A pounding headache and a bad case of the dry horrors was what had roused Hyde from his deep sleep at lunchtime the next day. He'd missed his morning catch up with Mr. Morrison which was kind of a bummer as he had a paper due in Monday morning, but what was done was done. He wasn't gonna fret over a stupid assignment, there were bigger things on his mind, like how he'd made a fool of himself in front of Jackie the night before.

Luckily most of the night was a bit of a blur and he barely remembered getting home from the party. He vaguely remembered Eric and Donna bickering in the front seat, and he definitely remembered Fez puking on the sidewalk outside his host parent's house, but that was it. He didn't remember getting back to the Forman's, he didn't know how he'd gotten to bed, and he wasn't sure if he'd handed Jackie any more pieces of his heart to walk all over. He just prayed he hadn't.

The house was quiet by the time he had the guts to get up and face everybody - and by everybody, he meant Jackie. Typical that the one time a girl completely rejected him she just happened to be staying in his house. Of all the godamn weekends he chose to lay his heart on the line it had to be this one. He could be such a moron sometimes. The only thing that was gonna save him was the fact he had been drunk. The moment he'd opened his eyes that morning he'd decided to blame the alcohol for his stupid words. If Jackie had believed he wanted a relationship then it was her fault; no one should believe the drunken ramblings of an 18 year old boy.

After finding the kitchen empty Hyde walked into the lounge. Kitty was sitting on the couch doing what she always seemed to be doing lately; knitting pink crap.

She looked up and smiled. "Morning, sleepyhead!"

"Mornin', Mrs. Forman," Hyde greeted her as he flopped down in Red's chair.

"What do you think of this?" She held up one of her needles, revealing a square of bright pink knitted wool. Could've been part of a jacket, could've been the start of blanket, Hyde had no freaking idea and right now he didn't give a shit.

"Nice," he said, trying hard to muster some enthusiasm for something he would never put on his kid. Just 'cause she was girl it didn't mean she had to be decked head to toe in pink; even if that's what her mother and surrogate grandmother had planned.

Kitty grinned and ran her hand over the small garment-to-be. "I just love this colour," she said, not noticing Hyde rolling his eyes. "Jackie picked it out. Me, I probably would've gone for a paler pink but Jackie said fuschia is all the rage right now. So there you go, Steven, your baby is going to be hip!" She giggled. Hyde didn't.

"You know, just because we know she's a girl it doesn't mean you have to stop with the white wool," Hyde hinted. "White's cool. White's hip."

Kitty shook her head, her curls bouncing as she did so, and tucked the end of the needle under her arm. "Jackie said white is boring. She wants her baby to be different, so we're going with fuschia. I think it's lovely. Besides, I've already done plenty of booties and bonnets in white. You can mix n match."

"Yeah, whatever." Hyde leaned his head on the back of the chair, closing his eyes so he no longer had to look at the pink monstrosity Jackie had ordered up for their kid. He was gonna have a fight on his hands when it came to dressing their daughter and he wasn't so sure it was a fight he would win. "Where is Jackie anyway?" he casually asked. "Back in bed resting already?"

"No, she left hours ago," Kitty answered as her knitting needles click clacked. "She went to visit her father. Poor girl, first time she's seen him since he...you know..." Her hands paused for a moment. "A prison is no place for a teenage girl, Steven, especially not a pregnant one."

Hyde opened his eyes. Jackie hadn't mentioned visiting her dad. In fact, Jackie never even mentioned her dad. Not to him anyway.

"The prison? That's a two hour drive away. How did she get there? Red take her?"

"No, Red's working today," Kitty told him. "So Michael drove her. They left bright and early to be there for 1 o'clock visiting. Jackie thought she might do some shopping in the city while she was up there."

Hyde's stomach turned, and with all the beer that was in it, it didn't feel good. "Michael?" he asked, hoping there was another Michael in Jackie's life he never knew about, perhaps an uncle or something. "As in Kelso?"

Kitty laughed and loosened more wool from the ball. "Yes Michael Kelso. Why?"

"No reason." Hyde swallowed back the bile in his throat. "Just not like Kelso to go that far out of his way for someone is all."

