Disclaimer: I don't own That 70's Show or A Little Princess. I just love them both. Oh, and Izzy is from the "Hyde Reads" segment, so she's not mine either.
Author's Note: This is part of the "Hyde Reads" segment. I know it's hard to picture Hyde reading A Little Princess, but it would be fun. Enjoy!
"What on earth is that?"
Isabella was reading a book again. It didn't look like a very good one. It was pink, and girly-looking. Good grief, Jackie had to stop buying her daughter books, because these were the ones she got her.
"This is A Little Princess, Daddy," she replied, looking up at him, smiling.
"A Little Princess," Hyde said disdainfully. "Let me guess-"
"Yes, Mom bought it, but I like it," she replied.
"But how-"
"Daddy, you don't understand what books I like," she said. "I don't think I like all those scary books that you read all of the time, and all of those political things."
He shook his head.
"Don't get me wrong, they're alright, and everything, but every once in a while, I just want a book with pretty things and happy endings," she said quickly. "You know?"
Hyde looked at his daughter. "No, I don't know." He shook his head again.
"Daddy, you say you don't like this kind of stuff, but you know, I'll bet if you read it, you'd like it," she said, as he started to leave the room.
She could hear his choking laugh as he walked into the kitchen.
"Hey, honey, whatcha doing?" Jackie said. She was leaning over the side of the couch, looking at him, a book in her hand.
"What is that?" he asked, pointing at her book.
"Oh, it's a book!"
Hyde looked at her. "Oh, wow, Jackie, I couldn't have guessed that."
"No, Steven," she laughed. "It's called A Little-"
"Oh, geez, it's that same stupid book that you passed on to our daughter, isn't it?" he said, giving her a dark look.
"It's not stupid, Steven, it's wonderful," she said dreamily. "Well, you see, first, there's this little girl-"
"No- no- no!" he yelled, walking out of the room.
"Steven, wait!" Jackie yelled after him.
"NO!" he shouted, and she laughed again.
"Izzy, no reading at the table," Hyde said, as he walked by the kitchen table, and saw his daughter reading again.
"But, Daddy-"
"Nope, no, no!" Hyde shouted. "Don't 'but Daddy' me!"
"But-but-Da-"
"Izzy!" he warned. "Why is it that you think you can always get your way?"
"Because that's what Mom taught me," she said pleasantly.
Hyde laughed again. "No reading at the table, Izzy," he said softly.
"Of course not, Daddy," she said, as he walked out of the kitchen, carrying the sandwich he'd made. She put the book down, and started eating her food again.
"Good girl," he said, walking away. When he looked back again, the book was in her hand, and she was quickly scanning the pages of her story.
He groaned. "Oh, geez." And he walked out of the kitchen, smiling.
"Jackie, what is with you and your daughter?" Hyde demanded.
Jackie looked up suddenly. She was reading, just like Isabella had been. "What do you mean, Steven?" she asked innocently.
"You two, and that stupid book," he said, pointing at the pink book in his wife's hands.
"Oh, this is not a stupid book," she said, getting that look in her eyes again. Hyde sat down. That look meant he was about to be lectured, bossed around, or have to apologize. He would fight it, but eventually she would get to him.
"This," she said, her eyes getting bright. "Is one of the cutest, sweetest, most wonderful books ever. And everyone has to read it. I told Izzy to read it, because I loved it, and I loved it, because my mother read it, and gave it to me-"
"Wait, your mother read?" Hyde asked.
"Shut up," she said, laughing, hitting him. It didn't hurt. "Anyways, it's just the book that every girl has to read. In fact…" She smiled.
"Uh-oh," he said, getting up. "I know that look. I don't like that look. I'm getting' out of here."
"Izzy, come up here, sweetie!" Jackie shouted.
Izzy appeared at the doorway in a few seconds. Hyde was still trying to figure out a way to escape.
"Now, Izzy, remember that thing that we talked about?" Jackie asked her daughter.
"You mean that thing that we were going to do after the other thing?" Isabella asked confusedly.
"Nope, the other thing," Jackie said.
"Oh, the other thing with the thing that we were going to have Daddy do?"
"Yep." Jackie nodded. "You tell him, sweetie."
"Daddy, we want you to read this," Isabella said, handing him the book.
He looked between the two of them in disgust. "It's pink," he said.
"That just a color," Jackie said. "A good color," she added quietly. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is what's in it."
"And it's about a princess," he said.
"No, no, Daddy, it's about a girl who acts like a princess," said Izzy. "You see, everyone's mean to her, but she still acts nice and like a princess, and-"
"Don't give away the ending, Izzy!" Jackie chastised.
"But anyways, Daddy, you have to read it, please, please, please!" She grabbed onto his arm, and started jumping up and down.
"Naw, I-"
"Steven! Please, please, please!" Jackie had gotten up, and started copying his daughter.
He looked at the two of them. It was two Jackie's. Back when he'd first met her, if that had happened, he would've run, or screamed, or yelled, or something.
But now, he knew how to handle Jackie. He knew how to handle two Jackie's.
"Fine," he said. "I'll read it!" The only way to deal with two Jackie's was by giving in quickly before any bossing or extreme pleading began.
"Yes, it worked!" He couldn't tell if that was his daughter or his wife, but he knew to moan when they hi-fived each other, and he realized what he got himself into.
Jackie got home from work one day, and went to go sit on the couch. Isabella was at someone's house, so it was just her and-
"Steven?"
Hyde was sitting on the couch, reading the book intently.
"Steven, you're reading it!" she shouted cheerfully.
"Shut up, Jackie, I'm almost done!" he shouted.
She was silently beaming while he read the last page. When he finally put it down, she turned to him. "Well?"
"You girls and your sappy chick books," he said, leaning back on the couch.
"Steven!" She hit him.
"What?" It was a girly book, and you made me read it, and I don't know what I'm supposed to say!"
"Steven," she said. Ugh, the Jackie look. It made people tell the truth.
"Fine, okay, okay, I liked it!"
She grinned. "Really?"
"Yes, I liked reading about the little girl, and the monkey, and I liked how nice and happy she was, and the stories, and I loved the happy ending!" he shouted, standing up.
"Oh, Steven, I knew you would like it!" Jackie said.
"Fine, I liked it, and you can tell Izzy that I liked it too, but there is no way you are ever going to get me to read another one of your books again!" he shouted, walking into the other room.
"Sure, I'm not," she muttered quietly.
"I heard that!" he said from the other room.
She laughed.