Disclaimer: I do not own That 70'S Show or any of it characters. I am
just a fan with no money.
This idea came to me while I was at work today. Bear with me kids. It ended up a lot longer than I initially thought. I though by the time I got most of this down on paper I'd be a lot further along in the story but didn't get past the prologue. Will add much more later.
Prologue: Sept 1981
Jackie Burkhardt had just started her sophomore year at college. She and Hyde had been living together for nearly a year. Shockingly enough Hyde had proposed to her only 3 weeks ago. She was so excited. They were talking about possibly getting married around Christmas time. Hyde had recently started his own automotive repair garage. He had always been good at fixing cars so he figured why not make money from it.
Everything seemed to be going great for them. That is until Michael Kelso found out about their engagement. At first glance he appeared to accept it but secretly he was fuming about it. He had concocted a rather underhanded plan. Michael Kelso had never given up on the idea that eventually he and Jackie would get back together. He figured it was only a matter of time before she and Hyde went their separate ways. The news of the engagement shattered that illusion rather rudely. He was bound and determined if he couldn't have Jackie then neither could Hyde. For Jackie's birthday earlier that year Hyde had gotten Jackie a beautiful emerald diamond set of earrings. Jackie loved them and wore them with everything, nearly everyday. She was so proud that her "Steven" had such great taste. All of sudden one of the earring became missing. Jackie searched every nook and cranny. The missing earring was no where to be seen. She didn't tell Hyde she had lost it. She was worried he would be angry with her for losing it. She didn't know how she could have lost it though. The last time she had seen it had been in her jewelry box. After a few weeks Hyde noticed that she wasn't wearing them anymore. He asked her why. She said that she had just been wearing another pair lately just for a change but she would start wearing them again soon (as soon as she found them that is). Hyde accepted her explanation and never gave it a second thought. Though unbeknownst to either of them Kelso knew where Hyde and Jackie kept their spare house key and while both were at work and school let himself in and took the earring and a pair of Jackie's underwear.
Kelso arranged for Hyde to be at his apartment one night and left the earring laying out where Hyde would see it. Plus he had a pair of her underwear stashed under his couch. He felt Hyde wouldn't believe the underwear by itself so he needed another damning piece of evidence. He felt the earring was the perfect finishing touch. How would it have gotten in his apartment unless Jackie had been there? Of course Jackie had never been in his apartment but Hyde didn't need to know that did he? So the plan was in motion.
Hyde arrived at Kelso's apartment thinking that they were going to go to a bar where they were having nickel draft night. Jackie had class that night so he figured he might as well go out and have some fun. He sat down on the couch while Kelso was fixing him a drink before they went out. Secretly Kelso was in his kitchen watching and waiting for Hyde to notice the earring. In was in plain sight. Hyde noticed it almost immediately. The moment he saw it his heart dropped into his stomach. He couldn't believe his eyes. But there was no mistaking it, it was Jackie's earring. The earrings she hadn't been wearing lately. Now he knew it was because she lost it at Kelso's apartment.
His mind went through a thousand different emotions. Rage, disbelief, hurt, bewilderment, and then finally acceptance. In the back of his mind he was always afraid Jackie and Kelso would somehow find their way back into each others arms. The last year or so those thoughts had faded and he almost never though about it. He had finally felt confident that Jackie had chosen him. He loved her so much he couldn't even begin to put it into words. He was still bad at telling her but she seemed to understand him like no one else ever had. Sometimes he couldn't believe how patient she was with his him and his hang-ups. So after nearly a year of living together without any major blow ups he figured why not put his money where his mouth was and finally prove to Jackie that he wanted a future with her. She said yes of course, instantly dissolving into a pool of happy tears. She was filled with ideas and plans on how life was going to work out for them. Picture perfect of course.
Hyde called Kelso to come back into the living room.
He held up the earring for Kelso to see "Kelso, you better have a very good explanation why this is in your apartment!"
"Dude, don't worry, it didn't mean anything. It was just one last fling before you guys tie the knot."
Hyde stared at him, trying to read his expression. Kelso wasn't giving anything away. Hyde suddenly felt like this didn't add up right. When would Kelso and Jackie even have had a chance to be together? When she wasn't in class she was with him. "Kelso, wrong answer. You better tell me the truth now!"
