Disclaimer: I don't own.
Author's Note: This is a continuation of "Catch the Bouquet". It'll be two parts (or three, but I'm pretty sure it'll be two), and the next part will be up this weekend. A happy J/H fic with (of course) a light dose of angst! Enjoy!
Warning: Some language.
Two years after catching her best friend's bridal bouquet, fate was still being a bitch to Jackie Burkhart.
She'd been back together, and happily so, with Steven Hyde for two years, but her left ring finger was still bare. She'd been to two more weddings since Donna's, and just in the past three weeks, received invitations to three more weddings.
Her own wedding - her own engagement - was nowhere in sight.
"Alright, Jackie, I'll see you at Forman's."
Jackie turned towards the sound of her boyfriend's voice. "Steven, wait!" She rushed from the bathroom, not caring that she hadn't quite finished with her make up. She caught him at the front door of the apartment they'd shared for a year, stopping him with a tug on his arm. She smiled sexily and ran her hands up his chest. "Steven, why do you have to go to work?"
Hyde smirked and wrapped his arms around her waist, his hands settling on her rear end. "Because, doll, you know I can't leave Leo alone there. Brian has to leave at two and Justin can't come in till four." He kissed her forehead.
She pouted. "Then why can't I come with you?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Jackie, last time you came to work with me, you insulted WB's girlfriend's daughter. He's still pissed about it." He shook his head, pursing his lips. "He didn't get any for a month after that."
Jackie rolled her eyes. "Steven, that wasn't my fault! She was wearing yellow and orange...together, Steven!"
He grinned. "I'm sure she paid a heavy price for her crime of fashion." He pulled his chick closer and gave her a long, deep kiss.
She pulled away, though his kiss, as always, muddled her knees. "Eric lets Donna go to work with him," she whined, playing with the buttons on Steven's shirt.
"Yeah, well, they're married." He smothered the gasp she was about to give with a hard kiss, breaking it with a smack and a pat to her backside. "See you in a few hours."
Jackie crossed her arms and glared at him as he left. She followed him into the hallway. "I hate you, Steven Hyde!"
"Of course you do, baby."
Her face flushed, she returned to her apartment and slammed the door behind her. Leaning back against that door, tears filled her eyes. She closed them, but that didn't stop two hot tears from running a race down her cheeks.
In two years, some things had changed. He trusted her, at least more than he used to. He was more willing to tell her he loved her. And he'd taken her out on dates. He'd even been romantic with her at times, in his own way, of course.
But one thing hadn't changed. He still wasn't planning on ever marrying her.
"I need a plan." Jackie sat on the familiar, goldenrod couch she and the rest of her closest friends had all grown up on. Donna hadn't changed a thing about the Forman house since Red and Kitty sold it to the newlyweds, though she constantly talked of it.
A house. Donna and Eric had their own house. And a baby. They were a family, not just a couple. Not just two people living together with separate bank accounts and different names. Not just glorified roommates. They were a family, dedicated to one another, partners, lovers, friends...a family.
Exactly what she wanted to be with Steven.
Jackie frowned and clenched her fists as Donna paced back and forth in front of the coffee table, baby Luke in her arms.
"I thought you promised Hyde that you wouldn't manipulate him anymore." Donna looked down at the fussing seven-month old in her arms. "Come on, Lukie. Shhh...it's okay. Mommy's here." The baby kept crying, the cries threatening to break into a wail. She sighed tiredly and kept walking and rocking.
Jackie rolled her eyes. "It's not manipulation, Donna. He just needs to be convinced that he wants to marry me. Because he does, he just...he just doesn't realize it yet." Donna didn't answer, distracted by the baby she couldn't comfort, and Jackie stood up. "Give me that baby."
Donna half-reluctant, half-relieved, handed her son to Jackie. And of course, in less than a minute, the baby stopped fussing. She sank to the couch and shook her head. "God, why does he always shut up for you?"
Jackie glared at her friend. "Because, Donna, I'm a very soothing presence." She looked down at the baby, huge blue eyes staring up at her, and she smiled. "Aren't I, Lukie?" She lightly bounced the tiny boy and walked the room, completely lost in the wonder of him. He was beautiful, with reddish hair covering his head and big eyes, bluish-grey. She saw both Donna and Eric in him, and it was amazing.
