Disclaimer: I don't own.

Author's Note: I'm really sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been seriously uninspired. I just hope it doesn't show. :( I'm going to try to do better! Hope you enjoy it, and please review! I love them! Very much!

Warning: Uh...nothing much in this chapter. :)

For Her Sake

Chapter 21 – Pure and Blessed Magic

Wake Up

Hyde started towards the bed, but an agitated Sammy pushed rather roughly past him and beat him to the sprawled Jackie. As the huffing and puffing Sammy lifted her limp legs to the bed, Hyde watched in mild amusement. Yeah. He'd heard all about how Jackie reminded Sammy of his daughter.

Sammy turned, his face flushed, eyes wide with panic, his breathing labored. "Go get Carl! Tell him we gotta get a doctor! She ain't awake!"

Hyde grinned and headed towards the bed. "Calm down, man, she just fainted." He stared at the older man sitting by Jackie's side and raised an eyebrow.

Sammy didn't get his meaning. Hyde shook his head, rolling his eyes. He liked the guy, hell, owed the guy a hell of a lot for this whole thing, but sometimes he was just too thick for words.

The man smiled sheepishly and sighed. "Yeah, guess you're right." He turned back to Jackie and gently stroked her forehead. "Come on, pretty girl. Wake up." He closed his eyes. "Used to call Kimmy my pretty girl. She ain't around no more. Guess I'll have to call you my pretty girl. You're dad ain't gonna." His brow furrowed, his eyes squeezed tight, then opened. "Come on, Jackie. You gotta wake up."

Hyde cleared his throat. Loudly.

Sammy looked up, and again gave an embarrassed grin. "Oh. You probably wanna…" He stood up and patted Hyde on the shoulder. "There you go. She's all yours."

Hyde shook his head, then took Sammy's place on the bed. He stared at Jackie, and his heart turned upside down. And again. Ten more times. His lips parted, but no words would come. His throat had thickened too much. Instead, he reached out and touched her cheek with trembling fingertips. So warm. So soft. So pink. So very, very Jackie.

Her eyes began to flutter underneath the lids, and he leaned forward, his now upside-down heart skipping wild dances in his chest. "Come on, Jackie," he whispered. "Wake up." Her face was the same, older, maybe, filled out, but just as beautiful. Her hair, though, was shorter, cut to an inch or so below her earlobes and falling in loose, mussed waves. Odd. He'd never seen her with hair that short. Her thick lashes began to lift and she began to moan, distracting him from her hair. He smiled. She struggled, her head rolling, her eyes straining to keep closed. "Come on, baby."

And finally, when her eyes opened, revealing mismatched, glassy hues, he released his held breath. "Jackie."

She blinked, over and over, half-wishing, half-fearing his face would disappear. Was she crazy? Was it really him? Or had she slipped into some coma and was only conjuring him in her dreams? Blackness bordered her vision, and her head seemed to contain the Pacific Ocean's water. But there he was. There. His blue eyes, gazing down at her. Those smirking lips. "Ste…Steven?"

He nodded, touching her cheek with shaking fingertips. He cleared his throat. "Who else?"

She closed her eyes, opened them, closed and opened again. "It…it can't be you." She wanted to reach up to him, to touch his face, the light dusting of scruff on familiar cheeks, but her arms seemed sealed to the bed. "It can't be you."

"It is." The color was quickly returning to her cheeks, rushing in uneven patterns of deep rose. He smoothed his fingers over her soft skin, hoping to comfort her. She was trembling. The indecision, disbelief shone bright in her eyes, and he swallowed. He knew what to say. He'd practiced. "Okay. Remember this? Roses are red, violets are blue." He traced her lips. "The government's out to get all of us, but…" She gasped, and he smiled, taking a deep breath. He cupped her jaw. "I really, really love you." He shrugged. "Whatever."

And the Jackie magic, the special kind that only Steven inspired, exploded in her, as if she'd never fainted. She'd told no one about the card he'd given her, shown no one the poem he'd written her. She stared into his eyes, and saw the blue heaven that belonged to only her.

Steven. My Steven. My Puddin' Pop.

Her arms rose, nearly floated, and her body followed. She cried his name, grabbed his shoulders with greedy hands and pulled him to her. "Steven, oh my god, Steven!"

He fell to her, and their lips, after so long apart, joined as if no time had passed, as if no separation had ever been between them. Their kiss lingered, deepened, mouths and tongues searching for the magic that had always raged a fire between them.

When they drew apart, each gasping, their eyes locked.

