Two Weeks Later...

The Burkhart mansion was deathly quiet when Hyde and Jackie arrived; just as they'd expected, just the way Hyde liked it. He closed the door behind them, shutting out the howling wind, and headed toward the kitchen hoping to find some appealing leftovers. Rosa's return had also signalled the return of delicious cooking and Hyde's tummy rumbled as he imagined what goodies he'd come across today. He hoped it was chicken. A chicken sandwich was just what he needed.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Jackie had one foot on the bottom stair and one hand on the rail. Hyde glanced at her then nodded toward the kitchen.

"I'm hungry, just gonna grab a sandwich then I'll be up."

Jackie arrogantly lifted her chin, her fingers tapping the wooden stair rail. "We have one hour, Steven. You can eat later."

"But it only takes you ten minutes, Jackie, so I may as well eat now." Hyde smirked, ignoring the death glare Jackie shot him as she haughtily folded her arms across her chest. "I'll be up in five," he said before he carried on into the kitchen.

"Don't bother!"

The sound of Jackie's boots stomping up the stairs reverberated through Hyde's body and he laughed to himself as he opened the refrigerator. She was such a bossy boss - so used to getting her own way - but Hyde decided that this time her demands would just have to wait. For the last eight days he'd been at her beck and call - well, as much as he could be being that he was grounded n all - and had duly complied with her orders. Not that he'd really minded...Jackie's pregnancy hormones had kicked up a notch lately and when she wanted it, she wanted it and Hyde had reaped the benefits of the boost in her libido.

But sometimes, after a full day at school, a guy just wanted to eat.

Settling on a roast beef sandwich washed down with a coke, Hyde felt satiated and ready to accomplish what he'd come to the house to do. For the sake of time he removed his jacket and sweatshirt while he walked up the stairs - who said guys couldn't multi-task? - and kicked off his boots at Jackie's bedroom door.

"Ready for me?" He winked at Jackie. She was sitting on her bed, her legs crossed at her ankles, flicking through a magazine.

She didn't look up. "No. I'm not in the mood anymore. Go have another sandwich."

"Really?" Hyde asked in amusement. She was always in the mood. Lately he'd only have to look in her direction in the cafeteria and she'd be all up in his face telling him to be at her house by 3.10. Her act of nonchalance wasn't going to faze him; her knew her, and her hormones, far too well. Lifting her right foot off of her left one he slowly parted her legs and shuffled on his knees between them. "Cause I think you are," he said.

Jackie held her magazine higher so that Hyde couldn't see her face. "Well I'm not."

"So you don't want me then?" Hyde kept his voice low and serious. She couldn't see his face, or the smile on it, so he may as well play her little game for a while.

"No I don't."

Kneeling between Jackie's legs Hyde ran his fingertips the length of her slender legs, stopping where her the pink fabric of her dress pooled just short of her panty line. "Guess you don't want me touchin' you then, huh? Like I did yesterday..."

Jackie quickly flicked a page of her magazine. "Didn't want you touching me yesterday...I only fool around with you out of pity."

"Oh, okay." Hyde pushed her dress up around her waist revealing lacy black underwear. His favourite ones. The ones she knew were his favourite. "Kinda seemed like you liked it when I was touchin' you yesterday..."

"Well I didn't."

"Not even a little bit?"

"Not one little bit."

Hooking a finger into the waistband of her panties Hyde gave them a little tug. "So you wouldn't want me to pull these down then?"

"No..." Jackie's voice hitched and she swallowed hard enough for Hyde to hear.

He grinned. "You sure, Jackie?" he asked as he began pulling her underwear down, using his knees and feet to get them all the way off. He kicked the sheer piece of fabric to the floor and looked back at Jackie, annoyed when the damn magazine was still shielding her pretty face from him. Rising up on his knees he cleared his throat, "Guess I'll go home then."

Suddenly the magazine went flying to the floor. "No you won't."

Less than one minute later Jackie had stripped Hyde of his t-shirt and was sitting on top of him on her single bed. He stared up at her, knowing he would never tire of looking into her eyes, especially when they were as lustful as they were right then. He moved his hands to his pants but before he could attempt to unbuckle his belt Jackie swatted them away and undid them herself. Her actions were quick and purposeful, a form of expertise that could only be mastered through intense practise. Eight days of intense practise to be more specific.

She leaned down, her lips slightly parted, and Hyde rose to meet her mouth halfway.

"Not in the mood, huh?" he teased before licking her bottom lip with his tongue.

"Oh, shut up..."

