What Could Have Been Chapter 1, a that '70s show fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own "That 70's Show," even though it'd be cool if I did, and even more so if I could own Hyde too. The song "Drinking me Lonely" is owned by Chris Young.

AN: I know that this song isn't from the 70s but I don't care. It's a pretty song and while I was listening to it, this fic came to me.

Jackie sat at the best, correction only bar in Point Place, like she did almost every night. She was throwing back more and more shots of whiskey and pondered the recent events while listening to a sad song that came on the jukebox. She hated Steven Hyde and wished he would burn in hell. How could Steven choose Sam over her, the girl he said he loved? How could he marry that little no brain slut and not her? It just didn't make any sense. And she was so lonely.

I'm pushin' you away each time,
I pull up that ol' bar stool
Drownin' you in every drop I drink
Tellin' you to go to hell,
But I'm talkin' to myself,
'Cause you're not around to hear what I think
I'm tryin' to teach my heart to hate you,
But it ain't workin' right
Now the truth is I'm only,
Drinkin' me lonely tonight

Alcohol was the best medicine ever invented, she thought. It was almost like morphine. It kept the pain at bay and kept her from crying, not that she had anymore tears left. She was dry. She looked at the bartender and orders another shot.

An' Lord, it's more than just thirsty,
That I'm feelin' inside,
'Cause these tears I've been cryin',
Have left me bone dry
I wish the bartender,
Had a cure I could buy
But the truth is I'm only,
Drinkin' me lonely tonight

For the past month, all Jackie could do was drink, drink, drink, and drink some more. Luckily, no one had found out. She was very good at hiding what she really felt and how she really was at the time. Being drunk helped with that. She looked back up at the bartender and ordered yet another double.

The first night of drinking had happened when Hyde had come to Chicago and stormed off when he discovered Kelso walking into her hotel room in nothing but a towel. She had gotten really trashed that night.

Then when she'd returned, she had thought everything would be alright after she had explained to Steven what had happened and he'd forgiven her. But soon enough, she found out about his little drunken escapade in Vegas and how he'd married the slutty stripper. That night, in came the drunkenness. Every night, and almost everyday after that, she'd stayed drunk.

You said I'd have to choose
Between your love an' this ol' bar-room:
I just laughed, but I guess you knew best
Who cares who's right or wrong?
Tonight my better half is gone,
An' this whiskey's layin' claim to all that's left
So I'll just order up another,
An' pretend I'm all right,
When the truth is I'm only,
Drinkin' me lonely tonight

Sometimes, she would drive out of Point Place, so it wouldn't somehow get back to her friends, to buy beer, whiskey, and any other alcoholic beverage she could find, and then go home and drink up the courage to face the happiness that Hyde and Sam had. The happiness she should have.

Tears started to stream out of her face at the thoughts going through her head while the last notes of the song played on the jukebox. The song seemed to fix her life pretty well.

So I'll just order up another,
An' pretend I'm all right,
When the truth is I'm only,
Drinkin' me lonely tonight

She looked up when, out of the corner of her eye she noticed the bar's door open. Damn, it was Steven. Hurriedly, she whipped away her tears and turned back to the bar. He had noticed her.

Steven came up to the bar and ordered a beer, then looked over at Jackie. She looked a little worn around the edges. It surprised him that she had let herself go the tiny bit that she had.

"Hi, Jackie," he said.

"Steven," Jackie snapped in a greeting.

"I see you're still a little upset," he observed.

"A little upset?" she slurred. "I'm more than a little upset you jackass. You broke my damn heart." By that time, her voice had risen and they had caught the attention of most of the patrons in the bar.

"Jackie, keep your voice down. People can hear you," he hissed.

"I don't care, Steven," She yelled back. "Everyone in Point Place needs to know that you'd rather marry an ugly, dimwitted stripper slut than marry a woman who actually loves you!" The men in the bar applauded him while the few women there glared at him. "Oh, shut up, you pompous asses," she yelled at the men.

Steven took a closer look at Jackie and noticed her beautiful, different colored eyes were bloodshot. It was then that he noticed her speech was a little slurred. "Jackie, you're drunk?" he exclaimed.

"Oh, so you finally notice something, you dumb ass?" she demanded.

"Okay, you've been hanging around Red way too much." He stood up and threw a fifty on the bar to pay for his and Jackie's drinks then grabbed her elbow to pull her up and out of the bar.

