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Back to the 70s	By : Wicked_Chocolate Category: S through Z > That 70's Show Views: 5729 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own That '70s Show, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
Back to the 70s
Pairings: Jackie Burkhart/Steven Hyde (main), Donna Pinciotti/Erik Forman, Fez/Nina Bartell, Michael Kelso/Brooke Rockwell
Rating: M / X / NC-17 for future chapters for swearing, violence, blood and sexual content.
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘That ‘70s Show’ or any of its characters. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED!
A/N: Here’s chapter eight. No episode rewrite this time. A little bit more of Christmas instead. I was planning to skip it, since they already had their own little Christmas in the night, but some people seemed to look forward to it and I thought a few sentences about it wouldn’t be any harm but of cooooouuuuurse a little drama slipped in. After all it’s Christmas, a family holiday and let’s face it: Hyde and Jackie don’t have it easy in the family department . xD”
It took a while for this chapter to arrive, at first I didn’t knew how to continue and then real life just got in the way, I think we all know how that feels. XD Here in Cologne we also had carnival, I’m not that much of a fan of all the music and drinking, but making up costumes can be fun and I met with my friends and my family, so those days also weren’t very productive.
Then the fun was definitely over; my great-grandmother died and there was a lot of preparations and meeting family members and old friends from her that you never really met.
That time wasn’t easy and on top of it all my father needed surgery on his arm shortly before his new job started (and they are STILL debating if he needs surgery for his back x_x) and my mother also just started a new job at the same time so everything was a little stressful and someone had to pick up the slack. I myself had a job interview and worked there for a week so they could test me out and now I’m waiting for the answer if I’ll get the job or not.
I wish I could say I’m a person whose writing inspiration works overtime in hard weeks like this, but I’m not. ^^” I only wrote a few sentences here and there before I ran out of time or motivation again, which is why this chapter took so long and probably isn’t that good.
I apologize sincerely to everyone who waited months for this! I can’t thank you enough for all your kind words and encouragement,
Notes and comment responses are at the end of the chapter.
Please leave a comment; even if it is criticism, I’m striving to get better after all. Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Run Rudolph Run
Point Place, Wisconsin
December 25, 1977
Location:
Burkhart Mansion
Jackie woke up to an annoying stream of sunlight that fell in from the window directly into her eyes. Scrunching her nose she blinked several times before her eyes adjusted. Yawning a little, she was surprised that she could still feel Steven behind her. Normally he woke up before her and was the one to wake her up.
Maybe he was already awake and just hadn’t gotten up yet? Carefully she turned around in his arms, mindful not to wake him if he was still asleep and when she finally saw his face, he actually was! It had been so long since she saw his sleeping face. He always looked so much more relaxed and innocent when he slept. It was endearing.
They had spent Christmas together before, but never like this. Waking up together in bed was a great start. They already exchanged gifts last night but they had the whole day ahead of them. Neither of them had to work and the others would be forced to spend the day with their families. Then she remembered Bud.
Steven said he would comply with the new rules Bud laid down, but he wouldn’t let them stop him to sleep over at her place. Of course it made her happy that he wanted to stay with her, but she wasn’t sure how well that would work out with Bud. They could have their first fight today already, after all Steven sneaked out last night to come here. The thought made her sigh.
Well she couldn’t do anything about how this day would end, but she could make sure it started nicely. She wiggled around carefully, until she slipped out under his arm and rolled out of bed, without waking her boyfriend. Tiptoeing out of her room, she went to the bathroom. She didn’t bring any clothes, so taking a shower wouldn’t make much sense if she just put her pyjamas back on after it, but she brushed her teeth and combed her hair.
After that she walked into the kitchen and looked into her fridge. There was the food Fiona prepared the day before and they just had to warm up, but that wasn’t the right thing for breakfast. She had cereal … nah … that was kind of lame … oh! She could make sandwiches! She was a disaster in the kitchen but her sandwiches and her salads were masterful. She let the coffee brew while she fixed Steven’s favourite sandwiches and also made one for herself. Mixing the coffees with sugar and cream the way they liked it, after she poured it into cups. Finally she filled two glasses with orange juice. Satisfied she put everything on a tray and walked up to her room. Breakfast in bed for her and her man, could Christmas get any better?
