Disclaimer: Still do not own That 70's Show or any of it's characters.

Thank you to all of you who have read this story so far. Also thank you to those of you who have reviewed, followed and made it a favorite it as well. I appreciate you so much.

Chapter 3

Hyde suddenly felt his throat go dry and he tried to swallow as he tried to fully comprehend what he'd just been told. A million thoughts flooded his mind but the most obvious question seemed to be trapped in his throat. As he gathered himself to ask, all he could do is pray that the answer wouldn't destroy him. "So…who is the father?" he finally asked as the one continuous thought kept repeating in his head 'Please don't be Kelso's…please don't be Kelso's.

Jackie noticed the uneasy look on his face and she had known him well enough to know exactly what he was thinking. She wasn't about to fill him in her on her life up through now but she didn't want to add any more fuel to the fire either. "That really doesn't matter and I really don't want to discuss this right now." She could see him starting to tense up so she continued "But don't worry it's not anyone you know.".

"I wasn't…I wasn't worried."

Jackie tilted her head and gave him a look that let him know that she knew better. "Look as much fun as this has been I need to head home. It's his nap time and he's going to get cranky soon so I'm gonna go."

"Well can I at least ask what his name is?" Hyde said as he took in the baby once again. The kid seemed okay as far as babies go. He was pretty quiet so far, which was a miracle considering he was Jackie's. Kids weren't really his thing he supposed but truth was he hadn't really been around babies since he was one.

"His name is Julian." Jackie smiled down proudly at her son. "I guess we'll be getting out of your hair now so you can get on with the rest of your day." she said as she gathered her belongings to leave.

Hyde started to panic. He knew if let her walk out the door he would probably never see her again and even though he knew they would both be fine if that happened he wasn't okay with her leaving without him knowing if she at least had a decent life here. And even though it seemed far-fetched, maybe they could find a way to at least salvage some kind of friendship since they were both a little older now and possibly more mature. Plus Hyde didn't really know anyone else in the city and he felt like this could be a chance to undo some of the damage done over the last few years if they could put the past behind them. "I could run you home if you like. That way you wouldn't have to take the bus." Hyde quickly stated.

"No it's fine we're used to taking the bus." Jackie wasn't quite sure she wanted him to know where she was staying. She most definitely didn't think she wanted him in her life again even if she could tell he was different somehow than she last remembered. She had her son to think about and Steven had a history of being hot one day and cold the next and she didn't need unstable people around them especially since she wasn't the most stable herself at the moment. That was also another thing she didn't really want him to be aware of as well. Her life here in Minneapolis had been a struggle. When she first arrived she found a job at a local TV station as a production assistant but when the head producer found out she was pregnant he didn't feel comfortable with her working there since the job was extremely demanding and required physical labor at times so she was let go after about 2 months. She tried to find something suited to her liking but in the end all she could find was a job as waitress in a diner near her apartment. It certainly wasn't the glamorous life she always imagined for herself but she had a child to support and bills to pay.

"Come on Jackie It's really not that big a deal. I'm sure you'd rather not wait in the rain with your kid and try to juggle your bags again. I promise to be on my best behavior and if not I'm sure my shins will pay the price." he said with a slight grin trying to lighten the mood.

Jackie sighed and as much as she hated to need his help she knew he was right. "Fine. I'll take you up on your offer but no funny business." she warned.

The drive from the apartment was relatively quiet with the exception of Jackie giving directions to Hyde along the way. Both of them were uneasy and trying not to show it. Hyde tried to stay focused on the road but his thoughts were on how he could get her to feel at ease enough for them to be around each other again but he knew he had a huge uphill battle. He also wondered what he would find once he got there. Since Jackie hadn't told him the story with her son's father he didn't know whether to expect their reunion to have a third, well technically fourth, member. Meanwhile Jackie was on the other side of the car trying to figure out a way to make sure the ride ended with them going back to their separate lives but she could tell by the way Hyde had been acting that he was probably going to make it difficult to do but he would just have to understand.

The quietness was starting to get to Hyde. Jackie was never usually this quiet unless she was thinking and most the time that was even done out loud. He decided to break the silence. "So if you don't mind me asking, why were you taking a bus? What happened to your car?"

