Ok so this takes place during the episode where Kitty loses her engagement ring and they leave the kids to find it. It's an unspoken conversation between Jackie and Hyde and the realizations that take place between them because of it. I was going to have it be a one shot...but now I'm not sure. So read and then REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW and let me know if it should stay as it is...or if I should continue! :) Thanks!

Hyde watched as Jackie walked through the woods slowly. Even though he was drunk, he could still see that Jackie's presence seemed a lot smaller these days. When they had dated, she was perky and joyful. Now she seemed sad, her body seemed thinner; her cloths were hanging on her body. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her smile, but he figured it would have been sometime before the ultimatum.

"Hey Jackie?" Hyde asked.

She didn't bother to look over her shoulder. "What do you want Steven?"

"Are you ok?" He asked.

Jackie sighed. "What? What are you talking about Steven?"

"I just…are you ok?" He asked again.

Jackie flung around and glared at him. "Steven you aren't even making any sense."

"You just don't look so good." He said looking her up and down.

Jackie's face hardened. "Well geez Steven…we've only been apart for a few months and you already think I'm ugly. But I mean you have a slutty stripper now…why would you want someone like me? And besides…you never cared anyway did you?"

Hyde was a bit confused because that was a lot of words for him to process at the moment. "Jackie…"

She shook her head. "Just forget it Steven. I'm fine. Can we just find Donna and Randy so we can get out of here?"

Hyde nodded slowly. "Yeah sure."

They started walking again and Hyde thought back to when he made his decision to stay with Sam. It was the hardest decision he had ever made but he had done it because he didn't want Jackie to get hurt anymore. But watching her now, he realized that in the end he had hurt her more than he ever thought he could. They came to a creek and Jackie was standing in front of the log.

"Why'd you stop?" He asked.

"How am I supposed to get over this?" She asked.

Hyde was about to say something feeling as though the question had a double meaning to it, but he didn't think it would be appropriate. "I'll help you."

He stepped up on the log and Jackie glared at him. "Steven you've been burping in that hand all day. I'm not touching it." She said.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Have it your way."

Hyde walked across slowly and then Jackie took a hesitant step onto the log. She looked scared and he wanted to go help her but he knew he couldn't. All of a sudden he saw the log swaying and before he could do anything, she had hit the water.

"Ahhh!" She yelled.

Hyde cursed himself. "Jackie? You ok?"

Jackie lifted herself out of the water and onto the shore. "What do you think you moron? I'm covered in mud!"

Hyde sighed. "I asked you if you wanted help."

"Just shut up!" She yelled. "God I hate you!"

Hyde shrugged. "Jackie what the hell do you want me to do?"

"I want you to stop making me love you!" She yelled.

Hyde stood there for a moment. "Jackie…I…"

She shook her head sadly. "I gotta go."

Before Hyde could say anything, Jackie was running through the woods as fast as she could. His beer filled mind couldn't seem to make an appropriate decision. He knew this was all his fault…well not technically…but part of it was his fault. He sighed and walked through the woods hoping to find her. After a few minutes he thought he was lost until he heard the soft whimpering of someone close by. He turned on his heel and saw Jackie leaning up against a tree crying.

"Shit." He muttered to himself.

He walked over to her and once again noticed how small she looked. He stepped on a stick as he walked closer to her and Jackie jumped.

"Steven!" She yelled surprised.

He threw his hands up in defeat. "Sorry."

She wiped at her teary eyes. "Steven go away…"

Hyde knelt down beside her. "Jackie I'm not going to leave you like this?"

"Why not? Why do you even care Steven? You're married now. You couldn't marry me after being with me for almost three years…but you could…you did…you…" She felt the tears again and she stood up and turned away from him. "God forget it."

"You're not ok." He said softly.

Jackie turned to look at him. "What?"

"You're not ok." He repeated.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "God Steven what are you talking about?"

"I asked you before if you were ok. You didn't answer. But now I can see that you're not ok." He said slowly.