"Maybe you underestimated him."

"Maybe I did."

Later that afternoon Jackie gently tapped on Hyde's bedroom door. It'd been a long day and her legs were aching, but she couldn't rest until she'd made sure everything between her and Hyde was okay. When she'd tucked him into his cot the night before she'd tried coaxing more feelings out of him but instead she'd received a rather lousy, slurred, rendition of 'My Girl'...well, her tummy had anyway, so things had been left unresolved and she didn't know how he'd be with her.

Taking a deep breath she tapped again before opening the door. "You awake?" she whispered to the lump in the bed.

Hyde lifted his head from the pillow and looked at her. "Yip," he said.

"Well shift over," Jackie ordered, closing the door and kicking off her shoes. "I'm exhausted."

Hyde frowned. "Y'know there's a couch just out there n a bed upstairs for you?" he said, all the while making room on the cot for Jackie to rest her wary body.

"Yeah, I know, but dumb n dumber are on the couch and the less time I have to spend in the skank's bed the better, I don't wanna catch her slut germs." Jackie shuddered as she curled up next to Hyde. "Besides, I haven't seen you all day and I thought we should catch up."

"On what?" Hyde asked, returning his head to his pillow.

"Oh, I dunno...last night maybe?"

"I don't remember much so I don't know there's much for us to 'catch up' on," Hyde said. "Oh, except Fez puking, I remember that n I'm pretty keen to talk about it. I thought the best thing was the way it projectiled from his mouth, missing his shoes complete-"

Jackie winced at the thought. The contents of Fez's stomach was the last thing she wanted to talk about. "Forget it," she said, earning a grin from Hyde. "I do not need to relive that moment. God, when will that guy learn to hold his liquor? He's worse than Eric."

"Agreed."

The room fell into a surprisingly comfortable silence as Jackie's body almost melted into the cot. It felt good to be lying down, and even better not to be fighting with Hyde. All day she'd been expecting to come home to him brooding and pissed off but so far he'd been civil...normal. Could they ignore what he'd said the night before? Did she want to ignore what he'd said the night before? Did he even remember saying it?

Hyde cleared his throat and tucked his hand under his head. "So, you went n saw your dad, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"How was it?"

Jackie thought over the last few hours - the large, cold room she'd met her father in; the dull, grey tracksuit her once proud father wore; the sad, empty eyes she looked into when she said goodbye to him - and it broke her heart. To see someone she'd viewed as her everything become virtually nothing was devastating and she wasn't sure she could share that pain with anybody; especially not Hyde. He wasn't interested in her parents, certainly not her father. To him Jack Burkhart was a typical greedy politician who'd tricked his way to the top and then deservedly tumbled on his ass back down. Hyde didn't care about the fate of such a man which is probably why he'd never once asked Jackie about him. Until now.

Jackie swallowed back the lump in her throat before answering. "Fine. It was fine."

"Really?" Hyde rolled his head towards her, his unshielded eyes clearly searching for the truth. "Can't've been easy seeing him in there like that?"

"It is what it is, right?" Jackie said, forcing a small smile as she looked over at him. "By the sounds of it he's gonna be in there for a long time so I've just got to get used to it. I'm just hoping for his sake that they change the colour of the regulation clothing...grey's never been his colour."

Hyde chuckled. "Yeah, nevermind the uninvited man love, sort the colour of the clothing out," he joked. When Jackie didn't laugh his smile faded and he tentatively put his hand on her baby bump, feeling around for any sign that their baby was awake. "Hey, you could'a asked me to take you to the prison," he said after a while. "I would'a taken you."

Small butterflies spread from Jackie's stomach through to her chest and arms, warming her instantly. It had never even occurred to her to ask Hyde to take her. Sure, he was the guy who generally looked out for her these days, but he mostly took care of her physical safety because she was carrying his child. He was the one who made sure she wasn't sleeping alone in her house; he was the one delivering meals so that she ate; he was the one concerned whenever she got behind the wheel of a car. But for anything remotely emotional he had always seemed unavailable. Kelso, on the other hand, was always asking how she was and how things were going with her dad. Perhaps their history together made it easier, but Jackie always felt she could turn to him for things that couldn't be fixed physically; as ironic as that seemed.