"I sold it. I needed the money at the time and public transportation is pretty reliable in the city so I figured I could do without it."

"Oh well uh that makes sense I suppose." replied Hyde.

"Yeah."

Hyde decided not to pursue the conversation any further since it was apparent Jackie was in no mood to talk so back to silence it was. He kept sneaking in an occasional glance every so often. He noticed she was still as beautiful as ever, probably more so actually. She was a little fuller than he last saw her but it suited her well. He assumed that was due to her pregnancy. Any additional weight had gone to ALL the right places. He quickly shook his head as if to erase those thoughts and redirected his attention back to the road and continued driving.

When they arrived at her apartment building, Hyde took a look at the neighborhood. It certainly wasn't what he was expecting. It wasn't a slum but it certainly wasn't a place that the Jackie Burkhardt he knew would live. He began to grab the groceries out of the car. 'Great now he's coming inside' thought Jackie. Jackie nervously shifted the now sleeping Julian in her arms and directed them inside. Once they entered the apartment Hyde looked around at the place. It wasn't very big at all but it was clean and nicely decorated. The living room and kitchen were connected with a small eating area to the side. There was a hallway which lead to the rest of the house which Hyde assumed lead to the bathroom and bedrooms. Jackie had gone back there to put the baby down in his crib. He put the groceries on the kitchen counter and then headed back into the living room. He quietly scanned the room for pictures to try and see if there was any indication of who Julian's father might be and if he was still currently in the picture however he only saw some of the baby, Jackie or of them both. There was no man in any of them. Hyde took a deep breath and decided to sit on the couch and wait.

Meanwhile in Julian's bedroom, Jackie laid the baby down in his crib to finish napping. She traced her fingers over his face and leaned down to kiss his chubby cheeks. She loved her son more than anything in the world. Even though he didn't arrive under conventional circumstances, he was the best thing that ever happened to her and she was determined to make sure he always knew that. She wanted to make sure he never had to feel like she felt growing up, even if that meant she had to sacrifice some of her own dreams to do so.

Jackie turned off the light and headed back down the hallway. When she got to the living room she saw Hyde sitting on the couch. She could tell he was deep in thought. She finally took a second to get a good look at him since she was too much in shock earlier. He had on a pair of jeans and a band t-shirt like usual but he appeared slightly more rugged, more mature even and definitely more hot. 'Get those thoughts out of your head right now you idiot! This is still the same dumbass that made you miserable two years ago' Jackie thought to herself. She knew right then she had to get him out of her house and out of her life as soon as possible.

Hyde finally noticed her come in the room and stood up. "Hey. Is the little guy still sleeping?" he asked trying to start up another conversation.

"Yeah he is. Steven listen, I appreciate you bringing us home but I really think that..". The phone in the kitchen rang suddenly interrupting their conversation. She walked over to answer the phone leaving Hyde standing in the living room. "Hello?"

"Hey Jackie where are you? You were supposed to be here at 1:00." said the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Carol what do you mean where am I? I told Beth that I needed today off because my sitter was going out of town today and tomorrow. She said she would find someone to cover for me today and I'm already off tomorrow." Jackie started pacing back and forth becoming worried.

"I don't know what happened honey but Martin is pissed. Your name is still on the schedule and it's really busy right now. " Carol replied. "Hold on honey, I'll let Martin know what you said."

Jackie could hear her shouting the information to her boss in the background. She could not afford to have any more problems with her job right now. She was a pretty reliable worker for the most part but she had to take off a few times here and there due to the baby both during and after her pregnancy and her boss had not been gracious about it. Most of the other women who worked there were older and either had no children or had kids who were past the baby stage. She could hear Carol come back to the phone as she hoped for the best.

"He said no one said anything about you being off today and if you don't get down here you can forget about coming back to work at all. I'm sorry honey."

"What am I going to do? Carol I don't have a sitter and I can't afford to lose this job." Jackie was in a panic by this point. She was barely making ends meet as it was and losing her job would be detrimental right now. "Carol just tell Martin I'll be there. Just give me an hour to figure something out…yeah…okay…bye." Jackie had no idea how she was going to make it happen but she had to at least try.

