A/N: This chapter is shorter than the last couple. It's more fluffy, I think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from 70S SHOW nor any music references I may make.

The next day, Jackie was setting out breakfast stuffs when Ash clomped down the stairs, rubbing her eyes.

"There are pancakes on the counter," Jackie said.

"Mmmph," Ash said in affirmation, and grabbed a plate and began to stack up the cakes. "Ooh, are these Swedish style?"

"They are!" Jackie said, smiling. "Thanks for noticing." Ash began to pour syrup on the pancakes, when there was a knocking on the back deck glass door. They turned, and saw Sam there, waving.

"Samuel's here," Jackie said, and Ash motioned for him to come in. "How does he know when I'm making pancakes?"

"It's a gift," Ash said, and Sam tried to open the door, but walked into it, as it was locked. Ash burst out laughing, and got up to unlock it. She let him in.

"It's not funny," he said. "Hello, Ash. Hello Ms. Burkhart, I just wanted to… Oh! Are you having pancakes?"

"Help yourself, Samuel," Jackie said, and Ash handed him a plate from the cupboard.

"Now since I know you aren't here just for pancakes, what can we help you with?" Ash asked.

"I saw a guy leave your house last night," Sam said, sitting at the table with a stack of pancakes. "Was it who I think it was?"

"Well that would depend on who you thought it was," Ash stated. "Now, if you think it was Tom Savini, no Sam. It was not Tom Savini. If you think it was Marlon Brando, no Sam. It was not Marlon Brando. If you think it was the almighty Bruce Campbell, no Sam. It was not-."

"I thought it was your Dad!" Sam snapped.

"Well then, yes Sam. It was my dad," Ash continued, smiling at him.

"That's insane!" Sam said, eating his first big bite of pancakes. "I saw him and you talking, Ms Burkhart."

"What are you, a peeping tom?" Jackie asked.

"No," Sam said, sheepishly and mouth filled with pancakes. "…. Thanks for the pancakes, Ms Burkhart."

"Any time, Samuel."

"So okay, he's in your life?" Sam asked.

"Yep," Ash said.

"….. Okay, well Maddie and I have to meet him," Sam said. "So here's what you're going to do."

"And what is that?"

"You're going to call him up, tell him that he's taking the lot of us to Minnehaha Falls. Today," Sam said.

"Excuse me?" Ash asked.

"Does he have a say in this?" Jackie asked.

"None," Sam said.

"Ooh, Samuel, I knew I liked you, you're just a pushy as I am," Jackie said.

"He can be worse, Mom," Ash said, and Sam smiled and ate more pancakes. "So what, seriously today?"

"Yeah, today," Sam said. "So go on, call your Dad." Ash and Jackie exchanged glances. "You better call him because I already called Maddie."

"What is it with you two?!" Ash exclaimed. "It's a freakin' double team on me! And she better not have driven again!"

"She doesn't have a license," Jackie said. Ash stood up, and walked to the phone. "Oh do you really think Steven will go for this?"

"I hope so, cuz if not Sam and Maddie won't let me hear the end of it," Ash stated.

"No we will not," Sam stated, and finished his pancakes.

Hyde didn't have anything else to do that Sunday, as he never worked Sundays, so he was up to the idea of going out on a nature walk with Ash, Jackie, and Ash's friends. And besides, he hadn't been on Minnehaha falls yet, and it was a pride and joy of Minneapolis residents. He pulled his car into the lot, and saw Jackie and Ash get out of Jackie's car with two other teenagers. So those were Ash's friends.

"Hey Hyde!" Ash called, waving at him. "Okay, the only reason we dragged you out here is because THESE two are dying to meet you. This is Sam and Maddie."

"Hi," he said. "Hey, Jackie." She smiled at him, and waved shyly.

"Hello, Steven," she said. Ash looked from her to him, and smiled a little bit. "So what, do we just picnic and walk down the path to the falls?"

"Okay," Ash said.

"I brought a Frisbee," Maddie said, pulling it out of her large bag. "Wanna play?"

"You really have to ask?" Sam asked. The teenagers walked to a clearing, and Hyde and Jackie walked behind them.

"Sam and Maddie, huh?" he asked, and Jackie nodded. "What are they like?"

"Samuel is cynical and sarcastic, and Maddie is pretty flighty but very sweet."

"Ash attracts all kinds," Hyde said.

"Yeah, she does," Jackie stated. "Well there's a bench right there, we can just watch the kids play Frisbee."

"….. Actually, want to go find the falls?" he asked. "I haven't seen them before."

"…. Okay," Jackie said. "Ash, we're going to go find the waterfall, we'll be back in a bit to have lunch with you three."

"Okay!" Ash called, and the Frisbee hit her in the face. "SHIT!!! MADDIE!"

"Sorry, Ash!" Maddie called.

"Ash, are you okay?" Jackie asked, rushing to her, Hyde close behind. Ash held a hand to her face, and nodded.

"I'm good, I'm good," she said. "Go ahead, go find the falls." Jackie made her take her hand away from her face, and examined the welt. "God, Mom! I'm fine! You're embarrassing me! Go find the falls with Hyde!"