Her grip on his shoulders was firm and her thigh muscles tightened around his waist. She was in charge. Over the last week and a half she was always in charge. Gone was the meek and mild, unsure and insecure Jackie he'd screwed over summer. That Jackie had been replaced with a confident young woman who commanded authority in the bedroom. She dictated not only when their trysts would occur but also where, the position, and how long they'd last. It was as though Hyde were in some kinda porno Forman or Fez would get off on. Not that he was complaining.

She pushed his pants down to his ankles and slid on top of him, setting the pace just as he knew she would. His hands went to her hips. Her skin was silken under his touch and his eyes momentarily closed in pleasure. Hyde had screwed chicks before; plenty of them. But never had he wanted to look at those chicks while they were fucking the way he wanted to look at Jackie. He wanted to watch her all the time. He wanted to see every twitch of pleasure that washed over her face. The way her eyelids went heavy when his hands cupped her breasts, or the way she bit her lip right before she was about to come...he wanted to see it all, knowing that it was him tipping her over the edge.

She rocked slowly upon him, her fingertips tracing the length of his torso, her eyes gazing adoringly into his. He smiled before gripping her hips and pushing himself harder into her.

She arched an eyebrow but continued to rock. "You need a haircut," she breathed out, a hand finding it's way into his curly locks.

"I'll get one tomorrow," Hyde promised.

"Don't go to that guy on Marlow Street," Jackie warned as her back curved and her pace began to quicken. "He does a terrible job..."

"Whatever." Hyde groaned as Jackie's inner muscles clenched tight around him. He was close, so close, and he could tell by Jackie's rapid breathing that she wasn't far behind him.

She grabbed his hand and brought his index finger to her mouth. Her tongue, wet and warm, licked and sucked at the tip and Hyde knew that was it. He pulled it away, as though her mouth was on fire, and put it back on her hip, bracing himself for the inevitable explosion.

"I'll cut it for you..." Jackie whispered.

Hyde had become used to Jackie's coital small talk, so much so that he regularly engaged in it. But right now, seconds from erupting inside of her, was no time for chitchat...especially not about the 'fro. So he pushed images of her holding scissors out of his head and locked his eyes on her face. She was glowing...she always did during sex...and he couldn't hold on any longer.

It was over.

For both of them.

Jackie smiled before she rolled off Hyde and swept her hand across his chest, resting it on his shoulder. He lazily kissed the top of her head, overcome with a mix of post-sex euphoria and the heavenly scent of her fruity shampoo. It was bliss. Laying in bed with her every afternoon was something he could get into. Actually, it was something he was already into and he worried that once the pregnancy hormones settled down it could all be ripped away from him. Unless, of course, they were more than bed buddies.

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer, preparing himself to talk about them.

But Jackie bet him to it. "So I can cut your hair then?" she asked with a grin.

"No! You're not going anywhere near my hair with scissors, Jackie."

"But you said..."

He kissed her forehead and pat her bare behind. "I told you the other day - you can't make me agree to stuff when we're doing it, man. It's an unfair advantage n nothin' I say can be taken seriously. You're not cutting my hair."

"Ugh, you're so annoying!," Jackie moaned, propping herself up on her elbow and looking down at Hyde. He studied her face - like he did every afternoon - for any lasting reminders of her accident two weeks ago. Save for a tiny healed scar just about her lip there was nothing and for that he was grateful. He still blamed himself, and he wasn't the only one. Red was still fuming with him and not just because the old man had spent that day driving to Kenosha to pick up Rosa then delivering her to the hospital in Madison. Red was annoyed that Hyde hadn't asked for help, more specifically, that he hadn't asked Red and Kitty for help. So he'd done what any old person would do in that situation, grounded Hyde indefinitely and made life at home as unbearable as he could. The only thing besides Jackie and the baby keeping Hyde going right now was the flicker of hope that Eric would soon trip up and reveal his engagement...that would surely take the heat off of Hyde.

He flicked Jackie's chin with his index finger before placing a small kiss on the corner of her mouth. "I'm annoying, huh? That why I'm here every afternoon?"

"You're here because I'm bored-"

"And horny," he reminded her.

"- and that." She winked and kissed him back, cupping his cheek with her hand. "But you still need a haircut. Our daughter can't have a father who looks like a hobo. You need to look neat and tidy in the hospital photos..."

"Jackie, she's not coming for another couple months, that's plenty of time for a haircut. Chill out."

She raised her eyebrow as a smooth leg brushed over his. "No haircut, no more afternoon hang outs," she threatened, her leg rubbing up and down his own.

