One week later...
The little bell that hung above the Hub's door jingled, catching Jackie's attention. She looked up just as two teenage lovebirds giggled their way out of the dingy diner. That had to be the last of them. Girls and satin dresses had taken up every inch of the Hub and if Jackie had to tell one more of them how great they looked she was going to die.
Hyde glanced across his shoulder then back at Jackie. "You still sure you don't wanna go?" he asked.
"Positive," Jackie answered with a curt nod of her head, just to prove her point.
"Cause, y'know, it's not too late..."Hyde repositioned himself on his chair, his movements awkward, his expression almost pained. He was so out of his comfort zone he may as well have been on another planet. For a second Jackie toyed with the idea of messing with him. Telling him 'yes, let's do it, let's go to the prom!'. But that would be cruel. And she'd had enough of being cruel to the guy.
"Steven, for the tenth time in two days, I do not want to go to the prom, okay?" The relief in Hyde's eyes wasn't lost on Jackie and she smiled. "Would it help if I wrote that down for you? Maybe hired a plane to carry a banner across the sky?"
Hyde rolled his eyes and tossed a French fry at her. "I'm just making sure okay? Damn, you flapped your trap about it for months then all of a sudden you don't wanna go anymore. I don't want this comin' back to bite me in the ass." He sipped his Coke before smirking. "Actually, yeah, write that shit down...not in the sky, but on paper...just so I have concrete evidence that you said no to the lamest school dance on earth."
"Whatever." Jackie poked her tongue out but she knew her eyes were smiling. It was getting hard to conceal her nonchalance toward Hyde these days. He was like an itch that couldn't be ignored, an urge that needed attention, and for the last week attention was exactly what she'd been giving him.
And he'd seemed to like to it. So much so he'd even asked her to go to the prom with him.
There had been a shift in their relationship and although Jackie couldn't pinpoint exactly when it'd happened, she supposed it was probably after Simon's party. Once Hyde had saved her from pool house hell they had spent his earnings on greasy burgers and actually shared a laugh together. If there was one 'thing' they had between them it was the joint enthusiasm to laugh at other people's expense, and boy did they laugh.
Hyde checked the time on his watch. "It's been over an hour now, you think Fez has scared his date off yet?"
"Duh, Steven, she would've run screaming from the Vineyard at least 50 minutes ago," Jackie said, imagining Fez groping the hell out of Sharon Claredon in the parking lot of the fancy restaurant. Just the thought of it made her shudder. "I'm still in shock she agreed to go with him. I mean, how desperate is that girl?"
"She gets a free dinner at the Vineyard, not a bad trade if you ask me. I'd do more for less."
Jackie smiled. "Really? I seem to remember a trip to the mall costing me dinner and a new pair of boots. You're far more expensive to hire than nasty Sharon Claredon."
"But way more worth it, right?" Hyde grinned.
Jackie's eyes dipped to Hyde's broad chest and she found she couldn't disagree with him. If she had the money she'd happily buy him another pair of boots just for taking her out tonight.
"Of course. Sharon is as skanky as they come. Fez might be foreign but I firmly believe he could do better than her," said Jackie, before quickly adding, "But don't ever tell him I said that!"
"My lips are sealed." Hyde winked. "Wouldn't wanna go ruining that rep of yours, you've spent years building that up."
"Which rep is that? Bitchy cheerleader, slutty teen mom or bitchy teen mom with no parents?"
"First one."
Jackie nodded her head proudly and squared her shoulders. "Yeah, that's my favorite one."
"I like that one too," Hyde agreed. "Especially the uniform that goes with it." Jackie's skin warmed at his suggestive line, the third one he'd let drop that evening.
"Y'know, for someone who claims to hate cheerleading, you seem to really like cheerleaders," Jackie teased.
"Not cheerleaders plural," said Hyde, leaning in on the table. "Just one in particular."
The heat rose to Jackie's cheeks and despite knowing Hyde had really liked other cheerleaders in the past she was going to ignore that fact and bask in the moment.
"Oh yeah? Do I know her" she asked as innocently as she could.
Hyde shrugged. "Probably, she's that damn loud it'd be hard not to notice her. And I should know, I spent years trying to avoid her."