"Okay okay okay," Jackie said. "Come on, Steven." He nodded, and gave Ash a tentative thumbs up, and she responded with one in return. Once they were out of hearing range, she turned to Maddie.

"Jeeze, you fail at life!" she said.

"Hey! I do not!" Maddie snapped. "If I recall correctly, you're still a virgin, so I beat you at that."

"Now THERE'S an accomplishment. You've had sweaty fumbling sex in the back seat of a taken guys car and I haven't," Ash said, sitting on a picnic table.

"Hey, his girlfriend told him that she didn't care if he got with me," Maddie said, sitting next to her.

"You never heard it from the horse's mouth though," Ash said, and Sam picked up the Frisbee.

"I think that was the shortest Frisbee game in the history of the world," he complained, and sat down too. "I thought you had a boyfriend, Ash."

"I don't have a boyfriend, and even if I did-," Ash started, and Maddie held up her hands.

"Is it that Adrian guy?" Maddie asked. "You haven't complained about him in awhile. Are you dating him?"

"You guys are way too nosey," Ash muttered.

"I didn't hear a no in there," she said.

"NO," Ash said, and began digging through the cooler for ice. "My God, why are you so interested in my sex life?"

"Because I'm curious," Maddie said.

"Because mine is non existent," Sam stated, sadly.

Jackie and Hyde walked down the stone steps in silence. The birds in the trees chirped, and Jackie took in a long breath.

"I haven't been here since Ash was a toddler," she said. "I forgot how pretty it is."

"Yeah, it's nice," Hyde said. They stood on the bridge, and looked at the falls. "Wow. That's nice."

"Yeah, it's really nice," she said, and sat on the stone wall. He sat next to her, and sighed. She looked at him, and grinned a little bit.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said. "It's just weird, you know? Sitting next to each other in comfortable silence."

"Yep," he said. "Very weird…. How's it been?"

"How's what been?" she asked.

"Raising her," he clarified. "How has it been?" Jackie smiled a little bit, and ran a hand through her hair.

"It's been hard," she said. "But wonderful. She's been amazing, even since she was a baby she's just been amazing. I mean, yes, she's a pain in the ass at times, and she loves to pick fights with me over the stupidest things, but it's been such a great sixteen years."

"…. I kind of wish I'd been there to see it," he said.

"I know," she said. "…. Hey, want to walk under the falls?"

"We can do that?"

"God, don't be stupid, of course we can," she stated, and began to walk towards the rocks. He smiled to himself, and followed her. "I'm not really wearing the right shoes for this…"

"Do you ever?" he asked, and she flipped him off as they stepped on the rocks. They walked behind the waterfall, and they looked through the water. "I bet in the winter this is pretty cool."

"I never thought of that," Jackie said. "I bet it is too…. So Steven, how have you been these past sixteen years? Hell, how has everyone been?" Hyde shrugged.

"Same old same old," he said. "Just been working at Grooves, seeing the Foremans. Kelso and Brooke got married in 1983, and have three more kids."

"Wow. Busy."

"No kidding. Eric and Donna got married in 1984 and have their kids, who I guess you are going to meet next weekend."

"I'm so nervous about that."

"The kids?"

"No, seeing Donna," Jackie said. "I just left her a note, she couldn't have been happy with me."

"She wasn't, but she was madder at me, so that worked out for you." She laughed, and shrugged.

"I missed her a lot," Jackie said. "I've learned that I make better friends with guys than girls, oddly enough. Donna was the best girl friend I ever had."

"Yeah…"

"What about Fez?"

"Oh god, Fez. He owns a candy store."

"…… You're kidding."

"Nope."

"Well hooray for him combining passion with work," she said.

"So that's them, at least when I moved that's how it all was."

"How long have you been in town, anyway?" Jackie asked, holding her hand under the steady stream of water. "I mean, you look pretty settled."

"Yeah, I've been here since March," he said. "I just needed a change, you know? So I came here, leased a space, and made my store. And I've really liked it here."

"… And what about girls?" Jackie asked, flicking him with the water on her hands. "Any special ladies in your life?"

"Nope," Hyde said, trying to dodge the water a little. "None. Sure, some dates and one night stands, but no one special." She nodded, and wiped her hand on her pants.

"Me neither," Jackie said. "Well, there was one for a little while, but it didn't work out. Big surprise, right? I mean, me AND a kid. It's a fatal combination in the dating world."

"I'm sure he was a complete jerk," he said.

"…. For awhile he was really great," Jackie said. "But he couldn't handle it. Kids make dating complicated. But screw him. If my date can't handle the fact I have a great kid they're not worth my time. We did fine."

"Yeah, you did," he said. "…. It's really cool seeing you again, Jacks." Jacks. HER nickname. She felt her heart flutter like a terrified hummingbird, and she smiled at him. He smiled back.

"I'm happy to see you too," she stated. And it was true. She felt like a young woman again, who didn't have to grow up so fast.

