Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the slightly changed plotline.
You finally get to see how Jackie and Hyde met! Aren't you excited :)
Note: After watching the episode 'Career Day,' I got a strong feeling that Edna truly does care about Hyde, but is unsure how to show it. So, in my story, some things are going to be shown in Edna's point of view, and I'm going to try to explain her reasons for leaving and everything. She will be leaving earlier than in canon due to an idea of mine.
Also, the episode 'Punk Chick' will be skipped because I'm not sure how to work Jackie and Hyde's relationship into it. I may use the other story line from the episode, but change Hyde's, but I'm still not sure yet.
Warning: Child abuse in this chapter
"Man, the Grinch has a big butt," Donna muttered, eyes glued to the TV. She stood at the back of the basement with Eric and Hyde, who was holding a box of ornaments for the small tree in the shower. Fez sat in the lawn chair, Kelso on the couch, and Jackie in Hyde's chair.
"Yes," Fez smiled, "Nothing says Christmas like a brig, green, Grinch ass."
"Hold the latter for me," Donna ordered, grabbing a beer can from the box and climbing up the tiny latter next to the tree, Eric holding it for her.
"So, Eric, what're you doin' for Christmas Eve?" Kelso asked, tilting his head back to look at Eric.
"My parents are having the same lame Christmas party they have every year," He answered before mocking the adults' voices, "Hey neighbor, is that a mistletoe?" He began exaggerating a drunken make out, sticking his tongue in every direction, missing the disgusted look Hyde sent him.
"Alright," Donna said, fixing the can on the tree, "How does that look?"
Hyde and Eric turned to look, but their eyes immediately went to Donna's bottom, directly in front of them.
"Looks great, man," Hyde smirked as Eric muttered, "Oh, so fabulous."
"Guys," Donna grinned, pointing at the tree, "The ornaments are up here."
They looked up, giving rather unenthusiastic, "Oh, yeah," "Looks great."
"Steven," Jackie scolded, but he just grinned at her as he set the box of ornaments on the deep freeze. He patted her leg, and she stood, letting him take his seat before settling into his lap, his arm loosely draped across her waist.
"I just love Christmas," Jackie smiled after she was settled, "It's all about good tidings and cheer... and shopping."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what Jesus was going for," Hyde muttered.
"Hey, I give, too," Jackie whined, pouting at him, "You know every year my friends and I give gift baskets to the unfortunate."
"I think you mean less fortunate," Donna replied, a bit of a confused look on her face.
"Whatever," Jackie muttered carelessly, "Bums." Hyde snickered.
Hearing footsteps on the basement stairs, Jackie lifted herself from Hyde's lap just as Mrs. Forman entered the room, "Oh," She smiled, "What're you kids doing watching cartoons? Holiday Inn is on," She turned the knob on the TV, swaying and singing the song playing, "Where the tree tops glisten, la, la, la, listen!"
"Eric," She tapped his shoulder when she reached him, "Help me get the decorations."
"Sure, mom," He grinned at her, following her toward one of the storage rooms; as embarrassing as Kitty can be, he couldn't help but smile at her constant cheer.
"You know what my favorite Christmas gift of all time is?" Kelso sat up abruptly, "Light Brite. It's fun makin' things with Light Brite." He grinned, but when no one else seemed to share his excitement, he pouted, muttering a bit defensively, "Well, it is."
"Man, my favorite gift is cash," Hyde smirked, "That way you can buy whatever you want. Know what I mean, Donna?"
"Uh huh," She muttered, giving him an odd look.
"Yeah, like, let's just say someone gave you... I don't know, six dollars and some change, right?" He continued, looking at her, "Yeah, to buy a present. What would you get?"
"Well, Hyde, it doesn't matter how much the gift costs," She answered, "As long as it's personal and sentimental."
"You know what's personal and sentimental, Steven," Jackie said, patting his leg, "Diamonds."
"Yeah, whatever," He muttered.