"Hyde, I'm sorry if the truth hurts but me and Jackie did it one last time. It didn't mean anything so you have nothing to worry about."
"She wouldn't do that. She loves me, not you. You're lying. You'd better tell me the truth now before I beat you to a bloody pulp."
"Hyde, then how do I have these?" Kelso pulled Jackie's underwear out from under the couch. Hyde's eyes about bulged out of his head when he saw them. He recognized them right way. It was one of his favorite pairs. They were definitely Jackie's. With that last piece of evidence Hyde accepted defeat. He took the earring and grabbed the underwear out of Kelso's hand and stormed out. Kelso sat down on his couch in shock that his plan had actually worked. After all over the last few years he'd had many hair brained schemes to get Jackie back and none had ever worked. He didn't understand why the victory he wanted for so long felt so wrong.
Hyde went home to wait for Jackie. As soon as she got home he was going to confront her with evidence of her infidelity. Surely she couldn't lie her way out of this one. To think he had been willing to marry the lying, cheating, manipulative slut. Just the thought of her with Kelso made him want to die. He felt sick. This couldn't be happening. But it was.
Jackie arrived home a little after 9pm.
She set her books down on the dining room table and walked into the living room to find Hyde sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. Something was wrong. Suddenly she had feeling that the bottom was about to drop out of her life.
"Steven, what's wrong?" asked Jackie, concerned about what could have him acting like this.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" he repeated incredulously and angrily. "Jackie, look what I found!"
He showed her the missing earring she had been missing for weeks. "Oh Steven, you found it!"
"Ya, I found it all right. Though you told me that you just hadn't been wearing them. You didn't bother to tell me that you lost it at your lover's apartment."
"My lover? What the hell are you talking about Steven?" Jackie was getting very scared. She had no idea where he was going with this or what he was talking about.
"Or do you mean which one? How about I make it easy for you and just tell you where I found it." He paused for a moment staring at her bewildered expression. "I found it at Kelso's."
"Steven, I've never even been over to his apartment before. I swear to God I've not been with anyone but you the whole time we've been together. You've got to believe me. I love you. I would never do that to you and you know it." Tears started to run down her cheeks. She felt like she was in the middle of nightmare and she would wake up any moment.
Though by this point Hyde wasn't listening. The evidence though circumstantial was too damning. He took the underwear out of his pocket and shoved it in her face. "You love me? You love me? Then why the FUCK was your underwear under his couch! Was it good?! One last fuck before you settled for second best?! Come on lie to me! Tell me these aren't yours! What's the matter, can't think up a lie fast enough?" taunted Hyde.
Jackie was staring at the underwear in complete shock and disbelief. It was definitely her underwear. But how it ended up in Michael's apartment she hadn't a clue. "Steven, I swear to you. I promise you, I have never been with Michael since we've been together. I have never even been to his apartment. Please believe me!"
He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity, just shaking his head. "Believe you? I knew this would happen. I knew it! But I fooled myself into believing what we had was real. But its all a bunch of crap isn't it! I was so stupid to believe that a shallow, selfish, spoiled, stupid SLUT like you could change! You haven't changed. You're still the same space cadet who can't stay away from Kelso, the love of your pathetic life. So I hope you two will be happy together!"
Jackie continued to stare at him. By this time she was crying with huge racking sobs. "Steven, I didn't sleep with him. I don't want him, I only want you. Please Steven! I love you." She reached for his arm but he jerked away as if her touch burned him.
"Don't touch me. I'm leaving but when I come back you'd better be gone. And I mean gone for good."
"Steven, you don't mean that. Please! Steven, I swear to you. I didn't sleep with him. I didn't!" She sank to the floor, crying to the point that her words were no longer even understandable. He turned his back and went out the front door, nearly slamming it off its hinges.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER...
Hyde had been drowning his sorrows at a tavern close to his Garage. He drank beer after beer. So that was it, it was finally over. He'd lost her. Lost her to Kelso. He didn't know which was worse. Suddenly his stupor was interrupted by Kelso sitting on a bar stool right next to him. He looked up and couldn't believe it.