Jackie put the tray on the nightstand and looked down at the still sleeping Steven. For a moment she was indecisive how to wake her boyfriend. Finally she carefully sat down on his legs, since he was lying on his back and bowed down to spread kisses on his face. By the time she reached his mouth, she could feel Steven’s hands sliding up her legs and his lips moving under hers, kissing her back with his eyes still closed. She could feel him smiling into their kiss.
Reluctantly she pulled away after a while and smiled down at him: “Good morning Steven.”
His hands still wandered up her legs until they reached her hips and he opened his eyes at last. “It’s a good start.” He grinned up at her.
Rolling her eyes she straightened her back and pointed at the nightstand. “Be nice to me. I made you breakfast in bed.”
He looked at her with a stunned expression on his face before it turned to doubt, but when he looked at the nightstand his mimic relaxed, obviously relived that she only made sandwiches, her knew that she was a klutz in the kitchen, but even Jackie couldn’t screw up something that simple … well at least not after practicing with Mrs Forman for weeks.
She wanted to be put out, but his face was too funny and she just giggled. “Don’t worry. I didn’t plan on giving you food poisoning on Christmas.”
“Looks good.” He said and sat up. Leaning against the headboard, he pulled her properly into his lap before reaching for his coffee and handing Jackie hers.
Smiling she sipped from her cup and basked in this peaceful moment. She sat in her boyfriends lap, it was Christmas Eve and they were enjoying coffee in bed. Even in her best memories there wasn’t something like this. When she stayed the night at the Forman’s it was always a secret and when they had breakfast together, there was always someone else with them. This … this was new and she loved it. It felt so simple and domestic, but she couldn’t imagine anything better at the moment.
After drinking half of her coffee she grabbed one of the sandwiches and picked a piece of it, holding it out for Steven to eat.
“Jackie, I can eat a sandwich on my own.”
“I know. Indulge me.” When he still didn’t move to eat the piece, she tried again: “Come on. It’s Christmas.”
With a sigh he moved his head forward and took the food directly with his mouth. After a second he licked her finger before pulling back. Now it was Jackie who was baffled and her face turned a little red. While she was preoccupied, Steven grabbed the rest of the sandwich and began to eat it with a grin.
Damn it! Well … she should have seen that one coming. Trying to distract herself, she took her own sandwich off the tray and began eating too. They ate in silence and it didn’t take long before they had finished breakfast. After they were finished, they lazed around in bed for a while, Jackie still on Steven’s lap, with her head resting on his shoulder.
“So ... what do you want to do for Christmas?” she asked.
“’m fine with spending it in bed.” He mumbled back.
Laughing she sat up again. “I think we should at least shower and take it to the couch. After all, Fiona made a great meal we just have to reheat … and I’m afraid you’ll have to go back home to face Bud later.” She cringed a little at the thought, but Steven seemed unfazed.
“Whatever.”
“Steven—“
“No, Jackie. Look, we already talked about this and I won’t change my mind. Homework, food and cleaning? Fine. Who cares, but I won’t let you sleep here all alone and that’s it.” He said.
“Wait. Did you tell Bud that my parents aren’t here? Steven! What if he told the Forman’s?” she panicked.
“Pipe down, Jackie. Of course I didn’t. We never really talked about how I stay here. I guess he just thinks I sneak in through your window or something.”
Calming down a little she smiled: “Well … at least it sounds like something you would do.”
He smirked. “Hell yeah, maybe I should try it sometime when your parents are home.”
Her eyes widened in panic but still … the idea was a little exciting. It had been a great time when they sneaked around in the basement. The thought that this time Steven would sneak in to her room was surprisingly interesting, which was stupid because Steven slept here more often than not already and her parents being here for once shouldn’t make much of a difference – but it did! It was dangerous and wrong, truthfully it was their kind of thing.
“Steven.” She admonished, but her red cheeks betrayed her.
“I know you like it.” He teased her.
“… shut up.” She tried to push herself away from him to stand up, but Steven just pulled her down again. A pillow fight broke out and only ended when Steven pushed her into the bed and tickled her until she gasped for breath.
