A/N: Hi! Thank you all so much for being patient with this update. The semester is over (FINALLY, HUZZAH!), and it looks like this next one shouldn't be too busy after the first few weeks, unless my classes are unexpectedly ultra-demanding. Therefore, the hope is I'll actually be able to update some during the semester this time. I actually wrote the first part of this chapter during the fall semester, but I'm just now finally finishing it. Lesson learned? It's really hard to suddenly pick up a story after a long time, but much harder to pick up mid-scene. Oops. Hopefully I did my job well, and you won't even be able to tell where that happened in this chapter.

It's really nice to get back to this story. Hopefully you feel the same way :)

Jackie knew something was up. The others were underestimating her, but she could tell they were keeping something from her. How come they all had instant answers for everything? And did it seem like she was the only one who hadn't seen her boyfriend recently? Determined to find out if there really was something being hidden from her, Jackie marched into the Forman house with her head held high. Unfortunately, the kitchen was devoid of people to witness her intentional dramatics.

She waltzed past the basement door, from which music could faintly be heard below, and went into Red's den. There was Steven, sitting on his bed...packing a suitcase.

"What's that for?" she asked.

Steven turned his head, now noticing his observer. "Jackie. Hey."

"Going somewhere?"

"Well-"

Suddenly, Jackie's hands rushed towards her mouth. "Is that what the secret is? Are you planning a secret romantic get away? Are we going to Hawaii?" She quickly sat down next to him.

He looked at her with a mix of confusion and amusement. "Yeah, I won the lotto and didn't tell you. Hawaii's expensive doll. Maybe for our-" But he cut himself off.

"Maybe what?"

"Nothin'." He shook his head. "Actually, I got to talk to you about something." There was a pause. Jackie knew hesitation meant big news, which was never a good sign, unless you were digging for juicy gossip about an enemy.

"Yes, Steven?"

A slight smirk made its way onto his face. "On second though, picture us in Hawaii."

"What are we doing in Hawaii?" She smiled.

"We're dancing. My hands are on your hips. And we go behind a palm tree to makeout. And there are flowers and...peacocks...velociraptors. I don't know. What's in Hawaii?" He brushed off his own train of thought. "Not the point. Picture what I was saying before. Now hold that thought."

She leaned closer to him, put a hand on his leg. "It sounds wonderful, Steven."

"Great." He patted the suitcase between them. "WB invited me to stay with him for a while, and I'm gonna take him up on it."

"What?" She backed away. "Why would you do that?"

The casual tone in Steven's voice was so forced it was almost painful. "Because everything's on the first floor, which is cool, since crutches are sort of a problem now, since yesterday, when I sort of tripped down the stairs and busted some more ribs. But yeah, bathroom on the first floor. So that's cool." Eyes cast to the floor, he nodded his heads a couple times. "So that's what's goin' on."

So that's what everyone was hiding! "Did everyone know but me?"

"Well, about the stairs part. The WB thing is new. So hey, you're the first one to know about that."

Jackie glared at him.

Hyde calmly met her eyes, as if he had everything under control. "That Hawaii thing. That was sweet, right? Sort of makes you less mad at me, doesn't it."

"No, it sort of makes me more mad now that I know you only said it before so I'd be less mad now."

"Damn, that seemed like a pretty solid plan while I was sayin' it."

She crossed her arms. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

"Because...because..." He scratched his head. "I don't know, at first I just wanted you not to find out 'til I could tell you myself, but then I took a bunch pills and my brain just sort of decided it was a good idea not to tell you at all. But I'm telling you now, so I get credit for that at least." Now his look was less certain.

"Oh, so I should be mad at your brain, and not you?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, that works for me."

"Steven." She sighed, then looked past the secret keeping to the content of the secret. "You fell? How are you?"

"I'm alright."

"Are you?"

"Yeah."

"Really."

"Jackie, I said I'm alright."

"You said you broke more ribs? You can't be alright."

"Jackie, when I say I'm fine, I mean I will be fine. Happy? I will be fine."

Jackie shook her head. On one hand, she liked hearing him admit what she already knew. It always made her feel warm inside hearing a boy say she was right - well, usually. But in this instance, it made her sad to hear him confirm that things weren't great. "You know what, Steven? I actually don't care about being right right now. I just want you to be okay."

"What did I just say?"

"I know, I know. But you should have told me earlier!" she reprimanded.

Steven nodded.

"And next time you want to do something stupid, like ride a dangerous machine you have no idea how to work, ask me and I'll tell you how stupid you're being!"

"Can't wait for that conversation," he droned.

Jackie grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. "I know your life is basically a mess right now, and that totally sucks," she said, noting the scoff it earned her as a reply. "But...I'm here to take care of you. And when you're better, we'll go to Hawaii!"

"Yeah. And in between those two things one of us will win the lottery to pay for that trip."

"Oh, Steven." She shook her head at him with a fond smile. "Who needs lotteries when you're from a rich family?"

"I'm not from a rich family."

"But you have a new, rich dad! And Steven - I think it's a great idea to go stay with him while you get better. It'll give you time to get to know him...and get a taste for the finer things in life."

"Jackie, I've told you a dozen times, you're never going to turn me onto caviar."

"It's the epitome of classy food, Steven!"

"Yeah, if you're duck, maybe."

"You have so much to learn. I have my work cut out with you."

He smirked at her. "Ditto."

As soon as Jackie explained to her friends that she'd come downstairs so Steven could have a private talk with Red and Kitty, Kelso went to the vent to eavesdrop. Afterall, he explained, his cop status made him the most qualified of the group to spy on the conversation.

"I bet it's going to be boring," Eric said. "Besides, nice try hearing anything through there unless Red starts yelling."

