Okay, so just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews. Someone did have the courtesy to point out that Edna and Bud were never really around at the same time, making my beginning seem off. Just to clarify, this story is set in the first season. It's slightly AU. Kelso and Jackie broke up before the Thanksgiving episode, and both of Hyde's parents are around. And just as a warning, part of this chapter is in Spanish. I'll leave it to you guys to figure out what Jackie's saying. Hope you enjoy this update! Read and review! Disclaimer: I do not own That '70s Show. I can't even afford to buy all the seasons on DVD. *frowns* At least I can watch them online. *smiles again*
Jackie frowned at the thought of sitting alone in her big, empty house. She would probably end up at Estella's like every other year. Estella had been working for the Burkharts since Jackie was a toddler. She used to be Jackie's nanny, and when Jackie outgrew having a nanny, she became a maid-housekeeper combo. Estella made sure that Jackie was fed and taken care of. She was like the mother Jackie had never had. Holidays were always spent with Estella and her large Mexican family. Jackie was extremely grateful for such a wonderful mother figure. Even though the family was large and poor, there was always enough food and love to go around. The tiny brunette knew she could always go to Estella for support.
Hyde stopped in front of Jackie's house. It looked big and intimidating. People like him shouldn't even talk to people who lived in houses like Jackie's. He noticed she was frowning again. Damn, he really hated it when she was frowning. Hyde cleared his throat, and Jackie looked at her window. She caught the hint and got out of the car. Some gentlemanly part of him convinced him to walk her to the door. Jackie took her house keys out of her bra, causing Hyde to smirk. "What? I had nowhere else to put them," she defended herself while opening the door. "Hey, do you want to come in for a minute?" Jackie asked shyly. Truthfully, she just didn't want to be alone in that huge house.
Hyde shrugged. He was curious to see the inside of this house. Maybe something in there would explain why Jackie was crying. "Sure," he replied casually, following Jackie into the house. His suspicions were correct. The mansion was just as elaborate inside as it was on the outside. Something about the house seemed off though. It was almost too perfect, like no one lived there. There were no homey touches. No mail laying around or keys on the table. Hyde spotted a picture on the mantle. Looking more closely, he released that it was a family portrait. Mr. and Mrs. Burkhart were on each side of Jackie, posing like an elegant family. Mr. Burkhart's smile was as fake as they got. Mrs. Burkhart looked bored, like there was some place she'd rather be. Jackie's smile was sad, almost identical to the one she'd had today. The look in her eyes reminded Hyde of a solider losing a battle.
Jackie's voice caught him off guard. "I'm going to get a soda," she said casually, not noticing Hyde's expression. "Want one?" He nodded, watching Jackie walk into the kitchen. The phone rang. She answered it knowing that it would be Estella. "Hello, Estella, how's dinner going?"
Hyde strained his ears to hear the conversation. "Aw, that's so cute! Put her on the phone." He was surprised to hear Jackie start to speak another language. "Hola, pequeña. Como fue la cena?"
Jackie laughed at Sabrina's answer. The little girl told her that she had thrown the turkey up in the air numerous times to see if it could fly. Jackie treated her like the little sister she had never had. "Bueno, parece que ested tenia un buen rato. Si eres una chica Buena para su mama, voy a pasar por adelante." The tiny brunette smiled at hearing Sabrina swear on her teddy bear's heart that she'd be a good girl. "Nos vemos mas tarde entonces. Adios munchkin. No empezar a jugar Candyland sin mi!" Jackie said cheerfully. Hyde started listening again once he heard her switch back to English. "Yes, Estella, I did eat today." This topic peaked his interest. "I had a burger and fries at the Hub." For some reason, Jackie's lie made Hyde angry. Why wasn't she eating? "Look, I have a guest. I'll come by later. Okay, love you too. Bye." Jackie hung up the phone with a sigh. She grabbed two sodas and went back into the living to find Hyde sitting on the couch. He gave her a funny look. "What?" she asked exasperatedly.
"Since when do you speak Spanish?" Hyde questioned curiously. Jackie was always making degrading comments about foreigners, and yet she could speak Spanish?
Jackie looked over at Hyde with her gorgeous eyes. They seemed softer after talking with her housekeeper. "Estella taught me when I was little. She said that I would need to know in case I ever went to Mexico," she responded with a wistful smile.
Hyde decided to try a harder question. "Jackie, where are your parents?"
She looked down at her pink toes, not wanting to answer his question. Jackie could feel Hyde's eyes on her. "My mom's in Mexico, and my dad's in New York," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
"When are they coming back?" Jackie was surprised at the gentle tone of his voice. Who knew Steven Hyde could be sensitive?
Jackie looked up at him. "I don't know," she mumbled. Hyde felt his heart break at the sight of the small brunette's tears. He didn't move. Something told him Jackie didn't want his pity. They sat in silence before Jackie said something else. "I hate holidays," she stated. Hyde looked over at Jackie, a little surprised at that proclamation. He had pegged her for someone who loved partaking in all the holiday festivities and cheers. In fact, he had heard her state a love for Valentine's Day more than once.
