A/N: Thank you everyone for the reviews! I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying this story so far I know I am. I'm sorry for waiting awhile to update but I'm a college student and have extremely high stress levels so writing is on the back burner right now, plus I'm writing three stories at once and I feel bad updating one more than the other. Please check out my other stories if you haven't already. This chapter is way longer than the others and has dialogue from the show as the previous chapters do. I hope you enjoy and Review! Happy Reading Everyone!
Everyone takes their usual seats after watching Fez assault a mannequin in hopes of releasing the fabric breasts from the bra in record time. Eight seconds wasn't too bad, his technique on the other hand was atrocious. Hyde had hoped Jackie would be here by now but she still wasn't anywhere to be seen. Her parent house had been unoccupied for months now and Jackie was only there making sure everything was still in it's rightful place, showering and grabbing some belongings she may need. She had been sleeping with Hyde in the basement so it's been awhile since she went home for any reason other than to shower.
Before Hyde can fully sit in his chair, Kelso storms the basement in a fit of glee. "Hey, guys. Have I got a surprise for me. Annette!"A large breasted, blond bimbo with the ditziest look on her face came prancing into the Forman's basement. "Yeah, Annette came all the way from California to visit me because we're in love. Since Jackie won't take me back so easily now, well I remembered Annette, and, well, I gave her a call and one thing led to another… Well, hello there." Kelso's voice is knocked off point as he wraps his arm around the mannequin's shoulder.
Fez takes Kelso's distraction and make his move on Annette who looked just easy enough for him to get his hands on. "So, Annette, when you get bored with this one, I can take off a bra in eight seconds. Well, maybe more if you fight me."
"All right, back off, Fez. What me and Annette have is real."
"Which is amazing because I even told him that I used to be flat-chested and have a different nose."
"Yeah, and I figured she looks okay now, so what the hell? So anyway," Kelso squeezes in taking a seat between Eric and Donna on the couch. "Annette, you'll be staying with Donna."
"Um, what?"
Eric's face lights up at the thought of this girl staying across the driveway with his girlfriend. "No, no, it'll be fun. It'll be like having a giant Barbie to play with."
"Yeah. I mean, come on, Donna, you guys were such great friends in California."
"Friends? The most I ever said to her was, 'Yeah, those probably do hurt when they're sunburned.'"
"Well, I need someplace to stash her."
"Hey, I got a footlocker in my room." Hyde speaks up.
"Please, Donna." Annette pleads, "I already had to take a shower at Michael's house and one of his brothers took a picture of me."
The cogs in Eric and in Hyde's head start turning as they heard the words she spoke. Eric turns to Kelso, "Kelso, I thought all your brothers were out of the house."
"Uh, must've been a burglar."
The Hub
Hyde leads Jackie up to the counter at the Hub in order to get her alone for just a moment. It wasn't hard to do this without drawing suspicion to themselves as no one would ever believe that he would even be friends with her let alone seeing her. He hasn't seen or talked to her since this morning and he actually found himself craving the sound of her voice. What was happening to him?
She was just incredible and strong and after the whole cabin foreclosure he was beginning to realize just how strong Jackie was. She, like himself, preferred to keep her problems hidden and she did so in such a masterful way even he was convinced for years that she had no problems. Yet here she was making brokenness seem extraordinarily beautiful, her strength making her invincible, she strode around town with the weight of all her problems resting on her shoulders and she made it look like wings.
"How was your morning?"
"Not, great I had to fire the housekeeper cause there's no money left to pay her and she was starting to ask questions."
"Sorry. Have you heard from your mother?"
"Still nothing. Last I heard she was leaving Las Fiestas de las Margaritas."
He looks towards their table taking in what his friends were perceiving before placing a comforting hand on her back. "I'm sure she'll be back soon."
"I'm not so sure I even want her back. She abandoned me Steven and it's not the first time she has left with little regard for me or my well being."
"I know, but it hurts even more knowing they're never coming back." He speaks softly reflecting on his own hurt and misfortune.
She nods looking up to his crystal blue eyes that were always being guarded by his sunglasses. She wants so badly to be alone with him right now, to be able to kiss his supple lips.
"So, that's the tramp Michael fooled around with in California." She changes the subject to diffuse some tension between them. "But the nerve of him bringing her into The Hub. I mean, people eat here."
"Hey, don't be talking about how jealous you are of Kelso's new chick?"
"Oh, I am not jealous. But I would like to point out that the sign says 'No dogs allowed'."