"You'd be surprised, Eric. I've heard a lot of good stuff through these vents."

"Um." Donna gave Kelso a weird look. "You know, you guys are a little creepy sometimes."

"Whatever," Kelso brushed her off. "I'm nowhere near as creepy as Fez."

"Did somebody call my name?" Fez asked, turning his face away from the half naked women on the television screen.

"No, buddy, you're good," Kelso said. "Go back to watching the hot chicks so you can fill me in later."

"Goodie!"

Kelso turned back to the vent. He could hear that Red was talking about WB. Kelso would rate the rant at a two or three out of ten on the Red Alert Scale. Kitty was way more freaked out. That was how it usually went; one was trying to talk the other one down. If both Formans were upset with you, you knew you were screwed.

Hyde was talking now. "Look, he's just trying to be nice, alright? I mean, it would take care of whole stairs thing, which...is pretty cool."

Mrs. Forman spoke next. "But it'll be over a month until your shoulder and ribs are healed."

"Yeah, but then I'm back on crutches for another five weeks, so-"

"Oh no, that's too long."

"WB said he didn't mind. And I'd go back to work soon, start paying him rent or something."

"I didn't say WB was the one who would mind."

"It's nothing personal, Mrs. Forman. Seriously, it's mostly about having a ground floor bathroom. I'm not making any major life changes without your input, I promise."

"I suppose, but...once you start spending all of your time there, all of the kids are going to want to!"

"Well!" This time, it was Red who spoke. "Kitty, the boy makes some pretty good points."

"Red, You're just saying that because the house would be quieter."

"That's not the only reason-"

Kelso stopped listening at that point. He'd heard enough versions of this conversation bit to last him a lifetime, so he was content to rejoin his friends around the television. "Hey, Eric, why does your dad hate people so much?"

Eric bust out laughing. "Why is the sky blue, Kelso?"

Kelso scrunched up his eyebrow. No answer came to him. "I don't know, man. What's that got to do with Red?"

Eric just shook his head.

"No, really. Now I'm all curious and stuff. Why is it blue?"

"Forget it," Eric said.

"I want to know!"

"It's just a rhetorical question."

"But do you know?"

"Of course I...know. Actually." He turned to Donna. "Actually, I don't know why it's blue."

"Aha!" Kelso exclaimed. "Not so stupid now, am I?"

"No," Jackie said, "you're still pretty stupid."

"Hey!"

"Don't worry, my friend," said Fez. "You put the pretty in pretty stupid."

The next day, Forman and Hyde drove over to WB's mansion.

"Holy crap!" Forman said as soon as Hyde pointed out the property.

"I know."

"I can't believe you're going to stay here. You, Steven Hyde. Our little orphan boy, our rebel without a cause, in a mansion."

"Yeah, it almost feels like a betrayal, doesn't it."

"You know what, man? I say enjoy it. You deserve it."

"I deserve it?" Hyde looked at him skeptically.

"You know. With the hospital and all that, you could use some time in a cool place like this."

"Yeah, like being too dumb to operate a bike means I deserve a mansion."

"You don't...not deserve a mansion. Guess Laurie was right with all that Little Orphan Annie stuff."

"How's that?"

"You know, because halfway through the musical Annie moves in with the rich dude who ends up adopting her?"

Hyde stared down his sunglasses at Forman "How do you know so much about a musical?"

"Uh, because...Laurie...my mom...I...just shut up."

Hyde smirked. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Forman parked the Vista Cruiser, and the two were led inside the great building by WB.

"Your house is so cool," Forman said to the older man, sounding like a giggling school girl. "I mean - wow!"

WB followed Forman's glance around the entry halll. The guy had a friggin' entry hall. "Yeah, I've done pretty well for myself, haven't I?"

"I'll say!"

WB chuckled and dropped Hyde's suitcases into the guest suite, which Hyde was pretty sure was bigger than the entirety of Edna's house. Man, his life had been some trip. The Forman's house was nice, but modest...and he did sleep in the basement. Never before had he even stepped foot in a bedroom this big - if he had, he probably would have been accused of stealing something. It really did feel like some kind of betrayal to the Steven Hyde brand, so to speak. That wasn't to say he wasn't grateful for it. It was just...weird.

"Guest bathroom is through there, and you remember where the kitchen is," WB was saying. "Angie's going to stop by soon."

"Cool." There were so many things to look at. A few years ago, he probably would have stolen something from this room, and denounced the kind of person who lived in luxery. It dawned on Hyde (not for the first time), that he didn't know who he was anymore.

"Well, why don't I show Eric around while you unpack?"

"Cool," Hyde repeated, absentmindedly.

"Way cool," Forman agreed, already admiring various fixtures of the house as he followed WB out of the room.

Hyde poked a golden picture frame on the wall. Definitely not real gold. Just painted wood. Hyde felt stupid for even thinking it was real in the first place. The picture it contained was of some nondescript place with tropical plants. Hyde couldn't tell for sure if it was a stock photo or real; he'd have to ask WB the story behind it. There were a lot of things he'd have to ask WB about over his stay. This was shaping up to be one hell of an Autumn.

A/N: How was it? Enjoyable despite the wait? I don't know if I've told you guys this, but I have had a complete outline of this story for a pretty long time now. Sometimes new ideas pop up or end up being a lot longer than expected, of course, but I have it basically all planned. So...next chapter is going to be a time skip. Just a fair warning. I'll quickly catch everyone up on what happened during the skip, but we're going to flash forward a few weeks so when we're down to just crutches, and soon there after to leg cast off. The story won't end there, but it's time for us to move from mostly physical challenges to psychological. You'll see what that means soon ;) If anyone wants a hint: we're gonna see motorcycles again. Also more Angie, because there hasn't been enough of her lately.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all have a lovely weekend!