"Why?" Hyde couldn't help but ask. It seemed so out of character for the loud midget.
Jackie's answer was so heartbreaking that he wished he hadn't asked. "Because I always end up spending them alone. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day, Easter…" She started crying again. This time, Hyde moved closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry on his shoulder.
Jackie couldn't have been more thankful for Hyde at that moment. She was just so sick of being alone. Jackie wasn't a stupid girl. She knew that her cheerleading friends didn't really like her, and that the basement gang had only tolerated her because of Kelso. She looked up at Hyde. "Steven, will you come to Estella's with me?" Jackie asked tentatively.
Every instinct in Hyde's mind was screaming at him to say no, but he ignored them. "Sure," he replied nonchalantly. The smile on Jackie's face was definitely worth it.
Jackie squealed in delight. "Wait here while I go change," she ordered before jumping up from the couch and running up the stairs. Hyde sat there and picked up the newspaper sitting on the table. He flipped through it, muttering things about the Man as he read.
Upstairs, Jackie was primping. She loved being at Estella's house. The energy was upbeat and happy, and everyone there treated her like family. She never felt alone around them. The tiny house felt like home. Jackie was starting to discover that she felt the same way about the basement. The people down there were starting to become her friends, and she could always just go down there and listen to whatever chaos was going on. The mismatched-eyed beauty sorted through her closet before finding the right outfit. She decided on a white, lace-trimmed tank top with a light green cardigan over and her multi-colored fiesta skirt that Estella's daughters Christina and Josefina had made for her for her birthday. Jackie added nude sling-backs and gold hoops to complete the look. She left her hair down and put on some dark red lip gloss that made her look older.
Hyde turned around when Jackie walked down the stairs. He felt his body react to her. She was gorgeous. The Jackie he was looking at was different than the Jackie he had seen. Hyde was used to the Jackie who wore unicorns and rainbows. This Jackie looked sexy in her tank top and swishy skirt. Her lips were a dark red that looked seductive to Hyde. "What do you think?" Jackie asked shyly.
"You look great," Hyde mumbled. Jackie smiled at him, and they left the Burkhart residence. For some reason, Jackie had a container of Jello. When he asked about it, she simply replied, "I always bring Jello." Hyde rolled his eyes while Jackie gave him directions to Estella's. They drove up to the small ranch-style house that all the loud music was coming from. Hyde looked at the house. He didn't think that Jackie would ever be caught dead in a house like this. It was much better than his own at least. They got out of the car and walked up to the wooden gate. Jackie unlatched it, and they walked into the backyard.
Hyde was surprised by the many people that came up to greet them. First, a little girl ran up to Jackie and hugged her legs. To his surprise, she laughed and picked the little girl up. "Hola chorro! Me falta?" she asked sweetly.
The little girl nodded before adding, "Mama trato de hacerme comer zanahorias. Eran asqueroso. Usted no me han hecho comer, no?" Jackie laughed while Hyde looked confused.
"Sabrina said that her mom tried to make her eat broccoli and that it was yucky. Then she asked if I would have made her eat it," Jackie whispered into his ear, causing him to laugh. She looked back at the little girl and answered, "Por supuesto, Rina. Donde esta tu mama, de todos modos?"
"En la cocina con papa y abuela," Sabrina answered sweetly. Hyde noticed the loving way she looked at Jackie.
Jackie smiled. "Buena. Tengo que hablar con ella. Se puede tomar la gelatina?" she responded. Sabrina nodded and took the bowl from Hyde's hands. They followed the little girl through the backyard. They were stopped by two girls who were a couple years older than them.
"Jackie!" the two girls ran up to her and gave her a hug. Jackie smiled as she hugged the girls. Hyde just watched as they all talked.
"That skirt looks so good on you, chica, thanks to my amazing sewing skills," Christina joked. Josefina rolled her eyes at her younger sister.
"Sure, keep telling yourself that," she said, causing her younger sister to glare at her. "Christina's right, Jackie, the skirt does look good on you. But you're so bony," Josefina added worriedly.
Trying to avoid a shaky topic, Christina interrupted by pointing to Hyde and asking, "Who's that?"
Jackie gladly took the change of topic and responded, "This is Steven Hyde. Steven, this is Christina, and that's Josefina."
"Nice to meet you," Christina responded. She shook Hyde's hand, and Josefina did the same. Hyde could tell they were evaluating him. "Come on, Jackie. Mama has been waiting for you. Your plate is on the table," she added with a smirk.
"Got to love Estella," Jackie replied with a roll of her eyes.
"Well, it's a good thing since you didn't eat anything today," Hyde mumbled. Jackie glared at him, hoping that the two girls she considered older sisters didn't hear him. Unfortunately for her, they both did.
Josefina turned to Jackie. "What did you eat today?" she asked firmly.
"I had a burger and fries at the Hub," Jackie lied. Hyde felt his temper flare up.