Jackie wrapped her arms around herself, feeling cold since her body was wet from the creek. "Steven I…"

"I thought that if I stayed with Sam it would help you out in the long run." He said.

Jackie bit her lip. "How do you figure that?"

"Because I was always messing up." He said. "I was always hurting you. I couldn't give you what you wanted so I figured if you could move on…you could find someone who could." He said.

Jackie laughed sadly. "God you're an idiot."

Hyde was confused and drunk now. "What?"

She looked up at him and walked closer to him. "You were always so insecure about our relationship. You were always looking for a way out because you didn't think I wanted you that much. But Steven…you never saw that all I wanted was you…" She said placing her hand on his arm.

Hyde felt the familiar tingle that Jackie had caused from the moment he met her. "Me?"

She smiled at his innocence. "Yeah. You."

He looked down at where her hand was. "Oh…"

She shook her head. "But it doesn't matter. You've got Sam now…and I've got…" She paused. "Well…" She laughed again. "Nothing really."

Hyde cleared his throat. "You could find someone…" He said.

Jackie smiled sadly at him. "I suppose I could."

"Do you…" He paused and then cleared his throat. "Do you want to find someone?"

She shrugged. "I suppose so. I just want to be loved…I'm just afraid I won't be able to get over you."

"How can you still love me after everything I put you through? And why are you telling me all this?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know why I still love you. And I'm telling you all this because I know you won't remember it in the morning." She said. "You drank more tonight than I've seen you drink in a long time."

"Sam's annoying." He snorted. "I need to drink to forget about her."

Jackie was surprised by his statement. "Are you happy?"

Hyde shrugged. "I don't know."

"Have you ever been happy?" She asked slowly before looking down. "Did I make you happy?"

Hyde stared at her and then smiled. "Yeah I've been happy."

She looked up slowly. "When?"

"With you." He said honestly.

Jackie smiled and then shook her head. "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked.

"For making me feel like you did care at some point…" She said with tears in her eyes. "Because I've doubted it for sometime now. I wanted to believe that you cared…but with everything that has happened since Chicago…it just made me think that I meant nothing to you. But right now…I see that I did mean something to you." She smiled up at him. "I just wish I had meant as much to you as you mean to me."

Hyde looked down. "What's wrong with us?"

She laughed. "A lot Steven. Too much…I don't think we could figure it all out tonight."

He smiled. "I suppose not."

"We should probably find Donna and Randy. It's getting late…and I'd really like to get this mud off me at some point." She said.

He nodded. "Come on. I'll help you across the log this time."

She smiled. "Thanks."

As the turned back to the creek, a million thoughts were floating around in both of their brains. And in a strange way, they felt a sense of closure. But it probably wasn't they both wanted.

A few days later, Hyde was sitting in the basement as Sam practiced her new dance routine. He watched her as she danced in front of him and she kept looking over her shoulder to wink or smile at him. He tried to look happy but he hadn't been able to get Jackie out of his head since the night in the woods. Finally the music stopped and Sam sat down next to him.

"Earth to Hyde." She said.

Hyde shook his head and tried to smile at him. "Oh sorry. What?"

"You aren't really paying attention. At first I thought you were getting turned on…but you look totally lost. And kind of sad." She said.

Hyde looked down. "No I'm fine."

"You sure? You've been kind of weird the last few days." She said putting a hand on his arm.

Hyde looked down to where her hand touched his arm and he smiled to himself. There was no tingling feeling like when Jackie had touched him in the woods. And for the first time in months, he felt completely certain about his life. And that certainty led him to one place and one place only…to Jackie Burkhart.

"Look Sam…I think we should talk." He said shifting in his seat.

She cocked her head to the side. "Sure. About what?"

"About this whole marriage thing." He said looking at her.

She stared at him for a moment and then smiled. "This is about the brunette isn't it?"

Hyde shifted on the couch again. "What?"