Suddenly, a shriek was heard from the back room and Kitty came rushing out, heading straight for the stairs. Eric calmly walked out, looking at everyone staring at him. He pursed his lips, "We were goin' through a box of Christmas decorations and... we found a Christmas rat."
Kelso immediately shot up, running toward the back to see the rat while Donna and Fez calmly followed him. Jackie bounced into Hyde's lap, keeping her feet off the floor in fear of it, while Hyde just rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the TV.
"So what was up with the present question?" Donna asked later that night. She, Eric, and Hyde were sitting in the basement, Jackie, Kelso, and Fez upstairs in fear of the rat still being there. The three of them were going through small boxes, trying to find some decorations for the Christmas party Red gave Eric permission to throw.
"I don't know what to get Jackie," Hyde muttered, digging through the box in his lap.
"Like I said, personal and sentimental," Donna answered.
"You try tellin' that to Jackie," Hyde shot back.
"Hyde, I'm pretty sure Jackie'll love whatever you give her," Donna tried to placate him, "And if she can't appreciate it, then just don't get 'er anything."
"Donna," Hyde said impatiently, "If I don't get 'er anything, she'll go straight for my shins."
"She kicks you in the shins?" Eric asked, glancing up from his box.
"It's one of the things she does when she doesn't get her way," Hyde deadpanned.
"Hey," Donna smiled, setting her box on the coffee table after she pulled out a large binder, "Check it out, there's a bunch of photos in here."
Eric and Hyde sat there boxes down before taking a seat next to her on the couch, leaving her squished between them when they leaned over to look at the album.
"Oh, look," Eric pointed at a photo, "This is when Hyde first walked me home." He glanced up nervously, "That was not a fun day."
"You're tellin' me," Hyde muttered, remembering the horrid bath Kitty made him take with Eric. She had just taken one look at him, smiled, and said, "Well aren't you just the dirtiest little boy."
"Hey, here's a picture of me and Hyde," Donna pointed, "I think from like... fifth grade?" She looked at it for a moment before her face turned pink, "Oh my God, you can see my training bra through my shirt."
Hyde laughed, "Yeah, I remember that training bra."
She flipped the pages a few times before she suddenly stopped at one, her brows furrowing, "Hyde, it's you and Jackie."
Hyde looked at the picture; Jackie was in her cheer uniform in the Forman kitchen, piggy-backing him. Her arms were wrapped around the front of his neck, and he held on to the underside of her thighs, holding her up. She was smiling at the camera, leaning her head against his, while he just stared blankly, a small mark on the corner of his right eye. It was from last year, '75, when they first met.
"What's this from?" Donna asked, looking at him while pointing at the picture.
"Oh, uh," He mumbled, "That was the day we met."
Donna grinned at him, "Is it an embarrassing story?"
"Not really."
"Can we hear it anyway?" Eric ginned.
Hyde sighed, rolling his eyes, "Fine. My ma's boy toy kicked me out for the night..."
{FLASHBACK}
Hyde huffed as he stalked through the forest; 'Uncle' Curt had kicked him out for the night after giving him a nice mark on his right eye. He brushed his fingers against it, wincing when it caused it to throb. He shook his head angrily, rolling his eyes.
At first, he had thought about going to the Formans', but then he decided against it; he knew that Mrs. Forman knew what went on. Every time he saw her, she had a worried glint in her eyes, and her eyes always trailed over him, looking for any new marks. He had a feeling she wanted to call CPS or something, but was afraid they would take him away. And going there with a new mark would only make her worry more, and he didn't want that. Which was why he was making his way to the water tower.
He climbed up the ladder, hearing the metal squeak. He sat at the ledge, dangling his feet, so he was overlooking the town lights. He folded his arms over the railing, leaning his forehead against them as the railing was so high, sighing.
He didn't understand his ma. Bud was an ass that seemed to get off on knocking his family around; the happiest day of his life was when the drunken bastard took off, but then Edna started dating guys that were just like him, or even worse than him. He wished he knew why; maybe she truly loved Bud, and just wanted to feel like he was still here, but... her son should come first. She shouldn't let him get smacked around by boyfriends that only last a month.
