What really happened ("What should have happened")
The night Steven walks in on Jackie and Kelso in the motel, how I think it should have gone (or how I think it "did" go)
There will probably be more installments after this so keep an eye out and follow and review! (DISCLAIMER: I do like Michael and the other characters, but this fic will mostly be based on Hyde and Jackie's relationship, and what I think the writers could have done in season 8)
Obviously I don't own That 70's Show or any of the characters.
"Cool room!" Kelso drops the bags on the ground and goes straight for the bed, leaping onto it and then promptly falling off.
She watches as he picks himself up, quickly checking for broken bones before giving her a goofy smile and a thumbs up. Normally a display like this would have at least brought her a chuckle at his expense. But tonight, she only rolls her eyes, dropping her purse on the green shag carpet.
"Yeah, as far as motel's go, it almost looks livable." she murmurs under her breath, the tears from earlier threatening to bubble to the surface, the stale room reminding Jackie (probably a little too much) of Hyde's basement.
"Jackie look, you get a porn menu!" Michael is flipping through the book of cable channels, completely oblivious to her foggy expression, and the fact that she hasn't moved from the doorway.
Pressing her lips together, she nods, trying to make an effort to appear enthusiastic about the menu of porn...for some reason.
But instead, quiet tears fall down her face, completely failing to keep my cool.
Finally, Michael looks up at his friend, just in time to watch her wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"Jackie…" setting down the channel guide, he scoots off the bed and quickly hugs his girl. "Don't cry," she wraps her arms around his waist, doing exactly that. She sobs into his chest, her entire body shaking with her unbridled emotions.
"Ahh jeez," he sighs, looking around the room for something to cheer her up, "Hey!" He says, letting her go and reaching for the drapes covering the windows. "We can make fun of these ugly old-lady curtains!"
Pulling away, she sniffles and wipes her nose of her sleeve. Blinking at the hideous fabric, she sighs.
"You know," she tilts her head, "I'm not even bothered by them,"
Michael pauses, looking between her and the window. "Aw crap, he broke you!"
Walking over to the bed, she flops down on the squeaking mattress. "Ugh Michael, I don't think anything will make me feel better."
Pausing a second, he crosses the room, sitting down next to her.
"Well Jackie," He shrugs, "I guess we just do the only thing we can do."
frowning, she lifts herself up on her elbows, looking at him sideways; she's almost afraid to ask.
"We do it. In hopes that my good lovin' makes you so happy that you forget all about Hyde, and the fact that he doesn't love you and won't marry you."
So much bothers her about that sentence that she can't think of anything else to do but make a fist, and punch him in the arm.
"Ow Jackie!" Kelso rubs where her boney knuckles made contact, "You've been hanging out with Hyde too long, that hurt."
"Good!" she sits up, "Michael, sex is not the magical answer to everything." standing up she plants her hands on her hips. "Especially not in a sleazy motel like this. There are probably creepy homeless people lurking in the parking lot watching us." she shivers, crossing her arms over her chest protectively.
"Pssh," Michael goes to the window, peering out the hideous blinds. "Nuh-uh, no one can- wait," Michael squints into the dark, "Naaah, I'm sure we're good." turning around he grins.
Pursing her lips at the ridiculous man in front of her, she shakes her head. "Still not gonna happen."
"But Jackie, I'm almost possitive that no one can see us!"
"Right," she nods sarcastically, "That's the only things stopping me from sleeping with you."
Pausing, he frowns, "and I'm telling you, it's not an issue!"
Rolling her eyes, she throws her hands up, "I can't believe I ever let you touch me with your dumb hands."
"...That was hurtful." Kelso crosses his arms, fidgeting that way he does when he gets all worked up. "You know what, we were great together." Approaching her slowly, he puts his hands in his pockets, shrugging.
Jackie presses her lips together, willing herself to back away, but nothing is happening; her feet are planted.
And then he's right in front of her, and when he leans down to kiss her, she can't even bring herself to stop him.
Her lips don't respond at first, they just stay motionless as his seem to ask for more. Finally, she begins to kiss him back, bringing her bottom lip to his top lip, his hands find her hips.
Closing her eyes tight, she opens her mouth softly, waiting for him to respond with the same building passion, the same soft touch that quickly turns into something intense and gentle-the kind of kiss that she feels all over, and takes the breath out of her lungs; forcing her to lean in without a second thought.
But this kiss doesn't build, her body doesn't respond the way she wants it to, the way she's used to. Her hands are limp on his arms, her lips trying hard to manifest the passion that's not there.
He doesn't kiss like Steven.
Her eyes open and she steps away, leaving them both standing there, half kissed.
"Umm," she shakes her head, trying to clear it, "That was a mistake, I'm sorry, that was-" shaking her head, she tries to erase the moment from her mind. "Michael, that shouldn't have…" She trails off, crossing her arms over her chest.
Kelso looks disappointed, no doubt wishing she would give up and have sex with him, the way she used to when they were dating and his persistence would finally get to her.
But she doesn't, and he doesn't press her. Because they've both grown. They don't understand it, and they can't explain it, but they feel it. She's grown up, and he's grown up, and everything means more now.