He rolls his eyes and turns back to the order counter. He couldn't quite tell if she was actually jealous of Annette or if she was just playing. Something wasn't sitting right with him though. He had that twist of anxiety in his gut that he felt right before something bad was to happen.
He places his hands on her hips when he was sure nobody was watching and proceeds to quickly lay a soft kiss on her lips. "Let him have his tramp, cause you're my princess." He whispers softly in her ear, grinning at the smile his cheesy words brought to her face.
"Princess?"
"Well, ice princess."
"Look at you being all affectionate out in public." She says with an eye roll.
"I am not affectionate."
"Fine, romantic then."
"Jackie, I am neither affectionate nor romantic. I'm mean and abrasive."
"When are you going to realize that's just not true? You can pretend, but that doesn't change who you are in your soul. You are just as sweet and affectionate as any other wussy guy, like Eric."
"Take that back."
"No." "Jackie!"
"Fine, you're not like Eric." She turns to walk with him to the table to join their friends. "You're sweeter."
He glares in her direction but follows her to their seats.
"Jackie, you have to sleep at my house." Donna demands as Jackie takes her seat.
"Good idea. Put both Jackies in the same room, toss some lipstick in the middle, watch them tear each other to shreds." Eric schemes with Donna.
"No. No, no. I don't want to sleep over. I don't like her."
"Come on. We'll do, like, girlie things." Donna attempts to persuade her. "It'll be like a pajama party with makeovers."
"Donna, I'm not interested in stupid girlie things. Look, I'm not shallow anymore."
Hyde, who had been stuffing his face with a hot dog chokes at her proclamation. He coughs to clears his airway and sees Jackie rolls her eyes at him. "Don't do that when I'm eating."
"Jackie, come on. You'll have all night to chip away at her self-esteem. We can whisper about her and when she asks us what we were talking about we can giggle and say, 'Nothing.'"
"Oh, wait, I've done that to you."
"That's where I got it."
"Okay. Okay. Here's what I think would teach her a good lesson." Eric starts and Donna crosses her arms across her chest knowing the words out of her boyfriends mouth were going to be distasteful. "Dress her up like a Swiss mountain girl, us fellas will come over, make a couple daiquiris, get a little tipsy, see what happens." No one speaks but the stares glaring down at him from Jackie and Donna say plenty. "What? Okay that's not a very good punishment. We should spank her too."
"Fine Donna, but not tonight, maybe tomorrow."
"Alright, if I survive tonight I'm holding you to that."
Hyde's Bedroom
She noticed his eyes the first time they had met even through his old sunglasses because as much as he would like them too, they can't hide his bright blues. That beautiful blue gets brighter and brighter each and every time he sees her. At least it seems that way. She creeps into the basement at a little after midnight to find that it isn't empty as it usually is. Eric had fallen asleep on the couch, so she made her way back to Steven's room tiptoeing quietly.
Steven is resting peacefully in his bed. Jackie used to hate the night because she would always find herself alone and scared. The darkness and being by her lonesome had a way of emptying her until she felt hollow. Her mind would wander to some place unknown to her and return with only sadness. She didn't count sheep to get her uneasy mind to sleep. No, no she would be counting the falling tears, one by one, as they rolled down her cheek.
Now, though, as she laid down to rest in the arms of the man she was rapidly falling for, she feels an arduous peace that forces her into sleep. With Steven, it has always been easy, or at least seemed easy. With him, there was no one around to remind her of who she is supposed to be, instead it's easier to remember who she is.
"Hey you." He kisses her cheek.
"Hey, what's Eric doing on the couch?"
"Grandparents are in town." He replies without opening his eyes.
"So? Wouldn't they be in Laurie's room?"
"They brought Penny, Eric's not allowed near her after the last time she visited."
Jackie remembered the way Penny had tricked Eric into thinking she wanted him. It was nauseating just to think about. "Well, great… All we need around here is two whorey, unwanted blonds."
"Jackie, seriously cut it out."
"I'm just saying I don't like them."
"I know I've heard."
"I want them gone, okay?"
"Jackie you are going to be so disappointed one day."
"What? Why?"
"When you get to the center of the universe and realize your not it. Then what?"
"Steven!"
"Just go to sleep Jackie."
"Goodnight." She sulks down onto his chest as he brushes his lips to her forehead pulling her body in closely.
Forman's Basement
Hyde reaches into the freezer for a couple of popsicles tossing one to Forman and the other to Fez. "Jackie is acting really strange, man. I think she doesn't like Kelso having a new chick."
"No. Jackie's acting strange because Jackie hates Annette, because Jackie and Annette are the same person. And that's scary 'cause there can only be one devil, one hitler, one…Darth Vader."