Pursing her lips, Jackie decided to let that insult slide. She knew Hyde well enough now to decipher banter from actual cruelty - hell, since the Kelso/prom debacle almost all she'd had from him was cruel insults. But the past week had been different. They'd let go of the old crap and the banter between them was good. His banter was comforting. It reassured Jackie that she and Hyde were getting close again. And she prayed that soon they'd be even closer.
"So," Hyde wiped his mouth with the back of his hand - a habit that irked the heck out of Jackie but one of many she was learning to ignore. "What do we do now?"
A quick scan of the empty Hub signaled that Jackie's work there was done - it was confirmed that had she been going to prom she would've hands down been the prettiest. No pea green taffeta monstrosity could've outdone her elegant pink gown.
"Well, the show here is over so I guess we do whatever you want to do now." God she was maturing. Did Hyde even appreciate how lucky he was to have input into their first technical date?
"What I want to do now involves a tin and a water tower, n I don't know about you but I don't think it'll be easy gettin' her up those steps." Hyde nodded toward the sleeping baby snuggled in her car seat on the bench by Jackie. Her cherub face was a warm pink contrasted sharply by long, dark eyelashes that flickered slightly as her little chest rose and fell. Baby Tyler was so perfect, but what on earth was Jackie thinking bringing her on the first date.
"Maybe I should've listened to you and left her with Mrs. Forman," Jackie said, a little disheartened. "This is a date after all..."
Hyde frowned. "This isn't a date, Jackie..."
"It's a date."
"No. It's two parents hangin' out with their kid at night."
Heat rose in Jackie's chest as she prepared to recount to her date the sequence of events that led them to being on this date.
He, she would tell him, after settling the baby on Thursday night, had popped them some popcorn and seated himself next to her on the manky old couch in the basement. It was weird, Jackie remembered, the feeling of Hyde next to her on the couch. It'd been months since they'd curled up together without fear of being caught and it had been weeks since either of them had even wanted to. But here they were, two young parents, tired from an afternoon at the park, eating popcorn, watching whatever the hell it was on the television, both struggling to keep their eyes open.
"So," Hyde had said, when nearly all the popcorn was gone from the bowl. "Um, it's prom this weekend."
Jackie nodded wearily, too tired to get into another argument about prom, too content to just lay on the couch with her head on Hyde's shoulder.
She heard Hyde swallow and could tell he was wetting his lips. In a little under a year Jackie had learned nearly every one of Hyde's idiosyncrasies and she'd bet she knew the man better than anyone else in his whole life.
"Um, so yeah, I was thinking, we could like, go if you want?"
Jackie's breath had hitched as she looked up at Hyde. "To prom? Me and you? But you hate prom?"
"But you love it. So if you wanna go I guess I could suck it up n take you."
It hadn't been the invitation of a lifetime but for Jackie, in that moment, Hyde might as well have been wearing a suit of armor riding a white horse. Doves could've been released into a clear blue sky, and Karen Carpenter could've been standing on the stairs serenading them. It was so completely unexpected, and so utterly sweet, that all Jackie could do was throw her arms around Hyde's neck.
Caught off guard, he'd said, "Woah! So that's a yes I take it?"
The bowl of popcorn that was once on Hyde's lap was swiftly pushed onto the floor as Jackie's butt replaced it. Hyde had raised an eyebrow at her bolshiness but his arms quickly wrapped around her waist and he pulled her in close.
Weeks. For weeks Jackie had been deprived of Hyde's embraces. Of his endearing looks. Of his kisses. Of him.
And that was why the only answer she could give him was, "No. That's a no to prom, Steven."
He had been surprised to say the least. After all he did know Jackie pretty well so had been all set to 'suck it up' and make her happy. Which is why she had decided to make him happy instead, by not going to prom.
"Well how about a date then?" Hyde had asked as Jackie's lips hovered so close over his she could almost taste him.
"A proper date?" she had whispered into his mouth.
Hyde nodded slowly, eagerness forcing his bottom lip to quiver. "A proper date," he agreed.
"And then you kissed me and here we are, on our date," Jackie said matter-of-factly before popping a fry into her mouth.
"Pfft, you kissed me."
Amused at Hyde's apparent lack of memory Jackie busied herself stacking the empty food baskets on the table. Using a serviette she brushed the sprinkles of salt strewn across the table into her hand and dusted it off into a tray. Once the table was a more organized form of mess, she reached into her purse and pulled out her lip gloss.