Hyde had overheard the whole conversation. He looked over at Jackie who was in tears by that point. When he heard her saying how much she needed her job he realized just how severe her situation really was. He got up and walked to the kitchen as Jackie tried to turn away so he didn't see her crying. Hyde always had become a softie for her when she was crying and this time was no different. He cleared his throat and spoke "Hey Jackie, I could watch him if you want.".

"I'm sorry what?"

"I said I could watch him for you. I kinda overheard you on the phone and it really sounds like your needed down at work and I'm not really do anything for the rest of the day." Hyde did his best to not make it seem like it was a big deal. He knew from the past that Jackie did not like people feeling sorry for her in embarrassing situations.

"I can't ask you to do that. You've already done so much for us today. I'll just have to try to figure something out."

"Jackie it's really no big deal. Like I said before I'm free right now."

She weighed her options. Jackie figured maybe she could ask one of her neighbors but other than her sitter, Mrs. Henderson, she really didn't know anyone else. She saw some of them in passing of course and she didn't really want to entrust her kid to a complete stranger but then again could she trust Hyde to watch her son either? "Have you ever even babysat before?" she questioned.

"Well no but I did have to babysit Forman, Kelso and Fez over the years. I'm sure it can't be much harder than that." Hyde amused.

Jackie finally resigned to the fact that she really didn't have much of a choice at this point. She felt like she was caught between a rock and a hard place. After a few seconds she finally made a decision. "Alright you can babysit. I'm gonna go get dressed and get everything ready for you." She turned and walked to her room and quickly threw on her uniform. She then ran into Julian's room and grabbed the essentials that Hyde would need for the day and put them in the diaper bag. She hurriedly wrote down some notes on how to take care of the baby and any other information he might need. Never in her wildest dreams would she believe her day would turn out like this. Not only had she run into her ex-boyfriend who had saved her from a fall, he was now in her apartment about to babysit her child. The child she had with another man.

She walked back to living room and handed Hyde a diaper bag and a piece of paper. "Here's his diaper bag. I put some diapers, wipes, powder and a change of clothes in there should you need them. He has bottles already made in the fridge. When he wakes up give him a bottle. He usually gets his dinner around 5:30. The baby food is in the cabinet in the kitchen. Just heat it up for a few minutes first. You can give him another bottle after he eats and then one at bedtime, which is around eight. His pajamas are in the bag as well. I wrote all the instructions down on the paper as well as the address and phone number at my job. If you get hungry there's food in the fridge. Help yourself to anything you'd like. I get off at nine and my job is only about 15 minutes from here and I'll be right home afterwards."

Hyde looked at the paper and then back at Jackie. "Cool I think I got it. I guess we'll uh see you when you get off."

"Okay great. Oh and Steven? If you harm one hair on my little angel's head they'll be fishing your parts out of each one of the Great Lakes." Jackie threatened on her way out the door.

Hyde chuckled. There was the Jackie he remembered. He sat back down on the couch and looked around the living room some more. He grabbed a Cosmo magazine but decided he'd rather be caught dead than read one of Jackie's lady mags. He put the Cosmo back on the table and got up to turn on the TV. As soon as he was about to sit back down he heard the baby start to stir. He grabbed the diaper bag and headed into the room and saw the baby rubbing his eyes. Hyde stood over the crib and looked down. "Are you waking up little man? Let's break you out of these bars" he said lifting Julian up out of the crib and into his arms. All of a sudden a horrible smell assaulted his nostrils and he realized it was time for diaper duty. Hyde cringed as he placed the baby on his changing table and started to remove the dirty diaper. "Did your mom tell you to set me up before she left cause that's the kind of thing she would do." he joked. Julian looked back up at him a smiled. "You would think that was funny." Hyde finished changing the baby and headed into the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle from the fridge and then grabbed a soda for himself. He sat back down on the couch and placed Julian right next to him and handed him his bottle. "Well little man I guess it's just you and me." Hyde said as they both sat back and enjoyed their beverages.

Thank you for reading. If you have a moment to review, I sincerely appreciate all feedback. I hope to have another chapter up soon.