She wondered what a baby she and Steven made would look like.
Donna sighed and leaned her head back on the couch. "Hey, can you take him upstairs and put him down?" She closed her eyes. Just five minutes. A power nap. It was all she needed.
Jackie raised an eyebrow. "And then will you help me come up with a plan?" She sighed impatiently when Donna didn't respond. "Donna!"
"Fine, fine, yeah, whatever!"
Jackie nodded, and then whispered to the baby. "Okay, Lukie. Lets go upstairs." The baby gurgled and smiled, and Jackie's eyes misted. Someday...
As she climbed the stairs, she frowned. Someday if and only if she came up with a damn good plan!
Donna opened her eyes slowly as her husband and Hyde walked into the living room. "You better just go down to the basement," she said. "Jackie's putting Luke down and then she's coming back down." She closed her eyes again; her body was so exhausted she could no longer feel it. "She's going on and on about coming up with a plan or something."
Eric frowned. "Thanks for the warning." He turned and headed back through the kitchen door.
Hyde shook his head. "So Donna." He crossed his arms. "What exactly is the purpose of this plan?"
Donna turned her head away from the noise of his voice. "Who knows, Hyde. Maybe she wants to figure out a way to get her commitment phobic boyfriend to marry her or something."
He shook his head, and the partial amusement he'd felt dissolved into anger. He stared at Donna, but from the way she was slumping over on the couch, he knew he wasn't going to get anything more from her. He sighed and stalked out of the living room, stopping in the kitchen. As he opened the fridge, he frowned. What in the hell was Jackie doing? She'd promised to stop it with this crap. He took out a beer, then slammed the door closed. Wasn't that commitment enough for her? Why did she have to have some stupid piece of paper from the government telling her he was committed to her?
And why couldn't she just wait? Why did she have to push?
"Donna! Get up! I've got it!"
Hyde walked over to the kitchen door and slowly, quietly pushed it open just a few inches. He smirked as Jackie began spilling her guts. Busted, doll. So totally busted.
"Okay, here's the deal. Steven always feels bad when you're being a bitch to me. You know, like when you threw your bouquet to Tina instead of me."
Hyde grinned. He imagined Donna was rolling her eyes at that one.
"So we have to have a huge fight. I'll take Luke out for the day and bring him home late.
You'll be incredibly mad, and yell at me that I'll never make a good wife or mother. I'll be devastated, and Steven doesn't like to see me devastated, so he'll have to do something huge to make me feel better."
"And you think this "huge" something will be a proposal."
Hyde took a swig of his beer. Of course she thought so. Nothing was as huge to Jackie as a proposal.
"Of course, Donna!"
He smiled. He knew his chick.
"Jackie, I don't know..."
"Please, Donna. Look, I know I promised Steven that I wouldn't play any games, but..."
The pause bugged him.
"I just don't know what else to do. I love him so much, and I want to be his wife, you know? Sam was his wife and he was okay with that. I just don't...I don't understand why that was okay and the idea of me being his wife isn't even an option for him. Do you think...did he love her more than me?"
He recoiled from the door, his gut swarmed with piercing pain as if he'd been stabbed by thousands of freshly sharpened knives. Shaking his head, he turned and headed out of the kitchen to the porch. He sat down, and stared at the driveway, at the Vista Cruiser which Forman refused to get rid of.
She didn't understand. She'd never understand. He hadn't loved Sam. He loved her. He stared at the bottle in his hand, and suddenly, the amber liquid inside didn't seem so appealing. The stakes with Jackie were so much higher. If he married her, and somehow screwed it up and they split up...
His eyes closed.
"Hey, whatcha doing out here?"
Hyde shook off his thoughts, tried to ignore the echo of Jackie's hurt voice, and smirked at Forman as his best friend took the seat next to him. "Oh, just figuring out how I'm gonna ruin Jackie's latest plan to get me to propose." He raised an eyebrow. "She and Donna are gonna stage a fight, and she thinks I'll feel so sorry for her that I'll pop the question."
Eric nodded and took a slow slug of his beer. He looked straight ahead. "Wow. She must really love you."