"I think you're the one that'd have the problem with that, doll. You forget - I have a pile of magazines under my cot n full use of both of my hands n I don't mind using 'em-"

"Ewww, Steven! Stop!" Jackie cried, much to Hyde's amusement. He swung up, pushing her down on her back, and climbed in between her legs. Automatically she locked her ankles around his back, despite the lame slaps she was delivering to his chest. "I don't wanna hear about you pleasuring yourself," she moaned, "it's disgusting!"

Hyde chuckled as her eyes danced in embarrassment and surprise. "Lucky I got you to pleasure me then," he said before his mouth found her neck and her hands found his hair. Her skin was still damp and warm from moments ago and although Hyde knew it was too early for round two there was nothing he wanted more than to keep making out with Jackie. Figuring he had about 35 minutes before Rosa came home he let his body sink into Jackie's while his mouth and tongue devoured her.

Completely absorbed in each other neither Hyde nor Jackie had heard Rosa enter the house, or her stomp up the stairs. Realisation only hit when she pushed the bedroom door open and started screaming in Spanish. Stunned, Hyde froze, essentially trapping Jackie beneath him. It wasn't until her slaps and pushes got harder that his body quickly rolled off of her letting her button her dress back up and climb out of bed.

"Rosa," she said calmly, running her hands through her dishevelled locks. "Calm down, it's only Steven...you know Steven."

Rosa's horrified eyes darted from Jackie to Hyde, who was still completely naked under Jackie's duvet.

"I don't care who it is!" Rosa growled, her fingers wrapped around the crucifix that hung from her neck. "You only 17 and you not married! No hanky panky in this house, Miss Jackie...not under my watch!"

Jackie rolled her eyes as she tied her hair up in an elastic band. "We might not be married, Rosa but we're having a baby together. I don't think us fooling around is a big deal. It's not like I'm gonna get pregnant or anything."

Not a big deal? Hmmmm, Hyde would have to talk to her about that later. Was it really not a big deal for her? Was she really just sleeping with him out of convenience? Had he really blown all of his chances at a proper relationship with her? So many questions needed answering but Hyde needed to be clothed to ask them and he'd also prefer not to have a one woman Mexican audience when he did. At the bottom of the bed his feet found his boxers and jeans so he did his best impersonation of a chick and put them on under the blankets. After pulling up the zipper and fastening the button he got out of the bed, figuring the belt could wait. Right now he needed his t-shirt and he needed to get outta there.

"You might not get pregnant but it's still not right!" Rosa yelled as Hyde bent down at the foot of the bed to get his tee. "You both teenagers!"

Jackie groaned and shook her head. "Rosa, you can't tell me what I can and can't do. If Steven wants to come over then he can."

Hyde looked over at Jackie incredulously, horrified that she was throwing him in at the deep end. How quickly she forgot the notes she passed him at school instructing him where to be and when.

With unshielded eyes Hyde looked at Rosa. "We're really sorry, Rosa," he said, haphazardly tucking his t-shirt in. "It was very disrespectful of both of us to be doing that when we knew you could come home. So yeah, sorry." Hopefully that was it, hopefully now he could leave...

Ignoring the scowl on Jackie's face Hyde waited for Rosa's reply. "Thank you, Steven," she finally said, her face softened a little. "You best be going home now." She stepped out of the doorway, making room for him to leave. Grabbing his boots, he turned back to Jackie.

"Call you later," she said, her mouth twisting into a wry grin that told him she wasn't looking forward to the rest of the afternoon with Rosa.

"Look forward to it." Hyde smiled back, a little shocked that he'd actually meant what he said.

Three hours later Jackie was staring into a plate of nachos wondering why they reminded her so much of Bob Pinciotti. Was it the cheese, or the greasiness? She wasn't sure. What she did know though was that she couldn't eat them; not with Rosa staring at her from across the table like she was some sort of harlet.

"Rosa, stop looking at me like that," Jackie said, picking up a crystal glass filled with water and taking a sip. With her parents being gone, Jackie and Rosa had decided to use all the fancy glassware and crockery that was usually for looking at only. To Jackie it was a waste having such nice things shut away in cupboards or gathering dust on shelves. Nice things needed to be used, and now that she was in charge they were going to be used. She admired the glass again before setting it down on the table and glancing up at Rosa. "Rosa...stop it!" she ordered.

Rosa tut-tutted under her breath and sighed. "Miss Jackie, what am I going to do with you?"

"Um, keep feeding me and looking after me?" Jackie suggested.