"Get out of here Kelso. If you value your life at all you will get out of my face right now!!" said Hyde who was shaking with rage.
Kelso was very visibly frightened of Hyde in his present state of mind but decided he just had to get this over with. He would come clean. After Hyde had left he had decided that he couldn't do this to Jackie and he couldn't do it to Hyde. No matter how bad he wanted her back. It had come to him as a big shock that the ends didn't justify the means after all.
"Hyde, I made it all up. It never happened. When I heard you guys got engaged I couldn't take it. So I decided I had to stop you from getting married. So I took your spare key and stole the earring out of Jackie's jewelry box and took a pair of her underwear." said Kelso while staring at the floor instead of Hyde's disbelieving face.
"You what?! You mother fucking bastard! How could you do that to me?! How could you do that to Jackie?! You son of a fucking bitch! I'm going to rip your head off!
Hyde lunged for Kelso and started punching him in the stomach, in the face, where ever he could reach. Some one in the bar pulled them apart. Hyde was held back by an older muscular man. Hyde stared at Kelso with murder in his eyes. Suddenly all the horrible things he's said to Jackie came streaming back to him. He had to get back to their apartment and put this misunderstanding to rest. He pulled out of the grasp of the man holding him back from Kelso and ran out the front door of the bar.
MEANWHILE..
After about ten minutes of crying her eyes out Jackie felt a wave of calm wash over her. He didn't trust her. That was evident. In the back of her mind she guessed she'd always know that. Ever since the "Get off my boyfriend" fiasco it had always been there. Not talked about, ignored, and pushed aside. But it was there just the same. She was filled with anger. The names he called her came racing back to her.
SHALLOW, SELFISH, STUPID, SPOILED, SLUT.
Those words echoed in her mind over and over again. So that's what he thought of her. At least she knew now before it was too late. She'd called Donna while she was still hysterically crying and told her the whole sordid mess. Donna couldn't understand half of what Jackie had tried to tell her but she got the gist of the situation and she was on her way. Jackie was packing all her belongings up in boxes and whatever suitcases, and bags she could find. Finally she heard loud knocking downstairs. She went downstairs to let Donna in. She immediately threw her arms around Donna and sobbed her heart out. After she calmed down Donna began helping her pack her stuff and they were putting everything they could fit into both Jackie and Donna's cars. Finally everything was pretty much packed. The rest he could throw away as far as she was concerned. Jackie and Donna were in her bedroom giving everything one last look over to make sure she got everything important. Suddenly Jackie remembered the engagement ring on her finger. She paused for a moment but then finally found the strength to take it off. She grabbed an envelope off the desk and sealed it and just simple wrote on the front Steven and laid it on his pillow on their bed.
Donna watched this scene with great sadness. She knew with 100% certainty that Jackie would never sleep with Kelso and had been completely faithful to Hyde the entire time they'd been together and couldn't for the life of her fathom why Hyde didn't know it himself. She and Jackie headed back downstairs only to find Hyde coming through the front door.
He stared at Jackie for several moments. He was afraid of saying the wrong thing. As if things could get any worse. He already noticed all of Jackie's things missing all of over the apartment, which was practically everything. Plus he'd noticed Donna and Jackie's cars overloaded with boxes and bags.
"Jackie, I'm so sorry. Kelso told me the truth. I know you didn't sleep with him."
Jackie remained stoic and slowly shook her head "You know huh. Well, that's big of you. Thanks for taking my word for it. I really appreciate it. You'll never know how much that means to me. If you don't mind the selfish, spoiled, shallow, spoiled slut was about to remove herself from here just as you requested. Come on Donna, lets go."
Hyde reached out her arm to stop her from leaving. "Jackie, come on, please don't leave. I'm sorry. I was upset. I love you. It was just a big misunderstand but we can just forget this whole thing ever happened." he said pleadingly.
She jerked his hand off of her arm. "Forget it ever happened? Maybe you can but I can't! You don't trust me! You apparently never have! There's nothing left worth saving. We're done!"
"No we're not"
"Steven, We are over!" yelled Jackie.
"No we're not Jackie"
She looked him directly in the eyes and said "Steven, we're so over, we need a new word for over" and turned and went out the door with Donna following closely behind.