“Ok-ahhahaay haha—I—hahaha—I give up! STOP!” she could barely speak, her laughter shaking her whole body.
“Well since you asked nicely.” He said smugly and stopped tickling her, but he still leaned slightly over her, probably so he could stop her, should she decide to take revenge on him.
She lay under him on the bed, her breath gradually calming and looked up to him. She was caught between feeling annoyed and happy, but she couldn’t be cross with him. Not when he smiled at her like this, not one of his smirks – she loved those too – but a real smile. They were so rare with Steven that she cherished them all and so she couldn’t help but smile back up at him. The whole situation reminded her of the time they played around with those big stuffed animals in Fez room.
“You know you cheated, right? Just because I was beating you with the pillows.” She teased him.
“Hey! I was winning the pillow fight! I only upped my game to beat you faster.” He boasted, but they were both grinning at each other like idiots.
Like all good things, this moment had to end, in this case they were interrupted by Jackie’s phone.
Sighing Steven rolled away from her,grabbed his sunglasses to put them on and stood up from the bed, definitely ending their little moment to go into her bathroom. A little miffed she sat against the headboard and picked up the phone.
“Hello, Burkhart residence. Jackie speaking.” This better be good.
“Hello Jackie, this is your mother!” It wasn’t good.
“Hi Mom…”
“Your father wanted me to tell you he wishes you a merry Christmas and of course I wanted to say the same so … MERRY CHRISTMAS!” she heard her mother giggling and a lot of background noise, it was hard to hear her, even though she was practically screaming down the phone.
“Ehm … thanks. Merry Christmas to you too. Where are you Mom? I can barely hear you.” She asked since she wasn’t really sure. This was different from her time. Back then she whined long enough until her parents at least made an appearance at Christmas morning and showered her with presents.
“I’m still at Margie’s in Kenosha. Didn’t I tell you about the party she gave yesterday? I stayed over and we made some more preparations and almost everyone came back today! Can you believe it?! We got second wind and just kept on celebrating. Christmas is just once a year after all. Margie even invited her cute pool boy Enrique. He’s massaging my feet right now, he’s such a doll.” She laughed and a heavily accented, male voice complimented her beauty in the background.
‘I think I’m going to throw up.’ She thought and shuddered a little. She saw Steven come back into the room, but she couldn’t really concentrate on him right now.
“Sounds great Mom. Did you tell Dad about Enrique massaging you too?” Seriously who told their daughter something like that? What was wrong with that woman? Or was she just seriously drunk? Still…
Giggling on the other side of the phone. Definitely drunk. “Don’t be silly Jackie. Enrique was only mixing me drinks back then and your father didn’t call himself. His new secretary called for him because he was so busy. Seems like he took her with him to these Christmas parties with his clients.”
“His new secre— let me get this straight. Since yesterday you’re partying with Enrique and your friends and Dad took his new secretary with him while he’s schmoozing his clients?” she asked incredulously. How did she ever put up with this? She couldn’t even look at Steven who sat down next to her again.
“Oh no need to sound so put out dear. When we come back your father can give us some money and the two of us can go on a shopping spree for your Christmas presents. That will be after Christmas of course, but we will just buy more to make up for it.” Pam was shouting so loud on the phone that Steven must definitely be able to hear every word she said. God … this was so embarrassing.
“Just forget it Mom. I don’t think I’m in the mood for Christmas shopping after Christmas.” There was so much more to say, not only about her mother’s behaviour but also her father’s, but it wouldn’t change anything. Her mother hardly understood serious situations when she was sober, which she obviously wasn’t right now. On top of that even when she herself was still much more superficial, she had more depth and feelings than her parents and they never really understood her, why try now?
“Now Jackie! What are you talking about? Shopping is shopping and what else would we do? You’re not old enough to drink or travel like and your dad. What else would you do? You’re a girl Jackie, going shopping and making yourself pretty for your man is going to be your job when you get older. Becoming the wife of a rich man is the safest way in life. You think I worked because it was fun? My job was just helping me to meet rich man like your father and now look at me! I barely have to lift a finger, your father it making a lot of money, I’m beautiful and I still have a fun at Christmas with my friends and Enrique! Doesn’t that sound great? What else could anyone wish for?”