Sighing, Jackie combs her hands through her hair turning away from him, she catches her breath. Grabbing the copy of cosmo from her purse, she drops it on the bed.
"You know Michael, I'm feeling much better, you could probably go now."
"Jackie," Michael pouts, "Look, I'm sorry for kissing you. That was stupid. But It's dark
now, and it's late. Don't make me drive home tonight." his puppy-dog eyes coming out at the most convenient time, he blinks pathetically at her.
"Ugh," she shrugs, "fine, but not more messing around." she points a stern finger at him, both of them feeling the tension of the moment melting between them, she kicks off her shoes and grabs a blanket and pillow, tossing them on the floor beside the bed.
"And I get the bed because I'm sad and a girl."
"Fine," he says sitting down next to her.
"Ugh, and take a shower," she pushes him away, snatching her magazine from under his
butt. "You smell like road trip."
"Jeez, you're mean when you're depressed!" he exclaims, "May I suggest instead of using me as an emotional punching bag, we drink our troubles away?" leaning over the bed, he unzips her suitcase, producing a sixpack of beer.
"What?!" she stands, frowning, "When did you put that in there?"
"I snuck it in when you were saying goodbye to Donna." he snickers, obviously proud of himself, pulling one of the cans from the plastic holder, he tosses it her way.
"Mmm," she turns the can over in her hands, "and all warm from the Chicago sun too!" she exclaims sarcastically, "moron."
"Crap." he reaches for it, looking at the can, as if contemplating whether he could still enjoy it lukewarm. After a moment he breaks it open, taking a sip. "Damn," he says, "That's not all that bad. It's like the time that Hyde told me if I microwaved my beer it would make it taste like strawberries."
Jackie stares at him blankly.
"It didn't taste like strawberries," he assures her, as if she believed it for a second, "but it kind of tasted like this."
"Right…" she sits back down on the bed, stretching out with her magazine, "Back to my point. I'm not sleeping in the same room as you if you don't take care of whatever dead animal that you must've rolled in to smell the way that you do. Now shoo!" she jabs a finger at the bathroom.
"You're not my girlfriend anymore so you can't tell me what to do!" he points back at her.
Narrowing her eyes, she doesn't budge.
Kelso begins to fidget.
"So I'm going to go and take a shower. But only because I want to, not because you told me to." he states before entering the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind him.
Jackie smiles at his ridiculousness, rolling her eyes.
"Idiot."
The shower turns on and Jackie rolls onto her side, listening to the white noise of the water
against the tile, and the murmur of voices through the thin walls. and she thinks for the hundredth time since she's moved here, why she bothered to come.
Her life, her friends and her heart all live in Wisconsin. And as her eyes begin to fill with tears again, all she wants is to be back here. Back in the stupid basement, with her stupid friends, loving her stupid boyfriend even if it drove him crazy; but she was here, and all she could think to do is cry until she falls asleep.
Unfortunately, Kelso has different plans.
Emerging from the bathroom, a towel around his waist and one tied in his hair like a girl, he spots her, tears and all, on the bed.
"Jackie no!" he says quickly, "Don't cry! Here look," he points at the towel on his head, "I did this because while we were dating when I would do it, you would point and laugh, and it really hurt my feelings, but it always seemed to cheer you up!"
His explanation does bring a smile to her face as she mops up her snot and tears with the cheap pillowcases.
"See," he points as she is now giggling at his hilarious appearance. "Told ya."
That's when he spots the open beer can in her hand, and he frowns.
"Are you drinking the warm beer without me?" he yells, as if he's a child missing out on Disneyland.
"This," she holds up the can, "is the grossed thing I've ever drank."
"Well come on Jackie, what do you expect? I found it sitting outside the buss station."
"Michael!" she sits up, holding the can away from her is disgust.
Holding up his hands, he backs away, pulling the towel from his head, "Calm down, I'm sure this dump has ice somewhere. I'll go find some, and when I get back we'll get buzzed and burn Hyde's Led Zepplin T-shirt-that I know you packed." he tacks on at the end, pointing an accusatory finger at her. she gives him a guilty look and shrinks in on herself a little.
And with that he exits the room, still mostly naked, and still damp.
Letting out a sighing laugh, she places the warm buss station beer on the bed side table, wiping her fingers off on the bed (Lord knows where that's been). Laying down on her stomach, she retrieves her cosmo from the head of the bed and flips it open. Her eyes skimming the pages, but not a word sinks in, and she can't seem to form a single judgement about an outfit or a celebrity's life choice.
Something is seriously wrong.
Three knocks on the door announce that Kelso is back, and being polite enough to knock first. That's not like him.
"Come in," she says, flipping the page of her magazine to a quiz that is supposed to tell you what colour your sex aura is… Although Jackie's not sure what a "sex aura" is exactly, she'll probably make Kelso take it.
Glancing up just as the door swings open, Kelso's flimsy, and mostly naked body does not emerge from the other side.
"Hey," Steven greets her casually, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary, him being here, in Chicago, at midnight. In her motel room.