"You would've taken me?" She looked up at Hyde as he propped his head up on his hand. "I didn't think visiting my crooked, ex-city councilman father would be something you'd wanna do on a Saturday?"

"That crooked ex-city councilman is my daughter's grandfather, what am I gonna do?" he shrugged, smiling. "But, seriously, Jackie, you just had to ask, man, n I would'a taken you."

"I guess I just figured that since you never asked about him you wouldn't want to come with me-"

"But Kelso would?" Hyde said, raising an eyebrow.

"He asks about my parents. All the time. Guess I just felt more comfortable asking him to take me."

Hyde stopped stroking Jackie's tummy and flopped back down on the bed. He stared at the ceiling. "Well isn't he just wonderful?"

Jealous? Was Hyde jealous that Kelso had driven her miles in the freezing cold to visit her father in the slammer? Jackie's mind worked overtime as she pieced together the puzzle that was Steven Hyde, and the biggest piece, the one that put the picture together, was the one from last night. What he'd said about wanting a relationship was true. He did have feelings for her and knowing she'd spent the day with Michael hurt him.

Point Place's resident bad boy had real feelings for a shallow cheerleader, and Jackie smiled at the thought. Eat your heart out Kat Peterson...

"Are you jealous, Steven?" she asked.

Hyde frowned. "No? Why would I be jealous that Kelso was your bitch for the day?" he growled.

"Uuuummm, I dunno?" Jackie placed her hand on Hyde's chest, watching as it dipped and rose with each breath he took. "Why don't you tell me?"

"I'm not jealous so there's nothin' to tell."

"You sure? Are you absolutely positive that me spending the day with Michael didn't bug you...even a little bit?"

Growing agitated Hyde brushed Jackie's hand away. "Jackie, I don't care okay? Spend tomorrow with him for all I care. You two can fly to Brazil together n go find your mom...makes no difference to me."

"Maybe we will-"

"Maybe you should."

Jackie sighed, all too familiar now with the snide comments Hyde delivered as a way of protecting himself. She could've told him to get over himself and stop being so stupid but that would inevitably lead to silent treatment, and she couldn't be dealing with that right now.

"Steven," she whispered into his shoulder, "about last night...what you said, about us-"

Hyde's lips tightened and his cheeks flushed pink. "I was drunk last night, Jackie. If I said anything, don't take it seriously, I wouldn't have meant it."

His response was completely expected but it still stung a little. Luckily for Jackie years of being cheated on by Michael, together with a teenage pregnancy and parental abandonment, had left her with a crapload of resilience. Hyde's words were nothing compared to what she'd been through lately.

"Oh, okay," she said as she placed her hand back on his chest and her head on his shoulder. "Because if you did mean it, I want you to know that I feel the same about you as you do about me..."

She'd done it - laid all her cards on the table - and now, in Hyde's prison like bedroom on his military style cot, she held her breath and waited for him to throw those cards back in her face.

But she hadn't planned on doing it. During the night when she'd tossed and turned and gone to the bathroom seven thousand times, she'd told herself she'd done the right thing when she'd turned him down. And it was the right thing to do. But just because she didn't want a relationship right now it didn't mean she didn't have feelings for the scruffy guy; and spending the day with Michael Kelso had cemented those feelings. Yes, Jackie and Kelso had history but her and Hyde had a future...a future she didn't want to screw up because she was feeling screwed up at the moment.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up nervously. "Well? Are you going to say anything?"

Hyde cleared his throat. "Uuhhh...like what?"

"Oh, forget it." Jackie quickly sat up, feeling crushed but not at all surprised. If she'd learnt anything about Hyde over the last few months it was that he was like a damn yo-yo; up and down all the freaking time. One minute he wanted her, the next he didn't. She should've kept her trap shut. "I'll see you at dinner," she said, bending down to get her shoes as quickly as her pregnant stomach would allow.

Before she could stand up, Hyde's fingers wrapped around her wrist. "Wait," he said, pulling her back down before going quiet again.