Love? A real family? Self respect? The list could go on forever, but she knew her mother would never understand and this conversation was really starting to hurt. Her mother made it sound as if her daughter had no talents at all and was only good for spending other people’s money. The thought that she once believed this was normal made her nauseas, but even then she had believed in love and had wished for happiness.
Her voice was shaking a little when she tried to formulate an answer: “Mom—“
“I have to go now Jackie. I’m being rude staying on the phone. Merry Christmas again! Byeeeeeeeee.” It was over. Obviously her input wasn’t important. Not that this was new.
Hanging up the phone she took a deep breath to calm herself. The day had started so well, she wouldn’t let her parents ruin this! It was quiet in the room except for their breathing. Neither of them said anything. There was nothing to say, no words that could explain away the pain or make thinks right and they both knew it. Steven just wrapped his arms around her and held her.
It was worth so much more than any false promises or platitudes when he just said: “Fuck them. They’re not worth it doll.” She just nodded her consent and pushed herself deeper into his embrace.
A few minutes passed before Steven pushed her away from him. “Come on. Let’s get downstairs. We could get that fireplace going you have and I think you promised me a lazy day on the couch and some good food.” He said teasingly, but his voice was a little softer than usual.
She pushed back the tears she had fought within the last minutes vehemently, she wouldn’t waste any more tears for her parents. Instead she concentrated on the here and now.
“Sounds like a plan. I love to sit in front of the fireplace when it’s cold outside and Fiona’s food is heavenly. I’m sure you’ll love it. This time you can even fall asleep and wake up on the couch without Rosa hitting you.”
He took the bait: “I’m not afraid of Rosa! We can do it in front of her for all I care.”
“Right.” She blushed a little, but it brought a grin back on her face.

“Hey! Don’t be so cheeky. Do I have to tickle that out of you?” he threatened in a joking matter.
“For that you’d have to catch me first!” she answered and pushed away from him quickly to run out of her room. Within seconds she could hear him run after her.
She was small, quick and her body trained from all the cheerleading, but Steven was pretty fast himself, did many sports even if it was just for fun and not in school and he had longer legs. She knew he was faster than her, still they were running around like children in her big house that normally seemed to empty, but was now pulsing with life and laughter.
He was always one second too late in catching her and after it happened for the fifth time she was sure that he let her escape, like he didn’t want their game to end too soon. That made her even happier and she laughed a lot while she was darting here and there to escape his clutches. It was only when she realized that they had stepped into her father’s office that she stopped running so abruptly, that Steven ran into her and she nearly fell flat on her face, if not for her boyfriend who caught her and pulled her close to him.
For a moment it was quiet, their playful mood destroyed again by her family problems. Steven must have realized why her demeanour had changed so drastically again. The décor and all the papers in the room made it clear what it was and he connected the dots to her stories.
“So this is it, huh?” he asked quietly, showing no intention of letting her go.
“Yes … this is the room that revealed my parents depravity.” Well actually she knew before of course, but she found all the evidence here so it was close enough.
“Jackie … whatever you decide is fine. I really want to bust them and not only for what they did to the Foreman’s and the Pinciotti’s or everyone else, but for what they’re doing to you. But it’s not that easy, I know it would suck for you too and it would be a really hard time, after all you’re only 16 and they’re your parents. It’s your decision and I’ll back you up no matter what, okay?” he reassured her.
Sometimes she wondered how someone who was technically only one year older than her and mentally actually should be younger than her could be so mature. “I know. Thank you, Steven. Sometimes I want to call the police because all of this is wrong and I don’t want other people to suffer. The longer I take, the more time my father has to destroy evidence and my mother can throw money out of the window that doesn’t belong to her but … like you said, I’m only 16. In this case there would be a lot of cops involved … I could try to file for emancipation but if it doesn’t work …” she trailed off.
That’s right, last time her age wasn’t that much of an issue because her mother wasn’t in prison and she just hid the fact that Pam wasn’t at home while she stayed with the Pinciotti’s. There were no officials involved, but if she decided to call the police on her parents she would make sure that the papers with her mothers signatures were still there and that would mean she would go to prison too.