"Steven!" Jackie exclaims, quickly pushing herself up off the scratchy duvet, the knowledge that Michael could walk in at any second in nothing but a towel causes her palms to sweat and the worry to leak into her voice.
Fixing herself slightly, she can't imagine what she looks like. Her eyes might be puffy and her dress is crooked; but there's only one mirror in this damn room and it's in the bathroom! Who built this place, men?
"What are, umm, what're you doing here?" Jackie crosses her arms over her chest, praying her nervousness isn't quite as obvious to him as it is to herself.
Just as uncomfortable as she is, Hyde looks around the room, never having thought of a
half decent excuse on the way up here, he settles. "Uhh, nothing." he shrugs, "had some free time, thought I'd check out Chicago." he nods along with his pathetic excuse, wishing there was another reason he'd be in Chicago besides her.
But she was his reason. And he was beginning to come to terms with that.
She nods with him, her eyes slipping to the door that she prays never opens. "Umm,
good," her unconvincing tone and the awkward silence afterwards makes her stomach do a turn. His eyes never leave hers, and it's as if he's trying to read the lies hidden behind her words.
"Hey, do you want to take a walk, maybe get something to eat?" Jackie gestures to the door, desperate to get him out of the room before Kelso shows up and ruins this hopeful moment.
Hyde opens his mouth, having hardly heard what she'd just asked, ready to say the words he'd planned all the way from Wisconsin. His speech to Jackie that he'd written a hundred times on the back of a Hub napkin, minutes after her ultimatum. The words he'd agonized over since the word marriage had entered their relationship.
Of course he wanted to marry her. But he was scared shitless, and he needed her to be okay with that.
Jackie's stomach falls to the bottom of her feet as the door behind Steven swings open, cutting off the words he was about to say, as Kelso re-entered the room, voice first.
That damn voice of his…
"Hey Jackie I checked, no one can see us doing it from the parking LOT-" Michael screams when he sees Hyde, angry as ever, standing in Jackie's motel room. The ice in Michael's hands goes flying over his shoulder in his panicked state.
So much for cold buss station beer.
So much for Steven's agonized speech.
So much for Jackie's hopeful heart.
And so much for growing up and doing the right thing. Even with the purest intentions, somehow Jackie's still managed to get burned in all of this. Worst of all she let it happen. And now…
In the silence of the room, the tension could be cut with a knife. Hyde's eyes lock onto Kelso as Kelso cringes, his wild eyes darting between Steven and Jackie, as if he's searching for an emergency exit.
"You're dead." Is all Steven says before making a move towards Michael. Kelso quickly darts, heading back the way he came, Hyde snatching the tail end of his damn robe, and pulling it off as Kelso flee's.
"I'm nude!" Kelso calls from the motel parking lot.
Steven stands, towel in hand, collecting himself slightly before turning back around to Jackie.
"Steven-" she begins, taking a step towards him.
"Save it Jackie," Hyde point, chucking the towel at her feet, "I get it."
"No, Steven," Hyde leaves the room before she can finish her thought. "Steven would you just listen for a minute please," she runs after him, her bare feet tingle on the cool stone of the parking lot.
"Why Jackie?" He turns, forcing her to come up short. The only light coming from one of the cheap street lamp that hangs over Stevens El Camino, buzzing quietly in the otherwise silent evening. "So you can tell me how there's nothing going on between you a Kelso? That what I saw in there was nothing?" He's talking fast and loud, the way he does when he talks about ABBA or the government.
"There is nothing going on with Michael and I," she pleads, her voice rough from crying and her hands shake with desperation, "that was nothing, Steven," she reaches for him, her hand finding his hand, but he quickly shakes her off. It stings like a slap in the face.
"You know what, do me a favour Jackie," he snaps, pointing a finger at her. "Just tell me the truth." his shoulders sag with defeat and this aching feeling that seems to throb in his chest. "You're saying that absolutely nothing happened in there, with you two?"
His gaze is steady, and her heart is breaking in two.
Because the longer the silence goes on, the farther she can feel him falling away from her.
Tears burn and blossom in the corners of her eyes, and when she can't make herself say the words, she knows she's lost him. "Steven…" she whispers through her tight throat, wrapping her arms around herself, as if she's trying to hold her breaking pieces together.
He shakes his head, his vision blurry with anger and frustration. He hadn't cried since his mom left. And he wasn't going to do it now. Not over this. Not for her.
"No," he steps back, retrieving his keys from his pocket, he runs his hand down his face, taking in an angry breath and letting it out. "No, I'm not doing this Jackie, I'm done." he pulls his car door open and slides in, slamming the door so hard the windows rattle.
"Steven!" Jackie calls, walking to the front of the car, tempted to stand at the back and force him to either stay here or run her over. But she's afraid he might choose the ladder.
He can hear her calling him as he pulls out of the space, and even as he drives out of the parking lot; but he keeps a heavy foot on the gas as he points his car towards Wisconsin, leaving a huge piece of himself back there in that motel room.
So! Please review and tell me what you thought! As you can see, I'm skipping the Vegas shenanigans and continuing the story in the way I think would have been much more hopeful for us Hyde/Jackie shippers.
Stay tuned for more soon :)