This idea came to me while I was at work today. Bear with me kids. It ended up a lot longer than I initially thought. I though by the time I got most of this down on paper I'd be a lot further along in the story but didn't get past the prologue. Will add much more later.
Prologue: Sept 1981
Jackie Burkhardt had just started her sophomore year at college. She and Hyde had been living together for nearly a year. Shockingly enough Hyde had proposed to her only 3 weeks ago. She was so excited. They were talking about possibly getting married around Christmas time. Hyde had recently started his own automotive repair garage. He had always been good at fixing cars so he figured why not make money from it.
Everything seemed to be going great for them. That is until Michael Kelso found out about their engagement. At first glance he appeared to accept it but secretly he was fuming about it. He had concocted a rather underhanded plan. Michael Kelso had never given up on the idea that eventually he and Jackie would get back together. He figured it was only a matter of time before she and Hyde went their separate ways. The news of the engagement shattered that illusion rather rudely. He was bound and determined if he couldn't have Jackie then neither could Hyde. For Jackie's birthday earlier that year Hyde had gotten Jackie a beautiful emerald diamond set of earrings. Jackie loved them and wore them with everything, nearly everyday. She was so proud that her "Steven" had such great taste. All of sudden one of the earring became missing. Jackie searched every nook and cranny. The missing earring was no where to be seen. She didn't tell Hyde she had lost it. She was worried he would be angry with her for losing it. She didn't know how she could have lost it though. The last time she had seen it had been in her jewelry box. After a few weeks Hyde noticed that she wasn't wearing them anymore. He asked her why. She said that she had just been wearing another pair lately just for a change but she would start wearing them again soon (as soon as she found them that is). Hyde accepted her explanation and never gave it a second thought. Though unbeknownst to either of them Kelso knew where Hyde and Jackie kept their spare house key and while both were at work and school let himself in and took the earring and a pair of Jackie's underwear.
Kelso arranged for Hyde to be at his apartment one night and left the earring laying out where Hyde would see it. Plus he had a pair of her underwear stashed under his couch. He felt Hyde wouldn't believe the underwear by itself so he needed another damning piece of evidence. He felt the earring was the perfect finishing touch. How would it have gotten in his apartment unless Jackie had been there? Of course Jackie had never been in his apartment but Hyde didn't need to know that did he? So the plan was in motion.
Hyde arrived at Kelso's apartment thinking that they were going to go to a bar where they were having nickel draft night. Jackie had class that night so he figured he might as well go out and have some fun. He sat down on the couch while Kelso was fixing him a drink before they went out. Secretly Kelso was in his kitchen watching and waiting for Hyde to notice the earring. In was in plain sight. Hyde noticed it almost immediately. The moment he saw it his heart dropped into his stomach. He couldn't believe his eyes. But there was no mistaking it, it was Jackie's earring. The earrings she hadn't been wearing lately. Now he knew it was because she lost it at Kelso's apartment.
His mind went through a thousand different emotions. Rage, disbelief, hurt, bewilderment, and then finally acceptance. In the back of his mind he was always afraid Jackie and Kelso would somehow find their way back into each others arms. The last year or so those thoughts had faded and he almost never though about it. He had finally felt confident that Jackie had chosen him. He loved her so much he couldn't even begin to put it into words. He was still bad at telling her but she seemed to understand him like no one else ever had. Sometimes he couldn't believe how patient she was with his him and his hang-ups. So after nearly a year of living together without any major blow ups he figured why not put his money where his mouth was and finally prove to Jackie that he wanted a future with her. She said yes of course, instantly dissolving into a pool of happy tears. She was filled with ideas and plans on how life was going to work out for them. Picture perfect of course.
Hyde called Kelso to come back into the living room.
He held up the earring for Kelso to see "Kelso, you better have a very good explanation why this is in your apartment!"
"Dude, don't worry, it didn't mean anything. It was just one last fling before you guys tie the knot."
Hyde stared at him, trying to read his expression. Kelso wasn't giving anything away. Hyde suddenly felt like this didn't add up right. When would Kelso and Jackie even have had a chance to be together? When she wasn't in class she was with him. "Kelso, wrong answer. You better tell me the truth now!"