Jackie started to struggle after the shock wore off. "Steven, what the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"I'm taking you home to sober you up," he replied.

"You gave up every right to dictate my actions the moment you chose that whore over me," she retorted.

Steven whirled on her. "Would you just shut up about her already? I made a mistake, Jackie. One I wish I could do over."

"You could have. You could have gotten a divorce." By this time, tears had started to stream out of her eyes again. Just when she thought she had no more tears to cry. "But you didn't. You chose her instead."

"You just don't get it, Jackie," he sadly stated.

"Then why don't you explain it to me?" she asked.

"Later, when you're sober enough to remember it," he said before leading her to his car.

Later, in Jackie's apartment, Hyde was in the bathroom doing God knew what while she sat on the couch, trying not to pass out.

Steven came out of the bathroom, stepped up to the couch, picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. He clamped a hand around her thighs just in case she decided it was a good time to start kicking.

"What the hell, Steven?" she yelled. He started walking toward the bathroom. He didn't say anything until after he had dumped her into a tub of extremely cold water.

She came up sputtering and with murder in her eyes. Seeing this, Hyde clamped a hand on her head and dunked her back under.

When he was sure she was sober enough, he let her go and sat back on his knees. "Feeling better now?" he asked, grinning.

Jackie sat there with her hair a tangled mess, water dripping in her eyes and off her hair, glaring at him. "You're dead, Steven Hyde," she growled before launching herself out of the tub and at him.

She raked and clawed at his face before Hyde could realize her intent and get a hold of her slippery body.

Steven grabber her wrists and flipped her over so he was straddling her waist, her hands held over her head. He clamped down harder when she kept struggling and waited until all of her energy was gone. It was then that he realized that she was crying.

He cupped both her wrists in one big hand, and cupped her face in the other. "Jackie, I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"No, you're not. If you were sorry, you'd be with me and not with her," she sobbed out.

"Yes, I am Jackie. And I want so badly to be with you." He leaned down and laid his forehead against hers. "You'll never know how much I wish I could go back in time to that night and let you explain yourself before I went to Vegas."

Jackie stared up at him and searched his eyes for truth. For some sort of emotion."Let me sit up, Steven," she whispered.

"Are you going to attack me again?" he asked warily.

"No," she replied.

Slowly, just in case she was lying, he loosened his hold on her and got up. She sat up and looked him dead in the eye. "If you love her so much," she said, "then why didn't you divorce her?"

"Because that meant that we'd get back together," he stated.

"And that would be a bad thing?" she demanded, starting to cry.

"For you yes."

Instantly, her tears dried up and she glared at him. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"Before you left, you told me that you were willing to give up your dreams to be with me. I didn't want to make you do that." He held up a hand when she started to interrupt. "I can't live in the big city, Jackie, especially now when I own a record store and I wasn't going to be selfish and make you give up your dream, and Lord knew that I wouldn't be able to give you the life that you would get from that job in Chicago."

"Oh, Steven. I wish I could take back a lot of the things that I said before and during our relationship. The only reason I said that I wanted all of those nice things was that's what everyone expected of me. When me and you got together, I didn't want anything else." She reached up and rubbed his check, and smiled when he leaned into her palm. "I still only want you. Why do you thing I stayed here in Point Place?"

He reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Jackie, I love you so much."

"I love you too, Steven," she said, happiness bubbling inside of her.

"I don't see how. All I've done in our relationship is screw things up."

"We all make mistakes," was all she got out before Steven clamped his lips to hers and gave her the passionate kiss that she'd been craving for a month.

His hands were in her hair, holding her head still while he plundered her mouth. His tongue teased hers, making her moan. He slipped his hand out of her hair and trailed them down her body, relearning all of her curves.

When it came to the point that hey had to breathe or die, he pulled back and smiled at her. Somehow during the kiss, she had crawled into his lap and wrapped her legs around his waist.

"So, I guess this means that you're getting a divorce?" she asked.

"No," he said. Shock registered on her face before he could continue. "I'm getting an annulment. She was really happy to inform me the other night that after we got married that I wasn't able to…" he trailed off and looked for a the right words, "perform." he finished. "And I haven't had sex with her since she came here."

"Oh, Steven, that's so wonderful," she cried out before kissing him again.

And they lived happily ever after.

AN: Tell me what you think!! Is it good or bad? If I get enough good reviews, I might make a chapter 2.