Jackie clenched her jaw, waiting for him to say something...anything...but all he did was stare at her with fear filled eyes. Was it really that hard to open up without copious amounts of alcohol? Growing tired, Jackie said, "Well? What am I waiting for?"

"Look, Jackie," Hyde finally said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I...it's just...what I said..."

"You didn't mean it, right? Yeah, I heard you the first time. You were drunk yadda yadda yadda-"

"No," Hyde cut in, putting his arm around Jackie's shoulder and pulling her into him. "I did mean it...well, I do, y'know...I do.."

"Like me?" Jackie asked, her eyes wide looking up at him.

Hyde's free hand covered his eyes and she felt his body tense before he let out a breath and looked down at her. "Yeah." He exhaled. "I do...that."

"Say it then."

"I just did," Hyde frowned.

"No you didn't, you said 'I do that'. That's not telling me anything."

Hyde licked his lips and it took all Jackie's might not to just kiss him right then, but she wouldn't, not until he'd said the magic words.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really, Jackie?" he asked a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Really, Steven," Jackie said sweetly.

Hyde tilted her chin up towards his face, his whiskers lightly brushing her sensitive skin. "Why don't you say it then? You go first then I will."

"No, you go first then I will," Jackie replied, holding her ground even though she really didn't care who said it first, she just liked making him sweat.

He sighed. "Fine! Jackie, I like you. Happy now?"

"Very!" Jackie squealed. "And, Steven, I like you too-"

"I wanted to be the too."

"I know you did." Pushing herself up, Jackie gently cupped Hyde's face and pressed her lips to his. She kissed him softly, slowly, telling herself that just because they had feelings for each other they still had somebody else to consider; somebody who was literally in between them. However the part of her that wanted him badly tried to push the doubts and worries out of her mind by climbing on top of him and deepening the kiss. As her tongue explored his mouth and his hands moved up her back the bulge between them prevented them getting any closer and Hyde eased his mouth away from hers.

"Let me go on top," he said, his quick fingers already unbuttoning her blouse as he gazed adoringly up at her. "Easier like that."

Jackie pouted. "Ugh, we can't do anything anyway, Mrs. Forman is upstairs making dinner. She'll flip if she finds us in here like this."

"Don't care," Hyde stated, finishing off the last button. He pulled her head back down and plunged his tongue into her mouth again and Jackie almost forgot about the woman upstairs and the box with baby Jesus tucked inside it in the corner of the room. She wanted Hyde, they were perfect together, but she also didn't want to see him homeless so she slowly pulled away.

"Steven, not here," she whispered into his mouth.

Hyde cocked an eyebrow. "Camino?" he suggested.

Jackie pursed her lips and sat up. "I am not having sex with you in your car. Especially not in my condition...that is so tacky," she growled.

"Yeah, true." Hyde nodded and ran a hand over Jackie's protruding stomach as if just remembering her condition. "We could sneak off to your place? You got a key right?"

Jackie sighed, climbing off Hyde's lap and resuming her position next to him on the cot. "Yeah I do. But can we go after dinner? I'm so hungry, Michael wouldn't stop for a snack on the way home 'cause he wanted to get back in time for Gilligan's Island in case-"

"They finally got off the island," Hyde finished for her, rolling his eyes. "God, he's a dick. But, yeah, whatever, we can eat n then go."

Jackie giggled. "Oh my god, listen to us...we're like old people, Steven, pencilling in sex for after dinner!"

"Holy crap, you're right!" Hyde said in horror. "N the kid's not even here yet!"

Still laughing Jackie took Hyde's hand in hers and kissed it, finding comfort in just being next to him. He was what she needed.

"So, Steven," she said, tucking their hands into her chest. "About the whole relationship thing-"

"Mmmm.."

"I like you, a lot, but can we just keep things as they are for now? I like things like this...right now...me n you. This is good..."

Hyde looked over at her, his expression warmer than she'd anticipated. "So, you like me, we can have sex with each other, in a couple months we'll have a kid together, but you don't want me to be your boyfriend?"

Jackie nodded. "I don't want you to be my boyfriend, right now," she clarified. "But I like you like I'd like a boyfriend. Maybe even more."

Hyde nodded. "I can live with that," he said, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

"Good."