Disclaimer: I don't own.

Author's Note: Almost done! Thank you so much for the reviews...they make me happy. And I have a cold, so maybe they'll make me feel better today, too. :) Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Warning: None necessary, I don't think. For once. :)

For Her Sake

Chapter 24 – And Then He'll Die

We'll See Them Soon

The Forman living room was quiet. No television turned on, no music playing; no kids rushing in. Just a middle-aged married couple, sitting next to each other on the couch. Millions of times they'd sat this way together in companionable silence, simply enjoying the others' presence and nearness.

This time was different.

They'd been there for half an hour, the only conversation short and terse sentences about trivial things. The weather. The squirrels in the yard. The disappearance of Schotzie; where was that dog?

Finally, unable to bear the silence any longer, unable to ignore the issue, Kitty turned to her husband, her eyes welling with tears. "Red, do you think…do you think Steven came back for Jackie and the baby? He said he'd come back eventually. He promised he would, remember?"

Red sighed. As soon as he'd heard Jack's mumblings, he'd wondered the same thing, though why Jack would know anything about it troubled him. Steven told them that he had to leave because of drug dealers, that he was planning on testifying against them and had to get out of town for awhile. "I don't know, Kitty. He told us he'd get in contact with us in that case. And how would he have known about the baby?" He stood up and began to pace, rubbing away the throbbing in his left temple.

Kitty shook her head. "We never should have agreed to this. We should have just called the police on those damn drug dealers."

He rolled his eyes. "Kitty, he wouldn't let us. We tried to convince him." He shook his head. "Stubborn dumbass." He headed for the bar. A beer wasn't good enough. No. This situation called for a stiff whiskey. "You want a drink?"

Kitty sat stiffly on the couch. She stared at the floor in front of her. "No, Red, I don't want a drink. I want my baby boy. I want my grandbaby. And Jackie." Her head bowed, and she began to cry.

Red stopped pouring his drink, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Stupid kid, getting himself mixed up with low-down criminals. And getting that poor girl pregnant just before leaving her. Now all this. He winced and pressed his hand to his chest, hoping to God his wife was too distracted to notice. All this crap was going to give him another heart attack.

The phone rang, so loud in the hushed room, and Kitty jumped. Red turned, saw his stricken looking wife, and again shook his head. He crossed the room and picked up the phone. "Hello? Steven?"

Kitty's head snapped up, and she hurried to her feet. "Is it Steven?" she cried, rushing to her husband and putting her hand on his chest.

He made a face and waved her off, urging her to be quiet. "Steven, where the hell are you?" He locked eyes with his wife. "You have Jackie with you. And the baby. Are you…" He closed his eyes. Damn it, what had Steven gotten himself into? And what had he gotten Jackie and that tiny baby into?

Kitty watched anxiously, twisting her hands together as Red hung up the phone. "Well, what did he say? Does he have Jackie and Stephie? Are they coming home? Red, what is going on?"

Red released his breath. "Jackie and Steph are with Steven." He shook his head. "All he told me is that we'll see them soon." His wife's face fell, collapsing into sobs, and he pulled her to him, holding her tight. He closed his eyes and inhaled Kitty's scent, sweet with a just a hint of wine.

He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or furious. He didn't know if he should hug the dumbass as soon as he walked through the door, or kick that ass until his nose bled.

He wasn't really sure of anything.

A Lot of Stuff Makes Sense

Jackie and Hyde lay in bed, both on their sides, facing one another, and both of them gazing at the little girl between them. Stephanie kept looking at Steven, and smiling, and Jackie's eyes darted between her sweet little face and his. When she smiled, he did, sometimes he even chuckled. "You love her," she teased him. "Look at you. You're completely gone."

Hyde shook his head, but he didn't take his eyes off the baby. He could take a little teasing. Hell, he deserved it. And besides, he'd put up with anything for his daughter. His daughter. The breath felt wispy in his chest. His daughter. He played with one little foot and decided to just ignore Jackie's barb. "So. You have a good talk with Sammy?"

Jackie nodded, but her smile fell. Seeing the way Steven looked at Stephanie…that must have been the way Sammy once looked at his daughter. She sat up, trying to breathe, trying to beat the suffocating embarrassment and humiliation and anger.

Hyde frowned. "What's wrong?" Jackie's back made tiny movements, tiny tremors, and he knew she was getting close to breaking into more tears. "Jackie?"

"I just…" She couldn't look at him, much as she wanted to. His eyes were such a solace, and she should take advantage of his glasses-free state. But she couldn't. "My mother killed Sammy's daughter." Funny, but so much about her family made sense now. The coldness. The fighting. The drinking, the abandonment. All of it made up for with present after present. Material things that hadn't ever made up for the lack of her parents attention and love. She turned her head and looked at Steven, his eyes bright blue and sweet. "Can I sit on your lap?"

Hyde nodded and sat up. He patted his thighs. "Come here." It had been far too long…far too fucking long.

She settled on his lap, facing the baby, and wrapped her arms around his neck. One of his hands rested on her thigh, the other smoothed up and down her back. She smiled weakly. "It makes sense. Ten years ago…that's when she started drinking so much. Like, all the time." She shrugged. "Guess now I know why. And why my parents fought so much." She closed her eyes. "Why she started ignoring me."

