Songs About Rain

Future song fic. Jackie/Hyde. Great country song by Gary Allan of the same name. Song lyrics are in quotes. Couldn't get the italics to work for some reason. Hope you enjoy. No spoilers.

"Well this town has closed down way too early, And there's nothing to do"

Point Place had never been a hotbed for activity. It had changed little over the past two years, slightly changing in size but remaining much the same. Hyde had always said he was going to leave this dumpy little town the minute he could. Yet it was 1981 and he was still here. His friends were here, and as much as it pained him to admit it, he wasn't ready to leave them; he didn't think he ever would.

So here it was, 9 p.m. on a Saturday night and Hyde was in his El Camino driving the slippery streets of Point Place. The rain had come as a relief to the hot, muggy weather of the past week and it suited his mood. He was in a shitty mood and he knew the cause of it... Jackie.

"So I'm driving around in circles, And I'm thinking about you"

He hated that it always came back to her. Whenever he was happy, or sad, rest assured the reason came back to Jackie. He loved her, he probably always had. And it seemed like he always would.

"Today I heard you got a new last name, Sure didn't know it was gonna hit me this way"

Today was Jackie's wedding day. To Peter. Hyde still couldn't believe how it had all gone so wrong.

Things had been great between Hyde and Jackie. Sure, they fought, what couple didn't. Hell Donna and Eric fought more than most. But it didn't matter because when it came down to it, they were in love. But even love couldn't save them.

It had all fallen apart after Eric and Donna's wedding. Jackie, of course, had been Donna's maid of honor—and as such she was obsessed with wedding plans. Hyde knew she was envisioning their own wedding and at first he had ignored it. Jackie had become insistent on discussing what they were going to do when she graduated high school. Hyde had managed to deflect most of the conversation away, but it had all come to a head at the reception after the wedding.

Jackie had been prattling on and on about the tux Hyde would wear, and how he looked so handsome now as best man, that he had finally had to stop it. Was it horrible timing—of course, but Hyde couldn't stop himself.

"Jackie, stop! We're not getting married." He had put up with an hour of her chatter and his patience had long ago worn thin.

"I know we're not getting married right now Steven. But it's still fun to think about." She smiled at him happily and Hyde would soon regret those next words.

"No, we're not getting married. Ever." His face was stern, his voice steady.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying you never want to get married?" Jackie's eyes searched his face for any sign of hope.

"I'm not the marrying kind of guy. So no, I don't want to ever get married."

"Then what the hell are we doing? You didn't really think I'd be happy like this forever, did you?" Her eyes were filled with tears.

"I never really thought about it long term, I guess." He regretted seeing her cry, but she had to know the truth. About him. He wasn't the marrying type, his parents had made sure of that.

"I don't know how to respond to this. You've known all along the kind of person I am. And you've let me talk about this for weeks, and you decide to drop this bombshell now." Her voice trembled slightly and she fought to steady her breathing. "Steven, if you're not even going to try and want the same things as me then I don't see the point in this. You obviously don't love me enough to try and change." Her voice spoke of hope for him to correct him. Tell her he could change. Truth was he knew she deserved someone who did want all those things.

"I guess not." His Zen face was able to block the emotions tearing through him as he felt himself losing her. Pushing her away.

"Well congratulations Hyde. You got what you wanted, to be alone." Jackie stood up and went straight for the exit, never once looking back. It was the worst feeling seeing her walk away from him.

After the breakup Hyde threw himself into work. He was trying to save so he could get his own place. He had to get away from living next door to Jackie. It was torture knowing she was 50 feet away at all times.

After a few months he had saved up enough to move out. His contact with Jackie had been limited, only really seeing her if Donna and Eric were around as well. But as he was packing up his car to move across town she appeared.

"Hey. I heard you were moving." She was shading her eyes from the summer sun.

"Hey. Yeah, got my own place over on Thomas Street. Forman's supposed to be helping me move." He really didn't know what to say, but seeing her here, talking to her brought back a flood of memories. He had been a dumbass and pushed her away. His past a constant block to his future.

"Well I just wanted to say hi. And I'm glad you were able to get your own place. Good luck." She smiled briefly and turned to walk back to the Pinciotti's.

"Jackie." He called her name and she turned back around to face him, looking at him expectantly.

"See you around." He couldn't say what he really wants. 'I love you. I miss you. I was a jackass.' Instead he let her walk away from him again.

And now he was in his car, thinking about the past, wondering abut the future...and listening to country. Whenever he was depressed, country seemed to suit his mood, and when it came to Jackie—country was always on. Tonight the songs fit his mood, as did the weather.

"And the radio just keeps on playing all these songs about rain"

He had covered up his feelings for Jackie for two years. Even when he found out she was dating Peter. Donna had dropped that bombshell on him and inside he felt dead, but he played it off with a simple "whatever."

"Now there's all kind of songs about babies and love that goes right, But for some unknown reason nobody wants to play them tonight"

Hyde was actually glad he didn't have to listen to songs about love and happiness. Those kinds of songs would make him want to drive off the road. So instead he enjoyed the morose feeling that accompanied these songs.

"Hey I hope it's sunny wherever you are, But that's not the picture tonight in my car"

By now Jackie and Peter were probably off on their honeymoon to Hawaii or some other tropical location. He knew Jackie had probably woken up upset to see it raining on her wedding day.