"Hyde, I'm sorry if the truth hurts but me and Jackie did it one last time. It didn't mean anything so you have nothing to worry about."
"She wouldn't do that. She loves me, not you. You're lying. You'd better tell me the truth now before I beat you to a bloody pulp."
"Hyde, then how do I have these?" Kelso pulled Jackie's underwear out from under the couch. Hyde's eyes about bulged out of his head when he saw them. He recognized them right way. It was one of his favorite pairs. They were definitely Jackie's. With that last piece of evidence Hyde accepted defeat. He took the earring and grabbed the underwear out of Kelso's hand and stormed out. Kelso sat down on his couch in shock that his plan had actually worked. After all over the last few years he'd had many hair brained schemes to get Jackie back and none had ever worked. He didn't understand why the victory he wanted for so long felt so wrong.
Hyde went home to wait for Jackie. As soon as she got home he was going to confront her with evidence of her infidelity. Surely she couldn't lie her way out of this one. To think he had been willing to marry the lying, cheating, manipulative slut. Just the thought of her with Kelso made him want to die. He felt sick. This couldn't be happening. But it was.
Jackie arrived home a little after 9pm.
She set her books down on the dining room table and walked into the living room to find Hyde sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. Something was wrong. Suddenly she had feeling that the bottom was about to drop out of her life.
"Steven, what's wrong?" asked Jackie, concerned about what could have him acting like this.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" he repeated incredulously and angrily. "Jackie, look what I found!"
He showed her the missing earring she had been missing for weeks. "Oh Steven, you found it!"
"Ya, I found it all right. Though you told me that you just hadn't been wearing them. You didn't bother to tell me that you lost it at your lover's apartment."
"My lover? What the hell are you talking about Steven?" Jackie was getting very scared. She had no idea where he was going with this or what he was talking about.
"Or do you mean which one? How about I make it easy for you and just tell you where I found it." He paused for a moment staring at her bewildered expression. "I found it at Kelso's."
"Steven, I've never even been over to his apartment before. I swear to God I've not been with anyone but you the whole time we've been together. You've got to believe me. I love you. I would never do that to you and you know it." Tears started to run down her cheeks. She felt like she was in the middle of nightmare and she would wake up any moment.
Though by this point Hyde wasn't listening. The evidence though circumstantial was too damning. He took the underwear out of his pocket and shoved it in her face. "You love me? You love me? Then why the FUCK was your underwear under his couch! Was it good?! One last fuck before you settled for second best?! Come on lie to me! Tell me these aren't yours! What's the matter, can't think up a lie fast enough?" taunted Hyde.
Jackie was staring at the underwear in complete shock and disbelief. It was definitely her underwear. But how it ended up in Michael's apartment she hadn't a clue. "Steven, I swear to you. I promise you, I have never been with Michael since we've been together. I have never even been to his apartment. Please believe me!"
He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity, just shaking his head. "Believe you? I knew this would happen. I knew it! But I fooled myself into believing what we had was real. But its all a bunch of crap isn't it! I was so stupid to believe that a shallow, selfish, spoiled, stupid SLUT like you could change! You haven't changed. You're still the same space cadet who can't stay away from Kelso, the love of your pathetic life. So I hope you two will be happy together!"
Jackie continued to stare at him. By this time she was crying with huge racking sobs. "Steven, I didn't sleep with him. I don't want him, I only want you. Please Steven! I love you." She reached for his arm but he jerked away as if her touch burned him.
"Don't touch me. I'm leaving but when I come back you'd better be gone. And I mean gone for good."
"Steven, you don't mean that. Please! Steven, I swear to you. I didn't sleep with him. I didn't!" She sank to the floor, crying to the point that her words were no longer even understandable. He turned his back and went out the front door, nearly slamming it off its hinges.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER...
Hyde had been drowning his sorrows at a tavern close to his Garage. He drank beer after beer. So that was it, it was finally over. He'd lost her. Lost her to Kelso. He didn't know which was worse. Suddenly his stupor was interrupted by Kelso sitting on a bar stool right next to him. He looked up and couldn't believe it.