"That's not it." He shakes his head at Forman. "Something's going on, and I don't like it."
"So what? Maybe she still has feeling for Kelso, who cares? They'll get back together and we won't have to listen to him whine anymore."
"I don't know, but it's bad, man. I get the same feeling I get right before I shoplift something."
"Why do you care so much, Hyde?"
He turns to Forman who was perched on the back of the couch realizing he may have pushed he luck a little to far and he pulls back a little. "I don't care, man. I just don't want to see her go back to Kelso that's all."
Fez shakes his head. "No, no that's not it. You see my friend it is an old story. The orphan boy will fall for the rich girl. The doofus will show up with whore. Rich girl will go back to doofus. Fez consoles whore, sexually. And orphan boy remains alone, slowly going blind from self-abuse."
Hyde scowls at Fez, standing up and approaching him, "too far?" He frogs Fez in the shoulder for his little tale. "I had a feeling it was too far."
"I have not and will never fall for Jackie."
"I believe you, man. You'd never cross to the dark side."
"Hey Hyde." His attention is caught by the tall blond waltzing down the staircase.
"Penny." He nods in her direction but doesn't give her quite the reaction she was going for.
"I was hoping to find you down here." She steps in front of him placing her hands on either one of his thighs leaning in to him. Her shirt drops down and he can see easily beneath the fabric that she isn't wearing a bra.
"Don't touch me."
"Why not? You got a girlfriend that'd be upset with me?" She runs her fingers across his inner thigh playfully towards his belt buckle.
In the company he's in right now he has no choice but to tie the knot on his own noose. "No."
"What are you guys doing sitting down here when the girls are having a pajama party right next door? Oh hey pretty lady!" Kelso interrupts Hyde's uncomfortable moment by bursting in through the basement door.
"Hey Kelso."
"Oh, I can just imagine what's going on over there." Fez drifts off into his daydream with Kelso.
"Yay!" Kelso says to his own thoughts.
"You know, it occurs to me that you can see right into Donna's house from my driveway."
"You don't say?" Hyde smiles pushing Penny away and running to the steps with the guys, in hopes of seeing his own girl.
Donna's Living Room
The room is thick in awkward silence. As she's filing her nails, Jackie is slowly driven mad by the growing annoyance of Donna's gum smacking.
Annette is as bored by the awkwardness as the rest of the girls are and makes a move to get up off the couch. "I'm going to go get some cracker jacks."
"Oh, she's so cheap she could be the prize in the cracker jacks." Jackie scoffs much to Donna's amusement.
"Wow. You're jealous"
"I am not jealous. I just want to pop that inflatable bitch and watch her fly around the room."
"Don't be such a bitch Jackie."
"If I was really a bitch, Donna, I'd make her life a living hell. Instead I'm just sitting back to watch her do it to herself."
"Look, Jackie, here's the thing. Kelso likes bossy, vain, shallow princess types, and since you won't take him back so easily this time, he shipped one in from out west."
"Well he's not supposed to replace me. He's supposed to sit around and pine for me."
"If you want him back then get back together with him."
"I don't want him back though. Ever."
"Well then you can't have your cake and eat it too."
"God it's always about food with you, it's like you're not even listening!"
Bob emerges from the kitchen guiding Annette into the room in front of him. "Okay. New rule for slumber parties, Annette wears a robe."
Meanwhile in the Driveway…
"No, Annette. Not the robe." Kelso whines as he and the guys peer over the Forman's hedges. Annette puts on a robe that works to cover as little as possible. "Quick, somebody yell 'pillow fight' in a girls voice."
Hyde gives Forman a pat on the back. "Forman that's your cue." He looks in through the Pinciotti's window. Jackie's wearing her usual pajamas, the plaid button downs. He thought she looks as good in those as she does in any other nightie he's seen her in.
"What are you boys looking at?" Grandpa Burt sneaks up on the boys and startles them with his voice.
"We were just uh… testing out these milk crates." Hyde explains.
"For charity." Kelso adds unnecessarily.
"Right and now that we are done, let's head inside gang." Eric leads his friends back inside the house. Burt doesn't follow though. "You coming?"
"Oh, no I told your Grandmother I was coming outside for a cigarette."
"Grandpa, you smoke?"
"Nope."
Back inside Donna's…
"So…" Donna attempts to break the silence, knowing they were surely in for a long night. "Um… So did you guys hear about that woman who might be the first female supreme court judge?"
Jackie's eyes squint in confusion. Why would anyone bring this up as a topic of conversation. "No. But I did hear that the Dallas Cowboys might hire their first red-headed cheerleader."
