1:56 a.m., Wisconsin.

She was beaten violently to the ground. The now too large wedding ring she dutifully wore slipped of her finger and clattered across the linoleum floor. An imprint of a matching ring was stamped into her cheek. A small splattering of blood splashed, hitting a worn pair of size 4 hiking boots. Evil eyes blazed from across the room, goading a small child in bloody shoes.

"Go away!" cried the boy "Go away, go away, go away! I hate you!"

"GET OFF!"

Steven Hyde woke up screaming.

4:30 p.m. Same day.

Steven Hyde sat in the basement of his best friend, Eric Forman. Scooby-Doo was on the T.V., and Eric and Hyde sat alone in the basement, watching the latest defeat of a Boogie Man want to-be.

"And I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids and that stupid dog."

"Rog? Rhere? EEhehehehehe."

Eric giggled a bit in that nerdy way he does and a smile tugged at the corners of Hyde's mouth. Not much could make him truly smile anymore. Then Donna and Jackie burst through the door. Oh shit, thought Hyde. She looks pissed.

"What the hell Forman?!" Donna yelled. Use of last name; not a good sign.

"Hey Donna, it's great to see you too." Eric said sarcastically. This was a bad move on his part. Donna screamed and ranted about something totally irrelevant. She bitched and moaned and Forman couldn't just let her get it over with. No. He just had to bitch back like a whiny little kid over something stupid. It was always over something stupid, every fight always was. Who's dating whom? She cheated on him. Put down the bottle and cook me dinner. Get in the fucking room you little bitch or I'll pop that pretty little head right off that pretty little throat.

"Shut UP!" screamed Hyde leaping from his chair and unable to take anymore. Donna got in his face.

"What?!" she yelled. "You shut up Hyde this isn't even your business!" Memories sent Hyde directly into safety mode. His eyes widened as he took a step back and put his arms over his face.

"I'm sorry!" he yelped. The room went silent. Everyone was still. Hyde remembered where he was and lowered his arms, his eyes still widened in shock, his knees still bent to run. Jackie had even looked up from filing her nails.

"I… I wasn't gonna hit you Hyde," said Donna confusedly.

"Yea, I…know…sorry. I just…uhm." And with that Hyde retreated to his room in the basement. Hyde flopped on his bed and did something he hadn't done in a while. He curled his knees to his chest and began hyperventilating. An overwhelming feeling of anxiousness and nausea filled him, and Hyde recognized the feeling immediately. He was having a panic attack. He heard a small tapping on his bedroom door but chose to ignore it. Unfortunately for him, his visitor wouldn't take silence for an answer.

Jackie walked in and silently closed the bedroom door. Hyde rolled over onto his back and looked at her standing just inside the room, staring at him.

"What?" he said sharply. Obviously, Jackie had a problem with her head or something because she took that as a sign to proceed. She padded quietly over to the bed where Hyde lay and sat on the edge of it. Gently she moved closer, little by little until her backside was inches away from Hyde's stomach. She raised the arm closest to Hyde and held it up a bit, to show she wouldn't hurt him and placed it lightly on his chest. She gently rubbed in circles and Hyde sighed audibly.

"It's just that this is the one place I've ever felt happy besides Donna's house and it's getting more and more like my house. I hate it." Hyde explained. Jackie nodded and continued to rub circles. The sat in silence for a moment before Jackie asked, "Why did you think Donna was going to hit you?" Hyde sighed again and averted his eyes from Jackie's. She sat quietly, expectantly.

Hyde cleared his throat. "My dad, bastard that he is, used to hit me. And my mom." Jackie gasped and hugged Hyde in an awkward way that required her to either bend her body flat against itself or to lie down next to him. She chose to lie down.

"Steven I'm so sorry." She whispered.

"Why?" asked Hyde. "It's not like you hit us or anything." Jackie snuggled her head into his chest and listened to his heart beat. If anything, today had proved that Steven Hyde, in fact, had a heart. The two breathed in perfect rhythm. After a while, Jackie stood up. She softly touched Hyde's face before giving a small smile and leaving. As she was shutting the bedroom door behind her, Hyde whispered, "I love you Jackie."

9:30 a.m. the Next Day.

Jackie approached Hyde at his locker in school the next day. The halls were empty because class had already started and Jackie, who had never cut class before, looked around nervously.

"Steven?" said Jackie causing Hyde to turn from his locker.

"Yea?" he replied slowly noticing the anxiousness in her tone.

"I love you too," she said quickly and then gave him a swift kiss on the cheek before racing off to her class. Steven Hyde stood at his locker; he was grinning like a madman.