DECLAIMER:I don't own anything.
Okay so this is set a few weeks after Hyde comes back from Vegas.
Keep in mind this is A/u and meant to me OOC
JACKIE
A week after Steven came back married my world started to crumble but the final straw was learning I was pregnant with his child and the miscarriage that followed only three short weeks later.
No one knew of the baby or the miscarriage, no one but me and Mrs. Forman, who had been sworn to secrecy. The moment I left the hospital however, was the moment I left Point Place, so it didn't matter, really. I took what I had in my car which was quite a bit since I've been thinking about leaving since Sam showed up and stole my life, my friends, and my love. I had decided to stay once I learned I was pregnant but now that the baby was gone I had nothing left here. The only stops I made on my way out of town were to the bank to get everything I could out and to The Salon to see my last and only friend.
Before going into the salon I wrote two letters one to Fez and one to Red. I made sure I didn't look like I had been sobbing, and I walked in and Fez immediately came over to me "Hello my beautiful roommate! What are you doing here?" Fez asked.
"Nothing Fez I just wanted to bring you something. I pulled out a big bag of candy that had the letters inside and handed them to him. "Now you can't open this until after your shift, okay? Oh and do it when your alone!" I said.
"Okay? Why didn't you just wait till I was home?" He asked confused.
"Well I won't be home tonight, Fez. Um but I have to go so…." I quickly hugged him and left before I could start crying. "Goodbye Fez." And with that I left.
I got back to my car still willing tears away. I pulled out of the parking lot and turned right. I wouldn't stop until I was at least two towns away from Point Place. I needed this. I needed to find myself.
I had been on the road now for about two weeks and I was a little tired but I finally felt free. I had been feeling suffocated for a while but now laying in the bed of a rundown motel that smelled like old ladies and sweaty sock I felt freedom. I was surprised that I hadn't felt home sick yet, I thought I would have by now and I would have to keep myself from going back to that god forsaken place but truth was I hadn't been tempted. Not once. All I felt was relief. My soul could breathe for the first time in my life.
I know that a part of my heart would always belong to Steven Hyde but I had offered myself completely to him and he turned away from it, so I don't spend my time missing him, wanting him or thinking of him. I didn't need to.
I try not to stay in motels and waste my money much but I needed a shower so I splurged for a day I even bought myself a real meal not just sandwiches or a bag of chips.
I knew no one back home would believe it was me if they saw me. Not that I had planned it like that but I had left most of my styling wands and hair products back in Point Place so my hair was kept in a natural wave. I had sold all my designer clothes as well I figured money was more important and I hadn't even bought another piece of clothing either what I had I had been given to buy a few people I had met on the road, which is another change I decided to stop putting my nose up to different type of people and it had lead me to a few incredible people.
One my third day on the road I passed a small town in Illinois where I had ran into a small hippie commune where a lady named Raiyne lived. She was the most loving person I had ever met. She had let me stay with her a few nights where she taught me to sew patches; a skill she said will come in handy on the road, she also taught me how to knit small things such as scarfs and things that I would need for when winter came. She then told me how important it was to keep journals of my trip since it was to find myself that they would keep me headed down the right path. So since then I've carried around a leather bound journal that I've begun to write every detail of my trip in.
One day six, I entered into Kansas expecting to drive straight through when I met a man and his daughter the old man reminded me of Leo, his name was Ban and his daughters name was Kelly. She was amazing she made these beautiful skirts and dresses that were easy for traveling when I left them on day eight she had made me 2 skirts and a few knee length dresses, they were homemade and hippish but oddly I didn't mind I loved them and in two seconds they had come to mean more to me than the most expense pair of Jordache's.
On Day ten of my trip I decided to head west towards California but later on the tenth day I came across a town in New Mexico where I met a few members of a Native American Reservation that invited me to stay with the tribe where I met Kota. He was beautiful he had long straight black hair and strong brown eyes he had brown rusted skin that glowed against the sun and he was considered a healer among the tribe and I felt a connection with him immediately.
I had learned a lot from the Native Americans like how to fish and how to cook it with a simple fire I also learned a few spiritual thing that seemed to now haunt my dreams not in a bad way but in a way that began to change my view of the world.
When day twelve came I decided it was time to move on. I was saying goodbye to everyone and gathering the things they had given to me to help along the way when Kota came up to me telling me that he wanted to come with me.
Kota had been traveling before he had left the reservation when he was fourteen and lived in Wyoming for while with a freedom school, he had come back to New Mexico when he was twenty two but now a year later he was ready for the road again.
And so Kota and I left the tribe and made our way back to town where I had left my car. When we got to it we took off for Wyoming instead of California I wanted to see the freedom school and met the people that he had told me about.
So on day fourteen here we were, in this rundown motel, lying on the bed. Kota was telling me the story of the sun and how it was in love with the moon, for the past two day he had told me stories like these something that was starting to become comforting to me. I wasn't sure how so much had changed in just two weeks, I thought things wouldn't begin to change for at least 6 months but instead they were changing daily. I already didn't feel like the girl I was before I lost the love of my life or my child I felt better. I was beginning to feel whole again hell I felt better than I had in my whole life… Well except for the times I was wrapped in Steven Hyde's arms, but I won't think of things like that anymore. Steven Hyde is a dead memory, a memory from a different life.