"This is about Jackie. You love Jackie." She said smiling.

Hyde didn't know what to say. "Uh…well I…"

"In Vegas you couldn't stop talking about her. About the way she smelled, about her smile, the way she always made you feel happy. You said that her kiss made you feel worthy. I should have known that you wouldn't want to stay with me forever."

Hyde sighed. "Look Sam I'm really sorry." He said.

She shrugged. "Don't be. You were drunk…in fact now that I think of it…you called me Jackie during the ceremony."

"I did?" He asked surprised.

She nodded. "You did."

He stared at her for a moment. "So…it's ok with you if we get a divorce?"

She shrugged. "Sure. I mean you're a cool guy and all Hyde and it's been nice hanging out with you. But we don't really know each other and I don't want to ruin your chances with Jackie."

"You think she will forgive me?" He asked skeptically.

She laughed. "You'll never know until you try."

He smiled. "I suppose you're right."

"Look I'll be out of your hair by five. I'll just make a few calls to some friends in Minnesota, and I'll file for an annulment…send you the papers in the mail. Sound good?" She asked.

Hyde smiled. "Yeah. Sounds good."

She nodded and leaned forward to hug him. "Don't wait to long to tell her Hyde."

He hugged her back. "I won't."

She pulled back and smiled. "See you around Hyde."

"See ya." He said watching her as she went to pack; now all he had to do was find Jackie.

An hour later, Hyde was freshly showered and he put on his best pair of jeans and Jackie's favorite concert T. He made sure to shave just like she liked it and then he jogged up the stairs to make his way over to Donna's.

"Well don't you look nice." Kitty said smiling.

Hyde looked himself up and down. "I do? I mean I'm not really dressed up or anything."

"Well no but you've been so shaggy since you broke up with Jackie." She said. "I always figured it was because you missed her. You're little heart was broken." She said rubbing his cheek.

Hyde shrugged her off. "Oh Geez Mrs. Foreman."

She smiled at him. "I saw Sam getting in the Trans Am with her bags. Is she off to another convention?"

Hyde shook his head. "No. Sam and I are getting an annulment."

Kitty's eyes widened with surprise. "Oh really?"

He nodded. "Yeah. We just realized it wasn't working. We don't know each other ya know?"

She nodded slowly trying to hide her excitement. "Yes. I do know."

Hyde laughed at her expression; he knew she wanted him to be with Jackie. "Mrs. Foreman you can just say it…"

"Thank God!" Kitty said jumping up to wrap her arms around him. "Oh honey I thought you suffered a serious blow to the head!"

Hyde laughed. "You're not the only one."

"I mean what were you thinking?" Kitty asked pulling away. "You picked that trash over Jackie?" She asked.

"I just lost my mind for a minute or two." He said shrugging.

"Well you better hope it wasn't long enough for Jackie to let you go." Kitty said brushing imaginary lint off his shirt making sure he looked perfect for his reunion with Jackie.

Hyde sighed nervously. "Yeah I hope so…"

"Well what are you waiting for? Go get her!" She yelled.

Hyde smiled. "Thanks Mrs. Foreman." He said dropping a kiss on her cheek before walking to the door.

"Don't forget to tell her you love her! And be nice!" She yelled after him. "After all you did marry a stripper!"

Hyde just laughed as he walked out the door. He made his way up to the front door and knocked slowly. He waited a few moments but no one came to the door. He sighed and turned around to try and look for Jackie. That's when he saw her…she was being helped out of the car by a tall brown haired pretty boy and he felt his heart sink to his feet. He saw the smile on her face and the way she threw her head back and laughed as he told her a joke. He felt like running but he couldn't seem to love. His feet were glued to the ground and he felt like he was going to be sick. He was so caught up in his daze he didn't realized that Jackie and her date were now standing in front of him.

"Steven?" Jackie called out for the third time. "Steven?" She tried again, touching her hand to his arm.