"And it sure ain't easing my pain all these songs like, Rainy Night in Georgia, And Kentucky Rain, Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again, Blue Eyes Crying in the Early Morning Rain, They go on and on, And there's no two the same, Oh it would be easy to blame all these songs about rain"

All these songs seemed to be on constant rotation tonight. It seemed to Hyde like the perfect conspiracy. He pulled his car around the water tower and headed back through the center of town.

"Well I thought I was over you but I guess maybe I'm not, Cause when I let you go looks like lonely is all that I got"

When Jackie's wedding invitation came to Hyde's apartment, he couldn't open it for an hour. He just sat and stared at it lying on his kitchen counter. He had known that Jackie and Peter were engaged; Kitty had insisted on throwing them a party. Hyde, in his masochistic ways, had attended, partly to ensure she was happy, partly in hope that she wasn't. But she had spent the whole night glowing with happiness and it made Hyde's skin crawl that she was happier with someone else. And even though Hyde and Jackie had become friends again, he still wasn't expecting an invite.

Eric and Donna thought it would be good for Hyde to go to the wedding, maybe put Jackie behind him for good. And more importantly, Donna wanted Hyde to go because she knew it was important to Jackie; he was important to Jackie.

Hyde had gotten as far as the door to the church. Looking at the flowers and ribbons had been too much. He couldn't do it. Not even for her. He couldn't put himself through the torture of watching her declare her love to someone who was willing to give her everything he never thought he could. So he had bolted, got in his El Camino and took off.

"Guess I'll never know what could've been, Sure ain't helping this mood that I'm in"

He decided to head back home. The songs no longer comforting. He'd rather sit alone in his apartment and drown his sorrows in a beer. As he pulled onto his street he hummed along with "Kentucky Rain" and parked his car on the street. He took the stairs to his fourth floor apartment and stopped at the vision of Jackie sitting in front of his door. Her head whipped up at the sound of his footsteps. Hyde's feet were rooted in their place at the sight of her here, it was more than his brain could process.

She stood up and faced him in front of his door. She smiled shyly and flipped her hair nervously. Her clothes were damp from the rain and her hair hung in ringlets around her face. "Hey."

Hyde couldn't seem to find his voice. He coughed nervously. "Hey."

"Do you think we could go inside? I'm kinda cold from the rain."

"What? Oh yeah, of course." Hyde fidgeted with his keys and fumbled with the lock, opening the door for her. Inside his apartment he still didn't know what to make of her being here on her wedding day. His eyes moved to her hands to check for a ring but they were jammed in the pockets of her jeans.

"So..." He decided she should explain what she was doing here.

"You didn't come." Her voice was low, her hair blocking her eyes.

"Jackie..." He didn't know what to say.

"All I was thinking was 'Where's Steven? I have to see him.' And if you think about it, it's weird to think about one man when you're about to marry another." She looked up at him then. "For the past two years I've been a horrible person. Using Peter in hopes that one day I'd get over you, or better yet, that you'd realize what a complete dumbass you'd been. But not once did you give me any hint. And it wasn't until I was walking down the aisle that I realized I was hoping that I was walking to you. Always to you. So I ran." She looked at him with tears in her eyes, her voice decidedly clear and sure.

Hyde stood in shock at all these words. The words that he had hoped to hear for so long. And now that they were being said, he didn't know what to say in return.

So he did something better. He grabbed her tightly to him and kissed her as he had wanted to do for so long. Jackie responded instantly, each making up for lost time. Their hands roamed each other's bodies frantically until Jackie pushed Hyde onto his couch and straddled his waist.

"Jackie, wait." Hyde grabbed her by the shoulders and made her focus. He sat up and she slid from his lap. "There's so much you deserve to hear me say. Two years ago I blew it with you. And I've regretted it every day since. I didn't think I could ever give you what you wanted or needed. And I guess I was too afraid to even admit to myself that I want those same things. Hyde's eyes focused intently on his feet and he struggled internally with his Zen. He couldn't lose her. This time was for keeps.

"I want to be with you. For real. And if that means getting married, then that's what I want. I love you and I always have. You're it for me."

Jackie's eyes glistened brightly with tears and she grinned before peppering his face with kisses. "Steven... you... are... so... great... I... love... you...so... much." Hyde laughed and caught her roaming mouth with his own.

The whole night was spent in the heat of the moment, each too happy to be back together to think about something as trivial as sleep.

Hyde's phone rang insistently the next morning. He would've normally ignored it but he was too happy. Reaching over Jackie he grabbed the phone and said happily, "Hello!"

"Hyde?" Eric's voice was confused on the other end.

"Forman! Hey, what's up?" Jackie giggled at his unusual behavior.

"Do you have a girl there? Nevermind...I was calling to tell you what happened at the wedding yesterday."

"No need Forman. I know all I need to know." Hyde smirked down at Jackie as she began to kiss her way down his arm.

"So I take it that was Jackie I head giggle. Way to go Hyde, it's about freaking time. Call us when you guys surface." Eric joked, happy to know the right people were back together.

"Sure thing. Hey thanks man." Hyde hung up the phone and returned his attention to the woman currently kissing his chest.

"If their gonna keep on playing me songs like, Rainy Night in Georgia, And Kentucky Rain, Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again, Blue Eyes Crying in the Early Morning Rain, They go on and on, And there's no two the same, Oh how I wish I could blame all these songs about rain"

Sometimes the rain was a bad thing, ruining a perfect day. And sometimes it was a like a baptism, washing the past clean. And Hyde looked forward to what was to come with Jackie, a new end to their new beginning.

The End.