Then there would definitely a lot of talk about where she could stay, since she wasn’t 18 yet. Steven stayed at the Forman’s before of course, but they also never called any officials when they took him in and nobody asked too many questions since he still went to school and everything. She doubted her parents would do her the favour to appoint someone like the Forman’s or the Pinciotti’s as her legal guardian if she just got them into prison. She really didn’t want to be put in an orphanage or in foster care because a judge was overactive. Who knew where she would end up?
The silence was heavy in the room. Steven had been abandoned by his own mother and it must have been horrible, but he never really had to deal with the law because of that, since he never reported her. The Forman’s just took him in and he kept going to school and got a job without anyone asking too many questions. Nobody missed Edna and when Bud came back nobody questioned it when the boy stayed with –what everybody thought is— his father.
Her case would be different because her parents wouldn’t just leave her, they would go to prison and this time she would make sure both of them went behind bars. That alone would make sure everyone knew she had no family left and her only income was from waitressing at a bar, which technically was illegal at her age, not that it would have been enough to be a livelihood anyway. Not really something that spoke of how much she could support herself and she couldn’t tell anyone about saving her trust fund money, without raising even more questions.
God she hated this. They had been happy before her mother called, than they were happy again before they stepped into her father’s office. It was Christmas morning, they shouldn’t talk about such depressing things, but sadly enough ignoring the problem wouldn’t help anyone in the long run. Then again she most likely wouldn’t find a solution today.
“Let’s … let’s just go downstairs and enjoy Christmas. I’ll decide what to do after New Years. New Year, new life.” She said, trying to smile while she pulled Steven out of the room, closing the door behind them resolutely.
“Jackie—“
“No! Steven … next year. I promise I’ll decide what to do next year.” After all it would only be another week. She had no idea what to do, but she couldn’t just wait for things to happen, not when she knew that her parents would just steal and waste even more money that didn’t belong to them in that time.
“… Fine. It’s your decision and it’s important; you should take all the time you need.” Steven agreed and they walked down to the living room.
There was a Christmas tree in the corner of the room that her mother had ordered, decorated by the staff of course. It was beautiful, even more so when she turned on the fairy lights. At least it was something to bring her Christmas spirit back, but the real wonder was the guy who was with her. Now that she knew what she could lose, she appreciated it so much more.
“Hey, why don’t you light the fire and I’ll get lunch?” She hadn’t noticed before, but it was already noon, they had played around upstairs longer than she’d thought.
“Ehm … maybe I should make the food and you light the fire? I didn’t think you would trust another guy with fire in this house ever again and … frankly I don’t know if I trust you with hot food in a kitchen.” Steven said a little amused.
“Steven!” She swatted him on the arm, but couldn’t stop herself from giggling a little. “I only have to reheat Fiona’s food; I can do that without ruining anything, and I know you’re not Michael. You wouldn’t burn my house down and if you did … well at least you wouldn’t try to put it out with alcohol.”
“Got that right, would be a waste of booze.” He grinned and turned around to get the fire going.
Rolling her eyes she decided to ignore that little quip and walked into the kitchen and started the oven. Opening the refrigerator she had to shake her head. It was stocked with little plastic containers full of mashed potatoes, gravy, roasted vegetables and stuffing. There even was a pecan pie and of course a roasted turkey on a large plate. Why her parents ordered such a big meal when she was supposedly alone at home was anyone’s guess, but at least Steven and her wouldn’t run out of food anytime soon.
She took everything out and put together two portions for them, before putting the rest back into the refrigerator. Placing there food in the oven she also used the oven timer, just in case the lost track of time. She really didn’t want Steven to laugh at her because she burnt their food on Christmas. Especially food that was already cooked. Grabbing two sodas she left the kitchen.
Back in the living room Steven already got the fire going and was sitting on the couch, waiting for her. She put their drinks on the table and took a very soft blanket from the armchair before she joined him. Spreading the blanket over both of them, she snuggled close to Steven, the only sound in the room the cackling of the fire.
“The food is in the oven and we have pecan pie for dessert.” She told him quietly, not willing to destroy the peaceful atmosphere in the room.