There it was…that tingle he craved and yet it made his heart hurt this time. "Uh hi…"

She looked at her date and then back to Hyde. "Steven what are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

Hyde looked down and took a deep ragged breath. "Uh yeah…everything's fine."

She could tell he was lying. "Steven hang on a minute." She turned to her date. "Nathan I think we should say goodnight here. I think my friend needs me."

Nathan smiled. "Ok. But are we still on for tomorrow?"

She nodded. "I would love to go to the theater with you Nathan."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Great."

Hyde felt a mixture of rage and regret course through his system. He wanted to hit this Nathan guy and yet deep down he knew it was his own fault.

"I'll pick you up at seven." He said.

She smiled. "I'll be waiting."

Nathan walked back to his car and Jackie waited until he was fully out of sight before turning her attention back to Hyde. She stared at him for a moment and he seemed to look older to her. Much older. He looked tired and above all he looked sad…his eyes didn't seem to shine the way they used too.

"Steven?" She asked.

Hyde shook his head out of his daze and looked down at her, trying to smile. "So who was that?"

Jackie looked over her shoulder at the retreating car. "Oh. That was Nathan Walters." She said. "His father used to work with my Dad. We ran into each other a few days ago and he asked me out on a date."

Hyde nodded. "I can see that."

She smiled. "So what did you come over here for?"

"I uh…I wanted to talk to you about something." He said.

She nodded. "I figured that."

He smiled at her. "You look beautiful…"

She blushed. "Oh Steven I…"

"Sam's gone." He said cheerily.

Jackie's eyes widened with surprise. "She's gone?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. She left about ten minutes ago."

Jackie was surprised by this news. "Oh. I…well why?"

Hyde shoved his hands in his pockets. "I asked her to leave. Or well…we had a talk and we realized it wasn't working. She knew that I…"

She raised an eyebrow. "She knew that you…what?"

"She knew that I wasn't over you." He said.

Her mouth opened in shock. "Oh."

"Look I know that I made mistakes…and now you're with this Nathan guy…but the other night you said you still loved me." He said.

She nodded. "I did."

"Do you still feel that way? Or do you like this Nathan guy…" He said huffing.

She laughed at his jealousy. "I went on one date with him Steven."

"But you're going to the theater with him tomorrow." He said rolling his eyes.

She laughed again. "So?"

"So are you saying that we're back together?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No."

He sighed. "Didn't think so."

"Steven what did you exactly think would happen when you came over tonight?" She asked curiously.

Hyde laughed sadly. "I honestly don't know…I guess I was hoping you'd just fall into my arms and we'd make love all night?" He said.

She smiled. "Nice fantasy."

"Not gonna happen huh?" He asked.

She smiled and shook her head. "No."

He sighed and looked down. "So what do we do?"

"I'm going to the theater tomorrow night with Nathan." She said.

Hyde looked up at her quickly. "Oh. You still are?"

She nodded. "Yes Steven. I am. Just because you aren't with Sam anymore doesn't mean I can just forgive you just as quickly."

He lifted his hands to his face and took off his sunglasses. "Jackie…"

"Steven I should get inside." She said walking past him.

Hyde sighed and spun around. "Ok so you're going to the theater with Nathan tomorrow night. What about the night after that?" He asked

She laughed and turned to look at him. "Good night Steven."

"Jackie?" He asked again.

She turned to look at him from the front door. "Yes Steven?"

"Are you ok?" He asked.

Jackie smiled remembering this question from the night in the woods. "No." She said honestly.

His mouth opened slowly. "Oh…I…"

"But." She paused. "I will be."

Hyde smiled at the playfulness in her voice and for the first time in months he felt hope. He smiled as she winked at him and walked back inside. Whatever happened he knew that they would figure it out. They were Jackie and Hyde after all…they would always figure out a solution. And in order for them both to be ok…they needed each other.

So what did you think? One shot or should I continue? Let me know! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! :)