And both of them smiled. Pure and blessed magic.

"Steven," Jackie whispered, reaching her trembling hand up and touching his cheek with hesitant but longing fingertips. "It's really…it's you." Confusion coated her brain, an uneasy disbelief hovered in the back of her mind, but that kiss…It had to be him. She hadn't forgotten the way he kissed her, the way no one else had ever kissed her. Hard and soft, deep and gentle, urgently and languidly, the perfect combination of extremes.

Hyde smiled, shifting on her, running a hand from her right shoulder to the left. His heart raced. From the moment he left Point Place, he'd been thinking of this moment though not daring to hope for it until Sammy had showed up on his doorstep. "It's me," he answered huskily, his throat thick. He stared at Jackie's face, so beautiful and angelic, but when a slight sob sounded, he glanced to the right, at the tiny body laying there, squirming and waving tiny hands.

His heart completely stopped. His baby.

Jackie noticed his gaze, and she smiled, stroking his cheek again. "Do you want to meet your daughter?" Her breath caught in her throat. How many times had she imagined, dreamed saying that? And how many times had she yelled at herself that she never would?

He looked at her again, his eyes wide, still unable to feel his heart beating, his breath rushing into his lungs. Daughter….He had…They had a daughter. Red had always been so soft for Laurie, his kitten. Would he be that way with his little girl? "My…daughter?"

"Stephanie." She gently pushed at his shoulders, and he sat up. She followed suit, and reached for the waking child. She picked her up, and smiled at the little girl as she brought her towards her father for the first time. Her eyes misted. "Hey pumpkin," she cooed. "I want you to meet someone." She turned her smile to the anxious, nervous looking Steven, and giggled slightly. "Hold out your arms, Steven." He did, and she leaned forward to give him his daughter. "This is your daddy, Stephie." She swallowed hard, trying to keep tears from gushing out with no control. "And this is our…your daughter, Steven. Stephanie Heidi Hyde." She adjusted Steven's elbow so that it cradled the tiny girl's head. "I wanted your name to be in all of hers."

Hyde nodded, staring down at the infant. Her body, so slight, just a dozen or so pounds of flesh and blood, his own, Jackie's, was so warm. So soft, and yet so penetrating. Her warmth and life seeped into his arms, and spread through him, making his entire body tremble with excited sparking darts. His daughter, Stephanie Heidi Hyde, was beautiful. A smattering of darkish hair covering her head, a tiny Jackie nose, tiny dimpled chin, the same shaped ears as her mother. Sweetly curved and pink lips like her mother's. But the eyes…the bright blue eyes, those were his. Hers met his, and he could see her curiousity. She lifted a small hand towards him, and he bent down, his eyes beginning to burn when her fingertips, just like her mother's had only a moment ago, touched his cheek. Now his heart beat again, only now, it was swollen to fill his entire chest. Love, pride, longing, desire, it was all mixed inside him.

And then she smiled, her hand flattening on his chin.

"Jackie, she smiled…"

Jackie giggled when Steven gasped, his wide eyes hurriedly fixating on her. "She's a happy baby. But I think…" She wiped her eyes. Stephanie in her daddy's arms…none of her dreams or imaginings had been nearly as incredible as this. "I think she's just really happy her daddy is holding her."

Hyde stared at her, the burn in his eyes now becoming wet. Tears. He hadn't cried when he left, nor any of the days he'd spent without Jackie. Hadn't let himself. Hadn't been able to, in truth. But now…The sob in his chest broke. "Her daddy," he whispered, looking again at Stephanie. "Hi, Stephanie." He laughed, and she cooed. "I'm…I'm your daddy." He could hardly believe what he'd just said, and yet, it felt right.

Sniffles from behind them caused both Hyde and Jackie to turn, and they both grinned at Sammy. He stood there, wiping his eyes and rubbing the bottom of his nose. "Aw, I'm sorry, I just…this is just so beautiful. I ain't seen nothing like it since…well, since I first held my own baby girl." He shook his head quickly. "Hey, I got another surprise for you, Jackie." His smile broadened and he looked at Hyde and the baby. "And for that pretty baby there."

Hyde chuckled. "Well, then why don't you go get it?"

Sammy nodded, giving Jackie a quick wink. "Guess I will. Give you guys a little time to talk."

The reunited lovers gazed at one another, then down at their child. Talk seemed necessary, but overrated. A burden.

And so, as Sammy gingerly closed the door behind him, locking it from the outside, neither Hyde nor Jackie said a word.