Huffing, he lifted his head, digging through his pocket. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes, taking one, and pulling out his lighter. He lit it and took a drag, blowing smoke out through his nose, looking out at the town he'd grown up in. It was peaceful up here, especially when he was alone; he didn't get a lot of alone time at home.
He took another drag just as he heard clanking from the metal ladder. He waited a minute before turning his head just in time to see a small girl's head pop up.
Her breath hitched from surprise when she saw him before she glanced down, "I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone else was up here..."
"That's cool," He muttered, looking back toward the town. She looked at him for a moment, probably wondering what he meant by that statement, and he recognized her as that freshman cheerleader, Burkhart... the loud one.
She hesitated for a second before climbing onto the platform, taking a seat next to him, and he had to give her some credit for not leaving. Most preppy chicks would have taken off if they had found Steven Hyde up here alone.
It was silent for a moment as they just looked at the town, watching some building lights turn off, while others turned on.
"Um, so..." She mumbled, trying to break the silence, "Why're you up here?"
"Alone time," He mumbled back, using his fingers to put out his cigarette before tossing it over the railing; it burned, but it was better than starting a fire.
"Oh..." She trailed off, "... I don't think I like being alone..."
He looked at her, blowing out the excess smoke, and she glanced up at him, looking a bit nervous.
"We all have preferences, I guess..." He murmured.
"Um, so, uh..." She mumbled, awkwardly pointing to one of her eyes, "What happened to..."
"...Just a disagreement," He muttered, brushing his fingers over his bruise again, keeping his eyes on her. Pointing to her eyes had drawn his attention to them, and it was a little hard to notice in the dark, but...
"You're eyes are different colors..." He mumbled out loud without really meaning to.
She frowned, glancing away from him.
"What?" She shook her head, "You don't like them?"
"I'm lopsided," She mumbled, "Why would I like them?"
"I dunno, they look pretty cool." Her lips twitched for a moment before she looked back at him, smiling a bit shyly, "Yeah?"
"Yeah," He answered, "Were you born like that?"
"Mm," She shook her head, and he waited for her to continue, "In first grade, when kids were throwing things at each other, I got hit with a metal pencil sharpener."
He grinned at her misfortune, and she pouted at him before continuing, "I got a lot of blood in my eye, and when it healed up and we noticed the different color, my parents took me to the doctor. He said I just had an overload of blood iron and that's why my eye color darkened. He called it... Hemo-hemosi-um... never mind..." (1)
She trailed off, and he chuckled a little at her inability to pronounce the word, "They gotta name for people like you?"
"Heterochromia," She smiled proudly, able to pronounce the word after hearing it so many times, and he couldn't help but give a small smile at her childishness. (2)
"Didn't realize the little cheerleader survived such a tragic occurrence," He smirked at her teasingly, giving her a wide-eyed look, making her snicker.
"So that answers one question; now," He looked at her, "Isn't it a little too dirty for you up here? Especially with the school's number one burnout?"
She looked back at the town, "I love the view," She smiled, "It makes me think of Paris."
"Paris?" He muttered incredulously.
"Well, my mom's been to Paris lots of times, and whenever she tells me about it, this is the closest I can come to matching her description," She smiled at him, and he furrowed his brows. If her mom was in Paris without her, then who the hell does she stay with? Her dad? Hyde doesn't think so; Jack Burkhart doesn't exactly believe in privacy, always letting the media get interviews and pictures, going off to different states for business. Did they just leave her alone?
He's not too sure how he feels about that.
"What're you doin' up here?" He asked, trying to change the topic; her voice was a bit distant, and it kind of hit home.
"Cheer practice ran late tonight and I wasn't ready to go home," She answered.
They went back to silence, but it was brief.
"What's your real name?" She asked abruptly.
"What?"
"Well... everyone calls you Hyde, but that's your last name, right?"
"Mmhm."
"What's your first name?"
"...Steven."
"That's cool."