"Ew!"
Jackie turns in surprise to Annette. "That's exactly what I said."
Donna eyes could not roll hard enough at the two shallow barbies sitting in her living room.
"Uh-oh, red-head in the room."
Donna sits aside watching the girls whispering to each other as if they were all of a sudden best friends. "What are you two talking about?"
"Nothing."
Point Place Hospital
Hyde stands by the pay phone listening to ringing. He couldn't believe that Burt was in the Intensive care unit. He just hoped that it would turn out okay. He was a nice guy, he didn't deserve to pass away quite yet.
"Hello."
"Jackie?"
"Steven?"
"Hey, how's your night going?"
"It's okay, Annette's really not that bad. Why are you calling? You could've just came over."
"No, I'm at the hospital."
"Michael didn't fall off the water tower again, did he?"
"No, Eric's grandfather collapsed in the driveway. It isn't looking good."
"Oh my god."
"Yeah. I thought maybe aught to tell Donna, Eric may want to see her, I don't know…" He trails off.
"Yeah of course. How's Mrs. Forman?"
"She's with the Doctor so I haven't seen her since she left with the ambulance. I would guess that she isn't doing so great."
Jackie could tell by the quiver in Steven's voice that he was worried about Mrs. Forman and about Eric. He was such a kind person that way.
"Hey, Jacks I'm going to let you go. I just wanted to call…"
"Thank you for calling. I'll see you later."
"Yeah." He hung up the phone and headed back to the waiting room. He takes a seat next to Fez and snatches a magazine off the table. He sees Red's torn face. He connected with Red a lot, and saw quite a bit of himself in his father figure. He looks upset but Hyde decides not to say anything quite yet. Red wasn't much for the talking type of comforting. He flips through the pages of the magazine as Kelso makes his way back to the waiting room as well.
"They got ice cream in the cafeteria!"
"Ice cream? Kelso, my grandpa's in Intensive care."
"Yeah, but I told them it was my grandfather, so I got the ice cream for free."
Red stands up from his seat, frustrated with the boys. "Put it down."
"Fine, but when my burrito's ready, I'm eating it." Kelso replies completely oblivious to the situation surrounding them all.
"Why does everybody go everywhere with us? Look at all these damn kids. I feel like a Mormon."
"Man, I feel like we should know something by now." Eric is growing more worried by the second. If his grandfather was really okay then why hasn't a doctor come back by now? Or even his mother, who was with Burt. "That is the third coffee break that doctor's had. Hey, Buddy! Quit the coffee! Fix the sickies, all right?" Eric snaps.
Kelso sneakily reaches over the back of the chair he had sat in the grab his ice cream hopefully without Red noticing. But it was gone. "Hey, who took my ice cream?"
He and Hyde both glance at their sugar addicted friend. "Oh, sure, it's always the foreign guy."
"Fez, you're holding the spoon." Hyde points out the obvious observation.
"Oh, sure, it's always the foreign guy with the spoon." He corrects his earlier statement.
Kitty walks slowly around the hospital corridor to the waiting room. She could hear her family's voices all the way from the other end. Her chest was aching as she struggles to hold back the hurt and pain manifesting in her tears. Her lips are clenched tightly shut, she struggles to breathe calmly.
"Kitty, how's Burt?" Her husband asks her.
"Well… um, I don't know how to say this. Uh, Daddy's gone to a better place."
Eric places his hand comfortingly on his mother's shoulders. Kelso, though, misinterprets the situation and the mood of the setting yet again as the bulb in his head burns so dim. "Good. Cause this hospital sucks." Eric turns around with a glare. "What? Oh." Kelso turns away and whispers, "this hospital sucks."
Forman's House
Burt's Funeral
Eric rejoins his friends and Annette and Penny. They had gathered on his family's sofa to give their condolences. Hyde walks up behind Forman and moves in closer to Jackie. Placing a hand softly on her back out of eyesight, it was comforting to the both of them.
"Hey, man. Sorry about your Grandpa." Kelso is the first to speak up.
"I didn't know him,-" Annette started to say but Eric didn't really care to hear her words and just turns and walks away without speakings a single syllable.
"Hey Annette, let's go over to Donna's to freshen up." Jackie offers and Annette and her walk out through the kitchen.
"So, the rich girl goes off with the whore." Fez says grinning widely with his perverted thoughts. "That's a happy ending."
"Yeah, so Jackie and Annette are friends now? I guess she's not jealous over Kelso." Hyde says reassuring himself that maybe things with Jackie are going smoothly after all.