“Sounds good.” Throwing an arm around her he grabbed his drink with the other hand and leaned back. “Got to tell you, this is pretty sweet. It’s clean, nothing is leaking, there’s a tree that still has needles and a fire in a real fireplace instead of the kitchen … for now.”
“Hey!” She nudged him with her elbow, but she was glad that he was grinning and joking. What he said wasn’t an exaggeration, Christmas at his home must have been horrible. She might be alone more often than not, but at least she was taken care of. Steven always had to take care of himself, making do with what he could get which wasn’t enough most of the time. At least for now she could give him a better Christmas, even if it had the stale aftertaste of her parent’s crimes, they would make the best of it. Well, nothing was perfect.
“I’m not that bad in the kitchen.” The only thing that statement earned her was an incredulous look and she sighed: “Okay, maybe I am.”
They both had to laugh a little until the timer in the kitchen went off. Throwing the blanket off herself she jumped up and skidded into the kitchen to turn off the oven. She took the food out –only remembering in the last minute to use the oven mittens— and put everything on two plates. Adding cutlery and another two plates with pecan pie on them she placed everything on a tray before balancing it back into the living room.
“See? The oven is still functioning and turned off, the food is here and it doesn’t only look edible, it smells great too. Now who’s a lost cause in the kitchen?” She asked sitting down next to him.
“Cool. Now we know you can make drinks, sandwiches, salad and reheat already cooked food. It’s only a puddle jump to cooking a Christmas meal all by yourself.” He grinned and ate something from his plate. “Hmm, tastes good.”
Her mature answer was to stick her tongue out, before starting to eat herself. It was good. She clearly didn’t make it herself… Great, now Steven was in her head. The rest of the day spent on the couch and watching cheesy Christmas on TV until it was six o’clock in the evening and Steven had to go home.
He promised to come back later tonight, since her parents wouldn’t be home tonight either, but she wasn’t sure he could keep that promise. He already broke Bud’s new rules when he stayed over last night, she didn’t want him to get in anymore trouble at home. Although Steven was stubborn she wasn’t sure if this was a fight he could win without getting thrown out by Bud. Still she kept those fears to herself, Steven wouldn’t listen to her anyway. So she bid him goodbye with a kiss and just smiled.

After Hyde left Jackie’s house he walked through the snow back to Bud’s apartment. He wasn’t looking forward to his talk with Bud, so he wasn’t in a hurry. He wouldn’t budge from his opinion though. If he wanted to stay out, he would stay out, he wasn’t a kid anymore. It wasn’t like he was out partying, he was just staying with Jackie … which in a parental view could be even worse, but it’s not like they were doing something. Well, not much anyway. Funnily enough he didn’t even mind and wasn’t that a weird surprise?
He wasn’t obsessed with sex like Kelso or Fez and he definitely wasn’t begging for it like Forman, but he was still a guy and he never spent this much time with a girl without having sex. Except for Donna of course but they were just friends, Jackie was actually his chick which was weird enough in itself. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe it.
Who would have thought that they would ever go out together? Not him. Nothing could have been further from his mind. Jackie was cool though. How the hell did she hid that before? Or did she just change so much? The time she spent without Kelso and with people like him and Donna instead, could obviously only improve her behaviour.
Whatever it was, he actually liked it. Damn it, he liked her! Great … he was turning into such a wuss. Still … he wanted her, she wanted him back and he wouldn’t stop seeing her. That it pissed off Kelso and Fez and freaked out Forman and Donna was only a bonus. A freaking funny one.
This was his business, no matter what he wouldn’t let his father butt in and he wouldn’t give up staying at Jackie’s in any case. Not being able to tell anyone that Jackie’s parents were never at home –or that they were basically criminals— made it harder to justify his actions, however it wouldn’t stop him from doing what he wanted.
Lying to adults about stuff like this wasn’t new to him. He lived in his alone after his mother left for a long time before anyone noticed and who was Bud to judge him anyway? Just because he was scared of Red, he suddenly acted like a father? Bullshit.