"… And so they were doomed to spend eternity chasing each other around the earth. You see so sometimes it's better to just be honest with yourself… Jackie?" Kota asked. "Are you listening?" he lifted a hand to my head smoothing the hair from my eyes.
"Oh yeah sorry I was just thinking that I can't believe I have only been on the road two weeks… it feels like longer." I look up at him and smile softly. "I'm glad you're here though. It's nice not being alone between new people."
"I'm glad I'm here too, sunshine" He said using a nickname he had gave me. It was what everyone on the tribe had called me. "And it only feels like longer because your spirit is soaking up the freedom you've been denied for so long" Kota had been the only one I had told about my life in Point place. About my Parents, Steven, Sam, the baby, I had told him about almost every part if my life. I had only known him for a few days but I knew he was going to be in my life for a while. "The spirit needs freedom to breathe, and you'll know it's time to go home when days begin to feel short, again."
"But what if I don't want to ever go back home?" I asked playing with his fingertips.
"That's for your heart to decide. Not you." He said kissing my forehead. Kota was a pacifist. He didn't believe in violence unless it was necessary for protection. He didn't raise his voice or burn people. He was what I needed.
HYDE
It had two weeks since Jackie had come to the basement. I didn't say anything about it. I had no right to ask about her whereabouts anymore. So I didn't, however that was expected what wasn't though was that no one else seemed to ask, either, not Donna, Fez or even Kitty.
No one asked a month, now had gone by without a single sighting of Jackie Burkhart. My life was crap. I hated Sam. She was more fucking annoying than Jackie was. At first I was excited I mean I was married to a damn stripper but now just a tiny whiff of her stripper-esk perfume made me want to puke my guts out. I was starting to miss the subtle linger of strawberries on my pillow that now smelled like a strip club and I resented Sam for it. I hated her for destroying that smell but I hated myself for being too stupid to send her packing.
Finally one day after Jackie being absent seven weeks Donna came into the basement and sat next to Fez ignoring a question Sam had asked her. I've suspected that she was getting on Fez and Donna's nerves as well, for Fez rolled his eyes when she spoke almost like he too resented her for something which surprised me since Sam would probably sleep with him if he asked and when she spoke to Donna lately she would either ignore her or answer her in short.
"Hey Fez could you tell Jackie to call me later, I know she's probably still wallowing in her own misery but some of us have actual problems." She huffed again.
Suddenly it looked as if steam would blow out from Fez's ears. He stood up and started pacing back in fourth in front of the couch with his hands on his hips. "Uh Fez what's your problem?" Donna asked with her eyebrows furrowed.
A bitter laugh escaped his throat and he started rubbing his forehead, "My problem, Donna? My problem it has that it has taken seven weeks for any of you to even mention Jackie and the first time you do you accuse her of being selfish. Well, Jackie won't be calling you, Donna." And with that he was out of the door, slamming it behind him.
Donna looked over at me like Fez had slapped her "What the hell was that?" She asked getting angry, "What the fuck is problem? I didn't accuse her of being selfish she is everybody knows that!"
"I don't know Donna but you don't need that bitch you have me." Sam said proudly.
"Oh shut up Sam, your voice is so annoying! I'm going over to Fez's and give Jackie a piece of my mind!" Donna stood up and left.
Something weird was defiantly going on Fez had never gone off on Donna like that.
An hour later I made my way up stairs to dinner after Sam had left. This was the best part of my days when 125 pounds of stripper got out of my hair and went and bothered someone else and I got to eat dinner with Kitty and Red though since Sam things have been strained but for a few weeks things have been even heavier in the Forman house and now that I think back on it the cloud got darker when Jackie last left the basement. I wasn't sure if it was the reason or if it was just a coincidence.
I had decided though that after Red left the kitchen I would stay behind while Kitty cleaned up to see if she had noticed the brunettes absence.
I was leaned on the bar with my arms crossed while Kitty was across from me doing the dishes. "So it's kinda quite around here lately." I said casually.
She looked up and smiled a tight, sad smile. "Yeah it doesn't feel the same, huh?"
"Nah… Forman's not here twitchin,' Kelso's not gluing his self to things, Donna's blonde…"
"Jackie's mouth isn't running a mile a minute…" She interrupted me looking past me sadly with a wistful smile playing on her lips.
"Yeah... I've noticed she's not been ringing ears lately…" I was about to ask what was up with that when the sliding glass door opened with an irritated Donna coming through.
"You won't believe it that little foreign freak wouldn't let me in to talk to Jackie! I'm so mad. Who does she think she is lately?" She dropped into a chair at the table.
Kitty laughed her trademark nervous laughed while drying off her hands and quickly left the room. Well that was weird. "Ya' know, Donna. I think something's going on."
"Other than Jackie being a selfish brat and Fez not letting me in their apartment what else could be going on?"
"I don't know man but I feel like were being kept in the dark about something." I said sitting beside her.
"Yeah…" She said putting her head in her hands. "Yeah Hyde I think your right." She looked up at me, "How are we going to get it out of them?" She asked.
"Well step one snoop around a little." I paused, thinking. "Okay with how quickly Mrs. Forman, flew out of here a second ago, she defiantly knows something, which she'll be easy to crack and Fez will be with Kelso here so you go call Kelso see if he can come down for the weekend and I'll work on Mrs. Forman."
"She nodded and stood up and left and I sat back and thought of what I could ask Mrs. Forman; without being suspicious.