He smirked a little, knowing that she was only imitating him from earlier. Normally, he would reply with a 'whatever', but instead, he nodded, "Yeah..."
Silence fell between them again before he stood, walking toward the ladder, "C'mon," He mumbled, patting her shoulder as he walked by, "I'll walk ya home." She smiled at him, following him down the ladder. Call him a pig, but every few seconds, his eyes would wander up her legs. What the hell made her think a cheer outfit was appropriate for ladder climbing? He glanced away as she glanced down, and he knew he was caught, but he could only grin at that, finding it a bit funny.
At the last rung, he let himself drop the last two feet, and he reached out and grabbed her waist, helping her to the ground. She turned to face him, but his hands remained on her, and when she looked up at him, he felt a bit tempted to kiss her.
"Thank you," She mumbled, and he nodded, letting her go and leading her through the forest.
"Wait, how far away do you live?" She asked as she followed behind him, "I don't want you to have to walk- ah!"
Her sentence was cut off with a squeak, and he turned to see her on her hands and knees, her right foot caught under a root. He walked to her, helping her up by her underarms, but she gave out when she put pressure on her foot.
"Ow..." She mumbled, holding onto it.
"Here," He said, helping her onto his back, "You probably just twisted it." She wrapped her arms around his neck as she got settled on to his back, "Look, my friend's ma is nurse. I'll take you to her."
She wanted to argue, but just nodded, letting him carry her out of the forest.
Lucky for him, Mrs. Forman was still awake. The kitchen lights were on, but the rest of the house was dark, so he was quiet as he opened up the sliding door, seeing Mrs. Forman in her night gown, bent over into the fridge. The door made a slow whooshing noise as it opened, and Kitty jumped, holding a hand to her heart, "Oh, Steven," She breathed, "You scared me."
"Sorry," He muttered, shifting Jackie a little, "You work late tonight?"
"Yes, now what happened?" She asked, making her way over to them. He was thankful she ignored his eye in favor of looking over Jackie.
"She slipped on a root."
Kitty looked at Jackie's dangling ankles, gently taking the lightly bruised one into her hands, putting a little pressure on it.
"Well, it's a bit puffy," She muttered, "But it's fine, just bruised up. You should be able to walk on it just fine after the soreness wares off."
"Okay," Jackie smiled, "Thank you."
Kitty grinned at him, rubbing her thumb over his bruise for a moment before placing her hands on her hips, giving him a look.
"Mrs. Forman..." He warned, but she ignored him.
"Well aren't you two just so gosh darn cute," She let out her signature laugh, "I think I need a picture of this. My Steven's actually being sweet." She laughed again, making her way over to the kitchen drawer, pulling out her camera, and Hyde rolled his eyes, sighing when he felt Jackie shake with silent laughter.
Mrs. Forman held up the camera, and Jackie tightened her arms around his neck, leaning her head against his just as the 'snap,' sounded throughout the room.
{END FLASHBACK}
"Awwwww," Eric and Donna cooed, grinning at him.
"Get bent," He mumbled, "But, anyway, we kept going back to the water tower after that to meet up and, eventually, she met you guys..."
Hyde looked at the picture he had pulled out during his description, "You know what... I bet your ma's gotta couple'a pictures of us since we've been dating..." He mumbled before abruptly hopping off the couch, making his way toward the basement stairs, "That might work."
Hyde shook his hands, trying to keep them warm, he and Eric standing by the highway, listening to the sound of a saw running back and forth. It was the night before Eric's little party, and, surprisingly, Red had given him money for it, which had given Hyde an idea. But Eric looked nervous, holding his arms, and glancing around the woods.
"Forman, man, would you relax," Hyde ordered, "This is a good plan. We cut down the tree and keep the forty bucks for beer."
"Car," Eric said, and he and Hyde quickly ducked behind the road railing, but Kelso lifted his head into plain view, "Where?"
"Kelso," Eric said, irritated, pushing Kelso down, "Car means get down."
