise through life by playing his three string guitar outside the Piggly Wiggly. But now the time was here, and four parents were waiting for him to explain how he would support his child, his personal vendetta against Jackie seemed stupid. He'd spent so much time stewing over Kelso he hadn't even thought about the practicalities of his impending fatherhood and now he needed an answer. Fast. Hyde looked to Kitty, her only support a sympathetic smile.
He was on his own.
"Well, sir-" His tone was confident, hopefully concealing his nerves. "-I'm a senior at school right now so I don't have a large income, but I do work part-time and have some cash saved up."
"Cash saved up from your part-time job? Well that's wonderful...we can all breathe a sigh of relief knowing that my daughter and her child are taken care of!" Jack snorted, swilling his drink around the glass.
Hyde felt his face redden in embarrassment. He was 18 for gods sake, what the hell did this guy expect?
"I'll try n get some more hours an-"
"Yes, a few more hours a week will solve it all," Jack said sarcastically. "A couple more dollars a week will pay for diapers, and bottles, and clothes, not to mention baby furniture and daycare. Gosh I'm a lucky man to have such a hardworker taking care of my daughter."
To Hyde's surprise Jackie placed a hand on his arm and he hoped she couldn't feel how fast his heart was beating. This had to go down as one of his most embarrassing moments, made even worse by her being there to witness it.
"Daddy," she said sweetly to her father, "I don't need Steven to take care of me, I have you and mom."
Pamela smiled and lifted her glass to Jackie. "Of course you do, darling, and we'll always be here for you and our grandbaby, won't we Jack?"
Hyde watched as Jack's eyes darkened at his wife and daughter's words. "If we can be, we will be. But the point is, Jackie, there is no guarantee that your mother and I will be here to support you. You have chosen to bring another life into this world so now it's up to you and the child's father to work out how you're going to support yourselves."
"What do you mean there's no guarantee you'll be here for me?" Jackie stood up, a puzzled expression on her face. "You're my parent's, you have to be here for me. That's your job."
Hyde discretely rolled his eyes. Jackie walked into that one...
"Exactly," Jack said just like Hyde knew he would. "It is a parent's job to care for their child, and you and Steven here are about to be parents to your own child, so you need to start preparing."
Jackie looked mortified causing Pam to quickly stand up and wrap an arm around her daughter.
"But, daddy...I don't know how to prepare for the baby," she whispered, staring at her father.
"Well that's what we're here for!" Kitty clapped her hands together before setting them on her lap. "We have so many baby things in our attic, don't we Red?" The old man to Kitty's right shrugged before glaring again at Hyde. "We can pull those down and spruce them up. And I can ask my church friends to start knitting, those ladi-"
"I don't want old, used things!" Jackie declared, adding a foot stomp for extra effect. Hyde closed his eyes. He was having a child with a child. A spoilt one at that. "I wanted new things, matching things...like in the magazines."
Pamela cupped Jackie's face. "And that's what you shall have, darling, don't you worry. I don't know what your father is talking about, but just know that I will personally see to it that our baby has the best nursery in town."
Jackie smiled a triumphant smile as everyone else in the room slowly shook their heads in dismay.
"Jackie, Pamela!" Jack growled. "Having a child at seventeen isn't just about designing a nursery. I want to know what both of them are going to do about school, and college, and jobs."
"For once, Jack, I agree with you. I didn't come here to talk about baby furniture, I wanna know if these dumbasses have a plan." Red shuffled to the edge of his seat and looked between Jackie and Hyde. If there was ever a time Hyde wanted a plan, it was now. He hated Red Forman being disappointed in him and he hated that he'd put more pressure on his foster parents. His kid was becoming their problem and it made him sick to his stomach.
"Look, by this time next year I'll be finished school and working. The baby will only be a few months old by then and in the meantime we'll just have to make do with the money I get from the hotel...or I'll look for more hours somewhere else."
Kitty rubbed the top of Hyde's hand. "But, Steven, if you work anymore than you already do there won't be time for study and you need to study. You have to pass high school, honey."
"Jackie can look for a job as well, with both of them working part-time they should be able to save enough to tie them over until Steven finishes school." Jack's words were met with two horrified gasps by way of Jackie and Pam.