"Never count Kelso out. He's got a way about him. You know, when he talks to you, it's like you're the only one in the room."
"You're, like half in love with him, aren't you?" Hyde watches Fez looking sheepish. He turns and walks away. He wants to find Jackie and for the first time he actually wants to have a discussion. He felt so uneasy over her jealously with Annette that anything else could literally be better.
Donna's Yard
He found Jackie sitting on the stoop, Annette must've been inside or back at the Forman's with Kelso. Either way, she was alone and that's the way he liked her best.
"Hey, Steven."
"So, what's up with you and Annette?" His voice is rough as he gets right to the point.
"Nothing." How had she become so good at zen, she spoke with little to no emotion. He was supposed to be the master.
"Jacks, come on. I thought you hated her and what you're friends now?"
"She over heard me at Donna's the other night and told me that if I wanted Michael I'd have to fight for him and I know that I only want to fight for you. So I can stop being jealous now."
"So what, you like Kelso but you like me a little bit more?" He knew that she was trying to be nice and reassuring but it still pissed him off to think that she had feelings for Kelso. "Do you have feelings for Kelso?"
"Maybe I do still have some leftover feelings for Michael."
"You know what I think Jackie. I think the only reason you're with me in the first place was to get back at Kelso." The anger in his voice was heavy as he spat the words at her but he couldn't control himself. He was hurt.
"Steven, how can you say that? Okay so I have feeling for Michael but what am I supposed to do he was my first boyfriend. You need to deal with it and if you can't and want to break up with me for being a little jealous then I can't stop you, but I think it's a real waste because I love you." The words fell out of her mouth and she instantly regretted it. Steven couldn't handle feelings in any way. It was a mistake, but it felt so good to finally say. It had been almost eight months and that's the longest she's ever waited to say 'I love you' but it meant something entirely different when saying it to Steven as opposed to saying it to Michael.
Steven stares at her searching her big eyes for sincerity. She's the first person to ever say 'I love you' to him, well with the exception of Mrs. Forman. He knew she meant every word. He was one of the few that knew her lies. The silence in the room was killing him slowly and he so badly wanted her to speak again. Since when is she so quiet? He knew though that she was awaiting his reaction, regretting the words that may cause, is causing him panic. Why couldn't he just say it back? Of course he loved her too, there was no doubt. He came to terms with that at least a month ago but he just couldn't find a way to let it escape his mouth and his mind. "I'm not saying it back!"
"I don't care." She's shaking her head slightly from her seat by the Pinciotti's back door.
"Damn it!" He has to turn away from the hurt in her eyes cause they glisten and they will break him. He wants so badly to protect himself from the hurt she may inevitably cause him. This is why he has never let anyone in but he has found a way to let her in and it was the most amazing feeling. Kelso was a big part of her past, it wouldn't so easily disappear. He'd accept that if it meant she'd stick around. "Come here."
"Oh, Steven." She sighs with relief and moves up and into his outstretched arms which wrap around her with strength. His lips meet hers and realize it's been too long since they've touched in the way they always aught to. "You realize that to get back at Kelso we'd actually have to make this relationship public, right?"
"Woah, woah, woah, we're in a relationship?" He jokes having heard the word 'relationship' regarding them for the first time.
"I'm afraid so."
"Okay." He kisses her again. "We should probably go public sometime though huh?" "Eh, we can just send them invites to our wedding and let them figure it out then." She looks into his widening eyes, sensing his panic attack as he loosens his grip on her. "Hypothetical wedding." She reassures.
Forman's House
Burt's Funeral
"Hyde." Eric's cousin Penny approaches Hyde and Fez in the Forman's living room. The funeral had died down and most of the mourners had left. Kelso and Annette were making out on the couch, going at it in ways that were totally inappropriate not only in someone else's home but also at a funeral. Hyde and Fez were looking at an album cover when Penny come up putting her hand on Hyde's chest, leaning way too close into his space. "What are you looking at?"
"New album, Red bought it."
"Oh cool. Hey, I'm headed home tomorrow so I was thinking for my last night here, we could have a little fun."
"That's cool."
"So is that a yes?"
"Whatever." Hyde hits her with the zen again, not being able to give her a straight no with Fez to his right.
Kelso moves his hand to Annette's ass pulling her upwards to him. He knew he should probably get her to his van if he had any shot at changing her no sex rule. She kissed him hard and deeply as they were going at it on the Forman's ugly yellow couch.
Jackie and Donna enter the living room from Red's den. "GET OFF MY BOYFRIEND!"
A/N: Please Review!