They heard the saw for a few more seconds before Kelso lifted himself back up, "Okay," He said, "Done."
Eric looked at him blankly, "I disagree, Kelso. See, if you were done, the tree would be a bit more horizontal."
"No," Kelso pouted, "I mean I'm done."
"Car!" Hyde shouted, and he and Eric speedily hid, Kelso going a bit slower.
"Here," Kelso muttered after they stood, holding out the saw to Hyde, "Cut it yourself."
"Fine, Kelso," Hyde snapped, snatching the saw from him before holding out to Eric, "Can you believe him?"
Eric just gave him a stupid look before taking the saw and walking back over to the tree. "Ah, Hyde," He muttered, "Did you hafta write your name in the snow so close to the tree?"
"Sorry," Hyde muttered in a voice that wasn't very sincere.
Eric rolled his eyes, going back to the tree.
"There," Kelso grinned as he and Eric struggled to get the tree off the car, "Now we've got forty bucks for beer."
"You know what else we should do?" Kelso asked just as the tree fell over him. He struggled under it as Eric helped him lift it up. "Not get any presents," He said, helping Eric lift the tree upright, "That way we get even more money for beer."
"Hey, shut up," Eric hissed, pointing to Kitty as she made her way out of the sliding door.
"Oh, Eric," Kitty said excitedly, examining the tree, "I think this is the most beautiful tree we have ever had. Oh, and it's just, it's so fresh." Just as she finishes her sentence, a bird flew out of the tree, right over her head, and she ducked, running back into the house to get away.
Laurie squeezed passed her mom, walking to Eric, examining the tree. "Oh, you did not get this from a lot," She smirked at him, "You stole it."
"I haggled," Eric muttered.
"With who? Smokey the Bear?" She replied snippily, "You stole it."
"Well, I mean, you're one to talk, you're flunkin' outta college," Eric snapped back, and her eyes widened.
"How did you know?" She asked in a rather panicked voice.
"I didn't," Eric smirked.
"Shut up!"
"You shut up!"
"You shut up!"
"You shut up!"
"Okay!" Laurie exclaimed, wide eyed, slowly backing toward the sliding door.
"Okay," Eric said back slowly, his eyes just as wide.
Hyde rolled his eyes, shutting the car door as Kelso dragged the tree inside.
The next night, party night, Donna stood by the tree, making final touches. Eric came down the basement stairs, walking up behind her to hang something on the bar holding up the shower curtains. Donna looked at it before smiling, turning to Eric.
"Mistletoe?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly amused.
"Yeah, well," He attempted to play it off, "It's really more for decoration."
"Is that a fact?" She teased, "Neighbor."
"Um, no," He smiled, leaning in to kiss her. They stayed locked together for a moment before they were interrupted, Hyde and Kelso coming in through the basement door, holding paper bags.
"Hey, Eric," Kelso said as Laurie and Kitty made their way downstairs, "Where do we put the beer?"
"In the ice chest, SHH, SHH!" Eric hissed, quickly leading them toward the back before he turned to greet his mother.
"Okay, now here you go," Kitty said, setting a plate of cookies on the coffee table, "Punch and cookies, just like I promised."
"Mom, mom," Eric muttered, "No."
"Eric," Laurie smirked, setting a bowl of punch next to the cookies, "Mom made it for you, the least you could do is drink a lot of it."
"Aw," Kitty smiled, putting her arms around Eric and Laurie, hugging them close, "You know, you two are just the best Christmas present a mother could have."
Unbeknownst to her, Laurie reached behind her, smacking Eric on the back of the head. Eric immediately retaliated in kind just as Kitty let them go, making her way back up the stairs.
Kelso, catching sight of Laurie, sprinted out of the back room, hopping over the sofa, his foot catching on a cushion, making his shin smack against the table, shaking its contents quite loudly. He stood up straight, grinning at Laurie, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Hello, Laurie," He tried to deepen his voice.
"Kelso," She said breezily, though there was hint snide in her tone.
"So... um... cool," He grinned as Fez entered the basement, carrying a bag of what was obviously presents.