"But I cannot be here all the time." Rosa's brown eyes fell as she pushed a corn chip around her plate. "I have to go home sometimes and you can't be here on your own. I was just worried about night time but after today I see I need to worry all the time!"

Jackie sat back in her chair and shook her head. "God, you're so dramatic-"

"Don't take the Lord's name in vain, Miss Jackie."

"- whatever. Jeepers, you're so dramatic, then. It's so not a big deal, Rosa. Steven and I are friends and sometimes we make out...he's my daughter's father...I don't see the problem."

"Well, I do." Rosa sighed and pushed her plate to the side. Rosa was a proud woman, always neatly dressed with not a hair out of place. But tonight, Jackie noticed, she looked tired and not so well put together. Her appearance was a worry and Jackie hoped finding her and Hyde in bed together hadn't sent the good Catholic woman into some kind of breakdown.

"Tell me then," Jackie said, staring straight into Rosa's warm eyes. "Tell me what's so wrong with it."

"I..." Rosa started, wrapping her hand around her crystal glass. "I...well, we..."

Jackie's brow furrowed. "We who and we what?"

"We...Mr. Red and I...we talked when we come to the hospital..."

"And..."

"And we decide that sometimes - when I busy - you stay at their house, in Laura's roo -"

"Laurie's," Jackie corrected her, slightly nauseated at the thought of sleeping where a skank had previous slept.

"Yes, Laurie. Well Mr. Red said that he and Mrs. Kitty can take care of you...you know, when I can't..." Rosa's gaze left Jackie and fixed on the white kitchen cabinets behind her, leaving Jackie feeling cold. She hadn't thought about Rosa not being able to take care of her...that was Rosa's job. Hyde had made enough from her mother's fur coats to pay Rosa for at least a month so Jackie had assumed she still had a little while to come up with more money. She'd been hoping that a visit to her dad at the prison this coming weekend would bring with it some monetary surprises; surely he had money stashed somewhere, enough to pay Jackie's only guardian.

"What do you mean, 'when you can't'?" Jackie asked, her tone gruff enough for Rosa to look even more worried than before.

"Well, this weekend for instance. My sister is coming from Tijuana with her children, I need to go home for the weekend," Rosa explained nervously. "Mr. Red said you can stay there...but now, with you and curly haired boy I no think it's a good idea..."

Jackie's eyes narrowed. "Steven or no Steven, me staying at the Forman's is never a good idea. I'm not a child, Rosa, nor am I a charity case. If you won't take care of me then I'll take care of myself."

Jackie picked up her untouched plate of food and stomped over to the sink. Tears were welling in her eyes but she wasn't about to let them fall. If Rosa wanted a weekend off she could have it. Jackie wasn't going to beg to go with her or offer to have her maid's family come and stay at the Burkhart house; she'd already done the latter - suggesting Rosa's husband and 13 year old daughter come and stay with them - but Rosa had politely declined, saying her husband would never stay at her employer's house, that to him it would be rude. It hurt, it hurt knowing that that's what she was to Rosa and her family...an employer. Not a friend. Not family. She was their boss. And the ironic thing was that a few months ago she'd made sure Rosa knew that.

"Miss. Jackie," Rosa said, rushing to her side. "Darling I will only be gone two nights, then I be back. But I can't leave you here by yourself. Crazy people out there and you too pretty to be on your own." Rosa gently stroked Jackie's cheeks, her warm touch drawing a small smile from the young girl's lips.

"I am aren't I?"

Rosa smiled before wrapping her arms around her. "Yes you are." She kissed her head and Jackie slid her arms around her substitute mother's waist. "But, Miss Jackie, I don't know about leaving you with the Formans' now..."

"Then leave me here," Jackie begged, dreading the humiliation of everyone finding out she needed a babysitter.

"I can't..."

"Or take me with you?"

Rosa drew back and stared down at Jackie with sad eyes. "I want to, sweetie," she said. "But no room at my house. My sister, her husband, her three children, her brother's sister and her husband all come all the way here to see us. My house will be full. My sister has birthday party at my house and we have many, many visitors and I can't just leave. You understand?"

Jackie shrugged. Yeah, she did understand. Her mother had thrown enough parties in her lifetime for Jackie to know that a hostess couldn't run out on her guests. She also knew there was no way Rosa was leaving her at the house on her own, and mentioning Hyde staying with her was pointless and would probably only lead to her reciting 10 Hail Marys.

Whether Jackie liked it or not, she was staying at the Formans' for the weekend.

A/N: Thank you to those of you who have reviewed...I love 'em! Next chapter won't take as long, I promise.