Hyde eyed her curiously. "You've been hangin' out with Mrs. Forman too long."
Smacking her glossy lips together Jackie assessed her handy work and shrugged. Maybe she was turning Mrs. Forman-y-like, but now she was a mom she figured there were worse people she could be like. Much, much worse. Tidying up after herself and her child was far better than abandoning them.
"But I'm still a bitchy cheerleader," she stated proudly.
"That you are, Jackie. That you are," said Hyde as he picked up the car seat and followed Jackie out of the Hub.
Ten minutes later Jackie was standing in the Formans' kitchen watching Mrs. Forman wash dishes, wondering how Hyde had figured a bite to eat at the Hub fit into the category of first date.
"So you had a nice night, dear?" Kitty asked as she scrubbed a frying pan clean.
Jackie forced her lips into a smile. "Yeah, it was okay," she said, picking up a dish cloth. If her night was over she may as well help the one woman who actually gave a shit about her.
"I'm still surprised you didn't want to go to the prom," Kitty mused, soap suds reaching her elbows. "The kids were that excited when they left here! Didn't Donna look gorgeous? Although I still think she needed her hair up. Don't you agree?"
"I suppose," Jackie semi-agreed.
She thought about the events prior to her non-date with Hyde. The gang had been excited as they'd headed off to the Vineyard for dinner, all bow ties and corsages and hidden hipflasks in back pockets. For a moment Jackie had wished she'd been tumbling into the Cruiser with them, yelling at Fez to get off her dress, ordering Kelso to keep his hands to himself. But then she had looked at Hyde. He was leaning against the banister of the stairs, not watching Kitty fix Eric's tie, not watching Bob take a hundred photos of Donna in her black dress. The only person who Hyde was focused on was Jackie. His mouth turned up in small grin, his hands tucked into pockets trying to convey a picture of casualness. In that moment, amongst all the chaos, Jackie knew she'd made the right decision to stay home with Hyde. Even if it did mean drying dishes with Kitty at 7.30pm.
"Poor girl," said Kitty, breaking Jackie's reverie. "She doesn't have a mother around telling her what to do with her hair. Which is why I wish she would listen to me. I guess she thinks I'm not hip enough or whatever it is you kids call it these days."
"Don't mind Donna, Mrs. Forman," Jackie said, reaching for another plate to wipe. "You're way more hip than she'll ever be. She's a redhead remember? There's not enough hair dye in Wisconsin that'll alter the fact she has no taste whatsoever."
Kitty let out the sink and pulled off her yellow rubber gloves. "Ha ha ha! Oh, Jackie, I just love having you around!"
Before Jackie could tell Mrs. Forman just how much she loved being around, the kitchen door swung open and Hyde walked in. He cocked an eyebrow when he saw Jackie wiping dishes.
"She's out like a light," he said, referring to Tyler. "I swear to God all that baby does is eat and sleep, man."
Jackie begged to differ. "Steven, I swear to God that baby is awake all day looking for a boob to suck on or a new Vogue to spew all over. Every time I open a new magazine it's wet with baby drool or vomit before I get a chance to read it."
"Maybe she's trying to tell you something, Jackie? Like those magazines are a big, fat waste of money."
"Those magazines are what separate me from every other girl in Wisconsin." The dishes dry, Jackie plonked the wet dish cloth on the counter and narrowed her eyes. "They are what keep me miles ahead of everybody else on the fashion front. They are how I know what colours are in next season, or what length my skirt needs to be next winter...they are my lifeline to the world of fashion, Steven. They are not a waste of money!"
The night was all but ruined, Jackie could just feel it. Her lungs filled with air and she just knew once Hyde started yelling at her about how shallow she was she was going to cry. Then, once Hyde was yelling and Jackie was crying, Mrs. Forman would start drinking then start yelling and crying herself. It was all a mess.
But, as Jackie stared at the linoleum covered floor holding her breath so as not to cry, she felt Hyde's hand wrap around her own. With his other hand he tilted her chin up to look at him and, out of nowhere, he smiled the sweetest smile.