"Hey, Fez," Donna greeted.
"Merry Christmas," He said, setting his bag on the lawn chair before looking at the coffee table, "Oo, punch."
"Can I pour you some?" Laurie asked excitedly, a huge grin on her face.
"No thank you, but if you like, you can bend over and put my gifts under the tree," He replied suggestively, one of his 'Fez grins' plastered on his face. Laurie just looked at him, her smirk slowly vanishing.
"Oh, gifts?" Kelso asked as Hyde made his way out of the back room, watching as Fez placed his gifts under the tree, "I thought we said no gifts?"
"No, you said no gifts," Eric deadpanned.
"What's Christmas without gifts?" Donna grinned teasingly.
"Yeah, man," Hyde smirked, taking a seat on the deep freeze, "Where's your heart?"
"Nobody tells me anything around here!" Kelso exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation, "Now I gotta get everybody gifts or I'm gonna look like an ass!"
"Cheer up, Kelso," Laurie smirked, holding out a cup of punch, "Have some punch."
"No," Kelso pouted, walking toward the basement door in a dejected manner, "I gotta get gifts."
Red rested his chin on his hand, boredly watching 'The Little Drummer Boy' playing on the TV sets as Kelso walked through the door, looking around before making his way over to the counter.
"Hey, Mr. Forman," Kelso smiled.
"Kelso, what're you doin' here?" Red asked, "It's Christmas Eve."
"I know, but I forgot to get everybody Christmas gifts," Kelso mumbled before grinning happily, "Hey, you know you're the only place in this whole town that's open?"
"Yeah, I know," Red muttered, annoyed.
"Hey, what can I get for seventeen dollars?" Kelso asked.
"Well," Red grinned sarcastically, "We've got some really nice, heavy duty extension cords."
"No," Kelso mumbled, looking around, "Hey, how much is that refrigerator?"
Red stared at him blankly.
Fez walked around the mingling party guests, catching sight of three blondes sitting on the couch.
"Hello, ladies," He grinned, "May I get you something to drink? We have beer, you know."
"What else do you have?" The middle one asked.
"We have punch, but we also have beer," Fez smiled.
"Punch is fine," She smiled, though her eyebrows were furrowed.
"Punch it is, okay. Now," He grinned again, "Would you like to chase down that punch with a nice beer?"
"Oh, I am so kickin' your ass!" Red exclaimed happily, sitting next to Kelso on a couple of crates, playing Pong on one of the store TVs.
"Good game, Mr. Forman," Kelso grinned, setting his controller down and standing.
"Oh, you're leaving? C'mon, c'mon, we'll play another game."
"I don't wanna miss the party, and..." Kelso trailed off, clearly wanting to continue playing.
"C'moooon," Red grinned, and he smiled back, spastically nodding his head and retaking his seat.
"What's with the pep squad, man?" Hyde asked, watching three blonde girls drool over Fez from his seat on the deep freeze.
"Yeah, they seem extra stupid tonight," Donna nodded next to him, but grinned when she saw Jackie take a seat behind Fez on the back of the couch, exclaiming, "Hey, he was my friend first!"
"Oh, good God," Hyde muttered, hopping off the deep freeze and making his way over to Jackie, trying to coax her away from Fez.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Jackie?" He asked, holding her by the shoulders as he led her to the tree, "Are you drunk?"
"No!" She exclaimed, "You know I don't like beer! Why would I drink beer when there's all this wonderful punch?"
"Er, right..." Hyde mumbled as Kelso made his way into the basement, tossing a paper bag under the tree. Donna walked over, picking up the bag and looking in it before she gave Kelso a look, "Hot rollers?"
"It was the only thing I could afford," Kelso pouted, "This wouldn't have happened if you had just told me we were doin' gifts!"
Donna rolled her eyes, heading back toward the deep freeze to grab another drink, Kelso following to get some beer of his own.
"Aw, Steven" Jackie cooed, hugging him around the waist, "Hot rollers! Isn't it wonderful?"