"Cool," he said. The water fell in front of them, and they stared at each other. As much as they didn't want to let their old feelings get in the way, it was proving difficult on this lovely summers day, underneath a waterfall. Hyde sort of leaned in, and kissed her softly on the lips. Jackie barely responded, but he did feel her kiss back. They stopped, and she kind of smiled at the ground.

"We should go back up there before Ash gets hit with the Frisbee again," she said. "She'd probably kill Maddie that time." Hyde nodded, and watched her walk towards the rocks away from the falls. Well, that was a bust, he thought.

"Sorry," he said, catching up to her. She shook her head.

"Don't be," she stated, and kept walking. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and felt the heat of embarrassment rush into his face. They hiked back up to the park area, where Maddie was sitting on a table with a tissue to her nose.

"Guys!" Jackie exclaimed. "What happened?"

"The Frisbee got it's revenge," Ash said.

"No, YOU got your revenge!" Maddie accused.

"I told you it was an accident!" Ash snapped. "Just keep it elevated."

"You know how when YOU were in highschool you and your girl friends just spread gossip at those you were mad at?" Sam asked Jackie. "Well your daughter takes a more direct approach."

"It was a complete accident and I don't appreciate you insinuating otherwise!" Ash said, slugging him on the shoulder.

"See!?" Sam asked, pointing at her. "Look at this!"

"Okay Ash, knock it off," Jackie said. "Here, let's just have lunch, okay?"

"Did you two find the falls?" Maddie asked, tilting her head back. Hyde and Jackie quickly looked at each other.

"Yeah, we did," Hyde said. "They were pretty cool."

"What kind of sandwiches do we have?" Ash asked, digging through the cooler. "Oooh, turkey!"

"I get the turkey!" Maddie announced.

"There's only one, finders keepers," Ash said.

"You better give it to me," Maddie pouted.

"Why?" Ash asked.

"Because you made me bleed."

"….. Ugh, fine," Ash said, handing her the turkey sandwich.

Hyde was concerned that he had really blown it at the falls. He didn't know what it was that possessed him to kiss her. He'd been denying these feelings since he saw her the night before, hell, since he FIRST saw her, but they were fighting him all the way.

"Steven, do you want roast beef or chicken?" she asked, holding up two sandwiches. He shrugged.

"Whichever one you don't eat, I'll take," he said.

"That would be the roast beef," she said, and handed it to him.

"…. Man, I hate roast beef." She rolled her eyes, and switched with him. She then smiled at him. The smile on her face was an indication that there were no hard feelings, and she may have even wished it could happen again. But he had a lot to make up for, and she needed time. He was willing to accept that. As grudging of an acceptance as it may be. He smirked, and switched the sandwiches back.

"I can handle it," he said.

"…. Good," she said. To the others it was a conversation about roast beef. For them, it went a little deeper.

"Hey, Sam, would you take our picture?" Ash asked, handing him her camera.

"Whose?"

"Me, Mom's, and Hyde's," Ash said.

"Yeah yeah yeah," Sam said. "But if ants get to my sandwich-."

"They won't, you baby," Ash said, sitting between her parents on the grass. "You two better smile."

"Hey, we're smiling!" Jackie exclaimed. They all smiled, though Hyde's was more of a 'I'm too cool for your picture' smirk. Sam took the photo, and handed the camera back to Ash.

"Dammit! The ants are on my sandwich!" he exclaimed.

"Oh for God's sake," Maddie said, brushing the ants off of it. "I complained less when Ash broke my nose."

"It's not broken!" Ash protested.

After the lunch, they dropped Maddie off and then went back to the house. Sam had gone home right away, leaving Ash and Jackie to wait for Hyde.

"That was fun," Ash said. Jackie nodded. "So how was your little walk with Hyde?"

"It was fine," Jackie said. "Well you saw the falls after lunch, they're very pretty today."

"I wasn't really talking about the falls," Ash said. But then Hyde's car drove up. Hyde got out of his car, and walked to Ash.

"So, when do you want to come over again?" she asked.

"I don't know…. Tuesday?" he asked.

"Sure," Ash said. "Tuesday works. We can order a pizza, watch a movie…"

"Don't forget the big thing happens Saturday," Jackie said, standing up from the swing.

"God, that's going to be so weird," Hyde said.

"I'm dreading it," Jackie said.

"I'm not exactly sure why I should dread it but I'm bordering on it," Ash said.

"Oh no, they're going to love you," Jackie said. "It's your father and I that are probably going to experience the wrath of the Foremans."

"Mainly me," Hyde said. "Well I'm going to hit the road. But Tuesday, Ash. I'll be here."

"Okay. See ya," Ash said. Hyde waved, and made quick eye contact with Jackie. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. He back in his car, and drove off. Ash looked at her Mom.

"The hell was that?" she asked.

"What?" Jackie asked.

"That little look you two shared."

"There was no look."

"Yes there was."

"Ash, there wasn't," Jackie said, and walked into the house. Ash frowned, and followed. But she saw the smile on Jackie's face. There was SO a look, she thought.