Where Is She?

Point Place, Wisconsin

"God, where is she? Eric, we have to go look for her."

Eric sighed and tried to keep his patience. He gestured at the ballroom of the Point Place Hilton, at the nearly hundred guests who had attended the wedding and now wanted to celebrate. "Donna, we can't leave our own wedding reception. What would people think?"

Donna rolled her eyes and swatted at her new husband. The wedding had been amazing, everything she'd dreamed of. The reception was proving to be otherwise. Jackie still hadn't shown up, and a tugging nag had opened up in Donna's stomach. "They'll think that we've gone off to fool around, dillhole." She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "I bet if I'd suggested we go do that, you'd have no problem with leaving, would you?"

He smiled guiltily. "That's different, Donna. That's something that makes me happy. Looking for Jackie…well, let's face it. It just isn't as good as sex."

Donna shook her head. "Eric, this is serious. It's been over an hour and a half. What if something's happened to her? Jackie's been so lost since…since…" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, seeing the fleeting image of her old friend. "Since Hyde died, and I'm worried, okay?"

Eric nodded. "Okay, okay. I get that. But…" He looked to his left and noticed Kelso standing nearby, trying to pick up one of his cousins. "Why don't we send Kelso out to look for her? And then if he can't find her, we'll go." Donna looked at him, a little uncertain, and he raised his eyebrows. "This way my mom and your dad won't panic when they hear we can't find Jackie. At least not for awhile. And chances are that Kelso will find her."

Donna sighed. "We better send Fez with him. You know, in case he gets lost."

Eric smiled and put his arm around his bride. "Right."

You Left Me

"Oh, it's beautiful," Jackie said, smiling as she settled Stephanie into the bassinet. It was lovely, pink-painted wood, with intricate carvings of hearts, suns and teddy bears. Jackie pulled the soft pink blanket up over her little girl's body and rocked the bassinet gently. "There you go, pumpkin. Sleep tight." She looked up at Sammy. It felt odd to say thank you, considering this man had kidnapped her and her daughter. Then again, he'd brought Steven to her, and was clearly enraptured by the baby. "Thank you so much, Sammy. She loves it."

Sammy nodded, his eyes locked on the baby bundled inside his handiwork. "It's kinda old. I made it for my little girl a long time ago." He closed his eyes, hoping to hide the sudden tears.

He didn't. Jackie saw, and her heart tugged for the big man. She reached to him and laid a gentle hand on his arm. "I'm sure she loved it, too, Sammy."

He nodded quickly, brushing his hand over his mouth before speaking. "I hope so." After a moment, the emotion disappeared into a wide smile. "Do you like the rocking chair? I thought you could use it when you feed the little angel."

She nodded. "I love it, Sammy." She looked at Steven, who was staring down at the baby. So many questions raged in her mind. "How long are we gonna be here? I mean, I'm not complaining or anything, I just…I just wanna know." She noticed that Steven looked up, and that Sammy met his gaze. "And why are we here?" Her breathing started to feel heavy in her chest as she looked at Steven, standing right next to her, looking as if he had secret upon secret inside of him. She began to tremble. She turned and kicked his shin. He winced and bowed over in pain. "Did you fake your death, Steven? Is that why you're here? Is that why I'm here?" Her voice rose. "What in the hell is going on?"

Neither of the men said anything.

"TELL ME!"

Sammy cleared his throat. "Uh…I think I better let Hyde talk to you about this." He smiled awkwardly and began to back towards the door. "I'll just…I gotta go check on Carl, see what he's doin'."

Hyde almost called to him, begged him to stay to keep Jackie from kicking him again. Damn, he'd forgotten how much pain one of those tiny feet could cause! But as Sammy exited, he gave Jackie his most charming smile. "So…we're alone. You think we can just…" His sexiest eyebrow raise and smirk. "Kiss some more before we talk about this?" He stepped closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing lightly. "Cause I really missed kissing you, Jackie."

Jackie crossed her arms and had to force herself to constrain the smile her lips wanted to form. She couldn't give into him. Not now. Not before he gave into her and gave her some freaking answers. She glared at him. "No, we cannot, Steven. You left me, and I wanna know why. Now."

Hyde dropped his hands, dropped his head and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath. He'd thought of this a million times, but none of the speeches he'd prepared were right. In fact, he couldn't remember any of them.

And now, right this second, he had to come up with a way to tell Jackie that her father wanted her killed.

He'd already broken her hearts nearly half a dozen times. How could he do it even one more time?