Chapter Text
It was a beautiful day. You couldn’t ask for better weather to celebrate. Hyde knew Jackie had been stressing big time about the possibility of it raining for Sophy’s birthday party, but it seemed that just like everything and everyone else, Mother Nature bowed in the face of Jackie’s will. He couldn’t help but smile, his wife was a force like no other on earth. She was unstoppable. He loved that about her. It made him want to strangle her sometimes, but her fire would always be one of the things he loved about her most. Hyde sighed. Before he could move on, he had a task to do. He pushed out of his Camino and headed to a quiet stone bench shaded by a weeping willow. Hyde seated himself, like he had done the last five years, and talked to the bench inscribed, In Loving Memory of Buddy Morgan.
“Every year I hope this is the year she will come and talk to you, but she still can’t do it. I’m sorry she doesn’t come. I know you don’t care about my sorry, but I am. Her heart is still broken. I don’t know if it ever will be whole again where you are concerned. Because she can’t bring you up to speed, I will. Sophy is 5 today. She looks just like Jackie, accept the eyes. Those are all mine. She is Jackie 2.0 all the way down to nothing stopping her. She wants to be Tinkerbelle when she grows up. Her favorite cookies are Mrs. Forman’s Double Fudge Chocolate Chip. She starts Kindergarten in the fall. Jackie is near unglued about it, but our baby is ready to fly. It kills me to see her grow up so fast, but she is ready. She already has her first day of school outfit picked out. Sound familiar? Just like Jackie.”
Hyde took a breath. No matter that he was speaking to the air, he always felt like this part must be said.
“You should be here.You should be giving her some outrageous gift, that pisses me off, but pleases Jackie, but you aren’t. Because you had to be right. Because you were stupid, Sophy will grow up without you. It should be you that is Godfather, not Goddamn Sebastian. Though if I’m being fair, he does a damn good job, but still, he drives me crazier than you did. Sophy will never understand why her middle name is Morgan. Nothing Jackie every tells her will explain how you two were together. I wish you were here. I do. Because the light that was you in Jackie will never turn back on, and nothing I do or say will ever fix it. It’s time for me to go now, but I wanted you to know that Jackie loves you and misses you.”
Hyde pushed up off the bench and walked towards his Camino. He wasn’t entirely sure why he did this every year, but he felt deeply it must be done. Jackie needed someone to visit Buddy in her stead. He would do it until she could do it herself. Hyde put away thoughts of broken hearts and friends missed, he had a birthday party to go to.
Jackie watched Sophy tear around the Forman’s backyard. She was filthy, running around on a pure sugar high, and blissfully happy. It was far from a glamorous birthday party. So far away from the over planned and perfectly orchestrated parties she had growing up, and that made her incredibly happy. Here Sophy was loved. She could play. She could be herself. Jackie cringed sometimes when Sophy wanted to play in the mud, roughhouse, and climb as high as she could in a tree. Watching her baby smile like she had all the keys to the kingdom when she did those things was worth every speck of dirt and scrapped knee. Sophy’s childhood would be free of insane expectations and abandonment. Her and Steven were giving Sophy what they never had…love. Her thoughts were scattered when she felt Steven’s arms come around her.
“She is never going to sleep tonight. The amount of sugar Mrs. Forman stuffed into her will make her a monster later.”
Jackie laughed, “That’s why I arranged a special birthday sleepover with Grandma and Papa Red. If Kitty is going to spoil her with treats….she can deal with the fallout.”
“You really are evil sometimes.”
Jackie smirked, “Geek Boy doesn’t call me devil for no reason. Where were you earlier? I wanted to tell you something before everyone got here.”
Hyde played with her hair and said casually, “Just taking a drive, before being surrounded by chaos.”
Jackie wanted to push, because she was pretty sure where he was, but she had something more important to discuss. She didn’t want any shadows on this moment.
“Torturing Red and Kitty with a hyped up grandchild wasn’t my only motive in having her stay over. I wanted us to have the night to ourselves when I told you my surprise.”
Hyde looked up at Jackie, her eyes full of mischief. She wrapped herself around him, and whispered in his ear,
“If we had a boy, would you let me name him Sebastian?”
Hyde felt the world start to spin, there was only reason Jackie would say such a ridiculous thing. The one thing they had been trying desperately for the last two years.
“Doll, are you….?”
He couldn’t bring himself to finish the question. Because of Jackie’s accident and how Sophy was delivered, the doctor wasn't sure she could have another baby. The last 24 months had been marked with quiet hope and silent disappointment when Jackie failed to get pregnant.
“You are going to be a Daddy again. I’m three months pregnant.”
Hyde picked Jackie up and spun her in a circle. Oblivious to the stares coming from their family. He was lost in the woman he had cradled to his chest. She leaned into him and said with an evil smirk,
“So how about the name?”
Hyde just laughed, “Not even for you Doll.”
He pressed his lips to hers and murmured,
“Let’s go home.”
Jackie laid her head on his chest, and quietly responded,
“Thank you Steven.”
“For what Doll?’
Jackie pulled back, so he could see her eyes.
“For never giving up on us.”
Hyde leaned down and kissed Jackie soundly. He put her back on the ground, cupped her face, and saw the rest of his life in her eyes. There were a thousand things he could say in the moment, but he settled for five simple words.
“Thank you for loving me.”
Jackie pulled his hands from her face and grabbed them to her chest.
“Always.”
Together, they gathered up and said goodbye. Kissed Sophy and told her to be good for grandparents. They walked hand in hand towards the car, towards tomorrow, towards the next chapter in their story.