"Arranging your fries in perfect order doesn't count as eating them, Jackie," he retorted. Before the three of them could ambush her, Jackie headed inside. They followed her.
The minute Jackie stepped into the kitchen, she was greeted by a bone-crushing hug. "It's so good to see you, embeleso. Tienes hambre?" Estella said in a mother hen way. She reminded Hyde of Mrs. Forman only Mexican.
"No, yo estoy lleno, pero gracias por ofrecer," Jackie quickly replied. Estella only shook her head and pointed to the plate of food sitting at the table.
"You will not leave the table until everything on the plate is gone," she instructed the girl she had practically raised. Jackie's eating habits were starting to trouble her. You could practically see the girl's collarbone. Estella was doing everything in her power to get Jackie to eat. Jackie only nodded and sat down. The mother hen clapped her hands together and turned to face Hyde. "And now I can focus on your guest. And you are?"
"My name is Steven Hyde, ma'am," Hyde responded politely. He wasn't usually that polite, but something told him it was important that this woman liked him.
Estella laughed a warm, hearty laugh that put him at ease. "Please don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel old. Call me Estella." She turned to her daughters. "You two, go make yourselves useful. Sus primos podríamos solicitar su ayuda en la parrilla." The two girls left the kitchen. "Now, Steven, would you like a plate as well?" Estella asked kindly.
Hyde looked like he was about to say no, but Jackie cut him off. "Even if you say no, she'll still bring you a heaping plate," the small brunette advised.
Hyde turned back to Estella. "Yes, I would. Thank you." Jackie giggled at his rarely used manners.
"In this household, we say gracias," Estella teased.
"Then gracias," Hyde corrected himself.
"Much better," the kind older woman said as she walked over to the stove, grabbing a plate, and setting down next to Hyde. Jackie stared at her plate. She took a tentative bite of her green peas. It tastes so good. She slowly started to eat tiny pieces of her food. Hyde dug into his food. He watched Jackie eat out of the corner of his eye. When they were both finally done, Estella proclaimed, "Now we can join the fiesta!" Jackie ran out off the kitchen, dragging Hyde behind her. Not that he minded, of course.
Hyde was introduced to practically everyone at the party. They all seemed to like him for some reason he couldn't figure out. He would later learn that it was because he made Jackie happy that night. Everyone there knew that holidays made Jackie gloomy, and that it was a great achievement to get her smiling and laughing on one. Yet Hyde seemed to do it effortlessly.
The salsa band that was made up of mechanics from Estella's husband Carlos's auto shop started to play a tango. Jackie squealed in delight and looked over at Hyde with a pout. "Steven, will you dance with me?" she begged.
It only took Hyde one look at Jackie's pout to give in. "Fine," he grudgingly agreed. They started to dance, and Hyde secretly enjoyed it. He knew Jackie was a good dancer, but he'd never seen her dance so sexily. His eyes were glued to her swaying hips that seemed to mock him. Hyde was enticed by the new mysterious Jackie he had met that day. They danced until the band decided to take a break. Jackie and Hyde didn't want to stop even though they were out of breath. "Wow," was all Hyde was able to say.
"Come on," Jackie said, pulling his arm. "I want to show you something." He followed her over to a secluded area of the backyard that had a hammock. "This is where I come every holiday to make my wish," she whispered softly.
Hyde looked over at Jackie. Despite the dark, he could still see the sad glint in her eyes. Damn, he was falling for this girl. "What do you wish for?" he asked knowing that the answer wouldn't be good.
Jackie looked at him before answering, "That I was someone else." Her answer made Hyde sick. Why would Jackie want to be anyone else? She was perfect being Jackie.
"Does it ever come true?" There was a moment of silence before Jackie answered.
"No." Every year since she was ten years old, Jackie had made the same wish every holiday, and every year she was disappointed.
"I'm glad." Jackie looked over at him in surprise. She thought that he of all people would love for her to change. She raised her eyebrow as if she was asking for an explanation. "There are a lot of things that are annoying about you, Jackie," Hyde started. Jackie glared at him. "But those things pale in comparison to your good qualities," he finished. "Look, I know I haven't always been nice to you, and I may have made some assumptions. Today, I've learned some things about you that I'm not going to forget tomorrow."
"Like how screwed up I am?" Jackie asked with a shaky laugh. "Poor pathetic shallow cheerleader with no real friends and parents who don't give a crap about her."
"I was going to say how strong you are," Hyde answered. This baffled Jackie. "Sure, you don't have parents who are there, but you have Estella and her family who seem to adore you. And you have the basement gang. Despite what we say, we do consider you one of us. The point is that you haven't given up yet. That makes you strong in my eyes." He paused before adding something else. "And honestly, you deserve better than what you've been given. You'll do a thousand times better than Kelso."
"Have anyone in mind?" Jackie asked. Hyde simply leaned in and kissed her. Jackie was surprised to say the least. Things in Point Place were about to get a whole lot more interesting.