"Jackie, what separates you from every other girl in Wisconsin is you, man," he softly said. "You are way smarter, way more bad ass, way hotter, and way kinder than any other girl in this whole state. You don't need those magazines, but if you think you do, then I'll replace any that my daughter had the good sense to puke all over, okay?"
For a moment there was silence as Jackie struggled to find the right words to say to Hyde. She wanted to blurt out an I love you! but the Formans' kitchen, with Mrs. Forman in it, just wasn't where Jackie wanted to utter those magical words. So she left the 'awwwwwws' and head tilts to Mrs. Forman and let Hyde lead her out of the room.
Halfway down the stairs Hyde stopped and turned to look at her. "Hey," he started, still limply holding her hand, "I know tonight hasn't been the greatest first date in history, but, y'know, it's kinda hard with a kid in tow."
After his speech in the kitchen Jackie wouldn't have cared if he'd taken her on a date to the backyard. Tonight was going down in her diary as the best night ever - aside from the night Tyler was born of course.
"Steven, tonight has been great." She smiled down at Hyde, cupping his cheek in her hand. "I wouldn't change in thing." Well that was a bit of a lie...she'd have preferred to have not done the washing up on a date.
Hyde descended another stair and said, "Look, it's not much, but you didn't get to go to prom. You didn't actually get to go anywhere except the Hub which is a place you go to most days. So I figured this was about the best I could do given the circumstances."
Letting Hyde lead her Jackie took the last few steps down the stairs before being greeted with a picture of near perfection. The disgusting basement was still fairly disgusting, but it's main features had been prettied up. Covering the old couch was a soft blue throw - a throw Jackie had bought Hyde one day last summer after growing tired of his army green cot blanket. He'd never used it, but obviously kept it. One of Mrs. Forman's lace tablecloths was haphazardly placed over the wagon wheel, atop of which were numerous scented candles.
"Like I said, it's not much..."
The air was thick with a heavenly vanilla aroma, and the flickers of candle light offered just enough light in the dark room.
"Oh my god, it's perfect!" Jackie flung herself onto Hyde and peppered his lips with kisses.
"There's a movie on at 8," he said as Jackie continued to kiss every inch of bare skin on his face. "We have soda n popcorn, figured it'd be like being at the movies, without actually being at the movies."
Forcing herself to halt her onslaught of affection, Jackie pulled away from Hyde but still kept his hands firmly entwined with her own.
"Steven, I love it!" she exclaimed through heavy breaths. "I don't know how you managed to pull it off but this is like the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."
"It's not sweet, it's practical," stated Hyde, his words dripping with discomfort. "With the kid upstairs we didn't have any other options."
Jackie raised a brow and squeezed his hand. She imagined him down in the basement, lighting each candle, carefully arranging the throw...
The thought made her heart melt.
"Well if this is practical then I'll take it over romance any day," mused Jackie, falling onto the couch with Hyde right behind her.
"You know I'm not into all that romantic crap," Hyde said while Jackie got herself comfortable in his arms.
She stifled a giggle. "Oh I know that, Steven. This isn't romantic at all."
"Damn right it's not."
The next few hours were spent right there, Jackie curled in Hyde's arms while their friends danced away the night in the school hall. But Jackie didn't even spare a thought on them, her mind too focused on the present. On Hyde. There was so much they needed to talk about. So many questions that needed to be answered. His graduation was right around the corner and it's aftermath was gnawing away at Jackie like a mouse on a wire.
Was he going to college, or was he staying with them?
"What are you thinkin' about?" Hyde whispered as the credits rolled on the movie.
Startled, Jackie looked up and her eyes were captured by Hyde's baby blues. His face was so calm and so gorgeous and she so desperately wanted to ask him what his plans were. Ask him if he was sticking around. Ask him if she was worth sticking around for.
But she couldn't. Not tonight.
Nothing was going to ruin tonight.
So she answered him, "Nothing," and carried on enjoying the moment.
Whatever lay ahead could wait until tomorrow.
A/N: Wouldn't have a clue if anyone is still reading this but I have a couple of days off so logged into FF for the first time in MONTHS. Saw this chapter was almost finished so thought I'd post and see if it made anyone a little happy :)I still remember how this little fic was going to end and it's about 1 or 2 chapters away from finished. Hopefully this little spark of inspiration will stay and I'll get it done real soon. xxx