The sad thing was that he would play along to get what he wanted. At least mostly. He couldn’t leave Jackie alone in this house and the whole money scam … that was just nasty. He hated her parents for this. With there jobs and family connections they were rich anyway, how could they risk not only their lives but their daughters to get even more? Not to mention how they destroy other people’s happiness. The Forman’s and the Pinciotti’s alone lost jobs and a lot of money through this and he didn’t want to know how many others did.
Fuck they even stole their daughter’s money, it was only luck that Jackie found out and got it away from them before they could use it. Other people would have used the money, but Jackie stashed it away for the future and the real surprise? She didn’t take her parents money anymore, instead she started working in a bar.
He didn’t like it after what happened with those guys, still he was proud of her for taking her life in her own hand. It would help if she didn’t hold her family’s future in her hands and a lot of other people’s too. A sixteen year old girl shouldn’t have that much responsibility.
Kicking the snow before him away he looked up into the sky. Shit, why was life so complicated? If he wasn’t going out with Jackie, he probably wouldn’t know anything about it. Ignorance is bliss or something like that, but then he wouldn’t have her and … that thought … well he would actually miss her. When the hell did that happen? Never mind. He was dating the girl and even if her life was turning to crap, she was great. Who cared anyway? No one knew better how much life sucked, after all his life had always been crap.
His arrival at the apartment stopped all thoughts about this. Time to face the music. When he opened the door Bud was sitting on the couch, his arms crossed.
“Hey.” He said, closing the door behind him.
“Hey? HEY?! You’ve been out all night and nearly all day, after I told you the new rules and all you have to say for yourself is ‘Hey’?” Bud said in an angry tone.
“Merry Christmas?” He said nonchalant while he took off his jacket and shoes.
“Merry— do you think this is funny Steven?” Obviously running out of patience, Bud stood up from the couch to face his son.
“No, I just don’t think it’s a big deal. Jackie’s parents had plans for Christmas and I didn’t want her to spend the day alone. Which reminds me, don’t you have a shift at the bar tonight?” he fired back. It wasn’t like they had plans to celebrate Christmas together like a family. Bud more than likely had only been up since the afternoon and would soon leave.
“Yes, I do but that’s not the issue here. I have nothing against the fact that you spent the day with your girlfriend Steven. I have problems with you sneaking out at night after I told you not to.” Bud answered agitated, it wasn’t like he had something against Jackie, if anything the girl seemed to be good for Hyde, but he couldn’t just break the rules.
“Well if that’s the problem than I’ll just tell you outright. I’ll stay out tonight.” He said, taking Bud’s seat at the couch.
“What? No! Steven I set out rules and I mean it! You can’t stay out and party every night.” Bud’s voice was getting louder again. This whole parenting thing was harder than he thought.
“I don’t party, I visit friends, sleep over and that’s all. Look Bud, I have no problem with cleaning or cooking real food here. When school starts again I’ll go there and I’ll do my homework. Whatever, I don’t care, but my nights are exactly that: Mine. I’m not doing anything wrong and I can take care of myself. I’m not a child anymore. You can’t treat me like one either. If you wanted a little boy, you should have come back a few years earlier.”
After that it was quiet in the room. Bud was clearly uncomfortable, because he couldn’t diffuse Hyde’s argument without looking like a bastard himself. A little deflated he sat down next to him on the couch.
“Steven … I never wanted to ruin your life. I always knew I was a lousy father. That’s why, when I got this new chance, I tried to be your friend, but you don’t need a friend Steven. Like it or not you need a parent and neither your mom nor I ever were remotely like that. The only people you ever had like this were the Forman’s, so when Red talked to me yesterday, I realized that I have to be more like him. Surely this will take some getting used to … for both of us. But I really want to make this work.” The older man finally said, not quite looking at his son. All this seriousness was awkward.
Hyde clenched his teeth. God, he hated this situation so much. He moved in with Bud on his own volition, but he knew it wouldn’t be easy. Dealing with all this emotional crap was even worse than he imagined. He didn’t trust Bud, not yet at least, but he also didn’t want to move out again. Still … when he thought of Jackie … no! He couldn’t budge on this.
“Then meet me halfway man. I’ll do everything else, but no curfew. I don’t need it. Like I said, I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m just sleeping, so what does it matter where I sleep?” he finally said.