He wasn't sure what to say. Wasn't sure there was really anything he could say, and so, he lifted his chin, guided her head down, and kissed her, slowly and softly. He had little use for words…but kissing he could do. Often. Unfortunately, she pulled away, and he sighed. "You don't need her," he said. "You haven't for a long time."

Jackie nodded, shifting so that she faced Steven, her legs on either side of him. She glanced at the baby. Sweet blue eyes met hers, and she smiled, but only for an instant. She and Steven had made that tiny life, that growing and developing life. Stephanie was her, and Stephanie was Steven.

"You're not going to have this baby."

Heaviness sunk her heart, and she gasped. She'd prayed to forget those words. God hadn't answered.

"Dr. Marin is going to give you an abortion. Now. Even if I have to tie you down, Jackie. No daughter of mine is going to bear some degenerate's bastard child."

"Jackie?" She was shivering, and he rubbed his hands up her back, down to her bottom. Over and over again as he stared at her. The flashing in her eyes made him feel odd…very odd. Something had happened to her, besides the pregnancy, besides his leaving. Something…that probably had to do with her father.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that my dad threatened to kill me. He wanted me

to kill Stephanie. He tried to make me…Steven, he tried to make me…" She burst into tears, and buried her head in his shoulder.

Hyde looked at his daughter, his heart pounding. Jackie was mumbling into his shoulder, words that sounded like abortion, doctor, kill, my dad. He could add. Two plus two…in this case, the answer was that Jack had tried to force Jackie to have an abortion. His fingers tightened on Jackie's ass. His breathing sped. That bastard…he'd threatened to kill his own daughter, then he'd tried to make Jackie kill her daughter. His daughter. His eyes closed, and instead of black, he saw murder.

Jack Burkhart was going to die. For all that he'd done to Jackie, for all he'd thought about doing to Jackie, and for all he'd thought about doing to Stephanie.

He cleared his throat. "Jackie," he said gruffly. "Are you…are you okay with Sammy and Carl's plan? To get your father back?" His mind moved quickly, scanning the possibilities. Somehow, he had to figure out a way to get what had to be done done. Sammy said all he wanted was the money, no violence, no anything but the money.

But then, Sammy didn't know that Jack Burkhart had taken his daughter to kill her baby.

Jackie nodded, taking deep breaths, and somehow calming herself down. She was with Steven, after all, in his arms, in his lap, and Stephanie breathed happily and sleepily beside them. She lifted up. "Yeah. I mean, my father owes them money. Besides, I'm happy to help Sammy. He's helped me." She touched Steven's cheek.

He took a deep breath. Had to hide his anger. She didn't need it. He forced a smile. "I think Sammy wants to adopt you."

She giggled. "You know what, I wouldn't mind that." She lowered her forehead to his. "I love you, Steven."

As she once again nestled her head against his neck, her lips flittering like butterfly wings against his skin and making him tingle all over, he closed his eyes. He thought about the past, her need for security, her need to be told she was loved repeatedly. Her need to be essentially worshipped and adored. And her deep pain when she wasn't. Her insistence on knowing they had a future.

The very things that had freaked him out. The very things that had torn them apart.

"You know, it's kinda weird," he said, speaking his thoughts. "After all this crap with your father, a lot of stuff makes sense now."

Jackie raised her head and furrowed her brow at him. "What do you mean?" The knock on the door came with her last word, and she sighed when Steven grinned. "Saved by the door." She shook her head with a small smile. "You're gonna tell me later." She got off of Hyde's lap and stood, stretching her body. "Come in, Sammy!"

Sammy and Carl walked in. Sammy carried a camera, and he smiled sheepishly at Jackie and Hyde. "Sorry to interrupt you two, but we gotta get down to business."

Jackie smiled at Carl, who was standing next to the bed, shyly looking down at the baby. "Do you want to hold her, Carl?"

The man looked up, smiling uncertainly. "You think it would be okay? I mean, I don't have very much experience with babies."

Jackie picked up Stephanie and handed her to the nervous Carl. "Just support her head, and you'll be fine."

Hyde sat up, grinning. Sammy moved next to Carl and was looking over his shoulder, making a silly face at the baby. Jackie stood next to him, her hand on his head, and he wrapped an arm around her legs. "They're like her grandparents."

"So. Anyway. Business, like Sammy said." Carl took naturally to holding the baby, and it seemed normal for him to be talking about blackmail while rocking the child. "We need to lure Jack. So we're going to take pictures of the three of you. The way we figure it, Jack'll come running when he sees that you're with Hyde, here."

Jackie looked at Steven, and a sly smile crossed her lips. There was something else that would be even better, for all involved. It would bring her father probably even faster, and it would torture him as well. "I have a better idea." Steven looked at her, and she raised an eyebrow. "Sammy, do you by any chance have access to one of those tv cameras? Because my dad has a video tape player, and…well…"

Hyde looked at her, and found silky sexiness coupled with deviousness in her eyes. She leaned down and lightly licked his earlobe, whispering a dirty sounding "You and me on tv", and he smirked.

Damn, his chick was fucking hot! And evil. Abso-fricking-lutely perfect.

"Hell, yeah!" he said, smacking her on that fine, fine ass.

Sweet revenge, nothing. Hot, orgasmic revenge….yep, that was the way to go.

And then, he'll die. That fucking bastard will die.