"Daddy, I can't work!" Jackie cried. "I'm pregnant!"
"Pregnant, Jackie, not sick or disabled. I'm sure you can pick up a non-strenuous job, especially with Christmas coming up," Jack stated as he refilled his glass.
Hyde caught Jackie's eye and could see the despair she felt. She held his gaze long enough to plead with him to not send her out to work. This would've been the perfect time to make her miserable, but again he couldn't do it. Her bottom lip protruded and with it all his silly vengeance against her filtered away.
"No, Jackie won't be working," Hyde said defiantly. "I'm the father and it's my job to provide for my kid. I'll do what I have to do, while Jackie takes care of growin' our child." Hyde heard Jackie's sigh of relief and it nearly made him smile, but the extra 10 tonnes of worry he'd just placed on his own shoulders prevented him from doing so.
Jack nodded and sat down. "Very noble," he smirked suspiciously. "Speaking of nobility, did it not cross your mind that my daughter will be an un-wed mother therefore her child - your child - will be a bastard?"
Kitty's face quickly turned to look at Hyde, anticipating his response. Ever since he'd told her about the baby she'd been banging on about him making an honest woman out of Jackie and she obviously hoped that pressure from Jack Burkhart would force his hand. The truth was though, even with a baby there was no way a marriage between him and Jackie would work. They were polar opposites and the only time they got on was when they were in bed. Physical attraction could only take people so far and Hyde was fairly sure that married people talked and hung out...he couldn't just have sex with her all day.
"Jackie n I have discussed marriage and have both agreed it wouldn't work."
Jack clicked his tongue before asking, "What about living arrangements? Will you be living together when the baby arrives?"
Hyde looked to Jackie. He had taken the marriage question so it was only fair she took this one. Again she pleaded with him to help but this time he wasn't backing down. Sitting back in his seat he waited for her to respond.
"Well, daddy," she said nervously, still standing in her mother's arms. "As Steven and I aren't technically a couple we won't be living together, ever. We'll share the baby...two happy homes is better than one miserable one, right?" As she tucked a curl behind her ear Hyde grinned at her. She'd answered well and surely Jack wouldn't have a comeback for that.
To everyone's surprise it was Red who responded to Jackie's explanation. "In my day," he started, "when you made a mess you manned up and took care of it, no matter how old you were. Now don't get me wrong, I'm pleased you're both staying in school and getting your education. And Steven, I commend you for knowing that you're gonna have to work to support this kid. But I also think that at some point in the last few months you two must've liked each other enough to make this kid so I don't understand why a proper relationship is out of the question. The child isn't gonna know if it's coming or going having parents who aren't together."
When Hyde felt the heat subside from his face he looked over at Jackie. Her face was still pink and she was biting on her bottom lip. Yip. This was officially the most humiliating night of Hyde's life, and with Edna and Bud as parents there were definitely a few nights to choose from.
"Oh, Red," Pamela laughed and batted a hand in Red's direction. "This is the 70s. A family isn't necessarily always a mom, dad, and the children. Times are changing and we can't force these kids into something they don't want."
In unison Hyde and Jackie thanked Pam for her support and were relieved when Rosa came in to announce dinner was now being served in the formal dining room. As the parents made their way out of the lounge Jackie slipped her hand into Hyde's and pulled him back.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked. Hyde had to laugh. In the last twenty minutes Jackie had cried, stomped her foot, and whined like a child a hundred times. How was that not so bad?
"Are you kiddin', Jackie? That was freakin' torture and we still have to sit through dinner-"
"And dessert." Jackie grinned and her eyes sparkled when she saw Hyde tug on his tie at the thought of another course on top of dinner. She batted his hand away from his neck and straightened up his tie. "But don't worry, as we just proved in there, we make a pretty good team don't ya think?"
Hyde furrowed his brow as Jackie led him out of the lounge. Team? Him and Jackie? As far as he was concerned he'd rescued her more times than she'd rescued him therefore they weren't a team, but because of the kid he was stuck with her whether he liked it or not. He just hoped his 'teammate' grew up sometime soon.