"Okay, yeah, you're drunk."
"I am not!"
Steven's mouth turned up in a half-smile, half-smirk thing, and Jackie thought it was wonderful, "Okay, prove it. Follow my finger with your eyes."
He raised a finger and began to move it up and down, back and forth, but it was too fast, and she had thought he only raised one finger, but now it looked like three, and this games was stupid anyway... She glanced up, trying to avoid his moving finger because it was making her dizzy, and her eyes caught something wonderful. God, everything was so wonderful today!
"Mistletoe."
"What?"
"We're standing under a mistletoe! Kiss me!" She threw her arms around his neck, stood on her tip toes, and closed her eyes.
"Jackie, I'm not gonna kiss you when you're drunk," He mumbled, feeling as though that would be taking advantage of her. He tried to shrug her off, but she held on.
"I'm not drunk," She pouted, "And you have to kiss me! It's a mistletoe; it's tradition!"
"It's stupid, I'll just move."
"You can't, you can't, you can't!" She yelled, holding on tighter, "You have to kiss me first!"
"Alright, alright, alright," He mumbled quickly, trying to placate her. Appeased, she nodded happily, puckering her lips and closing her eyes. She felt a hand cup the back of her head, pulling her closer, but the expected pressure of his lips never came. Instead, there was a gentle, slightly wet sweep of his lips on her forehead, and it felt wonderful.
Her eyes fluttered open just as he pulled back, mumbling, "You want your present now?"
"Steven!" She gasped, a big smile on her face, "You got me a present? That's so wonderful!"
"Yeah," Hyde muttered, kneeling down to grab something messily wrapped in newspapers out from under the tree before standing, handing it to her. Excited, she ripped it open, holding up the newly revealed picture frame. The frame held a montage of pictures of her and Steven, cut up to fit onto the frame. One was from when they first met when he carried her to the Formans'. Another was from the Thanksgiving party she managed to make it to after her dinner with her parents; she was sitting on the couch in Steven's lap, smiling as she took a bite of his pie. There was one from the pictures Mrs. Forman took before they went to the disco, her arm hooked through Steven's, beaming at the camera; he was giving a small smile himself. There were a few more pictures, them sitting together on the deep freeze, her sitting in his lap on the Formans' porch chairs, one of her smiling at the camera while she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind while he leaned back against her in his chair. It was wonderful!
"Oh, Steven!" She exclaimed, hugging him again, him instinctively placing a hand on her upper back, "I love you!"
Hyde's eyes widened, an uncomfortable look appearing on his face, "Jackie..." He breathed out in surprise. She's never said that before; neither of them have said that before.
"Eric!" Red saved him from his thoughts, storming down the stairs, "Before you explain the beer, maybe you wanna tell me why there're two state troopers in our living room, confiscating our Christmas tree."
"Oh, that, um," Eric stuttered, "Funny story; true story-"
"Get to the point," Red snapped.
"We cut down a tree on the side of the interstate," Eric mumbled.
"Well that's just great, Eric," Red said, clearly mad, "Now the party's over, you're grounded, and I want what's left of my forty bucks."
"Kelso, give it to 'em," Eric ordered.
"Oh crap," Red mumbled.
"Oh, uh," Kelso stuttered, "I sorta spent it on the gift I got."
"Mr. Forman!" Jackie exclaimed drunkenly, dragging Hyde with her as she walked over to Eric, "Guess what, guess what! I love Steven so much!" She stumbled a little, grabbing Hyde into another hug, and he smiled nervously, keeping his arms around her so she wouldn't stumble off.
"Oh, God bless us everyone!" A member of Fez's harem shouted, and the three of them cuddled up with him.
"Eric, what the hell is going on here?" Red demanded, "Have these girls been drinking?"
"No, no, dad, no!" Eric stuttered, "It's just mom's punch."
Red glared at him, lifting the punch bowl and using the ladle to take sip. He threw it back down, "Lousy with hooch," He muttered.
