Author's Note: This is my first That 70's Show fanfic, so bear that in mind! It will be angsty, but I believe in happy endings!I'm going to do my very best to stay in character, but I'm sure I'll slip. I'll try not to slip too far.This story won't be as comedic as the show...I'm not so great at comedy, but I just had to write about these characters! J/H primarily. Mild spoilers. Begins in the spring of Season 8. Oh, I don't really watch the show anymore, whichI know is odd, but I've read transcripts and spoilers, so I have a general idea of what's gone on. Some of the details may be wrong, and I apologize for that. Hope you enjoy!

Reawakening

Prologue - Something On the Television

The Forman basement was empty for once, and Jackie Burkhardt was glad. She was in no mood for company, and that was why she wasn't in her own apartment, lazing on her own couch. Her roommate Fez, whose last name she still didn't know, was there with his girlfriend. And she sure didn't need or want to be around any couple cuteness. It was a little odd being in the basement alone, but she'd done it before; all the gang had at one time or another. Red and Kitty didn't mind. Oh sure, Red grumbled but he didn't stop them. Jackie thought he secretly liked them being there all the time.

She brushed a strand of silken, raven-colored hair behind her ear and sighed heavily. Her eyes focused on the television set, but she wasn't really paying attention. "God," she muttered, closing her eyes. There had to be SOMETHING better to do than this. This was absolutely pathetic. This is what her life had become. Kind of like during that summer.

A familiar game show theme song began to play, and her eyes opened just in time to read "The Price Is Right" on the screen. Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively glanced to her right, but then snapped her head back. No reason to look over there. That summer was a million years ago, and she was over it. Over him. Completely over him.

She glared at the screen as excited contestants raced to the stage to meet Bob Barker. It used to be her favorite show. Now she couldn't stand it. But for some reason, she didn't get up to change the channel. It was hypnotic. Steven had told her once that the wheel must emit subliminal messages that made people do insane things they know they shouldn't do. He was probably right, because she really should just leave.

Jackie started and looked over her shoulder when the back door to the basement opened. Her heart skipped another beat.

"What are you doing here?"

She shrugged as Steven Hyde walked in and looked at her crossly. And all her defenses rose, just because of that "God, why do I have to see you" look he was giving her. She didn't know why it bothered her. She'd seen it millions of times before. "Nothing," she said, unable to look away from him. He looked good today, so good, wearing that t-shirt and those jeans that always made him look so….NO! She cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest. "You know, since I have no boyfriend, no job and all." Unconsciously, she sat up straight and shook her hair off her shoulders.

He looked at her for a moment, his expression blank and true Zen. "Whatever," he said and headed towards the back of the basement where his bedroom used to be.

Jackie frowned. "Why are you going back there?"

No answer. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the television. So typical of him. She thought about leaving, but his returning footsteps kept her planted.

He sat down on the couch next to her, not close, and he didn't look at her. "I moved back down here after…Sam left."

She tensed. Sam. His wife. His whorey, stripper wife. The woman he'd married. He could never even say that he wanted to marry her, let alone do it, but he'd married a woman he didn't even know. The thought of Sam made her stomach turn. But what was worse was the catch in his voice on her name. Obviously her leaving bugged Steven. He must have grown to really care about her. Jackie's eyes burned and she tightened her arms around herself while blinking hard. "Oh. I see."

Why did he have to sit on the couch? Why couldn't he have sat on his chair?

And why did it seem that she WASN'T over him at all?

Bob Barker kissed an old lady, and Jackie was tempted to blurt out that the lady would never be able to reach the wheel. She'd done that before. That summer.

"So, The Price is Right," he commented dryly.

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, nothing else is on." She was trying so hard to not think about it, the way she'd looked at him, the way he'd looked at her. How they'd leaned toward each other, how his lips had pressed hers searchingly. How the beard he'd had tickled her soft skin. How his hands had been so strong on her, and so warm.

Jackie's body twitched, and she got to her feet. This was just too much.

How his fingers ran through her hair, how hers had become tangled in his. How they just couldn't stop kissing until they heard someone coming downstairs. How fast her heart pounded; how fast she'd felt his beating when he leaned her down on the couch.

"Leaving so soon? I'm disappointed."

The sarcasm in his voice burned her, and she quickly grabbed her purse off the coffee table. "W-wh…whatever," she stuttered, her face turning pink. Normally, she might take the time to mock him about the fact that his wife, a stripper, for heaven's sake, had abandoned him. But today…she just couldn't.

Must be something in the air. Or something on the television.

She summoned her pride and did her best flounce out of the basement, slamming the door behind her. Frustration spun wild inside of her. She was supposed to be over him. She was supposed to be completely over him!

Inside, Hyde sat unmoving on the couch, his eyes staring at the television. He could still smell her light, sweet, scent. He had no idea what it was, nor did he care, it just smelled good. No woman had ever smelled as good as Jackie. Of course, he'd bet no woman had ever spent hours upon hours testing just which perfume worked the best with her body chemistry. Jackie had. Things like that were important to her.

Things like that were supposed to make her sicken him. But even now, after everything, they didn't.

He shook his head grumpily. Crap, he didn't want to be thinking about her. He'd done everything he could for the past several months to not think of her. Being married had helped. Too bad that was over. And too bad Jackie was still around. Why didn't she just go to Chicago? Or California? Or anywhere but Point Place?

She'd been wearing that purple shirt, the same one she'd worn that day, that summer. Same jeans too. And she looked just as hot as she had then. Maybe even more

so.

Definitely more so.

He rolled his eyes and stood up. This was making him extremely angry. He needed to go break a few laws, or get drunk, or hit his stash. Anything to stop thinking about her. He didn't need to be thinking about her. She was poison. Like Tahiti. Warm, beautiful, you wanted to go there, but then when you did, you were sick the rest of your life. And she made you stupid. He wasn't going to be stupid again. Stupid got you hur…well, it got you nothing at all.

He stalked to the television and glared fire at it. There was that stupid wheel. He reached down and turned it off. "Damn wheel," he mumbled. He blamed it all on the wheel. If not for that wheel and its subliminal messages, he never would have kissed Jackie that day, never would have started messing around with her.

Never would have fallen in….NO!

"Steven!"

He turned to look at the stairs behind him, and smiled at the petite woman he thought of as his mother. 'Thank GOD!' he thought. "Hi, Mrs. Forman." She looked excited, which wasn't entirely unusual for her, but this excitement seemed pretty intense.

"Steven, I'm so glad you're here! Come upstairs…I've got a surprise for you!"

She giggled and clapped her hands together. "Oh, you're just going to LOVE it!"

That gave him pause. "Actually, I was just going to…"

"Well, do it later! This is VERY important, Steven! Come on!" She turned and nearly bounced back up the stairs.

Hyde sighed. Somehow he doubted whether whatever Mrs. Forman's surprise was really more important than his need to get baked. But it was Mrs. Forman. And a distraction. Hopefully whatever this surprise was would get his mind off of Jackie.

He headed for the stairs, but took the time to send one more glare to the television set.

"Damn wheel."