"Get out of here Kelso. If you value your life at all you will get out of my face right now!!" said Hyde who was shaking with rage.
Kelso was very visibly frightened of Hyde in his present state of mind but decided he just had to get this over with. He would come clean. After Hyde had left he had decided that he couldn't do this to Jackie and he couldn't do it to Hyde. No matter how bad he wanted her back. It had come to him as a big shock that the ends didn't justify the means after all.
"Hyde, I made it all up. It never happened. When I heard you guys got engaged I couldn't take it. So I decided I had to stop you from getting married. So I took your spare key and stole the earring out of Jackie's jewelry box and took a pair of her underwear." said Kelso while staring at the floor instead of Hyde's disbelieving face.
"You what?! You mother fucking bastard! How could you do that to me?! How could you do that to Jackie?! You son of a fucking bitch! I'm going to rip your head off!
Hyde lunged for Kelso and started punching him in the stomach, in the face, where ever he could reach. Some one in the bar pulled them apart. Hyde was held back by an older muscular man. Hyde stared at Kelso with murder in his eyes. Suddenly all the horrible things he's said to Jackie came streaming back to him. He had to get back to their apartment and put this misunderstanding to rest. He pulled out of the grasp of the man holding him back from Kelso and ran out the front door of the bar.
MEANWHILE..
After about ten minutes of crying her eyes out Jackie felt a wave of calm wash over her. He didn't trust her. That was evident. In the back of her mind she guessed she'd always know that. Ever since the "Get off my boyfriend" fiasco it had always been there. Not talked about, ignored, and pushed aside. But it was there just the same. She was filled with anger. The names he called her came racing back to her.
SHALLOW, SELFISH, STUPID, SPOILED, SLUT.
Those words echoed in her mind over and over again. So that's what he thought of her. At least she knew now before it was too late. She'd called Donna while she was still hysterically crying and told her the whole sordid mess. Donna couldn't understand half of what Jackie had tried to tell her but she got the gist of the situation and she was on her way. Jackie was packing all her belongings up in boxes and whatever suitcases, and bags she could find. Finally she heard loud knocking downstairs. She went downstairs to let Donna in. She immediately threw her arms around Donna and sobbed her heart out. After she calmed down Donna began helping her pack her stuff and they were putting everything they could fit into both Jackie and Donna's cars. Finally everything was pretty much packed. The rest he could throw away as far as she was concerned. Jackie and Donna were in her bedroom giving everything one last look over to make sure she got everything important. Suddenly Jackie remembered the engagement ring on her finger. She paused for a moment but then finally found the strength to take it off. She grabbed an envelope off the desk and sealed it and just simple wrote on the front Steven and laid it on his pillow on their bed.
Donna watched this scene with great sadness. She knew with 100% certainty that Jackie would never sleep with Kelso and had been completely faithful to Hyde the entire time they'd been together and couldn't for the life of her fathom why Hyde didn't know it himself. She and Jackie headed back downstairs only to find Hyde coming through the front door.
He stared at Jackie for several moments. He was afraid of saying the wrong thing. As if things could get any worse. He already noticed all of Jackie's things missing all of over the apartment, which was practically everything. Plus he'd noticed Donna and Jackie's cars overloaded with boxes and bags.
"Jackie, I'm so sorry. Kelso told me the truth. I know you didn't sleep with him."
Jackie remained stoic and slowly shook her head "You know huh. Well, that's big of you. Thanks for taking my word for it. I really appreciate it. You'll never know how much that means to me. If you don't mind the selfish, spoiled, shallow, spoiled slut was about to remove herself from here just as you requested. Come on Donna, lets go."
Hyde reached out her arm to stop her from leaving. "Jackie, come on, please don't leave. I'm sorry. I was upset. I love you. It was just a big misunderstand but we can just forget this whole thing ever happened." he said pleadingly.
She jerked his hand off of her arm. "Forget it ever happened? Maybe you can but I can't! You don't trust me! You apparently never have! There's nothing left worth saving. We're done!"
"No we're not"
"Steven, We are over!" yelled Jackie.
"No we're not Jackie"
She looked him directly in the eyes and said "Steven, we're so over, we need a new word for over" and turned and went out the door with Donna following closely behind.