"You see, you see, Red," Hyde stuttered, trying to keep Jackie upright as she swayed, "She's drunk, that's drunk talk!"
"Steven, you take her home, I'll get the sob sisters," Red ordered, "Eric, clean this place up and the rest of the beer goes in my fridge; Donna, your dad's upstairs, I suggest you join 'em; Kelso... Go. Home!"
"Eric, do something!" Fez pleaded as the three girls followed Red upstairs, "Your father is taking my women!"
Jackie giggled as Steven carried her, her hands loosely hanging onto his neck, her head precariously tilted back. Hyde sighed, sunglasses hooked onto his shirt, carrying her bridal style up her stairs, for once thankful that her parents were gone so often; he didn't want to explain to a councilman why his daughter was completely wasted.
"I love you, Steven," She giggled, and he nervously licked his lips as he entered her room. She hasn't stopped saying those words since she first said them, and he really wished she would. She can't possibly mean them; she's just drunk. She's drunk, and that's why she's saying them. That's it. That's all.
"I love you," She murmured sleepily as he lied her on her bed, setting his gift for her on her night stand.
"No, you don't," He whispered, his face a light shade of pink. He can feel his eyes burning, "It's just the booze talkin', Jackie."
"But, I love you," She pouted. Her voice... saying those words... to him... God, it made his chest hurt.
He sniffed, fiddling with the covers as he settled her beneath them, tucking her in.
"See..." She murmured, nearly unconscious, "You don't wanna be, but you're sweet... and I love you for it..."
He exhaled shakily, "Yeah, yeah, um... goodnight, Jackie."
"I love you, Steven," She mumbled when he kissed her forehead again, and he lifted himself up, glancing back at her sleeping form once before quietly shutting the door, leaving her house to make his way home.
Hyde sighed, hearing his mother and Ian fight before he even got to the porch. He hesitantly opened his screen door, his ma and Ian in the middle of the living room, screaming, making wild hand gestures. They immediately stopped, though, their attention turned to him.
Ian stalked toward him, and he backed up until he hit the crappy, falling-apart wall, "It's ten-thirty; I told you I wanted you home early today."
Right; his punishment for being a 'smart ass.'
"Sorry..." Hyde mumbled; normally he'd snap something back, but he really wasn't in the mood, "Lost track of time, I guess..."
Ian grabbed him by the back of his neck painfully, and he hissed when his head was tilted back, reaching behind him to grab onto Ian's hand in an attempt to loosen the hold, "You been drinkin', boy?" Ian demanded.
Hyde quickly shook his head, "No, no, I just... I just drank some punch..." Which was the truth; he hadn't even thought about grabbing a beer. Though, it wasn't hard for him to figure out that someone spiked the punch; God, what a cliché.
Ian stared at him, and he swallowed, nervously licking his lips before Ian pushed him toward the door in the back of the living room, "Got to bed."
He stumbled a little before catching himself, glancing back at his ma. Edna looked away, crossing her arms uncomfortably; her boy's eyes were the most expressive things, and she couldn't stand to see the betrayal and the hope of a little boy who just wanted his mom mixing around in them.
Hyde sighed as he made his way to his room, locking the door behind him before falling onto the mattress he calls a bed.
He hugged his pillow under his head, closing his eyes, furrowing his brow.
She can't love him; his own mother has never even told him she loved him. She was just drunk; honestly, how could someone like her love someone like him? It didn't make sense.
She just didn't know what she was saying. That's all.
Wew, dramatic chapter! We're going to elaborate on the 'I love you' thing in the ski trip episode, so... stay tuned :)
1) Hemosiderosis - a form of iron overload disorder resulting in the accumulation of hemosiderin, which is an iron storage complex.
2) Heterochromia - a difference in coloration, usually of the iris but also of hair or skin. Heterochromia is a result of the relative excess or lack of melanin (a pigment). It may be inherited, or caused by genetic mosaicism, chimerism, disease, or injury.
Note: Mila Kunis was born with heterochromia, and my version of how Jackie got it is my own