“Steven.” Bud wanted to reject it outright; however his son looked so serious, this was really important to him. If he just wanted to party or do illegal stuff with his friends he wouldn’t try to negotiate with him, he would just do it behind his back. Okay, so maybe he was more serious about the girl than he thought, but that could bring even more problems.
“Steven…” he tried again. “I know you’re not a child and you have good friends. You grew up with them and they were there when I wasn’t, but we both know you spent most of those nights at Jackie’s house. Don’t get me wrong, Jackie is a great girl. I really like her, but you’re both so young. I just don’t want you to have any regrets later and I’m sure Jackie’s parents would agree with me there. I doubt they know you’re staying there every other night.”
Shit, Bud got him there. He couldn’t tell him that it didn’t matter, that they wouldn’t notice anyway. At least not without telling him why and that was totally out of question. He wouldn’t rat Jackie out like that. The situation was complicated enough and the least he could do was let her have the little control that was left in her life. Damn, now he knew how Jackie must have felt before she told him, no wonder she acted so weird, this was awful.
There was also the fact that Bud just hinted he was worried about Jackie getting pregnant and like hell would they talk about his sex life now!
“Both her parents work and they have many social engagements, they barely notice if I’m there or not. On top of that Jackie doesn’t like to feel lonely and … you don’t have to worry about anything else. Don’t think about it. Seriously. Don’t.” he nearly groaned. He really didn’t want to talk about something like that. They weren’t even doing it, not that Bud had to know that.
Bud heaved a sigh and rubbed his eyes. He had a feeling he wouldn’t win this. He could try to put his foot down, but the truth was he couldn’t control Hyde every hour of the day and when Jackie and he wanted to see each other, they would find ways. He was young once too, he remembered, the only difference was … his son was already much more responsible than he was at his age. He might not act like it, but it was true. Maybe he could make this little concession as long as he did everything else. He would have to trust his son’s judgement. Not exactly easy when they hardly knew each other, but that was just it. Years ago he left a child behind, now he came back to a young man. This living together thing was a work in progress, they both had to learn.
“Okay. I’ll allow it. For the moment! I’ll change my mind instantly if Jackie’s parents complain about it, you slack off in your responsibilities or I hear of any other trouble at all. I put a lot of faith in you here Steven, don’t make me regret it.” Bud finally agreed and stood up.
Hyde could only nod. He thought they would talk about this much longer and Bud would still say no. He’d sneak out anyway, but like this it wasn’t necessary. It made things easier and it wasn’t like he was lying. He wouldn’t do anything that could harm Jackie and he wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t waste this chance.
Bud grabbed his jacket and said: “I’m heading out now.” At the door he stopped for a moment. “Merry Christmas Steven.” He finally said and left.
“Merry Christmas Bud.” He answered quietly.
The door closed behind his father and he leaned back on the couch. That went better than he thought it would. It wasn’t perfect, after all he had to agree to all the other rules, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. Standing up he walked into his room and put some clothes for tomorrow in a bag. Jackie already hid a toothbrush for him in her bathroom, so he wouldn’t need to bring one. He could shower and change at Jackie’s tomorrow morning and they would most likely head to Forman after that.
He glanced at the package he brought home with him. Bud hadn’t even noticed it. Pulling the Rolling Stones Shirt out of it, he couldn’t help but grin. Jackie went so far as to make sure all the signatures were legit, which meant she spent time learning about the band. She was already wearing band shirts of other good bands like Led Zeppelin or Kiss, his influence was undeniable. Maybe one day he would get her completely off her horrible disco music, like that Abba stuff.
He put the shirt in his closet, grabbed his stuff and walked out of the apartment again. He didn’t tell Jackie when he would be back and she tried to look happy, but he knew she would be worried about him. She was always such a worrywart, totally unnecessary of course. Outside he zipped his jacket up. Damn it was cold. He should have asked Jackie to borrow the Lincoln to come here and get back to her, but it was too late now.
Shrugging to himself he started walking, after all a warm house and a hot chick were waiting for him.
Merry Christmas indeed.

Chaoticamor: My first comment here. Thank you very much, I’m glad you like the story so far. :) I hope you’ll continue enjoying it.
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