Hyde looked at him. "How do you figure that?"
Eric shrugged, still avoiding looking at Hyde. "You guys have been back together for two years, and she hasn't bugged you at all about marriage, right? Just like you asked her to, right?"
"Yeah. So?"
"So...that's not like Jackie, but she did it for you." Eric took a breath and looked at Hyde. "Look, man, I know you have your reasons for not wanting to get married. But don't you have any for wanting to get married? Like the fact that Jackie, while she is the devil, loves you so much she forgave you doing the one thing that hurt her the most? And then after that, never pressured you to make it up to her by marrying her...until now, of course. Two years later."
Hyde looked down. Damn it all, but Forman was right. Oh, there'd been little comments here and there, longing looks, especially whenever they had to go to a wedding. But nothing major. No ultimatums. Not really even any pouting, at least not in front of him. "Yeah, but..." He looked up at the sky and sighed in frustration. "Fine, but I can't propose after she pulls this little stunt. She'll think she can keep doing this kind of thing to get her way."
Eric shrugged. "Well, I don't know what to tell you, man. Except that maybe its time you do something for her, you know?" He stood up. "Prove that you love her, man." He grinned. "You get awesome sex when you do it, too, so that's a bonus." He grinned. "Come on in, man. Party's gonna start. Mom's here with her booze, so..."
Hyde shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips as Forman headed back into the house. Prove that you love her, man. He took another swallow of his beer. Huh. Did he love her more than me?
He frowned. Okay. Maybe it was time to start thinking...thinking...about marriage. But he wasn't gonna actually propose until he was ready. And he wasn't gonna reward her for her game playing with a diamond ring. No.
No, what he would do would be to bust her in her little scheme, and then let her sweat a little bit. After that, he'd tell her he was thinking about marriage. Appease her a bit.
And then someday, he'd pop the question. Someday.
"Jackie...god, yes..."
Jackie lay on top of Steven, her mouth languidly exploring his naked chest and stomach. She dotted her kisses with flicks of her tongue, tasting his essence and shivering as his groans vibrated into her own body. His hands pressed her head down to him, and she squirmed over his lower body, rubbing her breasts against his heated erection. "Steven..."
She nibbled her way up to his lips, and he instantly captured hers in a scorching kiss.
Drawing away, she smiled down at his flushed face, his burning eyes. His hand felt so hot on her naked backside, and she could hardly wait to feel him inside her. But first... "Steven," she whispered, tracing a fingertip over his mouth. "I just want to make you happy."
The anniversary party...she'd looked at Eric and Donna, and how happy they were. And all night she'd wanted to tell Steven that...to make him understand.
Hyde looked up at her, into her mismatched eyes. His first inclination was to smirk and tell her to kiss back down his body if she wanted to really make him happy, but something in those eyes...something he'd always seen in her eyes but still seemed new...made him feel slightly dizzy. "Jackie," he said huskily.
"No, Steven, I just...I want to make you so happy, Steven. Like...like...oh god, I don't know what I'm trying to say!"
She dropped to him and buried her head in the crook of her neck.
I do too know what I'm trying to say. I'm trying to say that I want to marry you, Steven!
Hyde rubbed her back, trying not to let his arousal get the better of him. "Baby, you do," he answered, turning his lips to her and biting her ear softly. His eyes closed. Funny, it was an easy thing to say now. After all they'd been through. "You really do."
And he knew what she was trying to say.
Just hang in a little longer, Jackie. Please, doll, just a little longer till I'm sure.
He grinned and rolled her over to her back, getting on top of her and smiling down at her. She squealed and giggled, and her eyes lit up while his hand meandered her breasts. "I do?"
He nodded, his lips just half an inch from hers. "Yeah. So let me show you how grateful I am..."
Later on, they lay together, facing one another in the dark. Staring at one another in the dark.
"This is so nice, isn't it?"
"Mmmmm. Yeah."
"I don't ever want it to end."
"Nope."
"It won't, will it, Steven?"
"Jackie, shut your piehole."
Her giggle was smothered by another kiss.
And as he began to seduce her all over again, just before she lost herself in her love for him, she thought of her plan. Two days, and he'd be hers FOREVER.